The solution helped to extend pin life and reduce downtime due to pin changes. Cost savings achieved was ZAR 78,000 per excavator.
Application
Excavators pin and bush in hard rock mining. The average pin life was 2000 hours and productivity loss was 1.5 hours for pin change only and up to one week for line boring.
Identify
Castrol working collaboratively with the mine owner and identified an opportunity to extend pin life beyond the current average and reduce downtime for pin changes by using a high performance grease in the pin and bush application.
Agree
It was agreed to run a trial on a Hitachi Excavator with Molub-Alloy 777-2 NG in the pin and bush application to assess how pin life could be extended.
Deliver
Pin life was extended to 10,000 hours and resulted in reduction of pin and bush replacement cost and seal and shims cost. Also productivity loss was reduced due fewer pin changes and time lost due to line boring.
