Nord-Lock Group About Expander System Fast installation using the best pivot pins ever invented

Fast installation using the best pivot pins ever invented

Start saving money on parts, service and labor

A typical mining venture spends 35 to 50 percent of its annual operating budget on equipment maintenance and repairs. Friction and wear process during extraction, materials handling and material processing results in need for costly and time-consuming repairs. For 40 years Expander System have developed, designed and supplied solutions to some of the world's biggest mining equipment manufacturers; Caterpillar, Komatsu, Liebherr, Volvo and more.

No more lug bore wear
No more stuck pins
Improved pin installation time
Improved pin removal time

Because welding and line boring are nonexistent or limited, the Expander System greatly reduces repair time. Not having to maintain pivot mounts every few thousand hours means our operating costs will be significantly lower. - Maintenance Shop Lead, Coal mine, Canada 

Benefits installation

Benefits installation

LESS PREPARATION BEFORE AND AFTER INSTALLATION AND FACILITATES HEAVY AXLE MOUNTING

Expander System is an award-winning patented solution with over one million systems installed since 1985. The design is adaptable for any obstacle, lubrication and application needs. We will help you identify the perfect Expander design for your application. 

  • A permanent solution to lug bore wear 
  • Doesn’t require special skilled technician 
  • Easier mounting with tapered axle, perfect for on-site installation    
  • Alignment facilitated 
  • No need for additional fastening holes, threads or welding of locking ring  
  • No need for fine machining in the lugs (wide tolerances H9 and Ra <3,2) 
  • No need for surface preparation 
  • Increased life expectancy of bushings, bearings and seals  
  • Longer service intervals  
  • Increased safety; no hot works needed, no external party needed to perform installation/repair 

Benefits removal

Benefits removal

AN EASY AND PREDICTABLE REPAIR SOLUTION WITH NO NEED FOR LIQUID NITROGEN OR LANCING

Sleeves, larger lug bores, sleeve flanges, axle installation threads and a tapered axle body all make the Expander System an easy and predictable to install and remove. 

  • Increased safety; no hot works needed, no external party needed to perform installation/repair  
  • Doesn’t require special skilled technician 
  • Sleeves for easier axle removal 
  • Bores not damaged 
  • Spare parts can be supplied regardless of the age of the equipment 
  • Removal tools can be supplied with the product 

Reaching your productivity targets starts with a machine that works as intended

Haul trucks Haul trucks often experience excessive wear on suspension pins and the stabilizer link.
Wheel loaders Wheel loaders often experience excessive wear on steering cylinders and buckets pins.
Dozers Dozers often experience excessive wear on ripper pins and the blade pins.

Zero movement after 9,500-hour trial. Drag-link suspension repair

At the Arizona operation, every haul truck’s drag-link suspension depended on a total of eight pivot pins. Excessive bore wear meant taking each machine down for maintenance every 8,000 hours. Lancing out the old pins, welding and line-boring, re-bushing, and pinning typically took a full 12-hour shift. When the mine ran a 15-month, 9,500-hour trial with Expander, the test truck showed zero movement or wear in the bores.

 

Reduced pin installation time by 10 hours. Stabilizer link repair 

The Wyoming maintenance shop made the Expander System standard throughout its 50-truck fleet after a test showed massive savings on the stabilizer link repairs. Expander reduced pin installation time from a 12 hour shift to a single hour while simultaneously extending pin life from 10,000 hours to 50,000 hours.

Haul truck Read more
Aggregate Read more
Trucks Read more
Trucks Read more

Solutions for your entire fleet

Solutions for your entire fleet

Underground mining equipment

Whether you transport materials with load haul and dump (LHD) Loaders, move materials from A to B with electrical and mechanical dump trucks. Counteract dust with water carts, haul road and ramp maintenance with graders. Clean up excavator floor and drag-line floor with dozers. Dig down, moving and loading with excavators or digging above ground with shovels and draglines. Expander System pivot pins will keep your equipment moving and working as intended.

Loader Loaders often experience excessive wear on the steering cylinders.
Continuous miner Nord-Lock washers and Superbolt tensioners are used on equipment subjected to heavy vibrations.
Underground hauler Underground haulers often experience excessive wear on the rear suspensions pins, stabilizer link and lift cylinders.

We make sure mining applications exposed to extreme loads and constant vibrations keep functioning as intended

The Nord-Lock Group prides itself in finding the most suitable solutions to your most pressing bolting and pivot pin challenges and can secure everything from tooling to the most critical and exposed joints.

Customer cases

Customer Cases China: Opportunities on the coal market Xi’an Coal Mining Machinery has approved Nord-Lock washers and Superbolt tensioners as specialised components for its shearers and roadheaders. Read more
Customer Cases Tough machines for a tough industry In the mining industry, every minute of downtime results in lost income, and one loose fastener can cost a small fortune. This is why Joy Global doesn’t compromise when it comes to bolt security. Read more
Customer Cases Underground operations Sandvik Mining and Construction was having problems with the bolts clamping the cutting tools to the reaming head; they were sometimes coming loose under the extreme vibrations, loads and torque involved. Replacing the bolts which vibrated loose was a costly, time consuming and often dangerous job. Read more
Customer Cases Good vibrations The huge machines made by Metso Minerals France are a mechanical nightmare. Whereas vibrations are usually eliminated from machines, the very raison d’être of the Metso machines is to vibrate as mu... Read more

A modern and tested alternative to repair wear in lug bores on heavy equipment 

A pivot pin repair using Expander System can be carried out directly in the worn mountings/bores without welding and line boring. Multibolt and throughbolt when access to only one side is solutions for mining equipment.

  1. When the fasteners are tightened, the washers press the slotted expansion sleeves up the tapered ends of the pin.
  2. The sleeves expand to conform with wear patterns and lock the system in place.
  3. Expander System fits into the existing mount without expensive welding and line boring.
  4. Once re-torqued according to instructions, the system locks from both sides for significantly greater stability.
  5. Removal and reinstallation are easy, and the system is reusable indefinitely.

PROOF OF A MORE STABLE LOCKING!

A traditional straight pin only distributes the load onto a very small area, due to the play needed to mount the pin into the lug. The Expander System distributes the pressure over the whole contact area in the direction of the force.

Technical support

Technical support is readily available through our Technical Centers, which is a part of the Nord-Lock Group Performance Services. The Technical Centers are complemented with the experience and competent skills of our engineers. 

Regulatory ​compliance

We can deliver certificates and testing according to your needs. For example, certificates according to EN1FAQ0204 or Ultrasonic-, Magnetic particle- and Charpy testing. Our engineers can also visit your site for real-life testing.

Solutions Partner

If you have an engineering challenge, we will provide you with a solution that maximizes the productivity, safety and reliability of your mining application. We are the only manufacturer in the industry with a lifetime warranty.  

Service & support

From production to engineering and sales, we have a world-class team across the globe that is ready to support you. Our services focus on life cycle profitability, design, production, training and installation support.

Installation support

We are represented in more than 25 countries and can support you during installation. Our engineered pins easily slip into position, adapt to out-of-round bores tightly enough to minimize destructive clearance in the bore.

Trial and field tests

Are you interest in a trial or an on-site Expander pivot pin test for your mining application? We conduct test and trials to help verify Expander System solves wear in the lug bores on any heavy machine.

Want to know more about what Expander Systems can do for you?

Add your information below and an Expander expert will be in contact with you shortly.

To read more on how we handle your contact details please see our Privacy Policy.

Thank you! We will be in contact with you shortly.

Select your country