Heavy Equipment Pin and Bushing Replacement Sacramento
We specialize in a wide variety of Pins and Bushing Replacement Services for Industrial Equipment in Sacramento.
There are different ways to handle repairs on heavy equipment, and companies and owners take different approaches. Some people and companies that own heavy equipment choose to repair it themselves. They employ mechanics skilled in welding and other machinery repair. This can be a very cost-effective approach if you have enough machinery to make it worthwhile. You need enough repair jobs and enough frequency to justify keeping people on a salary to do the repairs. The benefit of doing it this way is that, as soon as your machinery has a problem, you can get it fixed almost immediately, minimizing downtime.
Another approach to heavy machinery repair is to take the machinery to a dealer or another qualified technician for repairs. The benefit is that you do not have to keep mechanics on your salaried staff. You can pay for repairs as needed and otherwise not worry about them. The drawback of taking your machinery in for repairs is that there is significantly more downtime. You can’t count on your equipment being available again immediately, because the mechanic may have a backlog of repairs. When you take your equipment in for professional repair, you benefit from extensive expertise and high-quality workmanship.
What parts wear out fastest?
One of the first parts to wear out on any piece of heavy equipment is the bucket blades and teeth. When you are digging into soil, and especially when that soil is frequently rocky, the blades and teeth take the brunt of it. Therefore, you will need to repair or replace the bucket blades and teeth first, and you should plan to replace them fairly frequently.
The good news is that on many machines, the blades are designed to remove them easily and roll a new one on with minimal effort. This is extremely important for heavy equipment, which is made to be durable and therefore usually has parts that are more difficult to replace.
Pivot-point holes also wear out very quickly on heavy machinery. These are the holes where the machine arms attach. A post is inserted into the hole, allowing it to pivot and swing. As you use the machinery, the post metal wears through the hole, making it larger and even more elliptical. As a result, the arm becomes wobbly and no longer exhibits the controlled, precise motion it had before.
To prevent pivot-point holes from wearing out quickly, you need to clean and lubricate the joint regularly. When you are working in a dusty environment, you may need to do this several times a day. This keeps dust and grit flushed out, and it prevents abrasive particles from wearing down the metal. When the pivot hole becomes too large, it can be repaired by welding it closed. Insert welding material into the hole until the new hole is smaller than the original. Then bore it out until it is the size of the original hole.
The interior and exterior of the bucket are another high-wear point that wears out quickly. The dirt and grit you work with can wear down the bucket’s surface and eventually even wear away the inside. Hardfacing is a simple solution that protects the bucket from excessive wear by applying a protective layer that prevents dirt from sliding off.
On smaller excavators and loaders, a common problem is damage to the booms and sticks (support arms). This occurs when you load the machine with weights it cannot handle, which is why it is a common problem with small machines. If the contractor even realizes that the load is too heavy for the machine, the temptation is still enormous to try anyway, and to push the machine to the limit. This does not immediately break the machine, but over the long term, it places excessive stress on the steel. Eventually, the boom and stick become damaged. The only way to fix this is to remove the damaged steel and replace it with new steel. Manufacturers have specific instructions on how to make this happen, and it should not be done by anyone who is not thoroughly qualified.
