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Update: The 'simple' line check on the old Erie Dredge 8 turned into a three day ordeal
We had a weird vibration in the ladder pump, and I figured it was just a worn bushing (you know, a quick afternoon job). Turned out the entire main shaft coupling was out of alignment by a hair, and the wear pattern was hidden under old grease. Took us from Tuesday morning until Thursday evening to strip it down, reset everything with lasers, and get it running smooth again. Anyone else had a 'simple' fix blow up like that on an older machine?
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spencer_perry771mo ago
Whoa, tell me about it. Had a small crane on a barge once that was making a noise like a loose chain. Took two days to tear the hoist apart before we found a penny someone dropped in the gear case years ago. Wild what ends up hiding in old equipment.
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riverm483mo ago
Honestly, three days for a shaft alignment? That seems like a LOT. Sometimes a vibration is just a bad bearing or something loose. Did you check the motor mounts first? I've seen guys go straight for the big fix when it was a simple bolt that worked itself out over time. Older machines are weird, but not always that deep.
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