Preventative Maintenance: Key to Conveyor Longevity

Modified on Wed, 4 Sep, 2024 at 1:41 PM

We recommend a maintenance schedule that involves a machine examination every 500 hours of operation. For customers that operate their TipTrak™ 24 hours a day, 7 days a week this will equate to approximately once per month. If the bucket conveyor runs less frequently, the schedule can vary between once every 6 weeks to 12 weeks. This timing of these inspections is also dependent on the material you are conveying and the plant conditions. For example, if the product is very abrasive, you may want to decrease the time between inspections. More frequent inspections will also help your operators become more familiar with the TipTrak™ and enable them to notice problems or oddities as they occur. The five key areas that should be checked are:

Area around and in the TipTrak™ bucket conveyor. Check for spillage of material or build-up in the lower horizontal section. It can interfere with the travel of the bucket assembly. Proper feeding and having an unobstructed discharge of the material are very important to guarantee “trouble free” operation.
Motor & Gearmotor – check to ensure that it is operating properly. We include the manufacturers recommendations for the motor in the TipTrak™ Installation & Maintenance Manual.
Inspect Each Individual Bucket. Look at the shape of the bucket, is it stressed showing white marks or is there any damage or cracks. Check the joint strips connecting the buckets to make sure they are secure.
Rubber ‘beltchain’. Check for premature wear or cracking. Tighten the socket head cap screws in the mechanical joints (where the belting is joined). Proper tensioning can optimize the TipTrak™’s overall performance
Bearings & Pulleys. Ensure that all set screws are tightened as well.

All of the above preventative maintenance recommendations are found in the TipTrak™ manual provided with your order. In our subsequent post, we will look at maintenance preparedness or the importance of parts inventory.

If you would like to know more about preventative maintenance please contact 905-885-8168, submit a ticket or email service@unitrak.com.