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 the 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 warm 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
- Blade edges
- Bucket teeth
- Hydraulic fluid
- Oil
- Batteries
Parts lockers are also available with automatic restocking.
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 walkaround 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 your staff best practices, including:
- Engine maintenance
- Undercarriage maintenance
- Attachments—Use, safety, and maintenance
- Parts options—New, used, and remanufactured
Have your machines inspected by our certified technicians
Our inspections follow manufacturers’ 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
- Lubricate attachment coupler
- Grease slides and post
- Clean battery/check levels
- Clean spark arresting muffler
- Repack front wheel bearings