Berco extends mining range for plus 200-ton excavators with first-to-market undercarriage components

• Complete undercarriage Aftermarket range for Cat 6020B Hydraulic Mining Shovel now available
• First-to-market, ‘non-captive’ Aftermarket solution offered for the Cat 6020B model
• Berco’s engineering key to development of this new Aftermarket mining range

Berco, a global leader in the manufacturing and supply of undercarriages and components to OEMs and the Aftermarket, has reached another milestone with the launch of its complete undercarriage replacement range for the Cat 6020B Hydraulic Mining Shovel. Developed specifically for the high-quality demand mining segment of the Aftermarket, this is the first ‘non-captive’ range available to purchase. This means that aside from CAT, Berco is the only company currently capable of providing a full and significantly more affordable variety of undercarriage replacement components for this particular machine.

Launched some years ago, the Cat 6020B is a 230-ton excavator at the very high end of the mining range. Depending on the abrasiveness of the soil, undercarriage components need to be replaced every 4-5 years. This means that there are significant numbers of this particular model currently due undercarriage maintenance. This number, moreover, is forecast to grow in the coming years.

To meet this demand, Berco is supplying a full range of undercarriage components which include the chain, the bottom rollers, the top rollers, the drive sprocket and idlers with supports. Everything is set to be available from September onwards.

“These machines must be capable of working in harsh environments for 20-24 hours a day without stopping. Because when the main excavator on a site is out of service, it has a direct knock-on effect on all of the secondary machines,” says Diego Buffoni, Head of Aftermarket Berco. “We are particularly proud of this new range launch, which will offer a great business opportunity for our partner distributors worldwide. On top of Berco’s acclaimed high quality which it provides, it also signifies the path we are on, which is to supply comprehensive and affordable solutions to all Aftermarket customers.”

Berco’s cutting-edge technological features

With over 100 years of experience and expertise in the industry, the Italian company is universally renowned for the very high quality and innovativeness of its products. For the Cat 6020B Hydraulic Mining Shovel range, the company utilized a ‘reverse engineering’ process to deconstruct the OE components. Three-dimensional material scanning was carried out in order to gain a complete understanding of the initial design criteria, while laboratory analysis determined the materials used as well as the heat treatments and microstructures.

Having gained a full understanding of all of the components in question, company engineers then proceeded to develop their very own Berco-quality Aftermarket undercarriage system, which is further boosted by the addition of another Berco innovation: BPR2™ (Berco Positive Pin Retention2™ System). This improves the working lifetime of the components by mechanically locking the link to the pin which results in the avoidance of ‘end-play generation’ and ‘pin walking’ in an undercarriage.

For the track chain, a newly designed track link with a 350mm pitch was produced using the ‘drop forged’ process, made from a mild carbon steel grade with boron. Unlike the OE product, however, the chemical composition of the Berco version is enriched with chromium (Cr) to increase tensile resistance. In addition, the track bushing has a high resistance to wear. With 60 HRC hardness, it can contain pitch elongation. In addition, the case depth has been increased by 20-25 percent when compared to the original. The track pin, moreover, has deeper case depth and higher core hardiness, resulting in an improved bending load resistance.

The track roller can, as a result of its lubrication and seal features, adopt an “all-weather” configuration, ranging from -40°C to +50°C. Additionally, three top rollers without a central flange support the heavy weight of the chain and the oil filling hole has been moved to the outer collar in order to ensure full access to it.

With the Berco’s Dozer Line already complete, the launch of its range for the Cat 6020B Hydraulic Mining Shovel brings the company closer to finishing its Excavator Line too. For Berco, this is another large step on the way to becoming an overall solution provider for the Aftermarket.

Accounting for a big portion of all Aftermarket sales, the mining market segment is of particular importance to Berco. The company is now looking to further strengthen its position there by extending its mining ranges and becoming the only high-quality alternative to the OEMs.