Service life of aerial lifts, forklift trucks and telehandlers
We deal with the service life (in Polish: resurs) of mobile elevating work platforms (cherry pickers, scissor lifts, aerial lifts), forklift trucks and telehandlers. Our experienced maintenance technicians calculate the degree of service life used, assess the technical condition of the machine and prepare the documentation required by the technical supervision regulations, the one that a UDT (Urząd Dozoru Technicznego, the Polish Office of Technical Inspection) inspector asks for. When the service life has been exceeded, we carry out the technical condition assessment.
Service life calculation from PLN 300 + VAT
Service life at a glance
What service life is
The limiting working life of a device: the number of cycles and the load for which the structure was calculated, taking real working conditions into account. It is not an expiry date or just the reading of an hour meter.
Who is responsible for it
The operator, that is the owner or user of the machine. The regulations require the service life to be determined and documented. Our maintenance technicians take care of the calculation and the documentation.
How much the service life is
For mobile elevating work platforms the PN-EN 280 standard assumes from 40,000 cycles for light duty to 100,000 for heavy duty. For forklift trucks and telehandlers the value is given by the manufacturer or determined from the design, working time and loads.
What happens when it is exceeded
The machine does not have to be scrapped. A technical condition assessment has to be carried out and an application for an ad hoc operational inspection filed with UDT.
Our maintenance technicians take care of the service life
The service life is calculated by our experienced maintenance technicians, the same people who carry out inspections and repairs of the machines of our fleet, of mobile elevating work platforms and telehandlers, and of our customers' machines. They know the design of JLG, Genie, Haulotte, Manitou and other machines, their documentation and typical working history.
That is why the calculation does not end at the meter. The maintenance technician assesses the real condition of the machine: the load-bearing structure, pins, cylinders and safety devices, and compares the result with the history of its work.
We prepare the documentation in line with the regulations, the regulation of 30 October 2018 on the technical conditions of technical inspection and the UDT guidelines, so that it is ready for the inspection of the machine.
What the regulations say
- § 7 section 2: the operating history of the device must be recorded.
- § 7 section 4: where records are missing, the operating history has to be reconstructed.
- § 7 section 5: where the service life is not known, it has to be determined.
- § 7 section 6: after the service life has been exceeded, a technical condition assessment is required.
- § 17 section 2 point 4: after that assessment, an application for an ad hoc operational inspection is filed.
Regulation of the Minister of Entrepreneurship and Technology of 30 October 2018 on the technical conditions of technical inspection in the operation, repair and modernisation of handling equipment (urządzenia transportu bliskiego) (Journal of Laws 2018, item 2176).
How do we calculate the service life of a machine?
- 1
We collect data about the machine
Type, serial number, year of manufacture, operating manual, inspection register (księga rewizyjna), maintenance log and the meter reading. Scans or photos are enough.
- 2
We establish the reference service life
First we look for it in the manufacturer's manual. Where it is not there, for a mobile elevating work platform we take the value from the PN-EN 280 standard, and for a forklift truck or telehandler we determine it from the design, working time and loads.
- 3
We reconstruct the operating history
The hour meter does not count lifting cycles. The maintenance technician establishes how the machine actually worked, from the documents, the meter and the condition of the machine.
- 4
We take load and conditions into account
Work with a full basket or with loads close to the capacity, overloads, collisions, frost or an aggressive environment use up the service life faster. We enter such events into the calculation.
- 5
We give the result and a forecast
The degree of service life used as a percentage, the remaining life, and the date by which the machine will reach its service life at the current pace of work.
What do you get after the service life calculation?
- Determination of the machine's service life, naming the source: the manufacturer's manual or the standard
- Calculation of the degree of service life used, with the assumptions described
- A reconstructed operating history, if earlier records are missing
- A register of operating history prepared for further keeping
- A forecast of when the machine will reach its service life at the current way of working
- Recommendations on what to pay attention to at the next maintenance inspection
What should you prepare for the calculation?
- A photo of the rating plate: type, serial number, year of manufacture
- The UDT registration number of the machine
- The operating manual, if you have it
- The inspection register and the maintenance log, as scans or photos
- The current hour meter reading
- A short description of the work: indoors or outdoors, how many days a week, how heavy the loads or the load in the basket
Some documents missing? That is common with machines bought as used. The operating history can be reconstructed.
Service life exceeded: what next?
An exceeded service life does not end the work of a machine. It means that before further operation its condition has to be checked more thoroughly than at an ordinary inspection and confirmed by a UDT inspection.
Technical condition assessment
Our maintenance technicians check the load-bearing structure and its joints, pins and bushes, cylinders, joints and, in forklift trucks and telehandlers, also the mast or boom, chains and forks, and the safety devices. We point out places that require non-destructive testing.
Replacement of worn parts
We replace worn pins, bushes, hoses and other components with parts to factory specification. You receive a list of the work done and of the parts replaced.
Report and new service life
We describe the results of the assessment in a report, together with the conditions for further work and the service life for the next period of operation.
Ad hoc UDT inspection
After the assessment an application for an ad hoc operational inspection is filed with UDT. We prepare the documents and the machine for the inspection.
