Field case · Oil analysis
Wood chipper: calendar oil changes missed failing babbitt bearings until an on-site oil test found them
Quick answer
A chipper that got a quarterly oil change and filtration looked adequately lubricated. A newly started on-site oil analysis programme found the babbitt bearings fragmenting. A failure that could have cost up to 100,000 US dollars was avoided.
What the case covers
- The situation
- What the test found
- The lesson on interval
- What to take from it
Takeaway. A fixed oil change interval told nobody that the bearings were failing. A single oil test did.
Read the full case, with the data and the numbers