How to Prepare Your Heavy Equipment for Summer

The summertime is when a lot of heavy equipment sees the most usage. Construction sites become more active, factories start producing more, and the opportunity to use the equipment appears more often during this hot season. Heavy equipment requires year-round maintenance, but the summer season can be especially taxing on it. Check out this guide on how to prepare your heavy equipment for summer.

Clean your machine

Cleaning the heavy equipment that you regularly work with is key to keeping them safe to use over the summer. In dry areas, especially, dust and particle buildup on machines can contribute to arc flash explosions and other electrical reactive fires. Cleaning the machines by wiping them down before and after each use keeps it safe for the workers and surrounding sites. Cleaning a machine can also prevent corrosion and rust from building up in damp or humid areas. Rust can quickly deteriorate a machine and render it useless.

Get any broken or old parts repaired

Summer is a great time to evaluate your heavy equipment and decide which of its parts needs updating. Parts such as final drives can be repaired, which often leads to the equipment running almost like new for much longer than without the repair. If any of the parts of the machine are malfunctioning or aging past their warranty, now is a great opportunity to evaluate and try to fix as much as possible. A well-maintained machine is a machine that runs for a long time.

Check fluid levels and fill them

All year-round, but especially in the summer, when the machine sees the most use, you should carefully monitor the fluid levels. A machine that runs without sufficient fluids can experience engine malfunctions that ultimately lead to the machine’s death. Before each usage of the equipment, check its fluid levels, and fill any that are low. This keeps your machines healthier for longer.