Smart Money: Proactive Mining Equipment Repairs

Planned mining equipment repairs save money and downtime. That’s the message Eric Ortiz has for customers of Quinn Company. As a product support representative for the California-based Cat® dealer, Ortiz has overseen different kinds of repairs on mining equipment. So he knows the value of well-timed planned maintenance.

Estimated read time: 3 minutes

Eric Ortiz is clear about why it’s important to repair a mining machine before it fails out on the job: “If you have downtime, you’re losing money.”

That’s why Quinn Company — and all Cat^® dealers — offers a range of mining product support and repair options to fit the needs, timelines and budgets of different operations.

“Maintenance is key,” Ortiz adds. Maintaining equipment is the single best way to minimize repair downtime.

But when repairs are needed, being proactive is the smart move. You can plan for the downtime, avoid cascading failures where one damaged part takes out several others, and head off future problems.

Simply put, Ortiz says, “repair before failure gets the best owning and operating costs from your machine.”

Rebuilding a Tired D8T Dozer

Ortiz remembers a Cat D8T Dozer that came into the Quinn shop for an engine swap. Before the swap, the Quinn team took S•O•S^SM fluid samples from the dozer’s entire powertrain. They identified other repairs they could make to bring the machine back to full performance.

The last thing Ortiz wanted to do was send a machine back to the customer’s site with problems he knew would eventually take it down again. “We wanted the machine back out, back running at full capacity with no issues, and a full rebuild was the only way we could do that.”

In the end, Quinn performed a full rebuild, including overhauls of the transmission, torque converter, brake system and final drives.

Financing & Rental Options

Quinn and the customer worked with Cat Financial to finance the rebuild and alleviate cash flow concerns. Tiered pricing and other financial options available from Cat Financial can help take the sting out of a major repair while keeping operating budgets under control.

The customer also had options for other Cat services, including equipment rentals while the machine was being repaired — another way to reduce downtime on the mine site.

Cat Parts Deliver Confidence

Ortiz says customers feel more confident about repairs when a Cat dealer handles the procedure.

“Cat repairs are done by certified Cat technicians,” he explains. “All parts are genuine Cat parts, and they always come with a parts warranty … [Genuine Cat parts] are made for a specific component. They’re made to fit perfectly and run perfectly with the machine in motion.”

CAT^® REPAIR OPTIONS FOR MINING

Learn more about Cat^® dealer repair options that can fit your schedules, operational needs and budget.

EXPLORE YOUR OPTIONS

He says you can’t be sure that the same holds true with will-fit parts. “They may not be hardened or machined the correct way.”

Ortiz says he’s seen fluid samples at just 250 hours from competitive parts with excessive wear from all metal surfaces.

100% Machine Performance

With a Cat rebuild, Ortiz adds, you get what you expect: full performance regardless of the hours on the chassis.

“When a machine goes back to the customer, they’re expecting premium performance,” he says. “With our repairs and rebuilds, we deliver 100% machine performance. It’s always going to be guaranteed.”

Get the Lowdown on Cat Repair Options

Listen in as Eric Ortiz outlines the quality repair options & rebuilds available from Quinn Company.

of

For more information on all the available Cat dealer repair options for mining equipment, download this brochure, visit the Cat Repair Options for Mining website or contact your local Cat dealer.

CONNECT WITH YOUR CAT^® DEALER

Find out more about how your dealer can support your mining operation and keep your jobsite moving.

Consult