8 easy ways to make your compact construction equipment last longer.

Downtime is the enemy, regular maintenance does not cost you money, it saves you money! These 8 tips can solve a high percentage of compact construction equipment problems.

1. Service your machine regularly, preferably according to manufacturer’s guidelines. If you do not want to follow those guidelines, at least have some sort of “working hour” based maintenance plan in place.
2. NEVER let your machinery run out of fuel! Almost all modern diesel injector pumps rely on the fuel for lubrication. Running out of fuel even 1 time can ruin your injector pump and cost thousands of dollars of damage and headache.
3. Check your final drive and swing motor cases monthly, and final drives daily if you are operating in water. Almost every final drive failure we see is caused by either no oil in the case or water in the case. Water must be drained out immediately if it finds its way into your finals.
4. NEVER EVER let your machine run out of hydraulic fluid. If you have a hydraulic leak, fix it immediately. If you absolutely have to finish a job despite a leak, keep your fluid within normal operating range. Modern piston style pumps need the hydraulic fluid for lubrication. These pumps can often outlast the useful life of the machine unless contaminated. One gulp of air will cause irreparable damage to these pumps. If one of these pumps fails it can contaminate the hydraulic system with metal to the point of ruining the entire hydraulic system.
5. Always use the correct hydraulic fluid. A large percentage of hydraulic “problems” we see are cause by people using the wrong type of fluid (ie using hyd “oil” rather than hydrostatic “fluid”)
6. Check air intake for wear/damage regularly. Modern diesel engines are built to very tight tolerances and cannot handle any contaminates whatsoever. A small hole in an intake hose or a misaligned air filter can ruin an engine in a few hours of use in dusty conditions.
7. Keep an eye on Rubber Tracks and Undercarriage. Most premature rubber track failures are caused by an undercarriage problem. If you buy and install new rubber tracks and do not address the problem that caused the track you are replacing to fail, the new tracks are going to fail prematurely. Key items to look for are sprockets, rollers, and idlers worn beyond normal tolerances. Be keen to the wear on your compact track loader sprockets. CTL sprockets do not wear in the same manner as a dozer or excavator. Sprockets of compact track loaders do not get sharp like that of an excavator or dozer. If your sprocket has ¼” of an inch of wear or more, the pitch will be off and not properly line up with the steel cross bars of the new tracks. When this occurs the drive torque applied to the track is forced on to a single cross bar instead of 2 or more (depending of the design of the undercarriage). Unless you have a premature track failure your sprockets normally need replaced by the time you are due to install new rubber tracks.
8. Have basic spare parts you need on hand. You should always have at least one complete set of filters and enough of each fluid in your machine for complete replacement. If your machine holds 22 gallons of hydraulic oil, you should keep 22 gallons at your shop. The same applies for antifreeze, engine oil etc. Keep at least one bottom roller for tracked machines and one spare wheel and tire for wheeled machines. If affordable, keep a spare set of rubber tracks and sprockets on hand if you are not within driving distance of your supplier. It is far easier to install rubber tracks in your shop then in the mud at the job site. Do not wait until your rubber tracks are broken to order spares!