MMCC Ice Usage – Olympia Repaired!

Last night, one of our operators noted that the steering was locking. We noted this again this morning and began diagnosing this – and looked specifically at the hydraulic system as that’s what powers the steering.

Getting under the machine, we saw that one of the hoses had worn through, and by the look of it the electric motor on the wheel had done it. But it was a pretty important part – this was the hydraulic hose that lead to the brakes on this wheel.

From there, we noticed that the motor had rubbed the frame as well, and seemed to be out of alignment. Going back to the wheel, we noticed some play in it that seemed like it could be the bearing or hub assembly. With some help from our awesome mechanic & water staff Dan, we worked with the manufacturer to determine that it was the top king pin that was damaged.

We’re told that this is a really rare occurrence, as those pins are rated to 10,000 pounds, and the assembly that makes up the wheel is normally used for forklifts. But, with that pin broken, there is a risk of the whole wheel assembly coming off, as it is now only held on by the bottom pin. So, the machine is out of service until we can replace the pins.

The good news is that we caught the issue before it caused any damage and the parts should be here tomorrow morning – so we will be back in operation tomorrow afternoon if all goes well.

Thanks for your patience as we get it back up and running.