A Practical, No-Nonsense Guide for South African Contractors If there’s one thing that can bring an excavator to its knees faster than a blown hose or a leaking final drive, it’s an overheating hydraulic system. Not only does it slow down your productivity, but it also puts every major hydraulic component at risk: pumps, motors, cylinders, seals, and even the hydraulic oil itself. And here’s the catch — overheating is almost always preventable. This guide breaks down why exca

If you want to destroy an undercarriage faster than a bulldozer on a wet hillside, run your excavator with the wrong track tension. It’s one of the most overlooked forms of excavator maintenance , yet incorrect track tension is responsible for thousands of hours of unnecessary wear — and millions of rands in avoidable undercarriage repairs every year. Most operators don’t check track tension.Most site managers don’t enforce it.Most contractors only notice a problem when the m

When excavator owners complain about undercarriage wear, they usually blame the terrain, the operator, the machine brand, or even the weather.But the number one undercarriage killer — the silent assassin — is something far more basic: Incorrect track tension. Too tight → burns money.Too loose → causes damage.Just right → extends life dramatically. In this educational deep dive, you’ll learn exactly  how track tension works, why it affects every major undercarriage component,

An Educational Guide for Excavator Owners & Fleet Managers in South Africa When an excavator fails, most people blame the “big” components: The engine The hydraulic pump The final drive The swing motor But in reality, the silent killer behind most of those catastrophic failures isn’t the component itself. It’s dirty oil . Contaminated oil destroys engines, pumps, valves, and motors faster than any other factor—and it often goes unnoticed until thousands of rands evaporate in

"What’s that creaking sound when I swing the house?" That, my friend, might just be the sound of your profits crying. Swing bearings and...

Let’s cut the fluff.You ’re standing on a dusty site, your excavator’s down, and some guy just offered you a “genuine” Komatsu final...

You know that feeling when your excavator starts acting weird… like it’s limping, groaning, or leaking in ways that make you think, “That...

Based on real data. No fluff. No guesswork. Just the gritty truth from the workshop floor. At Vikfin, we don’t sit in boardrooms...

Let’s talk about something no one wants to admit, especially not in public or in front of their crew: buyer's remorse . That...

When it comes to heavy equipment, few machines embody raw power and precision like an excavator. These mechanical beasts dig, lift,...

Excavators are the backbone of many industries, from construction to mining, and at the heart of their versatility lies the excavator...

When it comes to maintaining an excavator, the grease gun is one of the most critical tools in the mechanic’s arsenal. This seemingly...

Excavators are the backbone of the construction, mining, and scrap metal industries. These machines handle intense workloads daily,...

Hydraulic cylinders are the lifeblood of excavators and other earthmoving machines. Without them, the powerful lifting, pushing, and...

Maintaining an excavator can feel like a balancing act. With the hefty costs involved in repairs and replacements, business owners need...