Heavy Equipment Maintenance Myths That Are Costing You Money

In the context of heavy equipment operators, maintenance is indeed the key to high productivity. Maintenance is essential, but widespread misconceptions about it keep spreading on many job sites and among fleets. Such misguided notions may creep and spoil the lifespan and effectiveness of equipment, precipitating massive repair costs, operational interruptions, and failure in deadlines. This post always reveals the major myths in heavy equipment maintenance, demonstrating that unconfirmed techniques lead to undesired results instead of advantages.

The 100-Hour Oil Change Rule

All too often, industry professionals believe that oil must be changed precisely every 100 hours, no matter what. This principle, although, was once necessary, with the present condition of advanced equipment, it doesn’t apply. Due to lubricant technology and manufacturing process progress, today’s engines are fitted with oil change intervals based on the manufacturer’s specification, following real-time operational requirements. A regular application of the obsolete 100-hour standard can result in massive oil and monetary waste, and disregard important areas such as oil quality and filtration in servicing. The most appropriate way is through the use of the strategies formulated by original equipment manufacturers based on the performance data.

Greasing Everything, Every Day

It is believed by many that when more grease is used, heavy equipment will work better. Lubrication is, however, essential, and putting too much grease in joints, bearings, pins, and other similar components can lead to destruction. Excess grease may attract particulates and cause seals to fail, as well as lead to overheating. The reason for this practice dates to a time when the equipment was not as complex and did not possess the internal alarms of the current machinery. Now, effective strategies for greasing that are adapted to the characteristics of each machine and their workloads are part of the fundamental requirements for achieving optimal life spans without excessive wear or waste.

Filters Don’t Need Frequent Checks

Filters are an important but often unnoticed factor in keeping a machine in good health, protecting injectors with fuel filters and clean air with air filters. However, there is a widespread fallacy that filters only have to be replaced when they become clearly dirty. In fact, filters lose their effectiveness long before apparent signs of blockage appear. Poor-quality filtration may degrade engine performance, require more fuel, and, over time, may cause massive internal engine damage. The use of sensor technology allows the present equipment to recognize problems in filters before they are evident, hence, the maintenance crews should incorporate both these tools for preventative maintenance.

Facilitating Machines in Idling for Warm-Up Purposes

Leaving machines idle for long periods of time ahead of operation wastes fuel and may damage the engine in the long run. Engineers have made modern diesel engines more efficient so they warm up more quickly when in operation than when stationary. It decreases fuel economy, needlessly extends the engine work hours, and increases the carbon deposits in the engine when running engines at idle for a long period. While it is still believed that long idling is a requirement, present-day technology allows for effective warming of engines simply with minimal low-load running time. Changing lazy habits to smaller durations is possible to improve fuel efficiency and meet sustainability targets.

Visual Inspections Are Enough

Walkaround visual inspections are usually the only way operators can detect problems. These inspections play a crucial role, but they do not expose internal deterioration, fluid problems, or secret system errors. Reliant on the need to walk around to find problems, you miss internal problems that can swell into disastrous failures. Such modern maintenance cannot be accomplished simply by taking a look at the equipment; it requires diagnostic tools, telematics capabilities, and detailed documentation. Equipped with the capability to measure changes in pressure, temperature, and vibration, sensors provide advanced signals that an ordinary visual check is not able to identify. The combined application of digital diagnostic tools makes servicing more efficient and reduces the likelihood of unexpected downtime.

Delayed Maintenance Risks

The strategy of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” with construction machines and heavy machinery is not wise. Not servicing equipment because it appears to be undamaged is a risky business approach to dealing with your assets. A lot of wear-and-tear problems take quite some time to develop, and by the time you identify any symptoms, the damage can be significant. The most effective way to catch early indications of wear and prevent smaller problems from becoming greater failures is to use a maintenance strategy based on machine hours, operational load, and working environment. Clientalizing maintenance until symptoms appear may cause higher maintenance costs along with threats to worker safety and overall efficiency.

Original Parts Outperform Cheaper Substitutes

On the surface, a reduction in the parts’ cost may seem harmless, but not all alternatives are equal. Aftermarket components tend to be inferior to OEM components in terms of performance and thus wear out faster, do not fit properly, and lose their effectiveness. The myth continues to exist, though additional third-party suppliers come into the market, but using unapproved components can cause the manufacturer’s warranty to be voided and the machines’ reliability to be limited. Through time, the cost of maintenance will rise and the life of the equipment will be reduced since one will be investing in poor-quality parts.

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