Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/103664
Loader Maintenance from the Ground Up Keeping safety first and productivity high is the ultimate goal of any maintenance program. by Debbie McClung 30 M ines and quarries represent some of the most demanding conditions for wheel loaders. Ground-engaging tools, engines, cooling systems, and tires endure long hours in challenging terrain handling abrasive materials. Many work areas are congested with multiple machines that are loading material into trucks, crushers, and plant hoppers, as well as sorting and stockpiling — often moving finished materials from one end of a facility to another. There can be little margin for error in these busy environments, and the last thing an operator needs to worry about is a machine that isn't prepared to perform from the ground up. To safely and productively maneuver a wheel loader on these jobsites requires diligent attention to a manufacturer's recommended mainte- AGGREGATES MANAGER January 2013 nance program and manuals, and following additional guidelines established by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). "Routine daily maintenance and good pre- and post-use inspections on a wheel loader are critical to keeping safety first and productivity high," says Chad Ellis, Doosan product manager. Ground-engaging tools Loading and unloading aggregate eight to 10 hours a day can create excessive wear on a machine's ground-engaging tools. To ensure these high-impact tools stay in peak operating condition, fleet maintenance managers need to perform daily visual inspections of buckets with a keen eye to loose, cracked, or missing teeth and repairing or replacing compro-