Service kits are a central building block for planned, safe, and economical maintenance of hydraulic attachments and power units. They consolidate all essential wear parts and small components needed at defined maintenance intervals or for typical repairs. Especially in the context of concrete pulverizers as well as hydraulic rock and concrete splitters, service kits shorten downtime, stabilize performance, and make work easier in demanding applications such as concrete demolition, rock excavation, tunnel construction, strip-out, and natural stone extraction.
Definition: What is meant by service kits
Service kits are preconfigured assortments of spare and wear parts including selected auxiliary and operating supplies. These packages are matched to specific product families and size classes (for example, concrete pulverizers, stone splitting cylinders, or hydraulic power units) and serve preventive maintenance, rapid repair, and functional testing. The goal is to minimize downtime, support occupational safety, and extend the service life of the equipment. Service kits typically include seals, O-rings, wipers, fittings, retaining rings, filter elements, selected screws and bolts, as well as application-specific parts such as blades, teeth, wedges, or guide elements. In addition, assembly instructions, lubrication recommendations, and test records are often included.
Structure and contents of service kits
The compilation follows the principle: “Everything relevant in one package.” This reduces search and waiting times, prevents missing parts, and lowers the risk of incorrect assembly due to mismatched components. Typical contents are:
- Seal kits for hydraulic cylinders (O-rings, wipers, rod seals, piston seals)
- Wear parts for power transmission and guidance (bushings, bolts, slide plates, shims)
- Specific working components (blades, teeth, wedge sets, counter-wedges, center wedges, guide rails)
- Hydraulic components (couplings, high-pressure hoses in standard lengths, check valve seal kits)
- Filtration and fluids (filter elements, screens, recommended lubricants and assembly pastes in need-based containers)
- Assembly material (retaining rings, screws, torque overviews, inspection and acceptance sheets)
Example kit contents by product family
Concrete pulverizers
Concrete pulverizers operate with high forces and varying material resistance (concrete, reinforcement). Accordingly, service kits focus on wear at the jaws and hydraulics.
- Tooth sets or breaker tips, optionally cutting blades for reinforcement
- Guide and wear plates, bolts, bearing bushings
- Seal kits for main and auxiliary cylinders, wipers
- Hydraulic couplings, sealing cones, O-ring sets
- Lubricants for bolts and sliding surfaces
Stone and concrete splitters
For splitters, wedge sets and cylinder integrity are the focus. Functional safety crucially depends on wedge fit and smooth operation.
- Wedge sets (center wedge, counter-wedges) in defined nominal widths
- Guide strips or rails and locking elements
- Cylinder seal kits and wipers
- Hydraulic connectors and couplings
- Lubrication and assembly pastes for wedge surfaces
Hydraulic power units
- Filter elements and screens (return/suction filters)
- Seals for valves and couplings
- Service fittings, pressure gauge seal kits
- Recommendations on oil changes and cleanliness classes for Hydraulic Power Units
Combination shears, multi cutters, steel shears
- Blade packages, cutting edges, shims and adjustment washers
- Bolt and bushing sets for joints
- Seal kits for shear cylinders
- Sliding and guide elements
Stone splitting cylinders, tank cutters
- Seal kits, wipers, guide elements
- Specific cutting/separating components and protective covers
- Fittings, retainers, assembly small parts
Maintenance intervals and replacement cycles
Intervals depend on operating intensity, material, environment, and pressure level. In practice, time- and usage-based approaches have proven effective. Notes:
- Hydraulics: Visual inspection before each use; renew seals/wipers after defined operating hours or when leakage patterns appear
- Mechanics: Regularly measure wear on teeth, blades, wedges, and guides; replace on reaching minimum dimensions
- Filtration: Replace filters based on operating hours or differential pressure indicator
- Couplings/hoses: Condition-based replacement in case of cracks, swelling, or leaking connections
Practical sequence of a scheduled kit service
- De-energize and depressurize the equipment, dissipate residual energy
- Clean and perform visual inspection; dimensional check of wear zones
- Disassembly according to assembly instructions; compare parts with kit contents
- Renew seals/wear parts; apply proper lubrication
- Final assembly with documented torques
- Pressure/functional test; record results
Service kits in use: relation to typical fields of work
Concrete demolition and specialized deconstruction
High load cycles, abrasive dust, and reinforcement content strain concrete pulverizers and combination shears. Service kits with cutting and sealing components ensure that jaw forces, cutting clearance, and hydraulic tightness are maintained.