Buying a used machine? Check the service life before you buy
A machine with a service life close to its limit means the cost of a technical condition assessment soon after the purchase. A calculation made before the transaction shows how much work is left in the structure and gives you an argument in the price discussion. See also our used machines and UDT maintenance inspections.
How much does a service life calculation cost?
Mobile elevating work platform: cherry picker, scissor lift, boom lift
from PLN 300
net per machine, plus VAT
Forklift truck: electric or internal combustion (diesel, LPG)
from PLN 300
net per machine, plus VAT
Telehandler
from PLN 300
net per machine, plus VAT
The technical condition assessment after the service life has been exceeded is quoted individually, after we have looked at the documents of the machine. We give the exact price of the calculation before the work starts. It depends on the type of machine and on how many documents have to be reconstructed. 23% VAT is added to the prices.
Frequently asked questions about service life
What is the service life of an aerial lift?
Service life (in Polish: resurs) is the limiting working life of a device, defined by the number of working cycles and the load in the assumed period of operation, taking the real conditions of use into account. This is how the regulation of 30 October 2018 on the technical conditions of technical inspection for handling equipment defines it (§ 2 point 6). It applies, among others, to mobile elevating work platforms (cherry pickers and aerial lifts), forklift trucks and telehandlers.
Who at RK Rental calculates the service life?
Our experienced maintenance technicians, people who carry out inspections and repairs of mobile elevating work platforms and telehandlers every day. They know the design of the machines, the manufacturers' documentation and the technical supervision regulations, so the calculation is based on the real condition of the machine, and not only on the meter reading.
Is service life the same as engine hours?
No. The service life of a mobile elevating work platform is counted in working cycles, while the hour meter shows the working time of the whole machine, including driving and standing. Giving the meter reading is not a service life calculation: an assessment of how the machine actually worked is needed.
How many cycles is the service life of a mobile elevating work platform?
The PN-EN 280 standard assumes 40,000 cycles for light, intermittent duty (10 years, 40 weeks a year, 20 hours a week, 5 cycles per hour) and 100,000 cycles for heavy duty (10 years, 50 weeks a year, 40 hours a week, 5 cycles per hour). The value for a given model is given by the manufacturer in the manual.
Do you calculate the service life of a forklift truck and a telehandler?
Yes. Industrial trucks with a mechanical lifting drive, that is forklift trucks and telehandlers supervised by UDT, are listed in the same regulation as mobile elevating work platforms (§ 1 point 11), so the service life obligations are the same. The service life is given by the manufacturer or determined from the design, working time and loads, and our maintenance technician compares it with the real history of work: hours, the mass of the loads and the conditions.
I do not have the working history of the machine. Can the service life still be calculated?
Yes. Where records are missing, the operating history is reconstructed on the basis of current technical knowledge and good engineering practice (§ 7 section 4 of the regulation). Our maintenance technicians use the hour meter, the inspection register, the maintenance log, the year of manufacture and a description of how the machine worked.
When does UDT ask about the service life?
At periodic inspections. Inspectors remind owners about the documentation of the degree of service life used and expect it by the next inspection at the latest. That is why it is worth having the calculation ready before the date of the inspection, and not after it.
What happens when the service life is exceeded?
The machine does not have to be withdrawn. The regulations require a technical condition assessment (§ 7 section 6), which our maintenance technicians carry out, and then an application for an ad hoc operational inspection by UDT (§ 17 section 2 point 4). After a positive inspection the machine continues to work on the conditions set in the assessment.
How often does the service life calculation have to be updated?
The regulations do not give a single deadline: the operating history is recorded continuously, and at every inspection the maintenance technician enters the meter reading in the maintenance log. In practice it is most convenient to update the degree of service life used once a year, at the maintenance inspection before the UDT inspection.
For what machines do you calculate the service life?
For mobile elevating work platforms of all brands, scissor, articulating, telescopic and vertical mast, among others JLG, Genie, Haulotte, Manitou and Zoomlion, and also for electric and internal combustion forklift trucks and for telehandlers. Also for machines bought or rented elsewhere.
How much does a service life calculation cost?
A service life calculation costs from PLN 300 + VAT per machine, for a mobile elevating work platform, a forklift truck or a telehandler. The technical condition assessment after the service life has been exceeded is quoted individually, after we have looked at the documents of the machine. We give the exact price before the work starts.
UDT inspection coming up and the service life not calculated?
Send a photo of the rating plate and the meter reading. We will tell you which documents we need and give you the price before the work starts.
Contact
The fastest way is by phone: service +48 609 609 105 (also WhatsApp), or write to serwis@fajnepodnosniki.pl.
- Phone (service):
- +48 609 609 105
- E-mail:
- serwis@fajnepodnosniki.pl
- WhatsApp:
- +48 609 609 105
- Base and office:
- ul. Brzozowa 12, 86-061 Brzoza near Bydgoszcz, Poland
- Office hours:
- Monday to Friday, 7:30–15:30 (Polish time)
- Response time:
- Messages: a reply within 1–2 hours.