Recently, we were approached by a major drilling contractor who had been suffering regular failures on a large mast raise cylinder for a drill rig. The environment that it was operating in was very harsh and the rod was constantly suffering from damage and corrosion. This consistently caused the seals to fail, resulting in huge pressure loss and rendering the machine unable to operate safely. The contractors’ previous supplier opted for another rebuild, but failed to address the root of the problem. Due to the difficulty of the repair, the supplier had also proposed to outsource certain processes of the rebuild, increasing turnaround time and therefore downtime.
Luckily, Callcott & Downey is one of the very few repairers in the state with the capacity and experience required to get these challenging cylinders back to work, quickly. The contractor called us and explained the situation, for which we were more than happy to help.
The very next day the cylinder arrived at our workshop, with a severely scored rod and leaking seals.
We immediately went to work. The rod was quickly pushed through the grinding department and then into our hardchrome plating division. Additional chrome to the standard thickness was added to provide extra strength. The barrel was honed and the cylinder reassembled with upgraded seals, before passing through the paint shop to complete the repairs. Finally, measurements were taken to provide a set of custom protective bellows to be fitted on site using built in zippers. Yes, that’s right, protective bellows for a huge mast raise cylinder!
Here at Callcott & Downey, we believe in upgrading cylinders rather than just resealing them. Longer lasting components means lower costs for our customers and more sustainable business for all. Whether it’s solving a fault that others can’t solve, whether it’s accessing materials that others can’t access, or, whether it’s having the capacity to repair or manufacture such large components, Callcott & Downey have got you covered.
If you are suffering recurring failures with your drill rig cylinders, or you can’t find a supplier with the capacity to repair large and difficult cylinders, then we would love to here from you!
