Construction equipment maintenance: why does it matter?
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Instead of a reactive, unscheduled, post-breakdown approach to equipment repair, construction equipment maintenance is a proactive, scheduled strategy. This means that proactively preventing machine failure rather than reactively fixing machines is far more cost-effective.
Routine maintenance and preventative maintenance are the two basic types of construction equipment maintenance. With a few exceptions, both work together to extend the life of your equipment and keep operations going smoothly.
1. Significant savings
Poorly maintained equipment invariably results in greater costs due to rentals, replacements, downtime, and time spent below peak efficiency. Renting a secondhand piece of equipment that costs $10,000 and lasts five years, for example, may cost $1,000 per week.
Downtime expenses have also been estimated to be between $100 and $350 per hour. Maintaining periodic maintenance and avoiding typical blunders will dramatically minimize these costs, allowing you to complete each task on time or ahead of schedule.
2. Site security
Machines that have been mismanaged are both dangerous and expensive. While slips are the most common cause of fatality in the construction sector, the "fatal four" also includes falling objects, electrocutions, and deadly compression by machines and materials.
Many of these events can be avoided, as well as the risk of costly fines, if businesses maintain their equipment properly.
3. Maximizing uptime
While putting an asset on the shelf for a few hours of maintenance isn't inexpensive, it's significantly less expensive than losing an asset for days while it's fixed after a breakdown.
The former is a minor annoyance that you can work into your schedule, whilst the latter derail productivity and reduce profitability. You can also ensure that normal maintenance is minimally disruptive with the correct management system.
4. Increasing efficiency
Equipment uptime isn't the only measure to keep track of. You could keep an asset running for weeks or months before ordering maintenance, but that time will almost certainly be wasted.
Even the finest-built machines require routine maintenance to function at their optimum, and sticking to a maintenance schedule allows your personnel to avoid the compromises and slowdowns that eat into revenues.
5. Greater ROI
Defaulting repair may save money in the coming years, but it almost always leads to increased costs over time.
By following basic maintenance methods, you may get the most out of your equipment on every job and avoid purchasing new equipment for years. Meanwhile, every year you keep an asset in service is another year of depreciation on your books.
6. Certification and accreditation
There are various task-specific associations ranging from concrete manufacture to corrosion management.
Acquiring and maintaining these organizations' accreditation may necessitate stringent, well-documented equipment maintenance procedures as well as a proven track record of worker and workplace safety.
7. Insurance
Insurers want to see that you're doing everything you can to keep your costs low, whether it's for worker's compensation or asset protection. You'll be able to demonstrate your diligence in maintaining an insured asset operational if it breaks down.
8. Warranty protection
Manufacturers' guarantees are great for preventing excessive expenditures associated with faults and early breakdowns, but they are often conditional on the operators' maintenance habits.
Some machine parts may eventually need to be replaced, and if you've kept your end of the agreement, you may be eligible for free replacements.
How to plan for a successful construction equipment maintenance process?
The most hardest obstacle to overcome is persuading staff to commit to a routine preventative maintenance program. Leading by example is the finest way to do it. When a group notices that a corporation is taking its equipment maintenance plan seriously, they will naturally follow suit.
1. Make a maintenance program for your equipment
Following a regular maintenance plan is an important part of a successful construction equipment maintenance program. Maintenance intervals could be determined in a variety of methods, including:
â— According to machine hours of operation (every 5,000 hours)
â— Duration of time (every four weeks)
â— Travel distance (every 10,000 km)
â— According to climate concerns in the area (rainy season, humidity, snow, temperature fluctuations) 
The best maintenance schedule will be determined by the manufacturer's recommendations for each machine and piece of equipment. Car Workshop Manuals For Sale will be able to anticipate maintenance chores and organize their work accordingly if they stick to maintenance schedules.
2. Maintain records of maintenance
Construction equipment management requires meticulous record-keeping. A solid maintenance strategy is useless unless data on each machine's service history is kept.
Regular maintenance should be documented in writing, either on paper or electronically, and organized by machine type. The date, type of service conducted, any anomalies discovered, any parts replaced, and details for the next service should all be included in this paperwork.
Keeping accurate records can help you keep track of all the services performed on all of your gear, provide you with a clear picture of the equipment's history, and enable you to draw patterns to identify whether machinery is producing the best or worst Return on Investment.
If an equipment breaks down or if you need to file a warranty claim, having documentation is essential. These records, for example, can be used as unambiguous proof of regular servicing if the equipment maker files a claim for equipment care.
3. Create an equipment maintenance checklist
Having an equipment maintenance checklist on hand ensures that no detail is missed, as well as holding people in charge of the preventive maintenance program accountable. Do you have no idea where to start?
This heavy machinery maintenance checklist has been put together with maintenance advice divided down by daily checks versus operational hours.
Conclusion
Maintenance of construction equipment is critical to increasing the life of your machinery. You may limit the number of repairs to your equipment and keep it in good working order for longer with these tactics.
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