WORKMASTER GO-B3 Manual

GO-B3 Gate Opener
OPERATOR'S GUIDE
®
PN: 10-00019
Updated: 11/4/19

WORKMASTER disclaims any liability for injuries, death or damages arising directly or
indirectly, from the use, operation or application of this product not in accordance with
the procedures, specifications and recommendations contained in this owner/operator
guide. The user of this product is responsible to install, maintain and operate the product
and parts or components manufactured or supplied by WORKMASTER in such a manner
as to comply with all federal, state and local rules, ordinances, regulations and laws,
including the Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety Act, and the American National
Standards Institute Safety Code.

PH: 866.476.9217
SYMBOLS
The following symbols are found throughout this Operator's Guide to alert the reader to
the relative danger that may result from non-observance.
This indicates a situation in which a hazard is
imminent and will result in a high probability of
serious injury or death.
This indicates a potentially hazardous situation,
which could result in minor to moderate injury.
This symbol indicates a general statement to
assist the user in the operation or maintenance
of the equipment.
IMPORTANT
This indicates a potentially hazardous situation or
unsafe practice which could result in product or
property damaged.
CAUTION

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION PAGE
I. Introduction 1
II. Safety 3
III. Supplied Materials 4
IV. Pre-Start Checklist 6
V. Setting Torque Output 8
VI. Opening Car Gates 9
VII. Closing Car Gates 14
VIII. Maintenance & Best Practices 17
IX. Battery Troubleshooting 19

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LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE PAGE
Figure 1 Socket Head Shoulder Bolt Install 6
Figure 2 Attaching the Drive Fitting w/ Ret-Ring 7
Figure 3 Torque Dial 8
Figure 4 Figure 4, Item 1: CW Rotation of Opener 10
Figure 4, Item 2: CCW Rotation of Opener 10
Figure 5 Torque Reaction Arm Orientation 11
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE PAGE
Table 1 GO-B3 Gate Opener Specifications 2
Table 2 Torque Output Dial Adjustments 8

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I. INTRODUCTION
Fast, safe and economical unloading of hopper cars continues to be a problem at
most unloading sites. One of the biggest contributors to this problem is the often
time-consuming and difficult job of opening and closing the bottom gates or
doors of these hopper cars. Load compaction, weather conditions, age, abuse, or
corrosive or gritty bulk materials can combine to prevent gate mechanisms from
operating smoothly.
Regardless of cause, the costs associated with the problem are significant.
Delays in emptying the hopper cars means slow car turnaround, increased
demurrage costs, and interrupted production schedules. Even more importantly,
the chance of worker injury is high since at many unloading sites, clumsy or
dangerous makeshift tools are used during the “fight” to open a stubborn gate.
To meet our commitment of “WE FIND A WAY – OR MAKE ONE®”,
WORKMASTER has developed a line of Hopper Car Gate Openers and
accessories which provide a safe, efficient and economical solution to the
problem of opening easy, medium and hard-to-open hopper car gates.
There are pneumatic, electric, battery-driven and manual units available
producing from 400 to 13,000 ft-lbs of torque eliminating the need for "cheater”
bars, sledge hammers, jacks, and other improper tools sometimes used on this
difficult job.
The GO-B3 Gate Opener uses a planetary geared action to open or close hopper
car gates with a continuous 360° revolution.
This Operator's Guide details the specifications, operation, maintenance, and
safe use of the GO-B3 Battery-Operated Hopper Car Gate Opener. Experience
demonstrates that total satisfaction with this product depends on attention to
detail in operating and maintaining the unit.
All persons involved in the operation and
maintenance of this equipment s
hould be
thoroughly familiar with the contents of this
manual.
IMPORTANT

