Three Things We Need to Manage During the Life of an Undercarriage In my previous article, I looked at some of the KPIs that help us understand whether we’re managing undercarriage life successfully. These included Percent Worn at Removal, Component Life Achieved, planned versus unplanned replacement and ultimately Cost per Hour. But KPIs measure the […]
What Does It Take to Get Full Life From Your Undercarriage? Read More »
Effective Undercarriage Management ensures components achieve a reliable service life with minimal disruption to production. The primary goal is protecting surrounding frames from avoidable damage while keeping costs per hour competitive. While routine inspections support this objective, the true measure of success is what those inspections help your team achieve. Here are the core measures
Undercarriage Management: Six Measures That Matter Read More »
A visual inspection identifies equipment defects, wear and structural deterioration. Its primary value lies in timing. Early findings allow teams to schedule cost-effective maintenance, prevent secondary damage, and reduce unplanned downtime. Main Objectives of Equipment Visual Inspections Visual inspections provide actionable data across five core areas: That last point deserves particular attention. How Do Visual
What Is the Value of Performing Visual Inspections? Read More »
What Undercarriage Hardware Does Undercarriage hardware includes items such as bolts, idler caps, track roller caps and rubber plugs. These may be relatively small parts, but they help keep the undercarriage complete, correctly positioned and properly secured. How Missing or Loose Undercarriage Hardware Causes Frame Damage Missing or loose bolts can allow rollers, idlers and
Why Missing Undercarriage Hardware Should Not Be Ignored Read More »
Structural cracking is an ongoing challenge on large mining equipment. Haul trucks operate under heavy loads, continuous vibration and changing road conditions. Over time, cracks can develop in the chassis and other structural areas. Most mining operations already inspect for these cracks, but the way the information is recorded can make it difficult to manage
Chassis Crack Mapping: Finding the Crack Is Only the Start Read More »
Most maintenance systems track operating hours, but measuring undercarriage distance travelled provides a far more accurate forecast of actual component life. For many mining operations this works well. But what happens when a machine spends several hours each shift idling? In very cold climates, particularly the Canadian oil sands, machines may idle for extended periods
Choosing the Correct Measure for Undercarriage Usage Read More »
Every mining operation performs structural inspections on its mobile equipment. Whether it’s an electric rope shovel, hydraulic excavator, haul truck, loader or dozer, inspectors routinely identify cracks, assess repairs and monitor structural integrity to ensure equipment remains safe and reliable. Yet despite the importance of these inspections, many organisations still manage them using a combination
Why It’s Time to Digitise Chassis Structural Crack Inspections Read More »
For track-type dozers, undercarriage life has traditionally been forecast using machine hours. It’s simple. It’s widely accepted. But it’s often wrong. Hours measure time — not work. Undercarriage wear is driven by movement, not idling. Why Hours Fall Short Two machines with the same hours but different travel distances will not experience the same undercarriage wear behaviour. Because hours don’t account for:
Maximizing Undercarriage Life with Distance-Based Forecasting Read More »
Why Identical Machines Wear Differently Mining operations often see two tracked machines performing similar work consume undercarriage components at very different rates. One machine may achieve significantly more operating hours from chains, rollers, or idlers than another machine working in the same mining area. Regular undercarriage inspections provide the starting point for understanding this behaviour.
Variability in Undercarriage Consumption Across Identical Machines Read More »
Ensure dozer swing chains and frames are available when required so teams can remove and rebuild installed components without impacting production. Effective inventory management keeps components ready, tracked, and rebuilds on schedule. This results in end to end swing chain and Frame inventory management. Key Capabilities Immediate Benefits TrackTreads provides the Software Tools to manage
Undercarriage Inventory Management Read More »