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10 tips for maximizing Doosan excavator life
Spring 2013
Like the sage investment advice, "buy low, sell high," Doosan crawler and wheel excavators have a greater return on investment when a highly productive life cycle is paired with a low total cost of ownership. While an excavator's longevity is impacted by a wide variety of variables, you can control many of your outcomes through selecting the right excavator, tending to the right maintenance and following the right operation, says Chad Ellis, Doosan product manager.
"Today's equipment owners are looking to capitalize on technologies and best practices that will drive down the total cost of ownership," Ellis says. "By focusing on the fundamental fleet strategies that most directly influence your assets, you can improve operating efficiencies, extend life cycles and get the most out of your Doosan excavator." He recommends these 10 tips to maximize the life of your Doosan crawler or wheel excavator:
The right machine
1. Select an excavator correctly for the application.
Whether clearing debris and vegetation, trenching for utilities, heavy digging, loading or performing demolition activities, you need a durable Doosan excavator and attachments, with the capacity to match the type of work you're routinely performing. For example, specify a Doosan wheel excavator if your jobsite requires traveling on paved surfaces. A wheel excavator can also easily navigate gravel or blacktop base before it's paved. Doosan has three wheel excavators to choose from, depending on your horsepower and digging depth needs.
Excavator specifications that should be taken into consideration include:
- Arm breakout force
- Carrier clearance with boom
- Engine horsepower
- Hydraulic flow
- Maximum digging depth
- Maximum dump height
- Maximum reach at ground level
- Operating weight
2. Properly match capacities to capabilities.
Match the excavator bucket size to the density of jobsite materials and productivity targets. Did you know that Doosan offers trenching, ditching and angle tilt buckets, with numerous sizes to best match applications?
3. Provide power and protection.
Determine hydraulic power needs to accommodate your level of attachment use. If you're primarily using two-way flow attachments, it's important to make sure a machine has a two-way hydraulic setup to accommodate the demand. Use guards and/or shields that protect your Doosan excavator's undercarriage and cab in harsh conditions.
The right maintenance
4. Follow routine maintenance schedules.
Perform daily lubrication duties in addition to other key maintenance intervals recommended by Doosan. Utilize telematics with a fleet management system designed to help track maintenance intervals, and checking engine codes can help improve maintenance by reducing guesswork. Routine maintenance should also include visual inspections of tracks or tires, attachments and machine structures for damage. Centralized grease banks on the excavator arm and the base of the boom make it simple for operators to properly lubricate the excavator.
5. Modify maintenance intervals to accommodate special conditions or attachments.
Extremely dusty applications may require more frequent air filter cleaning and use of engine pre-cleaners. An excavator's attachments such as buckets, hydraulic breakers and clamps are some of the most popular and hardest-working tools and deserve the same attention as the machine itself. Component checks should include hoses, boom and arm cylinders, as well as wear plates, bolted-on cutting edges and attachment quick couplers to make certain they fit snugly and properly.
6. Limit excessive machine travel or idling time.
By reducing excessive travel time on the jobsite or between jobsites, operators can improve fuel efficiency. Additionally, interim Tier 4 (iT4) and Tier 4 engine technologies that use diesel oxidation catalysts and diesel particulate filter systems are highly effective at reducing particulate matter contained in excavator engine exhaust. It's easier and more efficient for these systems to burn accumulated particulate matter when they're being operated rated engine rpm, rather than idling.
The right operation
7. Provide training for safe and proper operation of equipment.
Having a solid understanding of all the various functions of an excavator not only increases productivity, but it helps avoid unexpected events. At the same time, by providing hands-on training, operators can learn an excavator's controls faster and distinguish which features will produce better results in certain applications.
8. Avoid excessive power.
Operators with an understanding of a machine's various optimum power modes know they should avoid improper power mode use; rather, they should set up the machine to deliver power that is adequate for their operation. Likewise, operators who maximize productivity put themselves in a position to protect engine systems and structural components from stress.
Four power mode options
Doosan excavator owners can choose between four power modes to balance fuel consumption and power needs. Power+ mode supplies extra power when digging in hard ground and for the fastest workgroup speeds to save time when loading trucks; Power mode for tough digging and loading applications; Standard power mode to minimize fuel consumption without sacrificing performance when digging, grading and lifting; and Economy mode to reduce fuel consumption for low-demand applications.
9. Establish machine limits.
Operators who are trained on the proper operation of a Doosan excavator develop a better understanding of a machine's limits and the consequences for activities that push machines beyond rated capacities. For example, operators should lift only within the rated lift capacity. Operators should always lift squarely over the side or over the end of the excavator. They should select the Lifting mode on the excavator before using the machine for lifting work.
10. Strive for optimum sight lines.
Doosan excavator cabs provide excellent visibility to the work area and surroundings. Being able to see a machine's tracks, the bucket's sides and its many other attachments when digging is critical to an operator.
Maximizing an excavator's life from the moment you purchase it can pay big dividends through increased productivity, the reduction of maintenance surprises and safer, more efficient operation. When a highly productive life cycle is achieved in tandem with a lower total cost of ownership, it's a win-win for Doosan excavator owners.
