The bucket elevator is the “heart” of the bulk material conveying system.
However, many on-site failures – such as belt deviation, abnormal noise at the machine head, and even cylinder tearing – often originate from the initial installation and commissioning stage.
Instead of waiting for problems to occur before repairing them, it’s better to install and adjust them correctly in the first place.
Today, we will present all the key procedures, data and experiences for the installation and commissioning of the hoist in one go.
1. Foundation Installation: It is not just about having a “solid ground”
Site requirements:
- The ground must be firm and level, capable of withstanding the dynamic pressure exerted on the foundation during full-load operation of the entire machine.
- The positions of the anchor bolts, and the dimensions of the reserved holes for the machine barrel passing through the floor, must be strictly constructed in accordance with the process drawings. Do not make temporary holes or enlarge existing holes on-site.
Key dimensions (easiest to overlook):
- The distance from the top of the machine head to the roof or beam of the building is ≥ 500mm.
- The center height of the operation door and observation window from the ground is approximately 1400mm – this is a comfortable working height suitable for most operators.
?? Important reminder: If the foundation is uneven, it’s better to spend half a day leveling and grouting rather than using iron sheets randomly. Otherwise, there will definitely be problems with the verticality of the machine cylinder in the future.
2. Installation Method: Even a slight deviation causes trouble for the entire machine.
1.From bottom to top, make corrections step by step.
After the base is in place, levelness is checked based on the bottom surface of the base body.
The machine tube is installed section by section from bottom to top. For each section installed, the verticality is checked using a plumb line (or a laser verticality tester).
Verticality tolerance deviation (remember this table):
| Lifting Height | ≤15m | ≤25m | ≤40m |
| Vertical Allowable Deviation | 4mm | 6mm | 8mm |
💡 If the distance exceeds 40 meters? It is recommended to control the deviation at no more than 2mm for every 10 meters, and the total deviation should not exceed 10mm.
2.The flange surface must be sealed to prevent dust from spilling out.
- The flange connection surfaces must not have any obvious misalignment.
- For the angle steel flanges, use sealing gaskets or inject sealing glue – this option is not adopted. If this is not done, the dust leakage will become increasingly severe, failing to meet environmental protection standards, and the site will accumulate dust which is also prone to ignition.
3. The head shaft and the tail shaft should be “in alignment”.
The head shaft must be level and located in the same vertical plane as the base shaft.
Otherwise, the hopper belt will exhibit “snake-like deviation”, and no matter how the tensioning device is adjusted, it will be of no use.
No-load test run (≥ 2 hours):
- Observe whether the belt is deviating or vibrating.
- If it is deviating, adjust it by fine-tuning the left and right screws of the frame tensioning device instead of by adjusting the main pulley.
Running with materials (the final step):
- After the empty vehicle is in place, slowly adjust the feed gate to control the flow rate to be stable.
- Once the position of the feed gate is set, it must not be changed at will. Frequent adjustments are the primary cause of blockage accidents.
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