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Table 1: GO-B3 Hopper Car Gate Opener Specifications
Square Drive
1″
Min. Torque
≈ 654 ft/lbs (887 Nm)
Max. Torque
≈ 3000 ft/lbs (4030 Nm)
Weight (w/o Reaction Arm & Battery)
19.6 lbs (8.9 kg)
Weight (w/ Reaction Arm & Battery)
29.5 lbs (10.2 kg)
RPM at Min. Torque
0.5
RPM at Max. Torque
2
Included
(1) Capstan Drive Fitting w/ Pin &
O-Ring Retainer; (1) 25.5″L Torque
Reaction Arm w/ soc hd shoulder
bolt and 1/8″ Hex Key; (2) HD Li-Ion
Batteries; (1) Battery Charger; (1)
Sturdy Carrying Bag; (1) Operator’s
Guide

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II. SAFETY
To prevent injury to yourself or others, and/or damage to equipment, you should
adhere to the following basic safety instructions.
1. Read carefully the entire Operator's Guide prior to installing or
operating equipment.
2. Always follow proper precautions and use proper tools and safety
equipment.
3. Be sure to receive proper training.
4. Always use the equipment and all its components in applications for
which they are approved.
5. Be sure to assemble all components correctly.
6. Never use worn, defective or damaged components.
7. Practice good housekeeping at all times, and maintain good lighting
around all equipment.
8. Perform Lock-out/Tag-out procedure on all energy sources to the
equipment, mounting structure, loading, and discharge systems in
accordance with ANSI Standards before installation or maintenance.

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III. SUPPLIED MATERIALS
Perform the following unpacking and pre-installation procedures prior to
preparing the Opener for operation. Contact WORKMASTER or your Regional
Distributor if you have questions or problems.
1. Shown below are the items supplied with your GO-B3 Gate
Opener. Verify that you received all the items listed below and
inspect all items for signs of damage.
The GO-B3 is shipped with its basic components unassembled. The items
supplied include:
(A) GO-B3 Battery Powered Hopper Car Gate Opener.
(B) Capstan Drive Fitting. The Drive Fitting has a socket on one end, which
slides onto the Opener’s 1" output drive, and a drive tip on the opposite
end, that is inserted into the railcar gates Capstan Socket. The Drive
Fitting is supplied with a 1-piece Pin & Ring Retainer.
A
B
D
H
E
F
G
I
C

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(C) Pin and Ring Retainer.
(D) Li-Ion Battery Qty. (2) for powering the Opener.
(E) Torque Reaction Arm. This Reaction Arm slides onto the Opener’s gear
housing, and is secured to the Opener with a Socket Head Shoulder Bolt
(SHSB).
(F) Torque Reaction Arm Socket Head Shoulder Bolt (SHSB) for securing the
Reaction Arm.
(G) 1/8” Hex Key for tightening SHSB fastener.
(H) Li-Ion Battery Charger w/ 70” Power Cord.
(I) Sturdy Carrying Bag holds all components. This carrying bag enables the
Operator to safely and securely store, and transport the components of the
GO-B3 Opener.
If anything is missing or damaged promptly contact
WORKMASTER or your Regional Distributor.
IMPORTANT

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IV. PRE-START CHECKLIST
The assembly of the GO-B3 components can be accomplished within 5 minutes
and requires no special tools.
1. Attach the Torque Reaction Arm onto the Opener.
a. Remove the Socket Head Shoulder Bolt (SHSB) from the
Reaction Arm using the 1/8” Hex Key.
b. Slide the Torque Reaction Arm over the front of Opener.
c. Re-install the SHSB to finger tight and then tighten with
provided 1/8” Hex Key. (See Figure 1)
NOTE: The SHSB can only be installed in one direction.
Figure 1: Socket Head Shoulder Bolt Install
2. Attach Capstan Drive Fitting onto Opener.
a. The 1” Female Square Socket slides onto the Opener’s 1” Male
Square Drive.
b. Secure the Drive Fitting to the Opener with the supplied one-
piece Pin & Ring Retainer (Ret-Ring). (See Figure 2, Page 7)

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Figure 2: Attaching Drive Fitting with Ret-Ring

