Category Archives: Repairs

Prevent and Minimize Heavy Equipment Undercarriage Wear

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

We all know that any minute issue in heavy equipment if not taken care at the right time may give birth to serious problems in the nearby future and which is why it is very critical to keep your machine well maintained. By saying your machine, it is just not limited to the equipment but also the undercarriage that forms an important part of the machine. The equipment is not operated in the right manner may give exert more unwanted pressure to the tracks and thus it may lead to issues down there and that may even result in the machine going idle for days till the time the undercarriage doesn’t gets fixed.

The major reason that can lead to an early deterioration of the undercarriage is having a tight track. A tight track can give rise to many problems in the undercarriage and therefore it is recommended to check the tracks well during the time it’s installed on the machine. Too tight tracks can lead to eating away of sprockets, bushings, carried rollers etc. thus decreasing the overall life of the tracks and will also shoot up the operating cost of the machine. The procedure to adjust tracks differs from machine to machine. It basically depends on the kind of sprockets being used in the machine (if it has an elevated sprocket or a conventional one). Though, it is advisable that one should always adjust the tracks in a job site rather than doing it in a shop.

Lower down the speed of the equipment when it is not productive. You definitely would not want it to wear for non-operational reasons. It has been seen in many construction sites that the operator is always in a hurry and runs the machine at high speed when it is not productive. Well, there is simply no reason to put it in a high speed when you don’t want it to perform. That is one of the reasons why the undercarriage wears in less time than compared to equipment that are not always in a state of hurry. How is speed related to deteriorating the quality of the machine? It directly affects the bushings, sprockets, idlers and all the other important component of the undercarriage. It affects the most to the bushings and sprockets when you reverse the machine at a high speed. Hence, when it’s not at work or when it is needed, it should be driven at a high speed.

Turning the machine constantly in a particular direction wears the undercarriage in that part. It particularly affects the rail slides, idle flanges and rollers. In case, where you just can’t avoid turning the machine in one particular direction, you should better examine the tracks at the end of the day and check if you can continue with it the following day. If so ever, you see that it needs some adjustments to be done, get that done before you further wear it down.

In case of slipping tracks, you should ensure that you reduce the load because if not done, then it may affect the grousers.

Avoid Costly Repairs by Implying Preventive Maintenance Measures in Your Heavy Equipment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

You may have the best of the heavy equipment available in the market to get the job done but what use it is of when it does not work at the time you need them the most. The reason for this is very strong and also alarming. It is certainly not that you have bought faulty equipments but it broke down as it was not properly maintained. The heavy equipment working constantly in the construction site are prone to dust and other foreign particles that can choke the flow of oil to its important parts which can lead to the breakdown. If not taken care off at the right junction, it may become a very expensive affair to you.

As you read on, you will come across many hazards that can occur due to not taking good care of your machine.

Hazard to the project:-  Big projects are given on the basis of the goodwill you carry in the construction industry and also on the type of equipments you have to get the work done. The project giver does not simply hand away projects to any newbie and are always on look of people who are experienced in this sector. They also see to the fact how maintained are the machines. If they have doubts on it, you may as well receive a negative reply from them which definitely will hurt your business. Moreover, the one that you have in hand may take a halt as you can’t move an inch ahead with your ceased to work equipments. This may take a bigger toll on your business and moreover to the goodwill that you have created in the last many years.

Cost to get the equipments repaired:-  We all know how expensive are heavy equipments and it is quite obvious that the parts of the machines are no less expensive. This means that if any part of the equipment goes faulty and is needed to be repaired, you need to shell out a good sum of money to get it replaced with a new one. Now assume that you have good number of machines which needs to be repaired. This means that you need to spend a fortune on them while you are also suffering a setback in your business. This would be completely unacceptable to any businessman who has been in this sector for years.

Cost incurred on the mechanic:-  The mechanic who repairs heavy equipments are very high in demand which is why they are quite expensive. They will get the machine up and running for you but will also charge hefty fee for that. You on the other hand are left with no option than paying him his charges.

All these could have been avoided if you had a team who will do nothing but look after the machine. The team can be a member of 3 people who are able and competent in their domain. They would be responsible to service the equipments are regular intervals and take due care of the machines. In this way, you can save a lot by taking good care of your machines.