Maintenance Tips for Heavy Equipment

Category: Product Support

When your business relies on the productivity of heavy equipment, you can’t understate the importance of taking care of your machines.

While construction equipment maintenance may, to some, feel like a tiresome and costly burden, it’s actually the easiest and most efficient way to improve performance and reduce long-term operating expenses. Properly serviced and inspected machines increase operator and job-site safety, increase fuel economy and eliminate downtime.

Additional benefits of staying on top of heavy equipment maintenance include:

• Ability to spot minor problems before they become more significant and costly
• Extend the peak performance level and service life of your equipment
• Keep project moving forward on schedule and avoid setbacks and delays

Five Cornerstones of Heavy Equipment Maintenance

Whether you are handling maintenance internally or partnering with a service provider, it’s critical to understand the strategies and best practices for getting the most out of your fleet. If you’re focused on growing your business and maximizing your return on investment (ROI), consider the following maintenance tips for heavy equipment:

1. Stay on schedule: Following factory-recommended service intervals ensures your equipment and machinery are receiving the basic maintenance required to maintain health and performance. From fluid and tire service to replacing systems and components, you need to stick to the schedule and document the history of each piece of equipment individually.
2. Perform daily inspections: Daily walk-around inspections are a staple of an effective preventive maintenance program. Operators or managers should make it part of their routine to check everything from fluids, oils and filters to tire tread and inflation, brakes, driveline seals and axles before each shift. You’ll be able to stay closely informed on the health of equipment and identify issues before they become something that leads to more expensive repairs and system failures.
3. Use quality parts and supplies: While some construction equipment maintenance services can be accomplished with used or aftermarket parts, others require an OEM solution. No matter what parts and supplies you are using, make sure they are from a reputable source and are proven in the most rigorous applications and environments.
4. Utilize the latest technology: Past generations of construction workers had to rely on their experience, senses and dashboard warning lights to indicate a problem with machines. While keeping alert to strange smells, smoke or other signs is still critical, there now exist a variety of onboard and remote monitoring technologies that revolutionize your ability to manage the maintenance of heavy equipment by providing data and reporting on primary indicators in real-time.
5. Train Your Team: A little education goes a long way when it comes to a heavy equipment maintenance program. Providing ongoing training for operators and technicians ensures they are up-to-date on the most current procedures and helps them retain knowledge and essential skills for keeping equipment running in optimal condition.

Taking a comprehensive and proactive approach to caring for construction machines is proven to pay off over time when practiced consistently. From more maintenance tips for heavy equipment, contact NMC Cat and review our complete range of services.