Let's be honest—dealing with a seized pin is nobody's idea of a good day. Your excavator's down, you've got a deadline breathing down your neck, and that pin just won't move. You've heated it, hammered it, maybe even sworn at it a little. Nothing works. Hours pass, costs climb, and you're wondering if you'll need to replace the entire assembly. If this sounds painfully familiar, you're in the right place. There's a solution that actually works. Let's talk about the one method that consistently delivers results in this blog below.
What is Seized Pin in Mining Excavator?
A seized pin in a mining excavator is a cylindrical metal fastener (pin) that has become locked in place and cannot be removed due to corrosion, rust, lack of lubrication, dirt accumulation, or mechanical binding. When a pin is seized:
- It cannot rotate or move
- It cannot be removed with normal tools
- The metal has essentially "welded" itself in place
- Standard removal methods fail
How Do Seized Pins Affect Mining Excavators?
Here's the thing about mining excavators—they're your workhorses doing the heavy lifting: digging, hauling, and demolishing. But all those pins and joints connecting the boom, arm, and bucket? They're constantly exposed to dirt, moisture, and extreme pressure in brutal conditions. Eventually, they stuck. And when that happens, your whole operation grinds to a halt. Simple maintenance becomes impossible, and you're stuck with costly downtime you can't afford.
Effective Solutions for Removing Seized Pins
In essence, to remove a seized pin in a mining excavator, possible methods include using extreme heat to expand the surrounding metal or a hydraulic press with a specialized master pin pusher tool. However, for severely seized pins, the most effective and quickest solution is cutting with a thermic lance, which operates at 4,000°C. Simply burn it red hot, blast a hole through the center of the seized pin, and remove it without collateral damage. After burning, the pin shrinks as it cools, making removal easier. This lancing method saves money, time, and labor effort.
How Thermic Lance Removes Seized Pins in Mining Excavators?
When pins seize in your excavator, Thermic Lance is your go-to solution. Here's why it works so well: at 3,600°C, it melts straight through corrosion and metal with surgical precision—cutting only the seized pin while protecting your bearings and housings. The entire job takes 15 to 30 minutes, not the hours you'd spend with hammers or presses. And because it's portable, you can handle the repair right on-site instead of losing days transporting equipment to a workshop. Bottom line? You're saving time, protecting expensive components, and getting back to work faster. That's the Thermic Lance advantage.
In short, Thermic Lance offers six key advantages that make it the preferred solution for seized pin removal.
- Precision Cutting - Cuts only the seized pin
- Extreme Heat - 3,600°C melts through any corrosion
- No Collateral Damage - Protects bearings and housings
- Speed - 15-30 minutes vs. hours
- Cost-Effective - Saves expensive component replacement
- Field Portable - Can be used on-site
If you want to learn the safe, step-by-step process for removing seized pins with Thermic Lance, please read the detailed guide below.
Related Blog: Step-by-step Guide How to Use Thermic Lance Safely and Effectively
See Thermic Lance in Action—Watch the Power of 3,600°C
Sometimes you need to see it to believe it. We get it—3,600°C and “cuts through anything” sounds impressive on paper, but what does that actually look like in real conditions?
Below, we've compiled demonstration videos showing Daiwa Thermic Lance tackling the exact challenges you face: cutting through heavily corroded pins, thick steel plates, and reinforced concrete. Watch how quickly the lance ignites, how precisely it cuts, and how the intense combustion melts through materials that would take hours with conventional methods.
(Burning Reinforced Concrete with Thermic Lance)
(Cutting oil rigs at sea with Thermic Lance)
Conclusion
All things considered, removing seized pins comes down to having the right tool for the job. Traditional methods might work occasionally, but thermic lance delivers consistent results every single time. You've seen the performance, understood the process, and calculated the cost savings. Now it's time to bring that capability to your operation. The next time a seized pin threatens to shut down your excavator, you'll have confidence knowing you can solve it in minutes—not hours or days. Daiwa Lance gives you that confidence. Get in touch with our team, and let's ensure your next seized pin is your last major headache.