Strip-out and cutting
Frequent coupling/decoupling and changing materials require reliable couplings, sealing cones, and blades. Kits help prevent connection leaks and ensure clean cuts.
Rock excavation and tunnel construction
Stone and concrete splitters operate at the limit of material strength and splitting force. Wedge sets and cylinder seals from the service kit ensure repeatable splitting operations and reduce unplanned failures underground.
Natural stone extraction
Consistent splitting geometries and smooth wedge surfaces are crucial for fracture pattern and yield. Service kits provide the right wedges, guides, and lubricants for reproducible results.
Special applications
For tasks with atypical materials or access conditions, the importance of standard-compliant seals, compact spare-part sets, and documented assembly increases. Service kits simplify preparation and provide planning reliability.
Selection, compatibility, and fit accuracy
Service kits are matched to specific equipment variants, series statuses, and dimensions. For selection, it is advisable to cross-check type designation, serial number, size class, and hydraulic pressure range. Key criteria:
- Hydraulics: Cylinder diameter, rod diameter, seal profiles, pressure rating
- Mechanics: Bolt/bushing systems, blade/tooth geometries, wedge nominal widths
- Peripherals: Coupling profiles, hose dimensions, filter types
Important: Mixed configurations or mismatched components can impair function. Dimensional and material specifications of the service kits are therefore critical for performance and safety.
Assembly, safety, and testing
Work on hydraulic systems requires care and suitable protective measures. Before starting, systems must be depressurized, components secured, and proper tools used. After replacing seals, wedges, or blades, perform functional and leak tests, such as a pressure test in a free-standing state and a controlled trial load. Torques must be observed and documented. Information on inspection intervals and limit values should always be derived from the technical documentation; legal requirements may vary by country and must generally be observed.
Storage and logistics of service kits
The storability of elastomers and lubricants depends on temperature, light, and humidity. Dry, dark storage between 10–25 °C and clear labeling with batch and shelf-life dates have proven effective. For mobile teams and remote sites, preconfigured kits increase deployment reliability: Everything is sealed, complete, and immediately available.
Documentation and traceability
Structured documentation accelerates subsequent maintenance and supports quality assurance:
- Assignment of kit batch to equipment (serial number)
- Recorded torques, pressure tests, splitting and cutting dimensions
- Remaining service life trends for blades, wedges, and bushings
- Oil and filter changes including operating hour count
Typical failure patterns and how service kits help
- Hydraulic leaks at rods: Replace wipers and rod seals; check surface roughness
- Reduced jaw force: Renew seals; check for internal leakage; inspect wear on guide plates
- Irregular splitting lines: Replace wedge set; clean and lubricate wedge guidance; verify geometry
- Uneven blade contact: Adjust shims and setting washers; renew bolts/bushings
- Increased pressure loss: Replace filters; inspect couplings and hoses
Sustainability and life extension
Targeted maintenance with suitable service kits significantly extends the life of concrete pulverizers as well as stone and concrete splitters. Replacing defined wear parts reduces material consumption, lowers missing parts in service, and prevents consequential damage to main components. This reduces resource use, costs, and emissions alike.
KPIs for planning and availability
For maintenance planning, key figures such as mean time to repair (MTTR), mean time between failures (MTBF), and the service level of spare parts logistics have proven effective. Service kits facilitate adherence to these metrics because parts lists are fixed and replacement time becomes predictable. Combined with operating hours and load profiles, maintenance windows can be optimized and downtime shifted to low-production periods.