Early in 2020, the Miller team was challenged with a customization request from a long-time customer. The manufacturer, an industrial lift, boom, and telescoping crane builder out of the New England Region , had designed a new crane with massive stabilization arms. Because of the size of these machines and their ability to lift hundreds of tons from one precarious, off-center location to another, the stabilization arms and leveling jacks needed more than a standard hitch pin. With weight distributions in excess of 10+ tons per square foot including the stress and sway from each load, the size and stability of their new leveling jack hitch pins needed to be something suitably substantial.
While the Miller Products Company stock hitch pins are created to withstand a wide range of rigorous workloads and manufacturing needs, they generally don’t exceed three to five inches in length and 1 inch in diameter. So the customer engineers and the Miller production team got to work to design and produce a pin that could stand up to the new, massive specifications.
Within a few weeks, the new custom hitch pin, measuring over 20-inches in length with a diameter of 1.25-inches, was sent to the customer for trials. Not only did the new oversized hitch pin stand up to the pressure these behemoth machines put on the stabilization arms, but they were also more stable in the articulating arm rigging due to a custom spring-lock added to the design.
“This is a perfect example of the innovative thinking that comes from our production team,” said Kerry Richardson, Marketing and Sales Manager for Miller Products Company. “Not only did they provide a size solution to their hitch pin dilemma, but they also made it safer to use.”
With hundreds of stock pins and fasteners available in the Miller Products Company catalog, customers have the variety and availability necessary to meet their manufacturing needs. But when it comes to unique challenges, custom designed pins or specially engineered parts can be handled easily by the Miller team.
If you have questions or have manufacturing challenges of your own, we encourage you to reach out to the Miller Products Company sales and support team. You can contact Kerry Richardson via email at: sales@millerproductsco.com or by calling the toll-free number at 1-800-245-7034.
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