How to Maintain Your Heavy Equipment

Heavy equipment is essential for any kind of construction job. From excavators and loaders to compactors and dozers, all of them are crucial if you want your operation to be able to take on any kind of project. 

However, as heavy equipment gets used, it naturally shows signs of wear. That is why it is important to stay on top of your heavy equipment maintenance. 

When your fleet of equipment starts to grow, it may seem like a lot of maintenance to handle. If the maintenance of your equipment is neglected, though, your maintenance bills will quickly turn into repair bills. These repair bills end up being much more costly, as poorly maintained equipment is much more likely to break down. 

Not only will having your machines breaking down left, right, and center be extremely expensive to fix. This could also lead to expensive project delays or even a complete shutdown of your operation.

For these reasons, it is critical to ensure your heavy equipment remains in working order at all times through proper and regular maintenance. 

If you maintain your equipment often and you do it before problems arise, you will save your business a significant amount of money while also keeping your equipment in optimal condition and extending its lifespan.

What are some of the best ways to maintain your heavy equipment?

When it comes to heavy equipment maintenance, there are a number of key factors that are essential to keep in mind. The following are some of those factors:

1. Pay attention to the equipment’s environment

Where you use your heavy equipment has a major impact on its various maintenance requirements. Both freezing temperatures and extreme heat can affect your equipment in different ways, and so can extremely muddy environments. 

If your equipment is stressed from such conditions, it is a good idea to conduct maintenance more frequently.

2. Understand the equipment’s performance limitations

Every type of heavy machinery has its own performance limitations, which are typically published by its manufacturers. It is important for all heavy equipment operators to pay close attention to these limitations, including those related to feeds, speeds, torque limits, load, and so on. 

Pushing your equipment beyond its intended limitations will wear it down at a much faster pace, and have an overall negative impact on its performance and lifespan. It is of equal importance that proper operation practices are also followed, which may be found in the equipment’s operation manual.

If you find you are pushing your equipment’s limits regularly it might be time to look at a larger class of equipment.  A reputable dealer will be able to help assess your needs and provide alternatives that work for your business. 

3. Check the equipment’s fluids

Keeping your heavy equipment’s fluid levels at the proper levels and maintaining their quality is another crucial part of necessary maintenance practices, as doing so will help optimize your equipment’s performance. 

Neglecting to upkeep your equipment’s fluids will negatively affect the efficiency of the equipment and will inevitably lead to excessive wear and tear. 

Make certain that you also fill your equipment with the necessary fluids based on the manufacturer’s specifications. In many cases, overfilling your fluids could result in overheating. Using the wrong type of fluids could also lead to equipment damage.

4. Keep the equipment clean

Keeping your equipment clean is about much more than just maintaining their looks. When you clean your equipment, it is a good opportunity to check for signs of damage, which is an essential part of proper maintenance that may otherwise be unnoticeable if they are covered in layers of dirt and grime. 

In addition, various parts of your equipment can become blocked by dirt and debris, so clearing this away will help keep your equipment running smoothly. 

Pro Tip: Clean your undercarriage regularly! Debris-packed undercarriage will result in premature failure. 

5. Store the equipment properly

Naturally, you may use some parts of your fleet of heavy equipment more than others, but at one point or another, there will be a time when certain pieces of it are not needed. 

Thus, how you store this equipment when it is not in use is another crucial part of its maintenance. In a perfect world, heavy equipment would be kept in covered, moisture-free storage areas in order to prevent rust, corrosion, and the impacts of direct sunlight. In reality, your equipment will likely sit outdoors when not in use.  If this is the case, it is especially important to check your fluids to ensure they are seasonally appropriate.  Coolant should be checked for the freezing point and DEF should be drained to avoid any expansion damage that might happen when frozen. 

6. Keep a maintenance checklist

Since there are so many steps and processes that are crucial to the maintenance of your heavy equipment, it is easy to get overwhelmed and forget parts of it here and there. 

However, if you create a daily, weekly, and monthly maintenance checklist for each piece of equipment in your fleet, you will make it far less likely for that to happen, and you can stay on top of all the necessary maintenance tasks. 

Make sure that your checklist includes mention of everything from cleaning and lubrication to safety items and parts operation.

Pro Tip: Don’t start your list from scratch!  Your dealership should provide these checklists, specific to the machine, that include the manufacturer’s recommended schedule. 

7. Organize a preventative maintenance program

Preventing heavy equipment breakdowns is always much better and more cost-effective than waiting until things break to fix them. Therefore, putting together a preventative maintenance program that is either based on the equipment’s operating manuals or on your own preferential maintenance practices will save you money and extend the lifespan of your equipment. 

Your maintenance program should work in routine checkups, and should be dynamic in the sense that it responds to your equipment’s changing needs over time.

Always refer to machine specific intervals and be sure to use recommended quantities and specifications. 

How Great West Equipment Can Help You With Heavy Equipment Maintenance

If you are seeking heavy equipment repairs in B.C. or you need somewhere to go for reliable equipment maintenance, Great West Equipment has a team of experienced professionals that can provide the assistance you need. 

We know very well how essential your heavy equipment is to your day-to-day operations, which is why we make it our top priority to help you keep that equipment in tip-top shape so that you can always rely on it. 

No matter what the make or model of your equipment is, our certified technicians have the expertise and knowledge to handle any necessary maintenance or repairs in a timely and efficient manner. 

Whether you are interested in one of our customized maintenance agreements or you are in need of machine refurbishing or repairs, we are here to do everything necessary to keep your equipment performing optimally. We will work with you to minimize your maintenance and repair costs as well as your equipment’s downtime while maximizing the effectiveness of our targeted solutions. 

The caliber of training that our technicians have undergone is unmatched, which is why we can help you detect issues with your equipment right away and offer suggestions on how to maximize their performance and extend their lifespan. 

For more information about our heavy equipment maintenance and repair services options, call Great West Equipment at 1-833-730-0613 or contact us here.