SteelMax Rail Runner LT User manual

The tools of innovation.
15335 E. Freemont Drive, Centennial, CO 80112
1–87STEELMAX, FAX [phone]
www.steelmax.com [email protected]
OPERATOR’S MANUAL
R
Ra ai il l R Ru un nn ne er r L LT T
WELDING CARRIAGE

Contents
1. GENERAL INFORMATION............................................................................................... 3
1.1. Application................................................................................................................. 3
1.2. Technical data............................................................................................................ 3
1.3. Equipment included ................................................................................................... 4
1.4. Dimensions................................................................................................................ 5
1.5. Design ....................................................................................................................... 6
2. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS.................................................................................................. 7
3. STARTUP AND OPERATION........................................................................................... 9
3.1. Assembling the hi-flex, semi-flex, or rigid track........................................................... 9
3.2. Assembling the ring track..........................................................................................11
3.3. Positioning on a straight track...................................................................................13
3.4. Positioning on a curved track....................................................................................15
3.5. Preparing..................................................................................................................16
3.6. Connecting to the welding or plasma cutting circuits.................................................18
3.7. Operating..................................................................................................................19
3.8. Adjusting the pressure of rollers................................................................................20
3.9. Troubleshooting........................................................................................................21
4. MAINTENANCE...............................................................................................................22
5. ACCESSORIES...............................................................................................................23
5.1. MIG/MAG welding set...............................................................................................23
5.2. SAW welding set.......................................................................................................23
5.3. Oxy-fuel cutting set...................................................................................................24
5.4. Plasma cutting set.....................................................................................................24
5.5. Hi-flex track...............................................................................................................25
5.6. Semi-flex track..........................................................................................................26
5.7. Rigid track.................................................................................................................26
5.8. Rack adjustment tool.................................................................................................26
5.9. Magnetic units...........................................................................................................27
5.10. Semi-flex track support............................................................................................32
5.11. Vacuum track system..............................................................................................33
5.12. Ring tracks..............................................................................................................34
5.13. Ring track supports and bracket..............................................................................36
5.14. Rack........................................................................................................................37
5.15. Torch holders, clamps, and rods.............................................................................38
5.16. Cutting torch holders...............................................................................................40
5.17. Gas manifold (for oxy-fuel cutting)...........................................................................42
6. WIRING DIAGRAM..........................................................................................................44
7. EXPLODED VIEWS AND PARTS LIST............................................................................45
8. DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY.................................................................................49
9. WARRANTY CARD..........................................................................................................50

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1. GENERAL INFORMATION
1.1. Application
The Rail Runner LT is a track carriage designed to cut and to make butt and fillet
welds. Allows MIG/MAG, SAW, oxy-fuel, or plasma torches. The track is clamped
with magnetic units to ferromagnetic surfaces that are flat or curved.
Accessories allow using torches with a larger diameter, and guiding the carriage
on a hi-flex, semi-flex, rigid, or ring track. Using a vacuum track system allows the
track to be clamped to surfaces that are non-ferromagnetic.
1.2. Technical data
Voltage
1~ 115–230 V, 50–60 Hz
Power
66 W
Welding position
(according to EN ISO 6947 and
AWS/ASME)
Horizontal
PA/1F/1G
PB/2F
PC/2G
PD/4F
PE/4G
Vertical
PG/3F (contact your dealer)
Diameter
of round workpiece
Ring tracks (OD)
200 mm (8″) – 3 m (10 ft)
Hi-flex tracks (OD)
Minimum 1.5 m (5 ft)
Hi-flex tracks (ID)
Minimum 3.4 m (11 ft)
Custom rolled tracks (OD)
3–10 m (10–32 ft)
(contact your dealer)
Semi-flex tracks (OD)
Minimum 10 m (32 ft)
Torch type
MIG/MAG, SAW, oxy-fuel, plasma
Torch diameter
MIG/MAG
16–22 mm (0.63–0.87″)
SAW, plasma
28–35 mm (1.10–1.38″)
Oxy-fuel
35 mm (1.38″)
Minimum workpiece thickness for magnetic clamping
5 mm (0.2″)
Horizontal pulling force
300 N
Vertical pulling force
200 N
Horizontal speed
10–200 cm/min (4–80 in/min)
Vertical speed
10–200 cm/min (4–80 in/min)
Allowed ambient temperature
0–50°C (32–122°F)
Maximum allowed ambient humidity non-condensing
80%
Protection level
IP 23
Weight
10 kg (22 lbs)

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1.3. Equipment included
1
Carriage with a 540 mm (21″) rack
1 unit
2
Cardboard box
1 unit
3
6 mm hex wrench
1 unit
4
3 m (10 ft) power cord
1 unit
–
Operator’s Manual
1 unit
4
1
3
2

