Using Technology for Management of Buckets and GET

Managing the wear performance of buckets and their individual components in large fleets of wheel loaders (Above or below ground), hydraulic shovels, and electric rope shovels is important for optimizing operational efficiency and improving costs in mining operations.

Each bucket is made up of multiple individual components including Floor, Sidewalls, Rear attachment points, Pins, Bucket Stops, Spill Guard assembly, Cheek Plates, Cutter Plates and many more, each wearing at different rates and needing replacement at different hours, but each component plays an important role in the integrity and performance of the bucket. The TrackTreads bucket management module provides a structured approach to effectively manage these assets

• Establish a routine of Regular Field Inspections for each bucket at equipment PM to identify component wear, cracks and damage. TrackTreads Mobile Software provides the digital tools to capture this data in the field, including images, comments, measurements and additional observations
• Interpretation and Analysis of Inspection results with reporting – TrackTreads Web Portal includes, for each component, calculation of the wear rate, identified accelerated wear and notifications of any abnormalities while determining maintenance tasks to be completed to ensure bucket achieves the budgeted life. All of this information is summarised into a PDF for the Maintenance Engineers to initiate repairs. Integrate into your Financial systems to budget and schedule the Tasks to support the operation.
• Capturing GET and other component Replacements – recordwhen and where each component is replaced, linking this data to operational parameters such as hours worked, material moved and costs.
• End-of-Cycle Rebuild Planning – towards the end of each cycle, monitor the wear rates on the critical components to determine when the bucket is to be rebuilt, and a replacement bucket can be available for continued production
• Recording the Bucket Rebuild – capture all components that are replaced with costs to ensure accurate costing per unit of Production whether it be Hours, Tonnes or BCM
• Benchmarking and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): KPIs such as:
  • Cost per Hour, Tonne or BCM moved are calculated for the bucket and each of the components including GET
  • Average hours achieved per component at specific position and % of wear achieved at changeout
  • Performance of individual components (e.g., wear rates, failure rates)

Then Use these KPIs to benchmark performance across the fleet of buckets and applications, identifying which bucket types and combinations of Ground Engagement Tools (GET) yield the best results. Draw on Fleet reporting to monitor the trends for each of the KPI’s against the benchmarks over time and monitor the improvement as the Reliability Team gain skill and experience through continuous improvement.

The TrackTreads Bucket Management Software module integrates inspection data, asset utilization, maintenance logs and performance metrics to provide a comprehensive Fleet Performance Overview enabling continuous improvement towards operational excellence. Contact us at info@TrackTreads.com for more information on how TrackTreads can help your operations.