Dozer bucket

General Maintenance Tips

Although G.E.T. is made to last, it does wear and must eventually be replaced. As with most systems of your machine, G.E.T. requires regular inspections to identify wear and cracks. These inspections provide an opportunity to make repairs prior to structural damage or failure. After the results of the inspection have been assessed, maintenance, reconditioning or replacement may be required. If the inspection indicates that reversing, rotating or replacing tips adapters, corner bits, edges and wear plates is required, this should be promptly done. Good G.E.T. maintenance can extend wear life by as much as 50%--and that's 50% cost savings.

As part of your inspection, watch for the following:

  • Excessive wear, bending or bellmouthing in corner areas
  • Cracked or worn-through areas at weld joints
  • Badly bent or broken-through corner gussets
  • Cracks along welds or plates inside and underside of buckets
  • Missing tips, retainers and worn adapters, especially adapter straps and noses
  • Check the adapter weld for cracks.
  • Check for missing or loose bolts and inspect the base edge for wear or scalloping.
  • For side pinned tips and adapters, watch the retainer slot in the pin and retainer assembly. If the slot becomes too wide, there will be a loss in retention which affects performance.
  • Remember, loose or missing bolts can also cause a failure.

Maintenance

Even one or two missing tips reduce digging ability and increase the speed of base edge wear. When tips are missing, the adapters bear the full brunt and wear faster. Run cutting edges and tips to their full service life, but NOT beyond. Bucket tips seldom wear evenly, and the ones near the bucket corners usually wear the fastest. Rotate the worn outer tips to the center and vice versa. When rotating, reverse tips to further wear life, even out wear and keep tips sharp. Check and replace missing or damaged hardware. Tighten any loose hardware. Prolonged operation with loose hardware will cause bolt holes to elongate. Inspect the surface where the retaining nut will be positioned. This surface should be solid, smooth and flat to support the nut. If it is not it will be impossible to keep the hardware tight.

Analyzing G.E.T. Costs

Accurate cost records are invaluable in making G.E.T. selections. Details should be included in these records such as:

  1. Service meter reading and date installed
  2. Part number and description
  3. Quantity installed
  4. Unit price
  5. Working conditions