Servicing a Nearly 10-Year-Old PALFINGER PK11002 Crane for a Customer in the Mekong Delta

After nearly 10 years in service and almost 250,000km on the odometer, several components on this crane truck were due for a closer-than-usual inspection.

That was the condition of a Hino truck fitted with a PALFINGER PK11002 crane (max load 5,460kg, 10m reach, built in 2017), currently handling brick and steel loading at a building-materials supplier in the Mekong Delta. It's a heavily used unit, tied directly to the customer's daily loading operations.

What the technical team found

During inspection, VIPEC's technical team noted several signs of wear:

• The left-side crane control panel was operating inconsistently
• The front outrigger was leaking oil, and the cylinder shaft showed scratches
• The boom extension cylinder was also leaking oil, with worn slide pads
• The turntable grease seal had failed
• The PTO engagement cylinder was intermittently unstable

None of these issues are minor for a machine that has spent almost a decade working under harsh conditions — sun, dust and constant lifting cycles. The technical team inspected and re-tightened the outrigger system, fixed the oil leak points, and checked the control panel and PTO assembly before returning the truck to service.

Recommendations for the customer

The team also flagged parts that will need replacing soon — the cylinder shaft, slide pads, and dust seal — and VIPEC is ready to carry out full servicing whenever the customer is ready.

For crane units approaching the 10-year mark, timely periodic maintenance helps prevent unplanned breakdowns, especially during periods of continuous operation.