Ross Chapman is a family owned Victorian transport business that has been around for over 50 years. Today, Nick Chapman manages the maintenance on bulk haulage and quarry operations that run a fleet of 11 Kenworth and Scania trucks which includes trucks and dogs, B-Doubles and 25 metre singles.
When the fleet had expanded beyond three trucks, maintenance became demanding and time-consuming. ?Rough road conditions in our region and summer temperatures often into the forties meant weekly greasing was critical to maintain our operations,? said Mr Chapman.
?When we had two or three trucks, we religiously greased them every week, regardless of mileage. With some trucks now based in South Gippsland, others operating from Maffra in East Gippsland and two more at Yarrawonga, it was impossible to properly supervise their maintenance.
?We realised the job was not being done properly when one mechanic would use a tube and half of grease, while another mechanic would only use a half a tube! There were obviously some instances where grease points were being missed.
?I was told we needed to look at automatic greasing systems, but I was very sceptical and thought this wouldn?t work. However, we had to find a solution and decided to give it a go.?
Installing the first Groeneveld Single Line O-System was, said Mr Chapman, a smart business decision. ?We now know we are maintaining our vehicles in top condition and have significantly reduced costs. The system works so well that every new truck we have bought is immediately fitted with a Groeneveld system.
?We?re definitely well ahead in terms of saving money over conventional maintenance, with each system paying for itself in less than 18 months. This is a major saving when calculated across the five to seven years of each truck?s operation.
?We know that a small amount of grease regularly is far better than a lot of grease weekly. The fact that grease is being applied to joints and couplings while they are moving gives a much better level of protection,? Mr Chapman said.
The Groeneveld Single Line O-System has also been trialled as part of the the Truckright Industry Vehicle (TIV) programme to provide information on road surface conditions to authorities and through education improve the understanding and awareness of sharing the road with trucks. The TIV is the world?s first working B-Double to be fitted with road monitoring software that details and records road irregularities.
?Our experience has shown the single line O-System definitelyreduces maintenance costs and adds to safety through the certainty of having bearings and other moving parts greased constantly,? said Rod Hannifrey, who developed the TIV plan.
Source: Groeneveld Australia/Ausvex Public Relations