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Your excavator must be well maintained to make the most of your fleet. That way, you can spend less time, money, and stress since a well-maintained machine is less likely to malfunction. Plus, giving your excavator the necessary upkeep will significantly increase its lifespan.
Excavators are intricate machinery, making it challenging to keep up with even one. So, if you own an excavator, you should remember that many of its components will ultimately wear out and require replacement. Thus, maintenance and daily inspections will help you prolong the life of your excavator.
Read on to find some useful tips to keep your excavator in its top condition and the necessary steps to take as you inspect its parts.
1. Set a Maintenance Schedule
The most efficient maintenance schedule is by having a strategy first for what inspections must be performed and when, whether the schedule is once daily or annually. You can create a checklist, and everything must be completed by a certain time.
For instance, a pre-start checklist should be completed before turning on the equipment. If you fail to do this, you won’t immediately know any issues your excavator might have.
2. Know Your Excavator
Being familiar with your excavator’s parts and specifications you are maintaining is crucial because preventive maintenance depends on recognizing problems before they happen. Spend time reviewing the excavator’s manual and checking if other people using the excavator have received the appropriate training.
3. Check Every Parts
Excavators are composed of countless tiny parts that all work with one another differently. Many of these components, such as the fluid filters and bucket teeth, have a finite lifespan and must be replaced. You also must be able to identify issues with your excavator and resolve them before they result in a breakdown if you want to keep it in working order.
Knowing your machine is one step in prevention, but you and anybody else who works on the equipment must also check its health constantly.
4. Conduct Proper Documentation
Keeping track of your excavator’s health is considerably simpler with proper documentation. Although preventing breakdowns is the goal of a preventative maintenance program, they almost certainly will occur sometime.
You may be able to solve the problem more quickly if there is recorded data on the condition of the excavator. Also, you can determine when the equipment broke down and what might have caused it by doing something as basic as filling out a checklist and putting it away.
Importance of Excavator Maintenance
Most people adopt a maintenance plan to reduce downtime and streamline the process. There are typically two different approaches to regular machine maintenance. These are routine maintenance and preventive maintenance.
Routine Maintenance
As it’s called, routine maintenance entails sending the unit in for regular maintenance inspections. This method replaces worn components, including belts, fluids, and filters. Every machine has a maintenance schedule that specifies when and which parts need to be replaced.
Preventive Maintenance
On the other hand, preventive maintenance closely monitors the machine to foresee and identify any issues before they occur. As you can see, routine and preventive maintenance have similar aspects and procedures, but their problem-solving approaches fundamentally differ.
A preventative maintenance program looks to repair the problem before it occurs, whereas routine maintenance plans employ consistency to avoid breakdowns.
There are benefits to preventive maintenance, without a doubt. When carried out properly, it’s an incredibly economical technique that aids machine owners in avoiding malfunctions or other problems that can create job delays.
A longer lifespan for the excavator and the prevention of permanent damage are benefits of avoiding breakdowns. But for a preventative maintenance program to be effective, a lot of consideration and care must be given to the equipment in your fleet.
Your excavator operators, mechanics, and other staff must be aware of it and alert enough to spot the early warning indications of maintenance problems.
Why You Should Conduct Daily Excavator Inspections?
Manufacturers stress the value of daily inspections in addition to a regular maintenance program for keeping excavators in good condition. To help you keep up your daily inspection, there are checklists you can use.
Pre-Start Checklist
Not spending a few minutes inspecting the equipment before using it can reduce uptime, wear out an excavator prematurely, and compromise safety. As a result, proactive inspections often lead to higher uptime. Here’s what you should do before operating an excavator:
- Verify that the machine is safely parked and ready to start.
- Examine worn-out or broken components, especially those regularly requiring replacement, such as belts, hydraulic lines, and hoses.
- Look for any leaks or loose parts in the undercarriage. If the device is on wheels, ensure the tires are in good condition and inflated correctly.
- Examine the seat belts, mirrors, and glass in the excavator’s cab for cracks or breaks.
- The fluid levels for your engine, power steering, and hydraulics should all be checked.
Start Checklist
As you’re all set with the pre-start inspection, there are still several steps to make it a habit to do as you start the excavator’s machine.
- Start the engine and let it run idle for five to ten minutes.
- Keep an ear out for any odd noises.
- Feel the suspension system for any strange vibrations or other issues.
- Look for anything that needs to be repaired or replaced by checking the gauges on the dashboard.
- You can check the excavator’s hydraulics by adjusting the arm and boom. Also, check out if there are any strange sounds or motions you will hear.
- Check the vehicle’s brake, backup, all other lights, and the headlights.
- Verify the brakes’ functionality.
Shutdown Checklist
You should do more inspections after using the excavator. That way, you can ensure no issues are made while running the excavator beforehand and when you use it for next time.
- Put the parking brake on and park the excavator in a secure location.
- Before totally turning off the engine, let it idle for five to ten minutes.
- Refuel the vehicle.
- If necessary, clean the machine and take out any waste.
Keep Your Excavator At Its Top Shape
Excavators are a staple in nearly all construction businesses and undoubtedly a crucial piece of equipment in any fleet. Regular, preventative maintenance on your excavator equipment can reduce the risk of equipment failure and downtime and save money on costly repairs.
But if you need additional excavators in your fleet, check out excavator hire Sydney for high-quality excavators you can use in massive projects like building construction and infrastructure.
