Some handy tips to get the most out of your ADTs

OTR equipment need regular and scheduled maintenance for best performance. Here are six useful tips to optimize and extend your ADTs service life.

Operating at quarries or mines is tantamount to facing daily risks and challenges. The job is often done in adverse environments or atmospheres with uncertainty and hazards around every corner. No matter what working devices and materials are used or stored, no matter to what extent road surfaces are disrupted, earthmoving machinery such as articulated dumpers and their operators must be able to face any situation.

This type of equipment needs regular and scheduled maintenance for best performance in the long run. For this reason, we’ve arranged six useful tips to optimize and extend your ADTs service life:

1. Choose the right piece of equipment

Every job needs different equipment. Whether you are mapping landfills, eliminating layers from mines or handling material such as sand and gravel, you need the equipment that best fits your application. Choosing a piece of equipment that isn’t suitable for your specific operation might compromise stability as well as results.

2. The right tires as to the site conditions

Not only are these operating environments a challenge for men but also and mainly for tires. If you have ever been driving or operating earthmoving equipment at quarries or mines, you know well the challenges to face day by day: hard work, heavy loads and paths over uneven roads or surfaces. All these conditions are a threat to the machinery’s integrity and increase the risk of punctures or abrasions due to foreign matters. Using tires, which have been especially designed and developed for the purpose, will certainly avoid this sort of problem, improving performance at the same time. We at BKT know what we are talking about.

3. Follow a regular maintenance program

It is essential to perform daily interventions such as lubrication for your dumpers’ proper functioning. Always stick to the regular maintenance schedules handed out by your equipment manufacturer at the moment of purchase. This is the number one rule for safety at the workplace!

Don’t forget that applications in extremely dusty environments may require a more frequent air filter cleaning or replacement as well as the use of motor pre-filters. Likewise, in case of extremely high or low temperatures, oil and special lubricants may be necessary for protecting the main engine components.    You must establish regular intervals for checks based on your specific operating conditions between one and another scheduled maintenance work.

4. Safety training

It is important to have a sound knowledge of all equipment functions. This leads to increased productivity on the one hand and reduces the risk of accidents or injuries on the other. At the same time, thanks to adequate and updated training sessions, operators can learn to do smaller checks on their own and understand which are the best conditions to achieve the best results.

5. Knowing your limits

Operators needs to be trained and be familiar with the equipment. Knowing the limits of stability is really essential as well as observing best driving practices. A full braking while the equipment travels down slopes with a fully loaded tipping device may be a life-threatening risk for the operator. Do not overload your equipment and never try to push performance over the limits. This would definitely lead to a reduced life-cycle of both the tires and your dumper. Always keep to the limits set by the manufacturer and don’t behave as if you were experts.

6. Optimum visibility 

Many manufacturers have introduced several technological instruments in order to improve visibility at the driver’s seat.  Rear-view mirrors or cameras can facilitate operations and maneuvering extending your vehicle’s durability.

BKT recommends…

In order to get the most out of your equipment, you need extraordinarily resistant and performing tires providing a high load capacity: Earthmax SR 41 is the perfect tire for all applications for ADTs.

The All Steel structure ensures maximum resistance against impacts, such as punctures or penetrating foreign matters; the 50%-deeper tread compared to a standard tire remarkably extends the tire life-cycle. The lug arrangement has been studied in order to provide enhanced traction, an essential feature for articulated dumpers operating under tough conditions.

Have you already tried out our Earthmax SR 41? Tell us your opinion and don’t forget to visit our website for additional information.