The sliding gate feeder is used for the smaller ore sizes, in some applications it will even be used in our next group of feeders the ones that handle fine ore. How this works is just as the name implies, the gate is lifted up out of the way of the ore allowing it to slide through. The lift may come from a hydraulic cylinder or as in the case of very small ones, by hand. Regardless of application these gates tend to jam in both the open and closed positions. This fact requires the operator to give a lot of “hands on” supervision to this equipment.
The one characteristic that all of these feeders have in common is that they have mechanical moving components. This means wear and equipment failure. One of the main responsibilities of the operator is to monitor his equipment to ensure that any required maintenance is reported as soon as it is noticed.