Throughout the United States, many people farm as a way to earn a living while doing what they love. With that in mind, many farmers depend on reliable equipment to complete their jobs including excavators. Excavators are extremely large but important types of machinery. As the weather warms up, many farmers and construction workers are preparing to use their excavators. Before this happens, it’s wise to spend time ensuring your equipment is in optimal condition. Considering that, here are three helpful excavator maintenance tips to remember before the summer begins.
- Check Your Battery
First and foremost, you’ll want to check the condition of your excavator’s battery. Unfortunately, batteries sitting for long amounts of time are known to discharge. This material isn’t good for either you or your excavator to come into contact with. Considering that, giving your battery an initial check will help to ensure you avoid this problem. It’s also a good idea to check the condition of your hydraulic travel motors. - Begin the Summer with a Fresh Fuel Tank
Before taking an excavator out for the summer, make sure you’re using clean fuel. It’s understandable to want to avoid pouring out valuable fuel from last winter. However, leaving fuel in your excavator often causes condensation to build up. Therefore, it’s best to avoid this type of damage by throwing out old fuel. - Ensuring Your Excavator Receives Regular Oil Changes
One of the most important things to remember is to regularly change the oil on your excavator. Like a car, these types of machinery depend on fluids to perform in an optimal manner. Therefore, it’s a good idea to check the condition of your excavator’s final drive gear oil. Experts recommend checking final drive gear oil every 100 hours of operation. In addition, you’ll want to change your final drive gear oil at least once each year.
In conclusion, there are several important maintenance tips to perform before working with your excavator. Research shows that excavators can weigh anywhere from 3,790 to 188,716 pounds. With that in mind, it takes quite a few small parts to keep this vehicle in optimal condition. If you’re able to follow the previously mentioned tips, you can rest assured that your excavator will be ready for the summer. If you’re needing new parts to prepare your vehicle, consider ordering them online. This ensures you’ll have everything you need from hydraulic travel motors to john deere final drive travel motors.