Four Heavy Equipment Maintenance Tips You Cannot Afford to Overlook

Without properly functioning heavy equipment, your business would come to a halt. Because of this, a thorough maintenance strategy is necessary if you want to ensure seamless, uninterrupted work.  

However, many business owners and safety inspectors overlook key maintenance tasks or allow heavy equipment to go unchecked for long periods. 

Always consult your owner’s manual to see when and how your heavy equipment manufacturer recommends you check your property for signs of wear.  

While most inspectors do the basics, several procedures are commonly overlooked.  

In this post, we will go over some of the most commonly overlooked procedures designed to keep your heavy equipment healthy and functioning.  

Uncommon Tips for Heavy Equipment Repair 

Regularly maintaining your heavy equipment is the best thing you can do to ensure a long lifespan and a reliable outcome during operation.  

Not only that, but regular maintenance can save your company thousands of dollars in the long run.  

Here are some of the most commonly overlooked tips for maintaining your heavy equipment.  

Maintain a Thorough Maintenance Log 

This tip should be standard, but a shocking amount of safety inspectors do not log or track their maintenance and repairs.  

Make note of when the equipment was checked, where, by whom, and if there were any issues or repairs that were addressed.  

This will help you identify patterns that can point to larger overall problems. A maintenance log also ensures accountability. If you are certain of when, where, and how your equipment was checked, there will be no doubt of neglect or unexpected breakdowns.  

Wash Your Equipment 

Who cares if your heavy equipment is a little dirty, right? That’s just part of the job! 

Wrong! Dirt and grime are one of the biggest contributors to wear and breakdown.  

Regular cleanings help fight off rust accumulation, and the clogging of key parts.  

Cleaning your equipment is especially important if it spends a lot of time working outdoors. Exposure to the elements can lead to an early death for your heavy equipment if you are not properly cleaning it regularly.  

All you need to properly clean your equipment is soap, water, and detergent.  

Regularly Check Your Tires 

If your tires are not working, neither is your machine. A good pair of tires is worth its weight in gold, and a new set costs nearly as much.  

Make sure you regularly check your tires as a part of your maintenance routine. Look for signs of worn treading, thin material, small holes (or big ones), and other potential tire-killers. 

Make sure you are checking tires more often if your equipment spends time in rough environments where your tires are frequently encountering sharp terrain. 

Use a Preventative Maintenance Strategy 

Preventative maintenance is the best way to ensure that your equipment lasts as long as possible. This strategy uses regular checks and maintenance to prevent breakdowns before they occur or before they become severe enough that they need significant repairs. 

Preventative maintenance comes down to identifying what issues are causing wear or breakdown. That way, you will be able to spot the issues that are most common and know what you can do to fix them. 

For example, say you get reports of a particular malfunction happening regularly. Under a preventative maintenance strategy, you will look into solutions for stopping that malfunction rather than waiting for a system collapse to make repairs.  

Better Maintenance and Repairs with Beamers Piggyback 

Your heavy equipment is essential to the daily operations of your business. That is why you need to ensure that your heavy equipment is properly functioning and in working order.  

Here are some more conventional tips for keeping your flatbed fleet maintained.

Heavy equipment repair is not always easy, but it doesn’t have to cost you a small fortune.  

If your heavy equipment does break down, then you need to get high-quality repairs at manageable prices.  

Take your heavy equipment into Beamers Piggyback. We specialize in flatbed trucks, forklifts, and more, and we know how to make repairs that will last for the long haul.  

Not only that, but we are the only certified Princeton Forklift dealer in the area.  

If you need repairs for your flatbed steel truck or forklift, or you are looking to purchase new equipment, reach out to Beamers Piggyback today!