Tips to maintain your Heavy Machinery’s Engine Health
As we all know, heavy machinery requires proper maintenance in order to produce the right productivity level that a construction site owner expects. Your Machinery is the main tool for bringing you the profits and longevity that ensures your business success. In order to maintain that longevity, it is crucial that you take care of every component of your machinery. One important component is equipment's engine, which requires timely and precise maintenance. This article highlights safety and maintenance tips thatcan help you protect your heavy machinery's engine for increased machinery life.
Know your Equipment
Every machine's engine is designed with specifications that are unique, developed to fulfill a specific
purpose. Cat ® Engines are specifically designed to suit the Cat machines, which essentially mean that you need to have an expertise of equipment specification in order to ensure its proper maintenance. It is recommended that you inquire about your equipment specification while purchasing the machinery. Ask your dealer or seller to provide instructional manuals, including operations and maintenance manuals to schedule the maintenance accordingly.
Understand Common Causes of Engine Failure
Most engine problems can be avoided by recognizing the problem when they arise. Here are a couple of issues that may be signaling engine’s declining health.
- Engine takes longer to start
- Engine stops during the operation
- Engine makes unusual noises
Most engine problems, especially in heavy machinery are caused by negligence and poor maintenance.
Some of the daily habits that might cause problems in machinery engine could include:
- Lack of timely oil changes
- Engine overheating due to overuse
- Excessive engine idling
- Use of low quality oil and fuel
- Lack of compliance to manufacturer’s guidelines
Maintain Engine Health
Engine health depends highly on how the equipment is handled, the daily operational routine and maintenance checks. To ensure optimum engine health, you need to make sure that your:
- Heavy machinery is utilized for a specific task that it is designed for
- Engine is maintained according to the guidelines given by the manufacturer
- Equipment operators are trained adequately to recognize the warning signs that may hint
serious engine issues - Equipment operators are ensuring equipment is not overused
It is crucial that your equipment operators and employees who handle maintenance are trained to
operate and handle the specific heavy machinery. As mentioned-above, Cat equipment are designed to
fulfill specific industry needs. Because of the design variances, a common general maintenance guideline
may not apply for all types of machinery; however, the above-mentioned tips can be useful as a thumb
rule to monitor for engine health to prevent small issues that could become long-term engine problems.
Machine manufacturers like Caterpillar can help you maintain your Cat equipment engine health, so
make sure that you talk to your dealer about maintenance and safe use before purchasing any
equipment. To talk to our Al-Bahar service experts, click here.
