15 Ton Crankshaft Repair

Crankshaft repair for Engine 5 at the Falls City Power Plant is underway. Engine 5 is a Fairbanks-Morse, duel fuel, 2800 horsepower, 8 cylinder engine installed in 1951. It is capable of generating 1.8 megawatts of electricity which is about 12% of the watts needed to power the entire town. The engine is utilized under emergency operation only limited to 100 hours/year of operation. In 2021, the engine had a catastrophic failure causing warping of the 15-ton crankshaft which required repair. The city contracted with Farabee Mechanical which is based out of Hickman, NE to perform the repairs. The crankshaft was removed, attached to a skid and slid thru an existing door opening. It was then loaded and transported to a facility in Texas that performed the repair of the crankshaft. While the crankshaft was out for repair, the engine was in-line bored and prepped for reinstallation. The engine should be completely repaired and put back into operation by March of 2023.