Heavy Equipment Preventative Maintenance: Keeping Your Iron in the Fight

I’ll never forget a fleet manager I worked with in West Valley who thought oil sampling was just a 'scam' by the oil companies. I told him, 'Listen, an oil sample is like a blood test for your machine. It tells me if your engine is "bleeding" metal before the whole thing stops beating!' The report came back with astronomical levels of lead and tin—signs that the main bearings were literally disintegrating. We caught it in time to do a $3,000 bearing roll-in; if we’d waited another week, he would have been looking at a $45,000 engine replacement.

When we show up for preventative maintenance, we aren't just looking at the dipstick. We’re looking for the 'silent killers.' Is there soot loading? Is the viscosity breaking down? In Utah, we have extreme temperature swings that cause condensation in the tanks, which leads to acid buildup in your oil. If you aren't testing, you’re just guessing. And in this business, guessing is a very expensive hobby!

Utah winters are no joke, and they punish the unprepared. I’ve been on too many calls in December where a contractor is scrambling because his skid steer won’t start in 10-degree weather. The problem is almost always the same: summer-grade fuel that’s gelled up, a battery that’s been weak for months, or block heaters that weren’t tested before the first freeze. A proper winterization service in October or November can save you thousands in emergency repair bills and lost production.

We recommend a seasonal PM that includes switching to winter-grade fuel, adding anti-gel additives, testing battery CCA and charging systems, checking block heater operation, and inspecting coolant freeze protection. We also do a full inspection of your hydraulic oil—cold, thick oil is the #1 cause of hydraulic pump cavitation in the winter months. Don’t wait for the first snowstorm to think about winter prep. A little foresight keeps your iron running when your competitors are sitting idle.