On brownfield construction sites, industrial diesel engines power equipment including cherry pickers, cranes and screeners. Each of these machines are vital in keeping projects on schedule, meaning construction companies must regularly maintain their equipment to ensure productivity and reliability. When the engine finally reaches the end of its life, construction businesses can then rebuild it so that it runs like new again.
Here Peter Hutyan, Product Manager for Energy and Transportation at Finning UK & Ireland, explains the benefits of an industrial engine rebuild and offers some tips.
Industrial diesel engines can be found in a wide range of construction machines, on anything from small commercial sites to large infrastructure projects. Whatever the equipment or project size, it is essential that the engine can continue to provide the hydraulic and rotational power that these machines require.
Traditionally, an industrial engine will last anywhere between 10,000 to 30,000 hours before requiring a major overhaul. When the engine reaches the end of its life, it may be tempting to simply replace it with a newer model. However, keeping the engine running until failure can increase costs and introduce various risks.
Maintaining uptime
Most construction projects have tight deadlines and require specialised equipment at different stages. For example, this could be a specific type of crane, an excavator or any other machine. Project progress is vital for every construction firm, which means having each machine running so that work does not come to a sudden halt.
While not every industrial machine is critical, most operators rely on engine uptime. For example, machines like crushers and cherry pickers are only on site when they are needed and having just one out of action can cause delays, extending lead times significantly. If operators keep their engine running until the end of its life, this can compromise performance because legacy engines are typically less productive and efficient than new machines.
One example of reduced productivity is when a screener is unable to sort waste from usable materials. If the screener is using an engine nearing the end of its life, it may not be running efficiently, and the operator will need to keep the machine running for longer to compensate. As well causing delays, extended runtime can increase costs, particularly if the operator faces downtime while they source a replacement from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) when the machine does eventually fail.
Rather than face unnecessary downtime, operators can order a complete overhaul of their engine before it reaches the end of its life. By planning in advance, they can they shut down part of the construction site in a controlled way without worrying about and extended period of unplanned downtime. Scheduling a rebuild also gives the operator time to source a rental replacement, ensuring business runs as normal.
Selecting a rebuild
Many industrial engines are built in a similar way, with minor component variations. In reality, the difference between an engine in a crusher or a crane can come down to its turbocharger. Therefore, the repair strategy is often determined by budget and power restoration requirements, rather than by application.
If construction companies have a limited budget and want to save time, a basic value repair will recondition the cylinder heads, piston rings and liners. This option is ideal if a cherry picker or crane, for example, is experiencing a slightly increased fuel consumption and a short-term solution is needed that will see the engine through to its next service.
If the engine is experiencing a loss of power or excessive fuel consumption, operators can go that extra mile with a mid-range top and tail recondition. This approach involves renewing all major components, including the cylinder packs and heads, the injectors and pistons. All slower-wearing parts, such as lube oil and water pumps, are also replaced. If the engine is halfway through its 30,000-hour lifecycle, this option will restore vital power and can provide an additional 15,000 hours of runtime.
Finally, if they require a like-new engine, operators can select a complete overhaul. During a full workshop recondition, all major components are stripped out, inspected and replaced. This includes the seals, gaskets, bearings and filters. Approximately three quarters of engine parts can be recycled and,with this more thorough option, operators can swap out these components so that they can be restored and reinstalled on another engine.
Get the support you need
When rebuilding an industrial engine, it is essential that operators receive lifecycle assistance, which means having a partner that can offer good technical and commercial support. The rebuild process does not end the minute that the engine leaves the workshop — a good partner will reinstall the engine on the operator’s site and regularly service it to ensure that it is running as intended.
By selecting a partner early on, construction companies can understand where the engine is in its lifecycle and collaborate with the service provider’s engineers to devise a tailored support strategy. Look for a partner that uses genuine OEM parts on all its engine rebuilds, supports its customers with preventative maintenance, using scheduled fluid analyses and offers machine telematics to regularly monitor engine condition and performance.
Industrial engines are vital in keeping construction projects on track. By tailoring the engine rebuild to the machine and the application, construction firms and hirers can keep their equipment running as intended and ensure maximum uptime.
If you partner with Finning, Cat®-certified engineers will carry out a thorough inspection and evaluation of your industrial engine and can replace up to 7,000 of its components with genuine Cat parts. We have engineers working across the UK and Ireland, meaning we can react promptly to your needs. Want to know more about our industrial engine rebuilds? Visit the Finning website.
