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Posted On: 06/22/2005

Shepard Niles’ Oldest Hoist Contest awards McLanahan Corp.

PlantServices.com

Shepard Niles, one of America’s oldest manufacturers of heavy-duty hoists and hot-metal carriers recently conducted a contest search for the oldest Shepard Niles crane or hoist still in routine use in America.  Shepard Niles has more than 170,000 installed cranes and hoists serving a broad range of heavy industry, and some of its earliest orders were from Thomas A. Edison, Harvey Firestone and Henry Ford.

The winning entry was submitted by the McLanahan Corporation of Hollidaysburg, Penn., a 170-year-old manufacturer of equipment for the mining industry and the oldest family-owned foundry in America.  The company also has offices in Gallatin, Tenn., and Newcastle, Australia.

The winning crane is a 10-ton model installed in McLanahan’s machine shop, where it is used to transport fabricated frames and castings into the shop for machining.  The crane was purchased in 1918, and has been in daily use since. 

George Sidney, McLanahan Corporation’s president and chief operating officer, will receive the $500 parts voucher for the company, while Larry Musselman, McLanahan’s quality control engineer, will receive a $250 individual cash prize.

“Do you remember the old adage:  ‘they just don’t build them like they used to?’  That pretty much sums up our assessment of this crane,” says Sidney.  “This unit is very heavy-duty-- Shepard Niles has always been known in the industry for building a ‘Cadillac’ product.  Very few modern-design hoists being built today that are half the weight and size of this unit would still be operating after 87 years.  This crane has been in continuous use for more than half the life of our company, and is still a critical piece of equipment for us.”

According to Larry Musselman, who submitted the winning entry, company records show that the crane was modernized in 1930 when an employee requested a parts list and learned that it was out of print. 

“I found extensive correspondence back and forth with Shepard when someone here wanted to make changes and modernizations.  All kinds of information was exchanged over time about what they would and would not recommend, which indicates a long-term partnership concerning this crane,” says Musselman.  “One thing that occurred to me is that McLanahan is in a similar situation.  We have mining equipment still operating in the field that is of the same vintage as this crane for which we still sell replacement parts, so you could say that our companies are two of a kind when it comes to quality and long equipment life.”

Shepard Niles has experienced resurrection and redemption since the company was acquired out of bankruptcy in 2002 by KCI Konecranes.  Today, the heavy-duty Shepard Niles hoist with its unique planetary gearing design and superior heat dissipation is once again being manufactured, while Shepard Niles cranes and hoists 50 years old and older are being rebuilt with newly-manufactured, original-design OEM parts and the backing of one of the world’s largest crane manufacturers, KCI Konecranes. 

Why is industry continuing to nurture this “old” technology?  Bob Trader, district manager for Shepard Niles, says the answer is in the phenomenally tough, space-saving characteristics of the Shepard Niles hoist, which date back to the earliest electric models built in 1903.

“The real advantage of Shepard Niles equipment is its longevity. The original Shepard cranes and hoists were engineered as to be almost abuse-proof, and the unique planetary gearing design delivered tremendous power in a small package,” says Trader. “This crane is a prime example-- after modernization it was used for another 75 years and is still operating today. We’d like to extend our congratulations and thanks to McLanahan Corporation for making us aware of this hardworking Shepard Niles crane.” 

Even though the contest has concluded, Shepard Niles is always glad to hear details about one of its early cranes or hoists, and encourages other crane owners to visit the website at www.shepard-niles.com and e-mail details.  Some possibilities:  Shepard Niles cranes were used to construct the first nuclear merchant ship and nuclear submarines, and were also used in the Manhattan Project to build the first atomic bomb.