TILT ARM

258 204 08 TILT ARM is the backbone for your feed's angle adjustment. It’s what connects the feed beam to the boom, allowing the whole drill string to tilt up or down depending on the hole angle you're trying to hit. This isn't just a simple bracket; it takes a serious pounding, constantly dealing with the forces of drilling and the weight of the feed itself. It’s a critical pivot point, really, and if it’s not right, nothing else lines up.

When this arm starts to give up, you’ll definitely notice it. Usually what happens is the bushings or the arm itself start to wear, and you get slop. That translates directly into your feed not holding its position properly. You might see the feed drift a bit, or even hear some clunking and banging as the rig tries to compensate. Drilling straight becomes a real headache, and you’ll be fighting the machine constantly to keep your holes on target. It’s not just annoying; it can mess up your drill pattern and even put extra stress on other components.

Replacing one of these isn't a job you want to put off. When you do swap it out, make sure you're not just looking at the arm. Always, always check the pins and the mating bushings on both the boom and the feed side. People often just focus on the arm itself and forget that the pins are probably worn egg-shaped too, or the bushings are completely shot. If you don't replace those worn-out bits at the same time, you're just putting a new arm onto old, sloppy connections, and you'll be back doing the job again way too soon.