Caterpillar has unveiled a two-piece bucket for its hydraulic mining shovels, with the promise of reduced downtime through its unique design.
The bucket features a removable basket, which can be replaced to enable efficient and safer rebuilds compared with traditional buckets.
It was designed to be fitted with several baskets during its lifespan — part of why Caterpillar has made it easy to remove and replace.
This will result in less gouging, welding and grinding compared with buckets protected with wear plates.
Made of a single piece of structural steel with no liner or wear plates, the two-piece bucket is lighter than conventional alternatives, but features a high wear resistance.
Caterpillar stated that the basket design allowed it to “evolve with mine site conditions” to prevent downtime and optimise its capacity.
The single-piece design also prevents potential hazards that can be caused by stored energy.
Replaceable baskets are available for advance orders to be stocked on site.