Best Practices for Preseason Preparation
Follow these best practices to make sure your machine is operating at its best before the busy season. A little prevention goes a long way in reducing costly downtime.
Make sure machines are properly greased
Lubricate your machine according to manufacturer's recommendations. By keeping your machine properly lubricated you reduce premature wear and increase fuel efficiency.
It's important to grease your equipment as often as recommended in a machine's service manual. The more mobility the components have, the less work the hydraulic system must perform.
Check fluid levels
Check hydraulic fluid, coolant and oil levels daily to ensure that the equipment will not run into problems while operating. It is especially important to monitor fluid levels in your equipment during the summer months when temperatures are high. The summer heat will cause the engine to heat up at a faster rate. As the engine warms, the machine's fluids will suffer vaporization loss, eventually leading to a lower fluid level.
Check wear parts inventory
Keeping wear parts on hand helps reduce downtime. We recommend you stock the following:
- Filters
- Hoses
- Belts
- Tires
- Cutting edges
- Bucket teeth
- Hydraulic fluid
- Oil
- Batteries
Take an operator refresher course
Our staff will teach your operators best practices for operating equipment to avoid machine damage and unsafe working environments including:
- How to conduct walk around inspections
- Operating the machine properly to reduce excessive wear
- Avoiding situations that increase the risk of tipping or overturning
Arrange service workshops
Our staff will teach best practices, including:
- Engine maintenance
- Undercarriage maintenance
- Attachments—Use, safety and maintenance
- Parts options—New, used and remanufactured
- Periodic maintenance
Have your machines inspected by our certified technicians
Our inspections follow manufacturer's guidelines specific to each model. A typical inspection includes:
- Operational test
- Lube chassis
- Drain water and sediment
- Check fluid levels and adjust
- Change engine oil and filter
- Check and adjust chains
- Clean front and rear axle breathers
- Change fuel filters
- Engine oil analysis
- Change hydraulic filters
- Change inline fuel filter
- Check fan belt tension/condition
- Lubricate attachment coupler
- Clean battery/check levels
- Check undercarriage condition and tension