Parts and Servicing for Scrapers

By working with many companies that run fleets of scrapers, RDW Parts has become a scraper specialist, with a significant inventory of parts and components ready to go.

Cost effective

Scrapers have a very good Service life

Whilst some customers rotate machines at 6-10,000 hours, a well maintained scraper can stay in service for 30-40,000 hours.

Customers who buy a good machine with a comprehensive service history and continue with preventative maintenance can thereby depreciate the cost of the machine over a considerable period of time, meaning that the cost per hour is reduced.

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How to reduce you operating costs

The key to keeping your operating costs low is to look at all the factors that impact on the cost of running your machine. A simplistic, and often erroneous, way of looking at your maintenance cost is to wait until a part breaks and then simply look at buying the cheapest parts as a replacement. However, to achieve the lowest Total Cost of Ownership, these factors need to be considered:

A breakdown will come at the worst possible time, meaning you will not just have the repair cost but the loss of productive capacity as well.

When a part breaks, it is likely to damage other parts as well. This is especially the case in the drivetrain components, so ensure you are taking oil samples at every service and investigating any out of the norm readings. If there are metal fragments in the filters or system, find out why as early as possible.

Cheap parts generally have a shorter life. Labour costs are now a major factor in servicing costs, so reducing the frequency at which you need to replace for instance cutting edges and flights by spending a bit more to buy the higher quality and harder wearing materials will cost you less in the long term.

Regular greasing and daily checks are essential to ensure all parts are lubricated and tight. Movement causes wear, especially in hitches. Owners often need line boring of hitch posts due to delayed pin and bush replacement, leading to elongated hitch holes from seesawing forces.

Rebuilt components save money. Since a scraper loads and transports material while moving, the drive train is often strained. Whether your scraper has one or two engines, the cost of new engines and transmissions is high. Rebuilt engines are a cost-effective option. Hydraulic cylinders are best repaired or swapped on an exchange basis to reduce downtime and maximize uptime.

Brake drums require regular attention and re-lining. Make sure that the brake shoe gets professionally rebuilt with new bushings and liners.

The key to all earth moving machinery

Look at their total running cost over the life of the asset

A new scraper involves a significant capital investment, and with it high depreciation costs as well as financing costs in paying the outlay. Many of the most successful scraper owners buy and keep their machines, ensuring not only preventative maintenance is undertaken, but also having a rebuild plan. The cost per hour of using rebuilt components and keeping an already depreciated machine going generally gives the lowest cost per operating hour, with the trade off being not to overcapitalise on major repairs if the overall machine is approaching end of life.

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How to reduce your maintenance requirements

Keep the haul road well maintained as it reduces wear on the hitch and drive train and allows for higher transport section speeds.

Minimise use in rock environments. Whilst scrapers can handle occasional rocks, this is not their primary purpose, as it will reduce flight and chain life and cause wear to the ejector, as well as potentially jam the auger or elevator mechanisms.

Keep the machine clean. Obviously any earthmoving machine is exposed to dirt, however ensuring debris such as rocks etc are not caught on around moving parts especially is important. Also make sure that any leaks are identified and looked at early.

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