EX850 Excavator
Hitachi EX850 Excavator Cylinder failures contained by Mag-Shield®
Challenges
Contamination from cylinder failures returns to the reservoir and recirculates through the remainder of the system. Much of the contamination passes through the existing reservoir screen and into the various pumps and control valves. Larger particles collect on the screen, increasing pump cavitation and pump damage. This results in system wide failures that are costly and time consuming to repair and are most frequently accompanied by follow-on failures due to limitations of flushing techniques used as part of the repair process.
Michael Hynes
Superintendent of Reliability
North American Construction Group
Solution
By encompassing the current reservoir suction screen with Mag-Shield® filters from MagShield® – NEXT GENERATION BEST PRACTICE for fluid contamination control, we effectively captured and retained contaminants, ensuring they are kept away from the pump suction inlets. This proactive measure not only safeguards against contamination buildup on the reservoir screen but also mitigates the detrimental effects of cavitation.
Attached, is a photo of one of the Mag-Shield® after a cylinder failure on an EX850 excavator. Mag-Shield® captured material that would have spread throughout the machine. NACG saved a lot of money as we did not have to disassemble the hydraulic system for major cleaning. The actual savings estimate is greater than $70,000 and could be over $100,000. These estimates are compared to previous cylinder failures we have experienced with EX850s that did not have Mag-Shield®, which resulted in contaminated hydraulic systems.
Results
These results represent Mag-Shield® performance in twenty excavators operating at several of this customer’s mine sites over a period of 5 years. Mag-Shield® were installed in the hydraulic systems of these excavators. Following installations, repair costs and failure rates improved dramatically, and follow-on failures were eliminated. Savings were also realized in the reduction of transportation costs related to moving the machines to and from site. The result: less disruption for operations, planning and maintenance; improved availability and hundreds of thousands of dollars saved. Return on investment was less than one year.
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