PORTLAND, OREGON – For some crews, it might be the holy grail of dragline chain maintenance: a tough, reliable repair link that is also easy and safe to install and remove.
With that goal in mind, Columbia Steel Product Engineer Charlie Dreixler has been working extensively on hoist and drag chain designs since 2010. “We’re on our fifth generation of mechanical repair link improvements,” says Dreixler, “and a year’s worth of field trials in Wyoming and North Dakota have already convinced customers to place additional orders.”
Key to this repair link’s success is Columbia’s EZ RigLok® hammerless, mechanical pin locking system. The system has also proven to be a faster, safer locking mechanism in many other Columbia Steel dragline products as well, like hoist links, swivel links, and clevises. The EZ RigLok repair link requires no welding or special tools, and needs just a standard 3/4 inch breaker bar to install and remove.
It’s a user friendly solution, but is it tough? Dreixler notes that “accelerated wear on hoist chain in the bucket rub rail area is a frequent cause of downtime — and a real test for any repair link. During a Wyoming field trial, the EZ RigLok repair link lasted for over seven months in a rub rail position.”
In addition to serving mining operations, Columbia provides aggregate producers, scrap recyclers, and cement plants with a wide range of replacement wear parts in a variety of alloys. The company’s 86-acre facility is home to a product engineering department, full service steel casting foundry, and machine shop, located in Portland, Oregon, USA.