130 Kilometers Between Two Inspections – Why Periodic Lifting-Equipment Inspections Matter

Zsolt Kővári's expedition has reached another important milestone. After covering more than 3,000 kilometers, he arrived in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.

The city is remarkable for being the lowest-lying capital in the world: some parts of it sit about 23 meters below sea level. From here he continues toward Central Asia, his ultimate goal being the 7,010-meter Khan Tengri peak.

Nearly 90 percent of Kyrgyzstan is mountainous, and much of the country already lies above 1,500 meters. Among the ranges of the Tien Shan, passes await him that are in themselves two to three times higher than the highest point in Hungary.

From Baku to the summit of Khan Tengri, he must overcome more than 7,000 meters of elevation gain.

At GÉPTESZT the question naturally arose: what does this sporting achievement mean through the eyes of a lifting-equipment specialist?

If we wanted to cover this elevation difference with a lifting device of, say, 10 meters average working height, it would take more than 700 lifts.

At first this does not seem like a large number — for an intensively used lifting device it is far from inconceivable. At 80–100 lifting operations per day, that much cumulative lifting distance can add up in just over a week.

The really interesting question, however, is not the 700 operations, but what happens afterwards.

A lifting device can perform several thousand lifting cycles in the 5–6 months between periodic inspections. Every single lift places load on the structure. The ropes, chains, bearings, safety devices, and structural elements are subject to continuous stress.

If a device performs on average 100 lifts a day, then over a 5–6 month inspection cycle (the same as the planned duration of Zsolt's expedition, for example) 11,000–13,000 lifts can accumulate — which, for our example device with a 10-meter lifting height, means a total of 110–130 kilometers of vertical lifting distance. That is already a very serious figure.

This is exactly why periodic inspections are so important.

The purpose of regular checks is not merely legal compliance. It is, far more, ensuring that the device works with the same reliability on its thousandth — or even ten-thousandth — lift as it did on the first.

This is what GÉPTESZT's specialists work for, day in and day out. The aim of our inspections is to ensure that lifting devices can safely and dependably perform the next several thousand lifting cycles as well.

Meanwhile, several thousand more meters of climbing and the conquest of Khan Tengri still lie ahead of Zsolt, and we continue to cheer him on for the next stage of the expedition.

The numbers differ, but the challenge is shared: to perform reliably, over the long run.