11 Dec Mining equipment manufacturers choose Gulf Western Oil
As a business priding itself on being a one-stop-shop for design, engineering and manufacturer of equipment for mining and civil construction industries, the design team at Wollongong-based Clarks Mining Services practice due diligence when it comes to the choice of industrial products going into their in-house manufactured machinery.
Along with providing key products such as grouting equipment and handheld rib drills, Clarks Mining manufactures stone dusting equipment, air ventilation machines and crawler track drill rigs. Over 15 years ago, Clarks Mining was the first company to utilise a hydraulic rotator for the feed mast, allowing rigs to easily drill floor, roof rib and face. Through a combination of rigorous testing and mathematical modelling, the team has also optimised the design process for air motors, enabling them to improve existing motors as well as create new ones.
Keen to source reliable industrial products for their in-house productions, Clarks Mining has been working closely with the CBC-Wollongong branch for over 30 years.
“CBC has been a fabulous support in the almost 30 years that we have dealt with them. They have a great range of products and service and their accounts sales team is very personable and willing to help at all times,” says Managing Director Robert Clarks
CBC provides Clarks Mining with a wide range of bearings, housings and power transmission products. More recently, Clarks Mining was introduced to the Gulf Western Oil Superdraulic® anti-wear hydraulic oils by CBC Sales Specialist, Jose Costa.
“The Gulf Western Oil Superdraulic® has proven to be a reliable oil for Clarks Mining’s products,” says Jose. “They have taken up the product as differential oil for their air motors and drill rigs, as well as across multiple other applications. Their experience so far has been very positive and they are happy with the performance,” says Jose.
“As an original equipment manufacturer for the mining and construction industries, Clarks Mining have chosen Gulf Western Oil to ensure reliability for their products. Robert is already considering using the Gulf Western Oil lubricants across more of their products as they have received nothing but positive feedback from their customers.”
Robert says using Gulf Western Oil products aligns well with his company’s strategy of supporting Australian-made.
“In our business, we always try to source Australian-made products where possible and Gulf Western Oil being a trusted name with original equipment manufacturers fits the bill for us perfectly,” says Robert. “The important thing for us is to maintain the high performance of our equipment and to minimise repair and maintenance costs for our customers. Gulf Western Oil helps us achieve that.”
Christopher Bright, National Account Manager at Gulf Western Oil, says the Superdraulic® range is the lubricant of choice for a long list of original equipment manufacturers.
While the Superdraulic® range is suitable for general hydraulic applications, Gulf Western Oil also offers the Hi Temp Superdraulic® and the Superdraulic® Indestructible ranges for more extreme working conditions.
“If you have a piece of machinery that’s running hotter than normal or under severe conditions such as extreme heat, repeated stop-starting, or where the motor is revving up, all of those factors reduce the oil life. A product like Hi Temp Superdraulic® is perfect for such applications. More importantly, using the Hi Temp oil allows the machine to run cooler because of its ability to disperse the heat quicker so you don’t have to stop the machine to let it cool down,” says Christopher.
“The next tier in the range is the Superdraulic® Indestructible, which months after being introduced in the market is still a pioneer of its kind in long-life hydraulic oils. Being a fully-synthetic product, the Superdraulic® Indestructible is designed to triple your machine’s oil drain interval from potentially 2000 hours to 6000 hours and more, helping you save on the maintenance and downtime losses.”
While the Gulf Western Oil range of products is already well recognised by customers in the mining industry, Christopher wants to bring more attention to the growing demand within the industry for biodegradable hydraulic oils.
“We’ve been receiving more and more requests for biodegradable hydraulic oils in recent times from mining as well as civil construction companies, particularly those undertaking projects in Central Queensland, near the Bowen Basin or any other waterbody for that matter,” he says.
“Biodegradable hydraulic oils such as the Gulf Western Oil Biodraulic, have the ability to disperse themselves by more than 95% in case of spillage or leakage into a body of water, which makes them ideal for use in sensitive environments. We expect the demand for biodegradable oils to increase in the future as the environment plays an increasingly bigger factor in mining projects.”
Superdraulic® meets the following international performance specifications:
- ISO Viscosity Grades 22, 32, 46, 68, 100, 150, 220
- Cincinnati Milacron P68, P69, P70
- Denison HF-0, HF-1, HF-2
- DIN 51 524 Part 2 (HLP type oils)
- US Steel 136, 127
- Vickers 1-286-S, M2952-S
Superdraulic® meets the requirements of the following pump manufacturers:
- Hagglund • Rexroth • Danfoss • Linde
- Bosch • Racine • Commercial Hydraulics • Vickers
- Cincinnati Milacron • Denison • Oilgear • Sunstrand
