Heavy equipment is an important part of many business operations. They are used to execute construction tasks and are usually part of a company’s daily services. For this sole reason, the maintenance and upkeep of heavy equipment are extremely important. However, like most pieces of machinery, a business’ heavy equipment will need to be repaired eventually. These repairs are usually as a result of the natural and tear of the equipment as well as issues that may occur during its operation. Though repair of heavy equipment is inevitable, sometimes, it can be avoided through proper care and operation.

Some businesses do not take much care when it comes to the operation and maintenance of their vehicles. In fact, they dismiss the subsequent repair and replacement costs as a necessary expense of owning a vehicle. While it is true that the ownership of heavy equipment comes with costs, some of them can be avoided. Here’s why a business should pay attention to the treatment of its heavy vehicle.

● Costs

○ It’s expensive to constantly repair and replace your vehicle when this can be avoided with the cost of a maintenance service and proper operation.

● Inconvenience

○ The time that it takes to diagnose and repair your vehicle, can cost you valuable operational and production time for your business, especially if you have several vehicles that need repairing at once.

● Lifetime

○ The lifetime of your vehicle/equipment can be severely shortened without proper treatment and if you constantly need to repair it.

● Injury

○ If your vehicle/equipment malfunctions as a result of poor operation or a faulty part, it can potentially injure your employees. This can also cause you to face workers’ compensation claims.

Ensure you routinely maintain the equipment

This is the most important tip on this list. Regular maintenance does more than ensure that your vehicle/equipment is in current, proper working condition – it identifies underlying issues that you may not be aware of and extends the equipment’s lifetime.

During maintenance services, your vehicle’s vital levels (e.g. oil) will be replenished and its inner workings thoroughly checked. This usually detects underlying issues which are often not caught by employees or owners and can result in terrible workplace accidents as well as sudden breakdowns.

While a professional maintenance service is needed, employees should also casually check the vehicle to ensure that there are no outstanding problems. Some issues such as overheating are obvious and should be reported as soon as noticed.

Brief employees on its operation

If a vehicle is incorrectly operated, this can lead to a number of issues in the vehicle. Heavy vehicles/equipment are complex machines and while their operation may seem obvious, fine details in its instruction can make the difference.

Ensure that you regularly train (to account for software updates) your employees on the operation of the machinery. When there are new employees, make sure that they too are briefed and supervised when using the equipment for the first few times. This may seem overly cautious, however, this improper operation can not only damage your vehicle but your employees as well.

Don’t push the machine past its limits

While this is related to briefing employees on the proper use of machinery, some employees simply don’t care about pushing the machine nor do they realise that it is being overworked. If your machine is pushed past its limits or if the proper power setting is not used, this can result in a number of problems which will affect the performance and efficiency of your equipment.

Store the equipment properly

Storing your equipment properly is key to preventing damage and any degradation of the equipment’s performance.

Heavy machinery should usually be kept covered and in a moisture-free environment (water can lead to corrosion in the equipment) where there aren’t any rodents (these can eat away at wires).

We hope that by pointing out these causes, you can take corrective actions in your business to prevent heavy equipment malfunctions. Many of these causes are very avoidable and can potentially save you a lot of time and money.

Call a 24/7 heavy equipment electrician if your heavy vehicle breaks down

If you or one of your employees is in a heavy vehicle or operating heavy equipment when it breaks down, call a 24/7 heavy equipment electrician to get your vehicle fixed as soon as possible. Getting your vehicle/equipment repaired immediately is important for securing the safety of your employees and ensuring that the issue is not worsened.

If you require the services of a heavy equipment electrician, then you’re in luck! Several companies in Sydney will be able to service your heavy machinery and ensure that it functions properly.