Operator Habits That Quietly Destroy Equipment (And Cost Thousands)

By: Sammuel MacMullin – Proven Mining Solutions Inc.

Most major equipment failures don’t start with a bang.

They start with habits.

Not one bad decision — but small, repeated actions that slowly wear down components until something finally gives.

The tricky part is that these habits often feel normal. The machine still runs, the job still gets done, and nothing seems wrong.

Until it is.

⚙ High-Speed Travel & Shock Loading

Tracked equipment is not designed to be driven like a pickup.

High-speed travel across rough ground transfers shock directly into the undercarriage, final drives, and structural components. In cold conditions or on hard ground, that shock has nowhere to go and gets absorbed by the machine.

Over time, this leads to accelerated undercarriage wear, cracked components, and premature final drive failure.

🔄 Counter-Rotation Under Load

Counter-rotation — turning one track forward and the other backward — is sometimes necessary.

However, performing it aggressively and repeatedly under load places extreme stress on sprockets, pins and bushings, final drives, and track links. It also increases ground resistance, which multiplies the load through the drivetrain.

Used occasionally, it is a tool. Used constantly, it becomes a problem.

🧊 Skipping Warm-Up

We have talked about this before, and it still gets ignored.

Running equipment hard immediately after startup means cold oil is not flowing properly, clearances are tighter than intended, and lubrication has not fully established itself.

This affects engines, hydraulic systems, and final drives.

Put simply:

A machine that is not warm is not ready to work.

🛢 Ignoring Small Leaks

Small leaks are early warnings, not minor inconveniences.

Ignoring them leads to oil loss, contamination, pressure issues, and eventually component damage. A hose that drips today can easily become a burst hose tomorrow under pressure.

⚠ Running Equipment at the Limit Constantly

Equipment is designed with operating limits, and while it is expected to reach those limits occasionally, running at them continuously increases heat, accelerates wear, and shortens component life.

Machines last longer when they are allowed to operate within their intended range, not at their maximum all day.

⚡ Ignoring Electrical Faults

Electrical faults are often treated like an inconvenience instead of what they actually are — information.

It is very common to see machines throwing codes that get cleared and ignored, or written off as “just a bad sensor.”

Sometimes they are.

But often, they are not.

Electrical faults are usually the first indication that something in the system is not operating the way it should.

For example, a machine may repeatedly flag an exhaust temperature differential fault. It is easy to assume it is a faulty sensor and keep clearing the code.

But in reality, that fault could be pointing to something much deeper — such as leaking injectors causing improper combustion and abnormal exhaust temperatures.

The code is not the problem.

It is pointing to the problem.

Clearing codes without verifying the cause does not fix anything. It just delays the failure.

🛠 A Quick Story from the Field

Every mechanic has had that machine that “just keeps breaking the same thing.”

I ran into this on a fleet of graders that were constantly failing blade lift cylinders. We were cracking moldboards, breaking cutting edges, and even snapping pivot arms right off the moldboard — something I had never seen before.

We replaced components, checked everything mechanically, and the failures just kept coming back.

At that point, it was clear the issue wasn’t the parts.

One day I was out in the mine and watched a grader fly past me in high gear with the blade down, just hammering the road. It was bouncing and bucking off rocks, hopping over every lump — I actually watched the front end come right up off the ground.

That was the moment it clicked.

The machines weren’t failing because of defects — they were being operated far beyond what they were designed for.

The fix ended up being simple. We locked out the higher gears so the machines could not be run past fourth gear while grading.

After that, the failures stopped. No more broken blades, no more cracked moldboards, no more cylinder failures.

Same machines. Same parts. Different operation.

🔧 Tech Tip from the Field

If a machine always seems to be breaking the same component, or you’re seeing repeated failures in the same area, take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

Look beyond the failed part and consider the operating conditions, job site environment, operator habits, and whether another component upstream or downstream is causing the failure where you’re seeing it.

When dealing with electrical faults, always verify before you assume.

Look at historic codes. Most ECMs track when codes occurred and how many times they have been triggered. You may see patterns where multiple codes are occurring within the same time frame.

Correlation does not always mean causation — but it often points you in the right direction.

That information is extremely valuable. It tells a story if you take the time to read it.

Electrical troubleshooting is not just about replacing sensors — it is about understanding what the machine is trying to tell you.

Codes don’t fail — components do. The code is just the messenger.

👷 Operator Awareness Matters

Good operators pay attention to how the machine feels, notice changes in performance, and report issues early.

Great operators go a step further. They adjust how they operate based on conditions, protect the equipment, and understand that their habits directly impact reliability and longevity.

❄ The Big Takeaway

Most expensive failures are preventable.

They do not start with catastrophic events — they start with habits.

Understanding how everyday operation affects equipment is one of the most effective ways to reduce downtime and extend machine life.

At Proven Mining, we do not just fix equipment. We help prevent failures before they happen.

Trusted on contract. Proven in the field.

🌐 provenmining.ca/blog