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1.4. Dimensions
379 mm (14.9″)
713 mm (28.1″)
334 mm (13.1″)

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1.5. Design
Levers to hold the rack in position
Rack adjustment knob
540 mm (21″) rack
Control panel
Carrying handle
Speed knob
Display
Power switch
Direction switch (Forward / O / Backward)
Arc ignition switch (I / O / TEST)
Passive roller
Drive clutch knob
Pressing
roller
Pressing lever (pressing roll-
ers are loose in this position)
Drive gear
Install bracket
Arc ignition
socket

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2. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
1. Before use, read this Operator’s Manual and complete a training in occupational
safety and health.
2. Use only in applications specified in this Operator’s Manual.
3. Make sure that the carriage has all parts and they are genuine and not damaged.
4. Make sure that the specifications of the power source are the same as those spec-
ified on the rating plate.
5. Connect the carriage to a correctly grounded power source.
6. Do not carry the carriage by the cords or cables, and do not pull them. This can
cause damage and electric shock.
7. Keep untrained bystanders away from the carriage.
8. Before each use, ensure the correct condition of the carriage, power source,
cords, arc ignition cable, connections, rollers, and gear.
9. Before each use, make sure that the carriage is not damaged and no part is
cracked or loose. Make sure to maintain correct conditions that can have an effect
on the operation of the carriage.
10. Keep the carriage dry. Do not expose the carriage to rain, snow, or frost.
11. Keep the work area well lit, clean, and free of obstacles.
12. Do not use near flammable materials, or in explosive environments.
13. Transport and position the carriage by using the carrying handles.
14. Install the carriage only on the supplied track.
15. Make sure that the gear and rollers are clean.
16. Connect the cords and the arc ignition cable only after you set the power switch
to ‘O’.
17. Keep the sockets clean. Do not use high pressure during cleaning.
18. Install only torches whose diameter matches the diameter of the torch holder.
19. Hang the cables to decrease the load applied on the carriage.
20. Do not bend the hi-flex track to a radius less than 0.75 m (2.5 ft).
21. Do not bend the semi-flex track to a radius less than 5 m (16 ft).
22. Use the rigid track only on flat surfaces.
23. At heights, protect the carriage and the track from falling. To do this, use chains
(not included) to attach the leftmost and rightmost magnetic units of the hi-flex,

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semi-flex or rigid track to a stable structure. To protect the carriage, attach a
chain to a carrying handle. Make sure that the chains are not loose.
24. Do not stay below the carriage or the track that is put at heights.
25. Use eye protection (helmet, shield, and screen), ear protection, gloves, and pro-
tective clothing. Do not use loose clothing.
26. Do not stop the carriage by hand. To stop, set the direction switch to ‘O’.
27. Maintain only after you unplug the carriage from the power source.
28. Repair only in a service center appointed by the seller.
29. If the carriage falls, is wet, or has any damage, stop the work and immediately
send the carriage to the service center for check and repair.
30. Do not leave the carriage unattended during work.
31. If you are not going to use the carriage, remove it from the worksite and keep in a
safe and dry place.

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3. STARTUP AND OPERATION
3.1. Assembling the hi-flex, semi-flex, or rigid track
Attach magnetic units to the rail, and put it on the workpiece. Use the 4 mm or 5 mm
hex wrench to attach more rails (1, Fig. 1). Then, set the levers of the magnetic units
to ‘I’ (2). This will clamp the track to the surface.
When working in PC/2G welding position, put the track so that the teeth of the
racks point down.
Fig. 1. Connecting the rails and clamping the magnetic units to the surface
If a semi-flex rail is put on a curve, before you attach more rails use the 4 mm hex
wrench to loosen the screws of the connecting plates (1, Fig. 2) and of the racks (2).
Next, attach the rails, clamp them with levers, and then tighten the connecting plates.
Put the rack adjustment tool (not included) into the hole (3), and rotate the tool to the
1
2

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left (4) to remove the gap (5) between the racks. Then, tighten the leftmost screw and
the rightmost screw of each rack (2).
Fig. 2. Removing the gap between the racks of a semi-flex track
1
2
5
3
4

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3.2. Assembling the ring track
Select the track that matches the outer diameter of the round workpiece. Use the
4 mm hex wrench to attach the supports to the rails (1, Fig. 3). Next, on all supports,
retract the bolts (2, or screws) as much as possible. To clamp the track on the work-
piece with a smaller diameter, you can use brackets (3). But this will decrease the
stiffness of the clamping.
Fig. 3. Connecting the supports to the rails
Put the workpiece vertically, and then put the rails onto the workpiece so that the
teeth of the racks point down. Next, for all rails, use the 12 mm hex wrench to set
the hinge as shown in Fig. 4. Then, put the lock pin through the holes (1), and then
rotate the wrench (2) to connect the rails.
1
2
2
Screw with plastic foot
25 mm (1″) adjustment range
Bolt
25 mm (1″) adjustment range
Screw with magnet
25 mm (1″) adjustment range
3

