As part of Quarry Managements focus on engines and transmissions we spoke to Finning’s Product Support Consultant, Noel Hancock and Damian McClean, South Staffordshire unit manager for Hanson Aggregates, Barton Quarry, to discover why a timely Easter shutdown has helped to breathe new life into Barton Quarry’s popular Cat 972G Wheel Loader.
With exclusive access to the two week refurbishment project we were able to find out just what was involved in this increasingly popular maintenance solution, that in Barton Quarry’s case was made possible without disrupting the operation of the strategically important site.
Located in Barton Under Needwood, near Burton-on-Trent, Hanson’s Barton sand and gravel quarry produces three quarters of a million tonnes of sand and gravel a year, supplying both local businesses and Hanson concrete operations throughout the region.
With demand for sand in particular seeing the need for an increase in output at the quarry, a major investment programme has already seen the commissioning of a new fixed processing plant to be constructed in the coming months. In line with this increased workload, further investment has seen the quarry commission its first Finning Caterpillar refurbishment project, giving its Cat 972G wheel loader a new lease of life.
Having worked for more than 13,000 hours, loading sand and gravel into hoppers and articulated trucks for two shifts, six days a week, the quarry’s 6 year old Cat 972G wheel loader has just received a complete engine and transmission makeover. The success of the carefully planned refurbishment project was made possible by the ongoing close scrutiny of the Cat 972G’s performance by Hanson’s operators and Finning’s field service personnel.
Having performed all of the regular 500 hour scheduled maintenance and conducted SOS (Scheduled Oil Sampling) at each service interval, as part of an agreed support package with Hanson since the machine was purchased in September 2002, Finning engineers led by Product Support Consultant Noel Hancock, were able to identify the need for repair before failure (RBF) engine and transmission work to be carried out.
Noel: “When you are able to gather data from a piece of plant equipment over a long period of time, you are in a very strong position to identify the key performance indicators that can lead to equipment failure. For example with our analysis of oil samples taken from the Cat 972G we were able to confirm that although the engine and transmission were showing normal signs of wear for the age of the machine, no critical parts had been damaged, and therefore it would be the ideal time to carry out a before failure repair.
“The importance of this process and information becomes clear when you look to analyse the cost of refurbishment, as until you have been able to take the machine, engine and transmission apart you can’t truly understand what work is required. Through oil sampling however, you have a good indication that key parts are still intact and can be refurbished.
“In Damien’s case knowing this information before the process began in earnest was particularly important, as it allowed us to guarantee that we could refurbish the Cat 972G in the tight timeframe he required, to coincide with the sites planned shutdown.”
Given just two weeks to complete the whole refurbishment project, Finning’s Noel Hancock split the tasks of engine, transmission and associated machine refurbishment between four key personnel, Dave Skitt, Mick Witts, Mick Daniel and Dave Kennerley respectively.
Noel: “By splitting the task of engine and transmission rebuild between two people working side by side we were able to give each part of the project a dedicated focus and individual ownership.”
Before any work took place the Cat 972G was washed off and pre-inspected for any other maintenance needs, identifying potential issues that could be fixed at the same time to avoid future downtime.
Noel: “Following the inspection there was no addition work that was discovered. So together with the historic data that we already had on the machine, we were confident that the rebuild process would not throw up any surprises.
Having pre-ordered all of the required parts for the rebuild, the engine and transmission units were removed in one piece from the chassis by removing the cab and engine guards. Transported via overhead crane to the specialist component workshop bays at Finning’s Cannock branch, the engine and transmission were split from one another.
Following the dedicated Caterpillar guidelines written for each machine, the engine was completely stripped down with all parts checked for wear and inspected for damage using Caterpillar’s Service Information System, which provides all the specifications and guidelines needed to perform the engine refurbishment.
Taking just two days to perform the engine strip down Finning’s engine specialist Dave Skitts took a further six days to replace and refurbish a whole range of parts, including the Turbo-chargers, bearings, gaskets and seals, injectors, pistons and liners.
Noel: “ Because our Finning engineers had looked after the Cat 972G for so long and the operators at Hanson had taken care to use the machine correctly, there were no surprises waiting for us when we stripped the engine down.”
Undertaken by Finning’s Transmission specialist Mick Witts the refurbishment of the Cat 972G’s transmission unit also included a complete strip down, with particular attention paid to the transfer block, torque converter and transmission pump, all of which were completely overhauled. In a similar fashion to the engine refurbishment bearings and gaskets were also replaced.
Noel: “Unlike the engine refurbishment we were presented by a small challenge with one of the transmission housings where Mick found a few cracks that were developing. Fortunately this did not set back the project timing, as we were able to replace the housing with parts already available and in stock on-site.”
Finished within a day of each other, both the engine and transmission were linked back together before being replaced into the Cat 972G, which had also received attention with line seals, coolant hoses, coolant and all fluids replaced. Lowered into place on the Thursday before the Easter break, the task of completing the project fell to Mick Daniel and Dave Kennerley, who worked all through the Easter break in order for the Cat 972G to be completed and loaded onto its transport early Monday morning, to be back to the quarry to commence work immediately.
Commenting on the success of the project, unit manager for South Staffordshire, wihich includes Barton Quarry, Damien McClean said: “The Cat 972G is a vital piece of equipment for our operations, so you can see the dilemma of having to take this unit out of circulation for even a day. This is why when I learnt from Finning that we needed to look at carrying out repair before failure work, I was very conscious of the planning process. By using the information and window we had for the repair work we were able to schedule it to coincide with a planned shutdown.
“This obviously worked extremely well with the unit repaired and back on site in just two weeks. From an operational perspective we are now able to benefit from a machine that has had potentially another 14,000 hours of life put back into the engine and transmission - effectively doubling its life for its current application, for a fraction of the cost of a new machine.
“I must say I have to take my hat off to the engineering team at Finning, especially those that worked through their Easter break to ensure the unit was completed on time. It is always reassuring to know that we are working with a company like Finning that has such a flexible workforce that is able to work to customers tight deadlines.”
Commenting on the conclusion of the rebuild, Noel added: “ When you plan for this kind of activity it can be such a positive experience for the business as specific operations can be planned around the absence of the equipment, or units can be hired in for short periods to provide cover. However if you don’t take this approach, the consequences can be severe, with operational shutdowns and the added expense of failed parts. Not only can such failure double the refurbishment cost it can in some cases take the machine beyond economical repair.
“In this circumstance Hanson chose to refurbish the engine and transmission, the other option would have been to opt for replacement or off the shelf refurbished exchange units that we hold in stock. This approach can help to reduce the time it takes for replacement down to as low as 4 days. So the options are definitely there and worth taking, as there is no accounting for the damage and inconvenience machine failure can cause a business! ”