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V. SETTING GO-B3 TORQUE OUTPUT
The GO-B3’s output torque is adjustable and can be set by rotating the unit’s
thumb wheel Torque Dial.
The Torque Dial shown in Figure 3, has seven (7) settings. The approximate
torque valves are shown in Table 2.
Figure 3: Torque Dial
When adjusting the Torque Dial a click sound will be heard when each setting is
reached.
Table 2: Torque Output Dial Adjustments
TORQUE DIAL
SETTING
APPROX. TORQUE
OUTPUT
1
654 Ft-Lbs
2
1090 Ft-Lbs
3
1678 Ft-Lbs
4
2201 Ft-Lbs
5
2409 Ft-Lbs
6
2875 Ft-Lbs
7
3051 Ft-Lbs
NOTE: Tool is shipped with Thumb Wheel in Position 7 – but should be
checked before use.

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VI. OPENING CAR GATES
1. Inspect and prepare the trackside worksite so that it will
accommodate the practical and safe use of the GO-B3 Gate
Opener and its Torque Reaction Arm.
2. Inspect the Slide Gate’s Capstan Socket to make sure the Drive
Fitting can make a good, square, secure-fit in the Socket. If the
Capstan Socket is worn (out of square, completely rounded out,
etc.) use either a WORKMASTER Capstan Swaging Kit (PN 33-
11120) to clean out and square-up the Capstan Socket, or, if
completely rounded out, a WORKMASTER Capstan Renew
Attachment (PN: 80-10728), which slides over and is pinned to
the Capstan Socket and provides the Drive Fitting the required,
well-formed, female square drive. (See Back Cover)
3. Disengage the car gate locking mechanism before attempting to
open the gate.
A
clean, square Capstan Socket will maximize
the torque transfer between the
GO-B3 Opener
and the car gate.
IMPORTANT
Failure to disengage the car gate locking
mechanism will damage the Gate Opener.
CAUTION
The surface of the unloading site in the area of the
hopper car gate must be level, flat, smooth, and
unobstructed
so as
to provide the firm base which will
safely support the GO-B3's Torque Reaction Arm.
CAUTION

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4. Check the Opener’s rotation direction setting, either Clockwise
(CW) or Counter-Clockwise (CCW) (Figure 4, Item 1 & 2).
Securely push the sliding Selector Switch in the appropriate
direction based on capstan travel.
NOTE: The Reaction Arm will rotate in opposite direction of Drive
Fitting rotation.
Figure 4, Item 1: Clockwise Rotation
Figure 4, Item 2: Counter-Clockwise Rotation
5. Hold the GO-B3 Gate Opener perpendicular to the railcar’s Capstan
Socket, firmly seat the Capstan Drive Fitting into the car's Capstan
Socket, and securely position the Reaction Arm against the ground
or a stationary object. (See Figure 5, Page 11)
PUSH IN
SELECTOR
SWTICH
PUSH IN
SELECTOR
SWTICH

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Figure 5: Torque Reaction Arm Orientation
Since reaction torque equals output torque,
be
sure to select an anchor point or stationary
base
which is sufficient to withstand the torque
reaction forces imposed upon the
Torque
Reaction Arm.
24” Torque
Reaction Arm
reaches
Stationary
Object
24” Torque
Reaction Arm
with P
ipe
Extension
reaches
Stationary
Object
Pipe Extension
≥ 6” Overlap
When positioning the GO-B3, be sure the Capstan
Drive Fitting is positioned so that the
Torque
Reaction Arm
is at an angle NO GREATER than
45
° to the ground. Torque reaction creates a
rotational force in the
opposite direction from
which input force is applied.
IMPORTANT

