With the busy season unfolding, it’s a good time to make sure your equipment is in top operating condition. When the real seasonal rush hits, you don’t want to be slowed down by breakdowns on the jobsite.
In planning ahead for that busy time, it’s important to account for the machinery you’ll be maintaining and what it will need, according to Sage Oil Vac CEO Aaron Sage.
“Make sure everything is serviced, including specific components like wheel bearings,” Sage said. “Ideally, you want to start the busy maintenance season with all of your machinery ready to run efficiently and without interruption.”
Don’t neglect these components.
In addition to checking major mechanical and structural components, Sage said it’s important to inspect parts that many operators don’t typically think about when conducting early-season maintenance, including their Sage Oil Vac systems. Those include:
- Any trailer components, including tires and wheel bearings
- All pressure gauges and oil lines
- Compressor lines, belts and power supplies
“It starts with really basic maintenance, like ensuring your trailers are inspected and ready for the road,” Sage said. “The long game here is that you need to be efficient on the maintenance side.”
Accessories can boost efficiency.
After you’ve inspected your equipment and ensured it’s ready for the jobsite, it’s a good time to consider any changes or additions you can make to become more efficient. That may mean adding new machinery or making smaller changes. For example, Sage said adding new drain plugs and hose assemblies can make oil changes cleaner and more efficient, especially when used alongside a Sage Oil Vac system.
“Once your machinery is ready to go, it’s a good time to start looking at a system to enable you to connect directly to machines for changing oil, making it cleaner and more efficient,” Sage said. “Cleaner drain plugs like those from Femco® work well with Sage Oil Vac systems and can make you better at your job of changing oil on the jobsite.”
Plan your maintenance operations.
Early in the busy season is a good time to look at ways you can streamline not just your equipment, but how you use it. Extended oil changes have been a growing trend in the automotive industry for some time now, and it’s starting to work its way into the construction sector. While it may work for some equipment, waiting longer between oil changes isn’t feasible for some machinery, largely because of working conditions. Prioritizing oil change jobs based on frequency and need is one way to make your operations more efficient.
“The deciding factor on that is the work environment. Is it a dirty environment? How hard is the machinery working? If it’s dirty and the machinery’s working hard, you can’t really delay oil changes,” Sage said. “If it’s an over-the-road truck that’s getting a lot of hours on it, but in cleaner working conditions at the same RPM for long periods, extended oil changes will work. If it’s an excavator ramping RPM up and down, working out in dirt storms and getting worked really hard, you need to monitor oil a lot more closely and keep oil changes more frequent.”
If you’re looking to add new parts or accessories to your Sage Oil Vac system for this busy summer construction season, start here. Check out the full lineup of Sage mobile lube equipment, including Sage Oil Vac lube trucks, carts, trailers and skids, here.
