PROTECT. COV

PROTECT. COV 5112 2949 01 is often overlooked, but it's the simple barrier that keeps all the nasty drilling crud – dust, mud, rock chips, even stray grease – from getting into places it absolutely shouldn't be. We're talking about shielding things like cylinder rods, exposed wiring, or even just keeping a bearing housing clean. It’s not a complex piece, but it does a critical job of preventing contamination that would otherwise chew up more expensive components way too fast.

When this cover starts to crack up or gets knocked completely off, that's when you really start seeing problems. Usually, what happens is all that abrasive material from the drill site gets right in there, accelerating wear on whatever it was protecting. If it's around a cylinder rod, you’ll definitely start seeing scoring marks, and before long, your seals will be weeping hydraulic oil, making the cylinder act sluggish or even drift. Or, if it's shielding a bearing, you'll hear that tell-tale grinding noise long before its time, indicating contamination has already done its work.

Swapping one of these out is generally a pretty quick job, but don't just slap the new one on. Take a minute to really clean out any gunk that might have built up behind the old cover, especially if it's been compromised for a while. Also, give the component it protects a good once-over for any early signs of wear or damage. It's easy to forget to check the condition of the mounting hardware too; sometimes a loose bolt is what caused the original cover to fail.