Rigging a 100" Blanchard Grinder

cash · Aug 14, 2018

Today we unloaded a 100" Blanchard base. I used a 3/4" chain and then a 7/8" chain that had foundry hooks. I only had a short section of foundry hook chain so I had to then use 2 20' long blue straps that when on a basket hitch at good for 40,000 lbs each.

Total weight approx 52,000 lbs.

Our angle on the hitch was about 50 deg so this is why I like some safety factor.

The lift went well with no issues.

Tyrone Shoelaces · Aug 15, 2018

You can't beat having clutched chains for a balanced lift.

Regards Tyrone.

Mebfab · Aug 15, 2018

Off subject a little. How common where foundries back in the day that could pour parts this large? I am sure thatvit was easy to find in major industrial areas. But springfield vermont? Or fill in the blank nowhere? I realize you would just have a railcar haul it in but adds cost.

I talked to g+l a year ago. They currently have to source from eastern europe.

cash · Aug 15, 2018

Mebfab said:
Off subject a little. How common where foundries back in the day that could pour parts this large? I am sure thatvit was easy to find in major industrial areas. But springfield vermont? Or fill in the blank nowhere? I realize you would just have a railcar haul it in but adds cost.

I talked to g+l a year ago. They currently have to source from eastern europe.

I know for in the midwest- we were looking last year to get a 6,000 lb casting done. This was almost impossible to find. We did find one place to do this and it was about their max size. My guess in the US is there may be only a handful left. I think Capco grinders still have their castings poured somewhere in the US.

Zahnrad Kopf · Aug 15, 2018

They are making a new movie to play upon the resurgence of Manufacturing, of late. It's about a shop owner that works tirelessly to the point of exhaustion, but gets oddly intoxicated by drinking sports drinks. Once this happens, people start throwing dollar bills at him and it results in this - Cashdance. < insert jazz hands >

Dupa3872 · Aug 15, 2018

Cash, I like what you guys do, I like the way that you look for machines that fit and help you to grow, Keeping America strong. You have unique capacity and that sets you apart.

Good luck bringing that baby back to life.

Make Chips Boys

Ron

gbent · Aug 15, 2018

A neighboring plant from years ago had a 120" machine with extended water guards that would swing 144". ISTR the coolant tank was about the size of a small swimming pool and had an apron chain to remove the swarf. The coolant tank sat in a cut out in the floor so the working level was below the table height, and it seemed the coolant tank took up more space than the machine.

What will you do for coolant? How many horse spindle?

bryan_machine · Aug 15, 2018

@Tyrone - what does "clutched chains" refer to? (I mean specific detail for lifting.)

@Cash - so is a 100" Blanchard for a different kind of work than your monster Mattisons etc? Or just a different approach?
(I get that a large square might fit on the blanchard that's too wide for the mattison....)

gbent · Aug 15, 2018

On a "clutched chain" there is a mechanism at the master link to allow each one of the legs to be shortened. The mechanism is often another hook on a few links of chain, but there are other devices used. Sometimes they are just called "adjustable" on this side of the pond.

Tyrone Shoelaces · Aug 15, 2018

gbent said:
On a "clutched chain" there is a mechanism at the master link to allow each one of the legs to be shortened. The mechanism is often another hook on a few links of chain, but there are other devices used. Sometimes they are just called "adjustable" on this side of the pond.

We used " Kuplex " chains, they had what we called a " pigs foot " to shorten the chains. There's a right way and a wrong way to put the chain link into the " pigs foot ". Your chain with the hook must come out of the bottom of the " pigs foot " and not the top.

Regards Tyrone.

adama · Aug 15, 2018

These also goes as chain shortening clutches, there dead usefull and there not all that expensive + can easily be added to existing sets of chains, only real disadvantages if you are messing with chains for these kinda loads they make things significantly heavier from the manual handling - setup side of things. One big advantage of the pigs foot style over the little hook style is they don't tend to accidentally get hooked up on stuff.

cash · Aug 15, 2018

gbent said:
A neighboring plant from years ago had a 120" machine with extended water guards that would swing 144". ISTR the coolant tank was about the size of a small swimming pool and had an apron chain to remove the swarf. The coolant tank sat in a cut out in the floor so the working level was below the table height, and it seemed the coolant tank took up more space than the machine.

What will you do for coolant? How many horse spindle?

That is the same size of my 120" I am working on. I will have all my big 3 machines on a 6,000 gal central system. We use Houghton 767 coolant with great luck so far. We dump it about every 18 months and recharge.

300 H.P.

ewlsey · Aug 15, 2018

I would think at one time that kind of casting was all done in house. Any machine builder worth their salt had a captive foundry.

I've been in the Cat foundry in Mapleton, IL. They cast steel an iron. They cast the block and heads for the C175, a V-20 engine that weighs over 50,000 lbs. The place is unreal.

A Day in the Life of a Cat Engine | peoriamagazines.com

cash · Aug 15, 2018

adama said:
These also goes as chain shortening clutches, there dead usefull and there not all that expensive + can easily be added to existing sets of chains, only real disadvantages if you are messing with chains for these kinda loads they make things significantly heavier from the manual handling - setup side of things. One big advantage of the pigs foot style over the little hook style is they don't tend to accidentally get hooked up on stuff.

We refer to them as chain shorteners or grab hooks- at the end of the day they do the same thing and if you don't have them you miss them.

Bill D · Aug 15, 2018

I hope those are steel toed boots.
Bill D.

Rob F. · Aug 16, 2018

adama said:
These also goes as chain shortening clutches, there dead usefull and there not all that expensive + can easily be added to existing sets of chains, only real disadvantages if you are messing with chains for these kinda loads they make things significantly heavier from the manual handling - setup side of things. One big advantage of the pigs foot style over the little hook style is they don't tend to accidentally get hooked up on stuff.

I like the KSC N type of clutch, mor compact as it hooks direct to master link. Here is a catalog page from Crosby:
Crosby Kuplex(R) KSC Shortening Clutch - The Crosby Group

Tyrone Shoelaces · Aug 16, 2018

Rob F. said:
I like the KSC N type of clutch, mor compact as it hooks direct to master link. Here is a catalog page from Crosby:
Crosby Kuplex(R) KSC Shortening Clutch - The Crosby Group

That's the type we used. The photo shows the correct way of fitting the chain into the clutch. I have seen guys who are new to them get the chain in the other way around. That is dangerous.

Regards Tyrone.

tdmidget · Aug 17, 2018

Tyrone Shoelaces said:
You can't beat having clutched chains for a balanced lift.

Regards Tyrone.

Yes, you can. Chains only adjust the length of one link intervals. Hang chain hoists from the hook and adjust muck smaller increments. We commonly level loads to a 98 level. Bigger loads get an adjustable lifting beam which allows 100+ ton loads to be leveled to the same degree.

Rigging a 100" Blanchard Grinder

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