Tips To Create a Heavy Equipment Maintenance Routine

Any contractor, builder, landscaper, or other industrial leader works with heavy machinery daily. These tools have additional maintenance needs due to their size and moving parts. To keep your equipment operating smoothly, you must establish a maintenance routine and stick to it. If you’re unsure where to start, here are some quick tips to create a heavy equipment maintenance routine for your business.

 

Reference Your Owner’s Manual

Every piece of heavy equipment should come with an operator’s guide or instruction manual of some kind. These guides supply a wealth of information you can use to form a maintenance routine. For example, the owner’s manual often includes recommendations for repairs, such as how to do oil changes and tire replacements.

 

If you bought a piece of equipment used that didn’t come with a user’s manual, reference the manufacturer’s website. Some manufacturers allow you to input your exact equipment model and reference its instruction and maintenance materials online.

 

Schedule Regular Inspections

Inspections are crucial parts of determining a maintenance schedule. Inspecting your equipment regularly will help you identify potential damage to your tools and whether you need to take those pieces out of the rotation for repairs. Always be thorough when inspecting your equipment. For example, look at your tools from all sides, including your machines’ undercarriages. Inspections are crucial parts of equipment undercarriage maintenance, especially when identifying damage like worn treads or missing components.

 

Prioritize Maintenance

Occasionally, scheduling repairs for your heavy equipment may get in the way of your construction, landscaping, and other jobs. If you only have a certain number of equipment models and it comes down to choosing between maintenance and meeting a deadline, choose your scheduled maintenance. It’s never safe to use a damaged or outdated piece of equipment on a jobsite. If your equipment needs repairs or maintenance, trying to power through and using it to meet a deadline could result in even more damage or cause injuries and accidents. This is why you should always prioritize equipment maintenance over completing a job haphazardly.

 

Use these tips to create a heavy equipment maintenance routine and keep your tools in working order for years to come. Staying on track with maintenance can help reduce downtime, promote longevity in your equipment, and ultimately stretch your business’s spending further.