ALLIGHTSYKES PUMP GUIDE

Our History

Sykes was established in Australia in 1967 by the UK pump group Henry Sykes Plc. Initially, the company imported pumps and equipment from the UK until 1974 when local manufacturing commenced in Gateshead, Newcastle, NSW. Sykes Pumps manufactured pumps tailored to the demanding Australian mining and construction industries.

In 1977, Sykes became part of Hanson Plc, trading as Hanson Sykes Pumps Pty Ltd in Australia. Jon Collins joined the board in 1987 and acquired the organization in 1992, ending its association with UK companies and allowing a focus on Australian operations. The company was renamed Sykes Pumps Australia Pty Ltd, with manufacturing moving to Cardiff, Newcastle.

In 1997, Sykes sold its hire division to Coates Hire Ltd, concentrating on pump manufacturing and sales. Jon Collins became the sole owner in 1998. In 2003, the company rebranded as Sykes Group Pty Ltd to reflect its global market focus and broader capabilities beyond just pumps.

In 2010, Sykes Group was acquired by National Hire Group Ltd, parent company of Allight. This acquisition enhanced the combined group's capacity to meet customer demand for pump sales and support, leveraging the strengths of both Sykes and Allight.

Sykes uses an elephant as its 'living' logo, symbolizing reliability, robustness, strength, sturdiness, dependability, trustworthiness, and consistency.

Industry Leader

Sykes was established in 1967 to serve the Australian mining and construction industries, becoming one of the largest auto-prime pump manufacturers globally. The company offers comprehensive equipment solutions across various industries and applications, specializing in the design, manufacture, and application of standard and custom-built equipment. Sykes maintains a pioneering edge in pump technology since 1967.

With an extensive range of equipment technologies and product designs, Sykes is dedicated to helping customers achieve optimal performance. The company provides local service through a trained network of branches and stocking distributors worldwide. Sykes is committed to delivering quality products and services, supported by a dedicated problem-solving team and continuous innovation in research and development.

Priming Systems

Sykes offers two primary self-priming systems: Compressor Prime and Vacuum Prime.

Compressor Prime

The Compressor Prime system uses a jet of compressed air through a venturi-type nozzle for fast, positive, and continuous priming, even under 'snore' conditions. It features no moving parts, reducing maintenance requirements.

• Impeller: Stainless steel 316 for corrosion resistance, with 2% chromium and CD4MCu options. Open design for solids handling, with back vanes and holes for pressure balancing.
• Venturi prime: Simple, easy-to-clean, modular design for easy parts replacement and minimal field maintenance.
• Volute: Made from spheroidal graphite cast iron for superior strength and crack resistance.
• Wear plates: Replaceable front and rear wear plates made from 316 stainless steel, with chromium steel and CD4MCU options for abrasive and corrosive resistance.
• Compressor: Water-cooled compressors for lower running costs and extended life.
• Seal: Oil bath mechanical seals for extended dry running, with silicone carbide and tungsten carbide materials for optimal performance.
• Shaft: Made from 431 stainless steel to prevent rust and pitting, facilitating easier seal changes.

Vacuum Prime

The Vacuum Prime system offers an alternative, featuring a vacuum priming chamber with stainless steel baffle deflector plates and a pancake float for reduced carry-over, ideal for wellpoint dewatering and long suction conditions. It ensures quick priming even with long suction conditions.

• Vacuum priming chamber: Reduces carry-over, ideal for wellpoint dewatering.
• 60cfm vacuum prime: Ensures quick priming.
• Float type head gear: Made from anti-corrosive materials.
• Over centre positive latches: For easy access during servicing.
• Volute: Made from spheroidal graphite cast iron.
• Impeller: Stainless steel 316, CD4MCu, and cast iron options.
• Wear plates: Replaceable wear plates for lower operation costs.
• Discharge: Flapper or ball type check valves.
• Oil reservoir and oil/air separator: Integral to the vacumax chamber for reduced misting.
• Seal: Oil bath mechanical seals for extended dry running.
• Shaft: 431 stainless steel for easier seal changes.

Additional priming systems are available.

Contractors Range

Sykes Contractors pumps are designed for cost-efficient fluid handling, offering efficiency levels up to 83%. These fully automatic priming pumps can run dry for extended periods due to their oil bath mechanical seal assembly. They are capable of long suction hoses and lifts up to 9 meters, and can 'snore' until liquid is available.

