Columbia Steel field representative examines a customer's dragline chain in Australia

How you rotate your drag chain can make a big difference in wear life.

— By Tony Miotke, former Columbia Steel Dragline Product Engineering Manager

Comparison of opposite plane chain to same plane chain
Ideally, drag chains should be used in four different orientations before discarding. This practice can increase chain life by 20 to 30%.

While the chain is in use, only the rail that is in contact with the ground becomes worn.

Using a same plane chain means that only two rails can be rotated to face the ground before the chain must be physically altered to continue use.

However, by using an opposite plane chain, customers can rotate the chain four times without replacing links. This allows the highest yield of wear metal — and improved uptime and productivity.

On June 12, 2015   /   Ask Our Engineers Archive, Mining Draglines and Shovels