Luke Patterson – Product Manager for Ground Engaging Tools (GET) and Undercarriage explains how customers can save money and improve machine performance through effective Ground Engaging Tool management.

Long-term lastability comes from not only selecting the right part but also ensuring that the machine is operated in a GET ‘friendly’ way and the GET system is maintained correctly. If this is achieved then the GET system will deliver long wear life, effective penetration, maximised production and ultimately lowest cost per tonne.

Selecting the right part

Ground Engaging Tools, especially bucket tips, come in varying shapes and sizes offering different levels of penetration, strength and wear life. When matching GET parts to your application it is important not only to think of wear life but also penetration as this will impact heavily on your production and indirect costs such as fuel consumption. Insufficient penetration can lead to longer cycle times, lower bucket fill factors, reduced production and increased fuel consumption as the machine has to be worked harder to fill the bucket.

Operator technique

It is important to ensure that when operating a wheel loader the bucket is correctly positioned with the base edge parallel to the floor. Operating with a bucket in a nose down or heel down position can reduce penetration making the machine work harder, reducing production and potentially generate additional wear on the bottom of the bucket.

The operator can also employ some simple practices such as minimising contact with the floor, avoiding corner loading and raising the wheel loader lift arms once the bucket has entered the material. These simple techniques will result in minimised wear rates and reduced replacement frequency, avoid additional stresses being put through the bucket and machine systems and minimise wear on the bottom of the bucket.

Maintenance tips

It is important never to forget the first key function of GET – protection. Therefore you should never operate a bare bucket. If you lose GET components then it is important that you replace them immediately to avoid causing any long-term expensive damage to the structural components of the bucket. It is also crucial to replace GET parts when they reach 100% worn, by leaving them you risk damaging structural parts which may result in a more expensive repair. It is always important to monitor the sharpness of your bucket tips, if a tip is becoming blunt and reducing the penetration into the material then it can make sense to look at replacing or considering another tip style designed to give more penetration.

In some operations you can end up with more wear in certain areas of a GET component. For example if a tip is wearing faster on the bottom or the outside tips on the bucket are wearing quicker than the centre tips. This may be exaggerated further through incorrect operator technique. In these cases you can rotate and swap symmetrical tips to maximise a balance system and avoid throwing away valuable wear material.

One of the key processes to keep on-top of your Ground Engaging Tools is regular bucket inspections. Ensure that a regular inspection process monitors the wear on the bucket and any undesirable or abnormal wear patterns. This way you can tackle any problems early, minimising the cost of repair, be in the best position to rotate or swap any tips should this be required and provide the best protection for your bucket.

For more top tips or maintenance queries why not contact us with a question for our Ask the Expert section.