Features:

• Replaceable wear parts
• Chassis options: skid, road tow, wheeled, caged
• Low fuel usage
• Reduced engine sizes
• Lower maintenance costs
• Dry self-prime and reprime
• Suction lifts to 9m
• Zero emissions available
• Custom build available
• Operates in 'snore' conditions
• Conversion kits for wellpoint dewatering and high heads
• Diesel, electric, or hydraulic drive
• Solids handling up to 90mm
• Simple maintenance

Applications:

• Construction
• Environmental
• Industrial
• Mining
• Clean Water
• Sludge
• Slimes
• Sewage
• Solids laden liquids

Himax Range

The Himax range offers all the features of the Primax range combined with high head pumping capabilities, designed for the heavy-duty requirements of the mining and associated industries.

Features:

• Full automatic prime
• Operates in 'snore' conditions
• Diesel, electric, or hydraulic drive
• Simple maintenance
• Replaceable wear parts
• Solids handling up to 75mm
• Pressure tested fuel tanks
• High ground clearance on skids
• Bisalloy wear strips (optional)
• Interchangeable parts
• Engine protection as standard
• Suction booms (optional)
• Suction lifts to 9m
• Zero emissions available
• Custom builds available

Applications:

• Mining
• Quarries
• Industrial
• Pipelines
• Jetting
• Drilling
• Construction

Xtra Pump Range

The Sykes Xtra High Head Pump range is designed for the global mining industry, featuring three models capable of operating unattended at high discharge heads. These pumps boast superior shaft stiffness ratios, ensuring seal integrity under immense pressure and load.

Features:

• Pumps prime automatically
• 316 stainless steel pump internals as standard
• Simple to service
• Runs dry without damage
• Solids handling
• Direct drive
• Operational chart fitted
• Adjustable and replaceable wear plates
• 'QS' silent canopy design
• Simple to service
• Runs dry without damage
• Solids handling
• Direct drive
• Operational chart fitted
• Adjustable and replaceable wear plates

Applications:

• Mining
• Quarries
• Industrial
• Pipelines
• Jetting
• Drilling
• Construction

Quiet Solution (QS) Range

The Quiet Solution (QS) range offers two priming systems: CP (compressor Prime) and VMX ('VACUMAX' vacuum prime), both fully automatic and interchangeable. Sykes QS Pumpsets are engineered for extremely quiet operation, meeting stringent noise requirements for worksites and urban areas. They achieve noise levels as low as 62 dBA at 7 meters when operating at full load.

Features:

• Two priming systems available: CP and VMX
• Both systems are fully automatic and interchangeable
• Extremely quiet operation (62 dBA at 7 metres)
• Compact and robust design
• Easy maintenance with accessible doors and external drain plugs
• Skid base incorporates a 24-hour fuel tank and bunded area
• Portable option available on a twin axle galvanized trailer

Yakka Range

The Yakka range is robust, lightweight, and offers excellent maneuverability, designed for applications in mining, construction, sewer bypass, and hire. A key advantage is its extremely low noise level, achieved through an acoustic casing, emitting only 65.5 dBA at seven meters when run at 1500rpm.

Features:

• Robust and lightweight design
• Excellent maneuverability
• 'QS' silent canopy design
• Impact resistant polyethylene panels
• Tubular steel side/end protection
• Lockable gull wing doors
• Fuel tank 'bunding'
• Quality accreditation AS9002
• Compact design
• 30-hour fuel tank
• 'Pod' can be mounted on any trailer or sled
• Able to be mounted on a single axle trailer
• Single point lift
• Efficient with high performance pump ends
• Increased flows and reduced fuel usage
• Solids handling
• Stainless steel impeller and wearplates as standard

Dragflow Pumps

Dragflow Pumps are designed for moving dense slurries, mixing solids into a high-density slurry and pumping them in a single operation. The agitator is key to picking up material from rest, handling fast-settling, high specific gravity solids and viscous thixotropic mud. The agitator creates a 'down pressure' that stirs material below the pump's suction, creating a pressure differential that mixes and homogenizes the material into a concentrated slurry. Material too large for the suction screen is repelled, preventing clogging.

Dragflow Pumps are used globally in applications such as sumps, mine tailings reclamation, dredging, and mill scale pits, offering an efficient method for solids transport. Sykes Group is the Australian distributor for Dragflow Pumps.

Grindex Pumps

Grindex pumps are well-established in the construction, mining, and related industries, with over 40 years of pioneering developments in submersible pumps. Grindex offers a range of sizes with unique and patented features ensuring reliability, durability, and excellent performance.

Grindex Drainage Pumps are designed for:

• Pumping water with coarse particles (up to strainer hole size).
• Pumping groundwater.
• Pumping raw water.

