Bushings for construction machinery
Loaders, cranes, telehandlers, drilling rigs, concrete pumps and the attachments that hang off them share the excavator's problem, heavy slow pins in dirt, and add their own: long booms with high bending loads, slewing rings, hydraulic breakers and grabs that shock-load every cycle, and joints on attachments that are swapped between machines and never greased.
- 250 N/mm²Hardened steel at 0.1 m/s
- HRC 58–62JBM-ST bore hardness
- 758 N/mm²C86300 tensile, minimum
- 50–100 N/mm²Graphite bronze, dry
Construction machinery pins are slow, heavily loaded, shock-loaded and abrasive. Hardened steel bushings (JBM-ST, HRC 58–62, 250 N/mm²) with hardened pins are standard on loader linkages, boom pivots and breaker pins; bimetal on cylinder eyes and better-lubricated pivots; graphite-plugged bronze on slewing tables, outrigger and attachment pivots that are not greased; high-strength brass C86300 and aluminium bronze on the heaviest slow joints of cranes and crushers.
- Wheel loader Z-bar and lift-arm pins: hardened steel, greased, sealed; hardened pins
- Crane and telehandler boom pivots, sheave pins, outriggers: hardened steel, bimetal or graphite bronze by greasing access
- Slewing tables and turntables: graphite-plugged bronze thrust washers and bushings, dry
- Hydraulic breaker, grab and coupler pins: hardened steel; shock and dirt at every cycle
- Crushers, presses, heavy gates: C86300 high-strength brass or aluminium bronze at extreme load and near-zero speed
Bushings for construction machinery
Hardened steel on the linkages and breakers, bimetal on the cylinder eyes, graphite bronze on slewing tables and attachments, high-strength brass on the heaviest slow joints.
Hardened steel bushings
Loader Z-bar and lift-arm pins, boom pivots, breaker and coupler pins with hardened pins.
JBM-ST
Bimetal bushings
Cylinder rod eyes, sheave pins and pivots with reliable greasing.
JBM-800
Graphite bronze bushings
Slewing tables, outriggers and attachment pivots that run dry.
JBM-650
Brass bushings (C86300)
Crushers, presses and heavy gates: extreme load at near-zero speed on a hardened shaft.
JBM-630
Machine by machine
The joints and the bushings that suit them; the excavator has its own page.
| Machine | Joints | Duty | Usual bushing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheel loader | Lift arm, Z-bar / bell crank, bucket, cylinder pins | High load, shock, greased, dirt | Hardened steel; bimetal on cylinder eyes |
| Telehandler, mobile crane | Boom foot, boom sections, sheave pins, outriggers, cylinder eyes | High load, low frequency, weather | Hardened steel, bimetal; graphite bronze on outriggers |
| Tower and crawler crane | Slewing, boom foot, luffing, sheaves | Very high, very slow | Graphite bronze, C86300, aluminium bronze |
| Drilling rig, piling rig | Mast pivots, feed carriage, rod handling | High, shock, slurry | Hardened steel, graphite bronze |
| Concrete pump | Boom sections, outriggers, S-tube | High bending, low frequency | Hardened steel, bimetal |
| Breakers, grabs, couplers, attachments | Pins swapped between machines | Shock every cycle, never greased | Hardened steel; graphite bronze where dry |
| Crushers, screens, presses | Toggle, eccentric, gate pivots | Extreme load, near-zero speed | C86300, aluminium bronze, hardened steel |
Materials
Hardened steel bushings (JBM-ST) in Grade 45, 40Cr, 20CrMo or GCr15 at HRC 58–62 carry 250 N/mm² at 0.1 m/s and shrug off shock and grit; they need grease, fed through holes and spread by grooves, and a pin of at least 50 HRC. Bimetal bushings (JBM-800, 150 N/mm² dynamic) suit cylinder eyes and pivots that move more and are greased reliably. Graphite-plugged bronze (650 series, 50–100 N/mm² at ≤ 0.5 m/s) is for slewing tables, outriggers and attachment pivots that are not on anyone's greasing round; its thrust washers carry turntables dry. Where the load is extreme and the motion nearly static, high-strength brass C86300 (225 HB, 758 N/mm²) and aluminium bronze C95400 / C95500 on hardened shafts are the machined choice.
Attachments and couplers
Breakers, grabs, shears and quick couplers are the worst-served joints on site: shock loaded every cycle, hosed down, swapped between carriers and greased by nobody in particular. Hardened steel bushings with hardened pins and seals are the standard; where the joint is genuinely never greased, graphite-plugged bronze bushings and washers keep it moving. Replacement parts are quoted from the drawing or measured dimensions against the OE number, with interchangeability checked part by part.
What to put in the enquiry
Pin diameter and hardness, housing bore, length, the joint and machine, load if known, greasing arrangement, and quantity per machine and per year. Samples are free; there is no minimum order.
Frequently asked questions
What bushings are used in wheel loaders?
Hardened steel bushings with hardened pins on the lift-arm, Z-bar and bucket pivots, greased and sealed; bimetal bushings on cylinder rod eyes.
Which bushing for a crane slewing table?
Graphite-plugged bronze bushings and thrust washers: heavy, very slow, exposed, and not greased. For the heaviest cranes, C86300 or aluminium bronze on hardened pins.
Why do attachment pins wear so fast?
Shock loading every cycle, water and grit, and no consistent greasing. Hardened steel bushings and pins, seals, and graphite bronze on ungreased joints are the remedies.
Can you supply to an OE part number?
Yes, after comparing dimensions and material with the OE part or its drawing; interchangeability is confirmed part by part. Send the number and the measured dimensions.
Do you make the excavator bushings too?
Yes; excavator boom, arm, bucket and link bushings have their own page.
Send the joint, not just the part.
Pin diameter, load, motion, lubrication and environment: our engineers reply within 12 hours with a material, a size and a quotation. Free samples, no minimum order.