Changing buckets on earth moving equipment in extreme conditions
(30/04/2008)

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) is a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic. The islands are remote with a harsh climate. Morrison’s has been commissioned by the SGSSI Government to build a hydro electric scheme to serve the area of Grytviken and King Edward Point. The scheme, with approval from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, will make this the first UK overseas territory to be almost completely supplied with energy from a green and renewable source.

Contractors are working in extreme conditions. The islands have permanent glacial fields and are snow covered throughout the winter months. Temperatures on the islands are moderated by the surrounding ocean, but zero degrees Centigrade is typical at sea level, with severe wind chill factors.

Changing buckets on earth moving equipment, overhaul of heavy plant, maintenance and servicing are never easy. In seriously sub-zero temperatures this is especially true.

Morrison Construction, part of the Galliford Try Group, is using Slide Sledge, a sledge hammer replacement, on a contract they are undertaking for the Government of South Georgia. Introduced by specialist tool distributor Damar International, the Slide Sledge ensures safety, speed and simplicity.

Using the Slide Sledge, a task such as pin removal on an excavator bucket is a simple one-man operation. Instead of needing a mate to hold the chisel, while another man swings the sledge hammer, Slide Sledge allows the operator to apply force directly to the pin, by driving the captive bar within the tool. This is far safer and more productive than the conventional method.

Maintaining heavy plant in difficult conditions, wearing gloves and bulky clothing, requires tools and techniques that allow the job to be done safely and quickly, which is why the Slide Sledge is so useful. Despite using low temperature grease, said to remain workable to minus 60 degrees Centigrade, Morrison Construction operators have found bucket pins frozen in place but have been able to dislodge them with Slide Sledge.

In addition to other international customers, Damar has now supplied Slide Sledge to contractors in Iceland and the South Atlantic. “You could say we have covered the world from end-to-end,” commented managing director Brian Martin. He added, “There are still many contractors out there who continue to make hard work of their plant maintenance operations who could benefit from this remarkable device.”