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Fig. 4. Connecting the rails of the ring track
Use the 13 mm flat wrench to adjust the bolts (or the screws by hand) until they are
in contact with the workpiece (1, Fig. 5). Adjust each support equally to make the
track concentric to the workpiece. Lock the supports with the nuts (2) or levers.
Fig. 5. Attaching the ring track to the workpiece
1
2
2
1

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3.3. Positioning on a straight track
Set the power switch, arc ignition switch, and direction switch to ‘O’. Next, set the
levers to OFF (1, Fig. 6), and then loosen the knob (2) fully to retract the gear (3).
Then, put the carriage so that the mounting brackets are on the rail (4, 5).
Fig. 6. Putting the carriage on a straight track
Gear retracted
Mounting bracket
Mounting bracket
2
3
5
4
1

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Set the levers to ON (1, Fig. 7) to put the rollers into the grooves (2). Then, tighten
the knob (3) to engage the gear of the carriage with the rack of the rail (4). Keep a
small backlash between the gear and the rack (5). Move the carriage slightly back
and forth (6) to make sure that there is a backlash. Do not tighten the knob with too
much force (7).
Fig. 7. Installing the carriage on the track
3
2
2
1
1
INCORRECT
Gear not engaged.
INCORRECT
Knob tightened too much.
No backlash.
4
CORRECT
✓
7
6
5

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3.4. Positioning on a curved track
Use the 6 mm hex wrench to loosen four screws (1, Fig. 8), and then put the carriage
on the track. Rotate two roller brackets (2) to put the rollers into the grooves, and
then set the levers to ON (3). Next, move the carriage back and forth to make sure
that it moves smoothly. Then, tighten the screws (1) and use the knob (4) to engage
the gear with the rack as described in “Positioning on a straight track”.
Fig. 8. Rotating the rollers for a curved track
1
2
2
3
4

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3.5. Preparing
Install an optional welding/cutting set as shown in Fig. 9.
MIG/MAG welding
SAW welding

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Fig. 9. Installing the welding/cutting set
At heights, protect the carriage and the track from falling. To do this, use chains
(not included) to attach the leftmost and rightmost magnetic units of the hi-flex,
semi-flex or rigid track to a stable structure. To protect the carriage, attach a chain to
a carrying handle. Make sure that the chains are not loose.
Connect the carriage to the power source. Then, put the torch and torch cables
into the holders.
Oxy-fuel cutting
Plasma cutting

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3.6. Connecting to the welding or plasma cutting circuits
The carriage can control two torches by using the arc ignition cable plugged into the
arc ignition socket. To do this, refer to the diagram from Fig. 10 and connect one
blue-jacketed wire to one terminal of the welding / plasma cutting circuit. Then, con-
nect the other blue-jacketed wire to the other terminal of the same circuit. To control
the second torch, connect the green-jacketed wires to the terminals of the second
welding circuit.
Fig. 10. Connecting the arc ignition cable to welding / plasma cutting circuits
Make sure that the arc ignition cable is connected correctly. To do this, turn on the
power of the carriage, and then set the arc ignition switch to TEST. This should ena-
ble the arc for a while.
Blue Blue
Green Green
Circuit 2
Circuit 1

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3.7. Operating
Set the direction switch and arc ignition switch to ‘O’. Next, set the power switch to ‘I’
to turn on the power. Then, the display comes on ( ). Next, if the unit of speed is
set to centimeters per minute, shows. If the unit is set to inches per minute,
shows. Next, the carriage speed shows. Use the knob to set the required speed.
To control the torch through the carriage, set the arc ignition switch to ‘I’.
If the arc ignition switch is set to ‘I’, the torch starts welding / plasma
cutting immediately after you select a travel direction.
Use the direction switch to select a direction of travel. Then, the travel starts with
the speed that is shown. You can adjust the speed at any time.
To stop the travel, set the direction switch to ‘O’.
After the work is finished, use the power switch to turn off the carriage. Then, un-
plug the carriage from the power source.

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3.8. Adjusting the pressure of rollers
If the resistance during the travel is too little or too much, loosen the knob (1,
Fig. 11). At the opposite side of the carriage, use the 13 mm and 8 mm flat wrenches
to loosen the bolts (2) and nuts (3). Next, use the 2.5 mm hex wrench to adjust the
screws (4), and then tighten the bolts (2).
Move the carriage along the track. If the resistance is still incorrect, repeat the
above steps.
If the carriage moves smoothly, use the 2.5 mm hex wrench to prevent rotation of
each screw (4). Then, use the 8 mm flat wrench to tighten the nuts (3).
Fig. 11. Adjusting the pressure of rollers
2
3
4
1