Routine Excavator Maintenance – What You Do Rather Than How You Say It
Routine excavator maintenance promotes better equipment performance. It also reliably extends equipment lifecycle, increases uptime, and promotes higher returns on your investment. As a side bonus, a well-maintained excavator helps improve the morale of the operators. Everyone prefers fault-free construction equipment.
Although some machine-specifics do govern the process, most effective excavator maintenance programs follow a set of basic practices. One John Deere site describes the schedule as a maintenance checklist, whereas one Bobcat site tags it as tips for boosting compact excavator uptime.
But without applied action, words are just words. Reliable excavator performance is not about how you say it, but rather it is about:
- Preventing unexpected excavator downtime
- Avoiding costly service calls
- Ensuring better excavator performance
- Reducing daily worker frustrations
- Getting the most out of your excavator equipment
- Keeping excavator operators safe and on the job
- Reducing unnecessary financial burdens
- AND ensuring successful company profit margins.
Help your operators keep focus on production rather than repair. The following tips will help you develop a comprehensive equipment maintenance plan.
5 Professional Tips To Help Boost Excavator Uptime
1) Establish mandatory operator procedures – Include required reading of the equipment operation and maintenance documentation.
2) Conduct mandatory-attend training classes – According to OSHA, 67 construction workers were killed in caught-in/between on-the-job accidents during in 2015 (Commonly Used Construction Statistics). Do not permit untrained workers access to your construction equipment? Train every operator in matters pertaining to:
- Unit safety requirements
- Startup check processes
- Reading the instrumentation
- Maintaining an up-to-date service and maintenance checklist
- How to check and correct daily fluid levels
- Preferred types of lubrications, coolants and operating fuel
- AND how to know when the sounds of the machine are abnormal.
3) Routine track inspections – Before each unit startup, perform a basic undercarriage inspection. Visually examine the wear and tear of individual rollers, idlers and other track components.
Check for cuts, cracks, and missing components. Look for signs of oil leakage: around the drives, idlers, rollers and more. Ruptured seals greatly increase the risk of a costly repair bill. Also be aware of the dangers associated with accumulated mud, random debris, and wintertime freezing.
4) Excavator maintenance includes maintenance of the attachments – An effective maintenance program must include the excavator attachments. Perform the same type of checks, taking in:
- The condition of, or absence of, attachment-related safety guards
- The functionality of cylinders and hydraulic hoses
- The stability of all associated connecting components
- Wear and tear on all points of unit to ground contact
- AND any associated fluid levels.
5) Planned Scheduling – Improve excavator uptime. Avoid unnecessary repair costs. Whether using your own team or a dealer contract, make certain that your equipment maintenance follows a well-defined schedule for servicing and maintenance.
Additional Tips On Excavator Maintenance
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