Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/94387
EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT course, today's Tier 4 Interim and ap- proaching Tier 4 Final, all of these engines have to be electronically controlled. As the Tier ratings have increased, vast improvements to the cleanliness of engine combustion cham- bers have been realized. The result is a cleaner-burning engine with less carbon and soot buildup. All these factors help extend oil life and increase the intervals necessary between oil changes. Being electronically controlled, computer systems can self-diagnose. When a system can self-diagnose, it tells operators right on the display what's going on, and what may potentially be wrong. It monitors those critical operat- ing functions and warns operators well in advance and long before there is any damage. Recognizing that the integration of Tier 4 engine technology also repre- sented an opportunity to facilitate other engineering enhancements, manufac- turers have polled customers to gain feedback about issues related to existing models that were of greatest concern. Overwhelmingly, owners and operators cited service and maintenance; express- ing frustration with the amount of time it was taking and the general inconve- nience of performing daily and weekly maintenance tasks. As a result, manufac- turers have responded. It doesn't stop with engines and oil changes. Engineering enhancements resulting from Tier 4 emissions stan- dards can also be credited for extending hours between change intervals for fluids throughout the entire hauler — in many instances, for up to twice as long. And then, there's the computer credit. Some manufacturers offer a computer- controlled monitoring function that Manufacturers have incorporated convenient service access into articulated hauler design for easy accessibility to most service points, either from ground level or from non-slip platforms. automatically checks primary fluid levels continuously. With the system, daily and weekly maintenance is no longer required. It provides an oil-level reading prior to starting the engine. The operator simply turns the ignition key to the first position, and during the time comput- ers are booting up — simply a matter of seconds — the system will check and display the oil level. Increased fluid life Additional engineering enhancements have increased the operational life of most major fluids, while excellent ser- viceability and longer service intervals have also contributed to reduced ma- chine downtime. These enhancements have allowed double the number of hours before it be- comes necessary to change the most crit- ical operational fluids. Changing engine oil, in some cases, has been increased from 250 to 500 hours; transmission and hydraulic fluids from 1,000 to 2,000 hours; and the same for brake cooling systems — from a 1,000- to 2,000-hour change interval. It actually can be less expensive to operate a Tier 4-compliant hauler than it is to run a Tier 3 model. Manufacturers have also redesigned articulated haulers to provide more con- venient access to most service points, making them easily accessible from ground level or from non-slip platforms. Today's daily service routine The daily routine maintenance checklist for the majority of newer articulated hauler models now consists primarily of a pre-operational early morning engine oil check, followed by a walk-around. Visual walkaround inspection includes AGGREGATES MANAGER December 2012 29