Case Study

Spacer Band Fitment Cradle (SBFC)

The Spacer Band Fitment Cradle (SBFC) was developed to aid the fitment of large spacer bands for heavy haul trucks. Rio Tinto approached Westate Mining with a basic idea they had of utilising a trolley with a small fabricated cradle holding the spacer band. This would be used to carry the band up to its position over the wheel hub so workers can bolt spacer in. Due to its large weight (190Kgs) , Rio Tinto needed a better solution for this fitment process.

Westate designed a fitment cradle which utilises the tines of their workshop forklift and safely lifts up the spacer into the correct position. The main risk factor was that the previous fitment process utilised a small scissor type trolley which was at risk of tipping and falling onto worker, this was addressed by Westate Spacer Band Fitment Cradle. The custom solution also reduced the manual need to guide the spacer onto wheel hub pulling trolley from side to side to line up spacer and hub. By using the forklift tines, the operator can use side shift and lift the band up and down easily with next to no manual handling creating a safer more efficient work environment.