Irish quarry slashes maintenance with new gearboxes and bearings

BALDOR claims its high-reliability gearboxes and bearings have slashed conveyor maintenance and energy costs at a quarry in Ireland.

Corcoran Concrete’s quarry in County Mayo switched to Dodge-brand gearboxes and bearings, resulting in drive components lasting 300% longer on conveyors, and a reduction in energy costs.

Prior to the implementation, bearings were failing as often as three times a year, while gearboxes only lasted 12 months. The bearing failures would often mean changing the gearbox too, because the failed parts had to be removed by force. The downtime caused by the repair process also cost the company a lot of money.

Power transmission distributor Central Bearing Supplies suggested replacing the Plummer block bearings on the conveyors with Dodge ISN components. These bearings have combined triple-lip and flinger sealing systems, protecting against sand and stone dust.

The company also replaced the gearboxes with Dodge Torque-Arm II shaft-mounted speed reducers. These units have a tapered brushing system, allowing quick disassembly and reassembly.

They also have two-stage helical gearing, which has an energy efficiency of around 96%, reducing energy consumption.