How to Avoid Getting the Wrong Spare Parts
During the time around the holidays, I spent a few days helping out in the parts department for the end of the year rush. Many customers have a rush to get their extruder spare part orders for ein, and we rush to get the orders out the door. This involved receiving a lot of orders over the phone. This alone can turn into an adventure.
We have one customer that consistently calls in and says he wants “the round thing that goes on the end of the extruder.”
First off, there are a lot of round things that go on the extruder and secondly, which end is the customer referring to? We have several models of extruders and oil presses and over the years, we have made many changes to the parts in an effort to improve the performance and service life of the wear parts. Some, but not all, of the changes include: bearing housing and shaft, pilot bearings, nose bullets, nose caps, and clamps. A problem can occur when upgrades are made to the extruder and the operation manual isn’t upgraded or if someone purchases a used machine and doesn’t receive an operator’s manual with the purchase.
In the case of a used purchase it’s a good idea to call Insta-Pro and make us aware of the purchase. If we have the serial number off the machine, we can track it down to the original owner and assembly. We can also provide you with the correct manual for the equipment you have. If you have a used purchase or haven’t ordered parts for a while, I would make a list of things to check before calling in your order:
- Nose bullets: All nose bullets are left hand thread; however there is a difference between old style and new style machines. Old style was 7/8” thread while new style is 1”. The 1” thread has proved to be much more durable. When it’s time to change the main bearings, it may be a good time to upgrade the shaft with 1” threads.
- Nose caps & nose cones: These can be either right hand (old style) or left hand (new style). It was determined that the left hand helped prevent snapping the nose bullets if they were over tightened. Another upgrade to consider.
- Inlet chambers: Many customers are using inlets that feed directly in the side. These can be either 3” or 5” and right and left hand as well. Determine right or left as follows if the inlet is lying horizontal on the ground, and you stand behind the side that mounts to the bearing housing the feed tube is either right or left.
- Clamps: For safety purposes we started making clamps with holes in them instead of slots. We strongly recommend changing to the new style clamps from a safety stand point.
- Shaft and bearing housings: In the evolution of the Insta-Pro extruder, the bearing housing has probably seen the most change over the years. Check the model of the extruder and let us know if we can help.
Just remember to have your part numbers ready when you place an order and don’t hesitate to ask a lot of questions if you’re not sure about what you are ordering. We are always glad to discuss any upgrades you have in mind and will help explain the advantages and what all is involved in the changeover.
