Loader bucket tooth wear problems and maintenance methods

Discussion on the forms and causes of bucket wear

The bucket of the loader plays a vital role in the operation due to its huge volume. In order to cope with wear, a blade plate made of wear-resistant materials, such as high-strength materials such as 16Mn, is usually welded to the front end of its lower body to enhance durability. Side guards are installed on both sides of the bucket, and bucket teeth are installed on the blade plate at a certain interval. These bucket teeth are connected to the blade plate by bolts for easy maintenance and replacement.

However, during long-term use, the blade plate often becomes the most severely worn part. The main manifestation of its wear is the gradual thinning of thickness. Under the action of the bucket teeth, the originally straight blade plate will gradually deform into an inward curved arc, which not only affects the working efficiency of the bucket, but also shortens its overall service life.

Blade plate wear

After the blade plate is worn, its thickness will gradually thin. When the bucket teeth are replaced, the gap between the upper and lower parts of the rear end of the bucket teeth and the blade plate will increase due to the reduction in thickness. This increased gap is only fixed by the bucket tooth bolts, and it is difficult to ensure tightness. During the long-term operation of the loader, the bucket teeth are frequently impacted by the materials, causing the bucket tooth fixing bolts to loosen. The loose bolts further aggravate the wear of the bucket teeth and the blade plate, and may eventually make the bucket unable to be used normally.

Delayed replacement of the blade plate

If the blade plate is not replaced in time, the bucket body (lower end) will be excessively worn. This not only reduces the overall rigidity of the bucket, but may also cause the bucket to deform under force, seriously affecting its service life.

Bucket tooth wear

In shoveling operations, the bucket teeth play the role of "pioneers", so they wear the fastest and are replaced most frequently. The wear of the bucket teeth is mainly manifested in shortening of length, thinning of thickness, and even separation of the upper and lower parts.

(1) When the fixing bolts of the bucket teeth are loose, if the driver fails to tighten them in time, the matching clearance between the bolts and the bucket teeth and the blade plate will gradually increase. This increased clearance may cause the fixing bolts to break or the bucket teeth to be damaged, thereby aggravating the wear of the blade plate.

(2) If the bucket teeth are not replaced in time due to defects or excessive wear, the blade will inevitably wear out. In the long run, the blade may be scrapped due to premature damage, thus shortening the overall service life of the bucket.

Wear on the rear of the bucket

As the use time increases, the arc-shaped part of the rear of the bucket may gradually change from the original straight line to an arc-shaped part that bends inward.

(1) Excessive wear on the rear of the bucket causes its overall strength to decrease, especially at the bucket pin hole. Due to the frequent tensile effect of the bucket cylinder, the insufficient strength causes the bucket pin position to stretch inward. This will cause the bucket to be unable to maintain a horizontal position during the loader's bucket collection operation, and in severe cases, it may even be unable to be filled with materials, thereby significantly reducing the loader's work efficiency.

(2) In order to solve this problem, the new model has strengthened and reinforced the positions of the bucket boom pin hole and the bucket pin hole, improving the strength of this part, thereby eliminating this hidden danger at the design level.

Bucket swivel pin hole and boom pin hole wear problem

The bucket swivel pin hole and boom pin hole of the bucket may deform from round to oval after long-term use. This is mainly due to the untimely maintenance of rotating parts such as the bucket and boom pin shaft. During the loading operation, material particles may enter the friction pair surface along the pin shaft gap. Once the material blocks the lubricating oil channel, the bucket swivel pin and bearing cannot be fully lubricated, resulting in excessive wear of the pin shaft and bearing (or sleeve). Once the sleeve is worn (such as forming an oval), the difficulty of repair will be greatly increased. Even if you try to replace it as a whole, it will be difficult to meet the technical standards due to the extremely high requirements for the left and right symmetry (parallelism) of the lifting boom pin. Therefore, the maintenance of the bucket and lifting boom pin is particularly important.

Methods to extend the service life of the bucket

It is recommended to use bucket teeth with sufficient wear resistance produced by regular manufacturers for replacement to reduce the frequency of replacement and prevent abnormal wear of the blade plate caused by untimely replacement.

Always replace the teeth in time and ensure that the tooth bolts are firmly fixed to protect the blade. To maintain overall consistency, it is recommended to replace all teeth at the same time.

Regularly check and replace the blade in time to prevent excessive wear of the lower part of the bucket.

Regularly maintain and service the rotating parts of the bucket, such as the rotating pin and sleeve, to ensure that these parts are well lubricated and reliable.

During loading operations, the driver should avoid local force on the bucket and strictly prohibit operations that exceed the load capacity of the loader, such as using the bucket (or bucket teeth) for lifting, digging or traction.

Someone once calculated that the annual maintenance cost of each loader due to bucket wear is as high as more than 20,000 yuan, and the downtime caused by bucket maintenance is about 100 hours, which undoubtedly adds additional lost work costs. Therefore, it is particularly important to have a deep understanding of the wear pattern and causes of the bucket, and to take reasonable maintenance and care measures to extend its service life.