Case Studies

Issue

A coal mine experienced premature seal failure on hydraulic boom cylinders, which required unscheduled downtime to repair and environmental concerns due to leakage.

Costs

• Unconditional warranty required this cylinder to operate leak-free for a minimum of 8,000 hours prior to maintenance coverage
• The cylinder lasted only 6,000 hours
• Changing out a cylinder cost an estimated $18,000 plus the costs of lost production

Surface mining

Recommendation

The Chesterton team developed a custom sealing solution that exceeded the OEM cylinder warranty period for an EX3500 Hitachi® hydraulic excavator.

Material

• Proprietary high-temperature thermoset material, (Chesterton® AWC 860TM), provided outstanding wear, abrasion, and extrusion resistance that is proven to withstand hostile environments
• Turn-key kit includes a wiper, rod seal, buffer seal, piston seal, bearing bands, and static seals

Why use the Chesterton’s cylinder replacement kits?

• Optimize equipment availability, reduce downtime and improve production
• Superior designs and materials, reduce downtime while improving productivity
• Extend hours of operation and satisfy warrant terms
• Leak-free operation, address environmental concerns

Improved Performance & Reliability

The end user was extremely satisfied with the performance resulting in less frequent downtime. Recently, a cylinder was rebuilt where the seal life exceeded 12,000 hours prior to overhaul. Since the Chesterton kit routinely exceeded the warranty period, the cylinder repair shop has now standardized on Chesterton repair kits.

MTBR improvements: 2.5X

Savings

Extension of cylinder life:  $54K+
+ production downtime savings

$=USD

Custom, turn-key cylinder replacement kit