Application Technology

Lug wear is a widespread problem for machinery pivots. It has cost users of machinery lots of money through the years – for repairs as well as for downtime. This is something that the Expander System can put an end to.

The Expander System will in most cases cost more than a traditional straight pin. But when all costs are fully calculated, including the time and costs associated with welding and line boring, and the loss of production due to downtime, the Expander System will prove to be significantly more cost-effective. The full extent of savings depends on many different variables, but it is fair to say that the higher the frequency of lug wear and the higher the costs of downtime, the greater the potential savings.

For Swedish construction machine supplier Maskinia AB, every minute of downtime for machine repairs means lost income. This is why it has been using the Expander System since 1999.

Recently, an excavator was brought in for repairs after 3,700 hours of operation. Using the Expander System, the boom mounting axle was replaced in just 6 hours. By contrast, the repair would have taken 3 – 4 days if it was replaced by a traditional pin, using the common method of welding and line boring.

Lars Malmén, aftermarket manager at Maskinia, says: “The Expander System admittedly costs more than a traditional axle, but if you include repair time and stoppages with loss of income, the difference is clearly to the advantage of the Expander System. If you add the fact that Expander offers a 10 year function warranty, you can count on at least 10,000 problem-free operating hours – compared with the 3,700 that is regarded as normal for a traditional pin.”