TECH TIPS

Winter Clean Up

Now is the perfect time to clean your equipment for the upcoming year! In addition to the required annual inspections, why not make your equipment look as good as new? A clean piece of equipment will result in better performance and efficiency with competitive prices on quality parts from C-Tech!  

TECH TIPS

Battery Troubleshooting

Batteries and battery products are the heart of your Mobile Elevating Work Platform and are responsible for ensuring your electric scissor lifts and boom lifts are working throughout the day. Most electric boom and scissor lifts are designed to offer a complete day of work on a full charge. A battery pack not showing a full charge after being plugged in overnight, or a machine running out of power well before the end of a workday, are red flags that some maintenance or replacement of battery system products are required.

TECH TIPS

Types of Switches and How They Work

Switches are very simple components that are typically open or closed and act to interrupt or complete an electrical circuit. Some switches are self-contained and others require multiple pieces, such as an actuator, base, and contacts. The most common switches are push button, toggle, and rotary and C-Tech has you covered with a huge inventory of switches for your construction equipment. Let’s dive into the different types of switches and how they work.

TECH TIPS

ENGINE WON'T START?

Imagine you have just tried starting the engine of your boom lift, rough terrain scissor lift, or telehandler but it spits and sputters. Have no fear! The experts at C-Tech are here to help!  We carry a wide array of ignition associated parts from oil pressure switches, spark plugs, solenoids, glow plugs, and sensors to fuel related parts and engine governors.

It’s common that machines equipped with carbureted engines may encounter difficulty starting in weather conditions of 15°-20° F or colder.  After a few unsuccessful attempts of starting the engine, you should troubleshoot the cause of the starting difficulty by checking the carburetor, ignition system, and fuel system. 

TECH TIPS

FILTERS

Filters are often an overlooked part in most daily maintenance checklists, but it is important to know that it only takes a tiny amount of dust to ruin engines or contaminate hydraulic systems. With your equipment on the line, daily inspections of your filters are critical.

TECH TIPS

JOYSTICK TERMINOLOGY

What is a joystick controller? A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Some joysticks are proportional, meaning that a variable electrical signal controls the stroking of the valve spool over metering ports. This produces a variable flow of hydraulic fluid thereby providing the ability to vary the speed of the actuator being controlled. This variable positioning allows spools to be designed with metering notches to provide flow/speed control as well as directional control functions all in one valve, instead of requiring separate valves for direction and speed. To put it simply, the further your push the joystick from center, the faster the equipment will go. Many of these proportional joysticks can be adjusted slightly with trim potentiometers on the board. 

TECH TIPS

NATIONAL SAFETY MONTH

With June being National Safety Month, it is the perfect time to discuss mobile elevating work platform (MEWP), scissor lift, and boom lift safety.  As we all know, safety is something that we all must practice on a daily basis. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reviewed data and indicated that the extended height of the lift or the vertical position of the worker as a result of the lift were significant factors for fatal injury. 

TECH TIPS

C-Tech Control Boxes

Recently a customer contacted us requesting some parts to repair a SkyJack® Control Box.  The customer said they needed a quote on a new Joystick, Battery Indicator, Lift Toggle Switch, Key Switch, and Emergency Stop Switch. Our Customer Support Specialist then asked why they needed all of those parts, and the customer informed us that he was repairing an old used control box after theirs was stolen. Our team worked to identify the model and serial number of the Scissor Lift, discussed any equipment options, and identified that the customer would still need decals and other parts to repair his control box. Our Customer Support Specialist suggested that they purchase a new control box instead, and offered our FREE shipping option for orders over $500 saving the customer time on the repair and keeping their equipment safe.

TECH TIPS

C-Tech Decals

Decals are an important part of every piece of equipment. They denote branding, instructions, and mandatory OSHA safety warnings. If you are not buying decals from C-Tech now, it is a great time to start.

There are several reasons why you should buy your decals from C-Tech. Our decals are a better choice than the OEM’s because C-Tech decals are less expensive and our quality meets or exceeds OE specifications in form and function. We have two production facilities with roughly 10,000 decals in stock for same day shipping in most cases.

TECH TIPS

Wheels & Tires Tech Tips from C-Tech

Wheels and tires are critical components for scissor lift and boom lift equipment. Aside from their most common function of keeping us moving, they provide the foundation for maintenance, comfort, and stability. When wheels and tires suffer wear and tear, it is important to know when and how to replace them.