Grab Refurbishment, Servicing and Upgrades
To be able to burn waste at energy from waste power stations, waste grabs must be fully maintained. A grab refurbishment is like a car MOT on steroids. You can do the bare minimum, or you can upgrade hydraulic faults and solve wear issues to dramatically increase the working hours thus reducing downtime.
If you are yet to invest in grab servicing or grab maintenance before, then you might have some questions about what's involved. To keep your grab serviced or refurbished, read our guide below. Here you'll learn everything you need to know about keeping your grabs in top condition, from understanding pricing to discovering all parts that are serviced.
What is the Difference Between a Waste Grab and an Ash Grab?
Waste grabs are like the claw machines you see at amusement arcades, but hundreds of times bigger! These grabs are used to pick up general waste.
Ash grabs are more like a bucket and scoop. They're used to pick up materials that would fall between the petals of material waste grabs. As the name suggests, ash grabs are used to scoop up ash.
What Items Get Serviced in a Refurbishment?
When waste grabs are serviced, every part of them is checked over and repaired or replaced if needed. A grab service is a top-and-bottom check, and it covers everything listed below.
- Lifting points: These are checked over for excessive wear and load tested
- Clevis pins: Clevis pins are assessed for wear. Material upgrades and greasing philosophies are upgraded to deliver optimum wear.
- Pivot points: These are assessed. If required, then they will be bored, resleeved and have new bushes inserted to an improved material grade to improve wear.
- Petals: As required, the tips are machined and replaced using hardox. belly plates are overplated using hardox with hard facing applied to an agreed weld map covering the known areas of wear dependant on the time of waste encountered, and whether the cranes are manually driven or automated.
- Hydraulics: Valve block, pump, motor and all hoses are tested, replaced and upgraded to improve operation.
There are many parts involved in making waste grabs work. It's important to have every part of your hydraulic waste grabs and ash grabs checked to extend the life and reduce downtime.
Can Refurbishment and Servicing be Done on Site?
Hydraulic grab refurbishments can require use of a boring machine to repair pivot points, the upgrades cannot be completed on-site. This must be completed in a factory or workshop using specialist machinery.
However, some mechanical & hydraulic maintenance can be completed on-site. So, if you have any issues with your grab machines, a professional can visit your site to replace hydraulic components or complete overplating, weld repairs, and hardfacing.
How Much Does Grab Servicing Cost?
There isn't a set price when it comes to grab servicing. It depends on how much work needs to be done, and the associated transport costs to get it to a grab specialist. Some items can be repaired, but the price will be higher if parts need to be replaced entirely. New pins and bushes are common, so it will be worth accounting for these in your costs. Depending on size and the condition its in, you can expect to spend anywhere from £10,000 to £50,000.
Grab Modernisation and Servicing Experts
Our team have over 60 years of experience in maintaining and repairing waste grabs and ash grabs across the UK. We know how to service grabs to the highest standard and our upgrades are proven to extend the life of the grab.
From complete overhauls to general repairs of waste grabs, we offer everything you need under one roof. Contact the team by clicking here to organise a no-obligation quote or ask any questions you have about grab servicing or upgrades.