Grindex Sludge Pumps are designed for:

• Water with high solids content (up to pump inlet opening diameter).
• Water with abrasive particles.
• Various types of mud and sludge.
• Light slurry.

Grindex Tuff Pumps are ideal for professional drainage pumping with high demands on durability and functionality. Their lightweight design and stable carrying handles make them suitable for portable use. Grindex pumps are known for their ease of service and long lifespan.

Sykes Group is the Australian distributor for Grindex Pumps.

Pelican Dredge

The Pelican Dredge, designed and manufactured by Sykes Group, is a breakthrough in shallow water dredging. It is a one-man operated, self-contained, and self-propelled unit, capable of operating in water less than 1 meter deep, with a standard excavation depth of 4.5 meters. It is diesel-powered, offering optimum maneuverability and easy transportability, weighing less than 6 tonnes. It can handle solids up to 60mm.

Applications:

• Clearing settlement and tailings ponds on mine sites.
• Recovering river sands and gravels.
• Clearing silt from industrial and municipal waste ponds.
• Dredging irrigation channels and marinas.
• Clearing weeds and similar growth from waterways and marinas.

Trim-Well

Sykes offers specialist solutions for ground water control on construction sites, addressing wet and unstable ground conditions. With extensive experience in wellpoint dewatering applications, Sykes can design systems tailored to specific needs. Complete dewatering systems are available, utilizing vacuum priming or submersible pumps, or a combination, with pump sizes ranging from two to 26 inches in diameter.

The wellpoint dewatering system is lightweight, corrosive-resistant, and features control valves for trimming and controlling the dewatering process.

• Wellpoint 'Spears': Various sizes available, lightweight, and easy to install.
• Flexbows: Sykes three-piece pushfit valve system for simple connection.
• Hedder Pipe: Lightweight with simple clean holes.
• Hedder Couplings.

Hoses and Fittings

Sykes Group provides a versatile and durable range of pumps, hoses, and accessories. Sykes hoses and fittings meet rigorous standards established by Sykes Engineering Department and are readily available through the company's network of branches and distributors worldwide.

• Sykes Hose Coupling Range (bauer type): Strong, simple, speedy, and secure.
• Strainers: Split intake and general purpose strainers prevent large solids from entering the pump. They are lightweight, easy to use, and fitted onto flanged or bauer hose tails.
• Reinforced PVC Heavy Duty Layflat Hose: PVC layflat hose reinforced with embedded nylon web, coilable for easy storage and transportation.
• Wire Armoured Suction Hose: Tough, durable hose suitable for arduous site conditions, for both suction and discharge lines.
• Galvanised Steel Pipe: High-quality, spiral-welded, hot-dipped galvanized steel pipe with quick-release couplings, suitable for discharge lines, offering reliability and robustness.

Spare parts and after sales service

Spare Parts

Sykes supplies spare parts for all Sykes products with rapid turnaround times. Sykes customer service is available 24 hours a day to meet your needs.

Service

Sykes Group is committed to providing excellent after-sales service. This includes everything from simple seal and bearing changes to complete pump overhauls. Sykes offers local service through a highly trained team of staff with comprehensive knowledge of pumping equipment. They also provide onsite application assistance to ensure optimal pump operation, reduce wear and tear, and maximize efficiency.

Quality

Sykes strives to achieve the highest customer satisfaction and best quality products. As a Quality Endorsed company, Sykes' quality management system is accredited to ISO 9001-2008. Preferred suppliers are also quality accredited. A rigorous quality control program ensures thorough inspection and testing of all products before final installation and commissioning. Quality control testing is conducted at Sykes' head office and manufacturing facility in Newcastle, Australia, using certified test facilities. Sykes' Dubai facility is also accredited to ISO 9001-2008.

Engineering

The Sykes Engineering team, located at the NSW manufacturing facility, provides solutions and options for customer challenges using a multi-station CAD environment. Quality assurance programs are strictly monitored in conjunction with ISO 9001-2008 accreditation. The Engineering Department is responsible for new product design and existing product enhancements. They can assist with pump selection and provide certified test results.

Research and Development

Sykes emphasizes continuous research and development to provide optimal solutions for customers, always linking product development to industry and customer needs. The engineering team welcomes direct client liaison and promotes onsite pre-delivery product inspections.

Manufacturing

Sykes operates two manufacturing facilities, both accredited to ISO 9001-2008 standards. At these facilities, each pump undergoes thorough testing and approval to ensure high standards.

Disclaimer

Product descriptions and specifications in this publication are approximations only and are subject to change without notice. No reliance can be made on these approximations.