Making sure your breaker supplier is ready for the worst.
Today it might look like a good purchase at a cheap price. But what happens in a year or two when your breaker stops breaking?
A rock breaker that can’t break is just a very expensive 1000kg paperweight. When project deadlines are missed due to inoperable machinery the pressure goes on.
So, one of the most important questions you need to ask before buying a new attachment is a simple one. Will your supplier be ready when the bad break happens?
Where are the parts coming from?
Some New Zealand companies import cheaper breakers with a “sell tomorrow, forget about it the day after tomorrow” approach. As the rock breaker operator unfortunately finds out, any upfront saving vanishes the first time a part wears out or fails. If the supplier doesn’t hold stock here (or doesn’t have a reliable line back to the manufacturer), they’re left waiting while the machine sits idle.
It’s a story we hear a lot. Some of our customers first get in contact looking for the replacement parts their original supplier can’t provide. Then, when it’s time for a new breaker, they come back to us for one that’s built to last.
How fast can they get to you?
Having parts in the country is only half the answer. What matters is how quickly they can reach your site – and whether anyone answers the phone when a breakdown happens on a Friday night rather than a Monday morning.
Ask your supplier what their usual turnaround is, and what they’ve done for customers in an emergency. A good attachment company will be able to show you have they’ve moved the earth to ensure their rock breakers have minimal repair and replacement downtime.
Do they offer a service plan?
Most breaker failures don’t come out of nowhere. Regular servicing can pick up worn bushings, seals, and tools before small issues turn into big headaches.
Ask whether your supplier services what they sell, and where. Earthworm maintains rock breakers through our nationwide service network, and new DEMCO breakers come with a warranty of up to three years.
Above all, it pays to remember that cheap is only cheap until it breaks. It always pays to consider the cost today and the return tomorrow for such an important tool.
There when it counts
A two-day turnaround
The Skyline gondola development is one of the most highly visible projects in Queenstown. With this visibility comes accountability and, obviously, tight timeframes in the busy NZ resort town.
Earthworm has supplied several attachments to the site. One of our customers was working the Friday night shift when an attachment failed.
In times like this, our first question is ever about how it happened, or who is responsible. It is simply: “How quickly can we get them operating again?”
We sourced the required part from a new attachment in our Auckland warehouse and flew it to Queenstown on Saturday night. The customer was back using the attachment by the Sunday night shift.
Things go wrong. When that happens, we do everything we can to put it right. At Skyline, this means 100% peace of mind that, should the worst happen, they’ll be at full strength as quickly as possible. Yes, they were weakened, but it was for less than a weekend.