Preventative Maintenance Tips to Keep Your Equipment Running Smoothly

Preventative Maintenance Tips to Keep Your Equipment Running Smoothly

October 21, 2022 | Updates

As any operator knows, preventative maintenance is the key to keeping your equipment up and running, saving you hours of uptime in the long run. By adding these few tips to your daily routine, you can increase the longevity of your equipment and reduce the amount of downtime you experience.

1. Before starting your equipment for the first time of the day, or after it has been sitting for a few hours, ensure that you do a thorough walkaround, looking for any fluid around or under your machine. Look for loose nuts and bolts, exposed wires, frayed or damaged hydraulic lines, bent attachments, etc.
2. Check the machine for signs of premature wear. Pay special attention to the sprockets and track rollers on an excavator and the linkage and coupler pins on a wheel loader.
3. Look at the coolant package to ensure that there is no collection of dust, dirt, or other restrictions.
4. Check the fluid level of the hydraulic tank, DEF tank and the engine oil.
5. If you see any signs of fluid leakage, missing or loose bolts, exposed electrical wires, frayed hydraulic hoses, etc., contact your maintenance personnel before starting work.
6. Be familiar with your Hi MATE telematics software. This software can help you stay up-to-date on your number of hours, alerts you when there are issues with your machines and helps you stay on top of maintenance.

By taking a few minutes each day to pay attention to these details, you can save hours of downtime and hundreds of dollars in the future.