Flexible maintenance solutions – Tripod-jacks on loan
Tuesday night, 10:00 PM, Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia. A B737 needs to undergo an unscheduled check tomorrow night, and the airliner will need to be jacked up for a landing gear inspection. However, there’s a problem: There’s no compatible tripod-jack on hand. So what now?
The fact is that MRO companies and airlines normally have only a limited set of tools available at all times: essentially, the ones they need on a regular basis for their own fleet or for aircraft scheduled for maintenance. So what happens when a machine that’s not part of the standard portfolio needs to be worked on? Or when existing equipment is out of order, has not undergone the required maintenance, or simply fails all of a sudden? Certainly not trivial questions, as every minute an aircraft spends on the ground costs the customer or airline money.
As is well known, the aircraft maintenance industry is becoming increasingly flexible and needs to be able to respond to fast market changes. As a result, mobile solutions are in demand. HYDRO’s answer to this problem? Tripod-jacks that are available on call, with the focus being on a universal tripod-jack set that covers a whole series of aircraft models: the A320 family, incl. the Neo; the Boeing 737, incl. the 737 MAX; the Embraer 190; the Sukhoi Superjet 100 RRJ95; the Irkut MC-21; and the Comac C919. Within this context, versatile adapters make it possible to use a single tripod-jack for a variety of aircraft models.
Quick and easy shipping around the world
It goes without saying that when customers need equipment, they need it fast. Accordingly, HYDRO’s solution is not just limited to an operational tripod-jack set, but instead includes an optimized transport rack as well. This is particularly important, as space for last-minute shipments on cargo aircraft is scarce and, above all, expensive. Accordingly, the transport rack used to ship HYDRO’s special on-loan fly-away tripod-jacks weighs as little as possible. Less than six metric tons, to be exact. The result? Much lower shipping costs. On top of this, the full set for jacking up an A320 or a B737 fits in a standard 20-foot container, which in turn fits in the normal cargo hold of wide-body passenger aircraft. Certainly a lot easier to get at the last minute than a spot on regular cargo aircraft. But that’s not all: The transport rack is also designed to protect the equipment from damage and environmental conditions while in the air, at sea, and on the road.
Picture: Protection from damage – the transport rack, designed to perfectly fit a 20-foot container
Full equipment for immediate use
Before shipping, the tripod-jack’s individual components are placed in the specially designed transport rack. All hydraulic hoses feature quick-disconnect couplings, all add-on parts come with lifting points, and all the components are color-coded so as to make assembly and disassembly as effortless as possible. In fact, our engineers made sure to use as few screws and bolts as possible and to add handles to all heavy components during the design phase, and there are special assembly instructions intended to enable maintenance personnel to assemble the tripod-jack set in less than three hours without any special training. All that’s required on site is a forklift or crane to unload and put the individual components together. And on top of this, the package includes all the equipment needed in order to set up the tripod-jack on site so that it’s ready to go, i.e.: hoisting slings and slings are included.
Quickly available and ready to work right away: the benefits are indisputable
The tripod-jacks are ready for operation the moment they are shipped, meaning that the only thing required is assembly. For instance, all operating fluids are pre-filled and systems are bled in advance, and the hydraulic fluid used specifically for this application is not classified as a hazardous material. In addition, country-specific connectors and parts are not required, as the tripod-jack is purely air-operated.
Picture: Special features on the fly-away tripod-jack such as markings make fast assembly a reality
Meeting the maintenance needs of tomorrow
Flexible maintenance solutions are exactly what the industry needs. After all, maintenance companies are keeping their tool inventories as small as possible in order to keep working capital from getting tied up.
Our on-loan tripod-jack sets are ready for shipment and can be sent anywhere in the world within 24 hours. So that our customers get the fast, flexible, on-site assistance they need.
Wednesday night, 10:00 PM. The tripod jack set arrived in Kuala Lumpur a while ago, and two technicians effortlessly put the whole thing together in just under three hours. The B737 is being towed into the hangar right now. The landing gear inspection can start as scheduled.