Keeping municipal projects on track

A simple solution using the Expander System fixed a costly and time-consuming problem.

One of the biggest municipalities in Iowa, USA, had a recurring problem with Liebherr 900 excavator used for digging trenches and manholes. The problem was that the four traditional straight pivot pins which hold the bucket area together were frequently coming loose in the lug ears, which of course caused trouble in operating the bucket.

The municipality was thus forced to replace pivot pins in the bucket section at least 18 times during the eight years that they had owned the excavator. Statistically, this meant they were replacing an average of more than two of the four pivot pins every year.

The machine had to be taken to a workshop in order to undergo line boring, a costly and time consuming process that created a lot of downtime. This was incredibly problematic as the municipality did not have many excavators in its fleet, meaning that whole projects had to be put on hold while the excavator was repaired.

With the cost of the excavator growing year by year, the municipality needed to find a solution. They decided to try Expander System and initially installed one pin in the bucket area. Rather than having to take the excavator to a workshop, the Expander System pivot pin was installed in a couple of hours directly on site, providing the municipality with instant time and cost savings.

After a problem-free year with the Expander System pivot pin, the municipality decided to install one more. This was quickly followed by a third and fourth pin, which now secure the entire bucket area of the excavator.

We would recommend Expander to anyone using heavy equipment who is having issues with pivot pins,” says a foreman working at the municipality.

“We have also told maintenance personnel from other municipality cities about Expander System and plan to use this solution on some of the other machines in our fleet.”