We have become aware of an issue affecting some Davimac chaser bins manufactured between March and September of 2020 where the drive sleeve is missing support welds. This can cause the sleeve to wear prematurely when under load. This would separate the drive sleeve plate, causing the chain to fall off, damaging the sprocket, and resulting in auger failure. 

We have identified the cause as having come from faulty production by one of our suppliers. This has since been fixed, but there are some chaser bins that may have a faulty drive sleeve. 

Fortunately, this issue is easy to both check for and fix. 

1. Identify if your bin has a faulty drive sleeve

Get your customers to visually check and send you a photo of their drive sleeve to see if their drive sleeve has this fault. The sleeve can be seen by opening the access door at the bottom of the vertical auger and looking at where the chain meets the drive shaft. 

The drive sleeve is visible next to the chain sprocket and you can easily see on the sleeve whether it has the three needed welds along its outer circumference. 

2. Apply welds if needed

 

If the welds are missing from the drive sleeve, either you or your customer can easily fix it by applying three MIG or stick welds equally spaced along the circumference where the drive sleeve meets the drive sleeve plate. The drive sleeve does not have to be removed to do this; it can be done while the drive sleeve is still on the drive shaft and does not require a high level of welding skill to perform. 

Finally, apply some zinc galvanizing spray to protect the welds from corrosion. 

This entire process should not take any more than two hours to perform. 

 

3. Send us photos of the fixed sleeve as confirmation

Fill in the warranty claim form, including photos of the faulty sleeve and of the sleeve after it's been welded. 

October 12, 2022