85
TOTAL LIFE SCALE
Management & Merchandising
Diagraming a Total Life Scale
The normal sequence of steps to diagram a Total Life Scale is shown below:
1. Choose an hour or life interval which will allow the entire potential undercarriage
life to be shown. To determine the length, project the life of the least worn (longest
life potential) component to destruction (double life to service point if rebuilding is
an alternative) and divide this life by the number of divisions on your scale.
2. Determine and diagram the “percent worn” of the components at the point where the
measurement was made.
3. Determine and diagram the “potential hours” of life of each component to its service
point (and to its destruction point where applicable).
4. Determine and diagram the various alternative maintenance/rebuild/replace
recommendations based on the information at this point. You may also indicate
intention of M2 remeasurement and inspection at this time.
5. Determine and diagram the projected Total Life of each maintenance, rebuild and/or
replacement action plus future projected visits or reinspection points. Also, indicate
any unused link or when applicable, any other major component life.
6. Determine and diagram appropriate dates and calculated cost per hour to each
alternative at expected rates of usage and known costs:
(Note: See discussion on calculating cost per hour in the following section)