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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS
APRIL 2017
8
JOBSITE REPORT
of hours than we used to get five years ago
on the older models,” says Johnstone.
However, Johnstone cautions that every
good machine is as good as its service. A
stringent service regime keeps these ma-
chines in greater working shape, always
available when duty calls. But, a strict
maintenance regime is only achievable
when parts availability and dealer support
are non-issues. This is where local dealer,
Burgers Equipment & Spares has excelled,
even going the extra mile to meet Balele
Contractors’ extensive support needs.
“Burgers is very much on top of its game.
We have never had issues regarding spares
availability for the eight years we have
dealt with them,” says Johnstone. “They
actually go out of their way to meet our
service needs. For example, one of the
ladies who works at Burgers stays near the
Witbank area and on numerous occasions
when we have to place an urgent part order,
we can order in the afternoon and by close
of business we have our part delivered.”
Burgers is responsible for all service and
warranty issues for the first 2 000 hours.
After that, Balele Contractors’ in-house
maintenance team keeps the fleet running.
Strict service intervals are maintained at
every 250 hours, while a major service
is done every 1 000 hours. Routine daily
checks ensure that there are no alarms that
might trigger bigger mechanical issues.
Keeping faith
When
Capital Equipment News
visited
the site, two new LiuGong CLG856H loaders
were due for delivery from Burgers, while
four more units were due to arrive in in the
country in April. Continued investment into
LiuGong loaders is paying off big time for the
contractor. “The two main reasons for sticking
to this range of equipment is reliability and
service, not just service from the machines,
but from the local distributor as well,” says
Johnstone. “The aftersales service we
receive from Burgers is impeccable, we can’t
ask for anything more.”
One of the key factors when making
buying decisions as far as mining
equipment is concerned is fuel efficiency,
and the LiuGong machines are not
disappointing in this respect. The LiuGong
CLG856 models are said to range between
14-16
ℓ
per hour, while the newer CLG856H
models are consuming between nine and
12
ℓ
per hour. According to Johnstone,
these consumption figures are about two-
thirds of the comparable offerings from
some premium brands.
Gone are the days when equipment
designs were based on a one-size-fits-all
approach. Today’s equipment designs are
based on customisation, understanding
what each customer’s operational needs
are. This is what exactly LiuGong and
Burgers have done for Balele Contractors.
LiuGong engineers have paid frequent visits to
Balele’s sites over the years, and Johnstone
says the contractor’s feedback in terms of
machine designs has since been incorporated
into the newer models. “Even when we
buy machines, they already know our own
specifications in terms of tyre and bucket sizes.
Our machines are delivered exactly according
to our specifications,” says Johnstone, who
concludes that, before anyone discards
Chinese equipment, they should do their own
homework in terms of both the quality of gear
and local service support.
b
The nine LiuGong loaders are responsible
for all materials handling duties on site.
Distances between stockpiles and the
processing plants are kept at a maximum of
70 m to reduce loader cycle times.