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6. To rotate the Drive Fitting clockwise (Operator’s perspective), push
the Selector Switch into the CW position. (See Figure 4, Item 1,
page 10)
7. To rotate the Drive Fitting counter-clockwise (Operator’s
perspective), push the Selector Switch into the CCW position.
(See Figure 4, Item 2, on page 10)
8. Depress and hold the Opener’s On/Off Trigger.
9. If the railcar gate will not move, STOP using the GO-B3 Opener,
and notify your Supervisor. Continued application of force will
damage the Opener.
10. When the railcar gate is completely opened, release the On/Off
Trigger.
11. Release the stored torque in the GO-B3 Opener by pushing the
Selector Switch to the opposite direction, for example: from CW to
CCW, then momentarily depress the On/Off Trigger until Torque
Reaction Arm relaxes off the ground.
Do not use other opening devices (pry bars,
come-a-longs, etc) in an attempt to "help" the
GO-B3 Opener.
Maintain firm hand control of the GO-B3 Opener’s
handle du
ring entire opening operation.
Uncontrolled
use could cause s
udden release of stored torque
causing
the GO-B3 to spin in the reverse direction
which could result in serious injury.
Stop applying force the moment the gate reaches
its fully opened position.
Prolonged ratcheting can
cause damage to the Gate Opener.
CAUTION

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12. Remove the GO-B3 Opener from the railcar capstan.
Maintain firm hand control of the Opener when
releasing stored torque from the GO-B3 Opener, since
recoil from stored torque will be experienced. This
could cause the Torque Reaction Arm to spin in the
reverse direction and result in serious injury.

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VII. CLOSING CAR GATES
1. Inspect and prepare the trackside worksite so that it will
accommodate the practical and safe use of the GO-B3 Gate
Opener and its Torque Reaction Arm.
2. Inspect the Slide Gate’s Capstan Socket to make sure the Drive
Fitting can make a good, square, secure-fit in the Socket. If the
Capstan Socket is worn (out of square, completely rounded out,
etc.) use either a WORKMASTER Capstan Swaging Kit (PN 33-
11120) to clean out and square-up the Capstan Socket, or, if
completely rounded out, a WORKMASTER Capstan Renew
Attachment (PN: 80-10728), which slides over and is pinned to
the Capstan Socket and provides the Drive Fitting the required,
well-formed, female square drive. (See Back Cover)
3. Check the car gate locking mechanism before attempting to close
the gate.
4. Check the Opener’s rotation direction setting, either Clockwise
(CW) or Counter-Clockwise (CCW) (See Figure 4, Item 1 & 2,
Page 10). Securely push the sliding Selector Switch in the
appropriate direction based on capstan travel.
5. Hold the GO-B3 Gate Opener perpendicular to the railcar’s Capstan
Socket and firmly seat the Capstan Drive Fitting into the car's
Capstan Socket, and securely position the Reaction Arm against the
ground or a stationary object. (See Figure 5, Page 11)
A clean, square Capstan Socket will ma
ximize
the torque transfer between the
GO-B3 Opener
and the car gate.
IMPORTANT
The surface of the unloading site in the area of the
hopper car gate must be level, flat, smooth, and
unobstructed so as to provide the firm base which will
safely support the GO-B3's Torque Reaction Arm.
CAUTION

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6. To rotate the Drive Fitting clockwise (Operator’s perspective), push
the Selector Switch into the CW position. (See Figure 4, Item 1,
Page 10)
7. To rotate the Drive Fitting counter-clockwise (Operator’s
perspective), push the Selector Switch into the CCW position.
(See Figure 4, Item 2, Page 10)
8. Depress and hold the Opener’s On/Off Trigger.
9. If the railcar gate will not move, STOP using the GO-B3 Opener,
and notify your Supervisor. Continued application of force will
damage the Opener.
Maintain firm hand control of the GO-B3 Opener’s
handle during entire opening operation. Uncontrolled
use could cause sudden release of stored torque
causing
the GO-B3 to spin in the reverse direction
which could result in serious injury.
Since reaction torque equals output torque,
be
sure to select an anchor point or stationary
base which is sufficient to withstand the torque
reaction forces imposed upon the
Torque
Reaction Arm.
When positioning the GO-B3, be sure the Capstan
Drive Fitting is positioned so that the Torque
Reaction Arm is
NO GREATER than a 45° angle
to the car's Capstan Socket. Torque reaction
creates a rotational force in the opposite directi
on
from which input force is applied.
IMPORTANT