This article originally appeared in Lift and Access, November/December 2016
-By Daniel Hanawalt & Bo Li
United Equipment Accessories, Inc.
Elliott Equipment Co., Omaha, Neb., manufactures telescopic boom cranes, truck-and carrier-mounted personnel lifts, digger derricks, and related machinery for the utility, construction, and sign industries.
Its cranes range in capacity from 10 to 50 tons , have maximum boom lengths to 142 ft., and offer maximum boom-and-jib tip heights to 207 ft. Elliott aerial lifts come with platform heights to 209 ft. and platform capacities to 1,200 lbs. Its digger derricks have sheave heights to 117 ft., can dig at a radii to 44ft., and deliver 20,000 lb.-ft. of digging torque.
For 23 years, Elliott has been using electrical slip rings from United Equipment Accessories (UEA) to carry current to the rotating turrets of its equipment.
Hydraulic swivels perform a similar function for hydraulic systems. They deliver a continuous flow of hydraulic fluid from a stationary chassis to a rotating turret, enabling the turret to rotate an unlimited number of revolutions.
Hydraulic swivels and slip rings are used together in cranes and other lifting equipment to move electricity and hydraulics through parts that must rotate
When UEA started designing and manufacturing hydraulic swivels—a complementary part to the slip ring—in 2012, Elliott Equipment wanted to know more.
“We were really interested when they started making hydraulic swivels,” said Terry Radenslaben, manager of R&D engineering and technical publications at Elliott Equipment. “We had a really good track record with their slip rings, and the existing relationship gave us confidence in their abilities on the hydraulic swivel side.”
Many manufacturers source slip rings and hydraulic swivels separately, and Elliott Equipment had previously done the same. A third company would assemble swivels and slip rings before sending them to Elliott for installation into its products.
The lifting equipment manufacturer now gets both slip rings and hydraulic swivels from UEA and assembles the two components into a unit itself. Elliot has found it beneficial to get both components from a single supplier.
“We took a step out of the logistical process and reduced unnecessary channels in the manufacturing process. This lowers expenses, improves timelines and reduces the chance of errors,” says Radenslaben
He adds that UEA can do a lot of custom work for the company. “A direct relationship with them makes a lot of things easier for us,” he says.
In the near future, Elliott Equipment plans to move to combination units—slip rings and hydraulic swivels designed as a single component.
“We tried a different route in an attempt to save some pennies,” Radenslaben said. “We had quality problems and found the trust we had in UEA was justified. They listen to our needs and make sure they have things just right for us.”
About Elliott Equipment
For more than 65 years, Elliott Equipment Company has been an innovator in the industry—designing and building unique, multi-functional products, with a team of people who care about customer needs. Learn more at www.elliottequip.com.
About United Equipment Accessories (UEA)
United Equipment Accessories (UEA), based in Waverly, Iowa, engineers and manufactures slip rings, hydraulic swivels, cable reels and shift controls—both standard and custom. UEA’s products are used by equipment manufacturers in a wide variety of industries across the U.S. and the world. Learn more at www.uea-inc.com.
About Daniel Hanawalt
Daniel Hanawalt is Business Development Manager at United Equipment Accessories (UEA) in Waverly, Iowa. He specializes in assisting manufacturers in finding rotary motion solutions for their applications.
About Bo Li
Bo Li is a Certified Fluid Power Engineer (CFPE) through the International Fluid Power Society (IFPS). Currently, he is a design engineer at United Equipment Accessories (UEA) in Waverly, Iowa, designing hydraulic swivels and developing the hydraulic swivel endurance test systems.
Read full article here.