Product category:
Electrical Services
News Release from: Finning UK | Subject: GET best practice
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 18 October 2004
Finning (UK) highlights GET best
practice
Marcus Pitt, GET specialist from Finning (UK) highlights GET best practice and how this can be applied to wheel loaders working in quarrying applications.
Ground engaging tools (GET) are wearing parts that are the front line of defence for machines, protecting expensive components against damage and helping to enhance productivity Marcus Pitt, GET specialist from Finning (UK) highlights GET best practice and how this can be applied to wheel loaders working in quarrying applications
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 24 Jul 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Deal for ten mini excavators from Finning
Folly Farm near Tenby in Pembrokeshire, add ten Cat 301.6 mini excavators from Finning.
Finning supply two new Cat 770 off highway trucks
Finning, the UK supplier of Caterpillar equipment, has sealed a deal for two new Cat 770 Off Highway trucks with specialist plant hirer, Chepstow Plant International .
Selection, operation and maintenance of ground engaging tools are the three factors that allow you to stop operational costs from spiralling out of control.
GET costs vary dependant upon the application, but any cost per hour savings will directly improve your bottom line, therefore it is essential that quarry managers select the right shape and size GET for a specific application as this can have a major impact and will affect the cost per hour.
Each application requires a different combination of strength, wear material and penetration.
Further reading
SOS Fluids Analysis pours oil on troubled waters
Mark Cook S.O.S Fluids Analysis Manager at Finning, one of the largest providers of fluid analysis services in the world, highlights the benefits and talks us through how to take a sample.
Successful working triangle at Wastecom
Anglia Crane and Plant Hire has secured a four year deal for the hire of a Cat 962G II mid-size wheel loader and a Cat 315C L small hydraulic excavator with Wastecom.
Sound investment for Hawk Plant Hire
Hawk Plant Hire has taken delivery of 24 brand new Cat 725 ADT's and 20 Cat CB-224E Vibratory Asphalt Compactors from Finning UK.
Getting the balancing act right for all three is the key to getting the best GET cost/hour.
Selection A sharper tooth will provide better penetration and therefore more productivity but it is also thinner so will wear quicker increasing downtime and replacement frequency.
It's important to always look at the application in relation to the shape of tooth.
For example, a machine loading poorly shot rock will require a sharper tooth than a machine in a rehandling operation.
The strength of GET is also important; where ground conditions put excessive load onto bucket teeth, it is important to have a shorter, stronger profile rather than a longer sharp profile which could be prone to breakage.
Operation.
Like any other machine component, the operator is central to maximising the life of your GET and delivering optimum productivity.
With the drive to hit production targets, it's easy for any operator to overlook GET best practice, so it is important to keep reiterating do's and don'ts.
In order to maintain clean site floors, operators often run for excessive periods with the bucket flat to the floor.
Whilst this can help to clear debris, this action will place excessive wear on the underside of your bucket.
Evidence of this can often be seen with bucket teeth that are completely worn through on the underside whilst being relatively unworn on their top side.
In addition, if the bucket positioner is angled incorrectly, there can be a significant reduction in productivity and an increase in wear rates.
The incorrect angle changes material flow into the bucket, lowering the fill rate, and causing the material to contact areas of the bucket that aren't protected by the GET.
Whether your machine is fitted with bolt-on cutting edges or bucket teeth, Cat GET are designed to have more than one life.
What does this mean? Well, wheel loader bucket teeth will normally wear on the underside more than the top side.
To get a second life, bucket teeth can be flipped over, allowing the use of all the wear material that is built into the part.
Standard or heavy duty bolt-on cutting edges are designed to wear from the front backwards towards the bolt holes.
Again, before they become fully worn you can turn the edges to use the additional life built into the edge.
Due to the way material flows around a bucket, it is often the case that bucket teeth on the outer edge of the bucket wear more rapidly than those at the centre.
By swapping tips over when they are approximately 50% worn, you can maximise wear life and ensure that you can effectively replace all tips at the same time.
Operator driving style and manoeuvring of wheel loaders can also have implications for productivity, fuel economy, tyre, bucket and GET wear.
Machines working at the face, should always approach the pile face on.
If the bucket enters the pile at an angle, it will cause uneven wear onto one side of the bucket.
Furthermore, loading in this manner is often significantly less productive than approaching the pile straight on, which can increase cycle times.
Maintenance.
It's very important that all operators conduct a detailed daily check of their machine.
As part of this quick walk around, they should be checking the bucket and looking for broken, missing or cracked bucket teeth and adaptors.
A bare bucket on a machine offers no protection and should be avoided at all times.
In addition, base edge or adapter weld cracks should also be reported and repaired as soon as possible.
Like with many preventative maintenance techniques, spotting and acting upon a problem in its infancy can be significantly cheaper to repair than when it has escalated into major downtime.
When replacing or swapping bucket teeth, always check the retainer and pin.
It's imperative to never re-use a retainer if it is bent or broken and operators should always tap the end of the pin and replace it if it moves easily.
Within a quarry environment a lost tooth can have high cost as well as health and safety consequences.
A broken tooth could easily fall into a crusher, causing significant damage and downtime.
Records.
Selection, operation and maintenance are vital to controlling GET costs.
However, they can be worthless unless they are backed up with accurate record keeping.
By keeping track of what you replace, repair, rotate or swap over you can build an accurate picture of your true GET costs.
Boneyard Analysis Worn and replaced GET is often kept for short periods of time before being scrapped.
These components aren't just another pile of junk though.
By examining wear patterns, combined with your record keeping, it is possible for a Finning Product Support Representative to identify potential improvements that could impact on your cost/hour and/or productivity.
Careful analysis of site practices and selection could also lead to a different selection or the identification of a simple maintenance technique to help fully utilise the wear material.
GET Golden Rules for Wheel Loaders:.
- Ensure daily inspection is undertaken.
- Never operate bare buckets.
- Ensure the bucket positioner is set correctly.
- Minimise ground contact.
- Rotate and flip bucket tips.
- Include GET and buckets in a maintenance schedule.
• Finning UK: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Buildingtalk email newsletter
• Buildingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
