Tips for Pins and Bushings

Improve Machine Maintenance: How to Extend Pin and Bushing Lifespan

Maintaining the integrity of your machine's pins and bushings is a crucial aspect of machine maintenance. These components act as mechanical hinges, connecting various parts of your equipment and enabling smooth movement and flexibility. However, the wear rate of pins and bushings can be influenced by factors such as environmental conditions, usage patterns, and operator practices. To help maximize the lifespan of these critical components, we've compiled several tips and recommendations that you can follow.

The importance of proper pin and bushing care 

Replacing worn pins and bushings can be a significant expense, ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Additionally, the equipment may need to be transported to an offsite shop for the replacement, resulting in costly downtime and delays. In some cases, the wear on the pins and bushings may have caused damage to the equipment's structural steel, leading to further repairs, including line boring, welding, and refitting.

Two primary strategies to minimize pin and bushing wear and avoid these expenses and downtime are lubrication and rotation.

Maintaining proper lubrication

Insufficient lubrication can lead to excessive and uneven wear on pins and bushings. The pin wears on the side that makes contact with the bushing and also wears on the mating surface of its inner diameter. This wear can cause track stretching (known as pitching), which can hinder equipment performance and reduce the lifespan of your undercarriage.

Most modern pins and bushings feature 'grease grooves' on the inner diameter, where lubricants create a film layer to facilitate pin rotation. Applying lubricant at the manufacturer recommended intervals as part of your machine maintenance routine can slow wear rates and help expel contaminants from the bushing by forcing out foreign materials from the grooves.

Rotating pins and bushings

To prevent pitching, pins and bushings can be periodically rotated, shifting the wear side away from the contact area with other components. This rotation exposes new surfaces to working areas both internally and externally, evening out wear rates. Turning also restores pitch on the track between pins and can prolong undercarriage life by enabling the chain to last until links and rollers need replacing.

If you have any questions about machine maintenance, pin and bushing wear, or you need us to handle turning or replacement,  contact our team today!