TECHNICAL
By phasing the annual servicing requirements
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across the year, the full fleet can get the attention it deserves, and the added advantage of spreading the work like this means the budgets are also more evenly spread across the year
M
achinery maintenance is an ongoing task for all
businesses, regardless of its location, budgets or facilities. Having a planned
approach to maintenance is essential for the efficient and reliable operation of the machinery fleet, and even those who change their fleet regularly on finance deals will still need to undertake regular, routine basic maintenance.
Where there is some maintenance carried out, how well is this run, and is the maintenance programme reactive, or proactive?
The old adage is that prevention is better than cure, and this is especially fitting when it comes to machinery maintenance.
Preventative: This sounds easy, but it takes a lot of planning and organisation to get it right. Bad habits must be broken, and a new programme introduced - this is a time and money saver when done well. The staff are less stressed, the machinery just works and, if there is a problem, there is more time to fix it.
Corrective: Get out the welder, get ready to work late, because it will go down at the worst time, and the parts won’t be in stock either; it is stressful, and expensive. Oh, and these repairs won’t be in your budget either!
Don’t blame your local dealer for not having every single part in stock when you need them. The dealer must try and forecast your needs and a little planning on your part can make a huge difference to the level of service you receive.
A Seasonal Business: The turf machinery world is more difficult to predict than the automotive world, where mileage rates are usually a constant all year round, so scheduling service appointments is much
easier. We have a seasonal industry, which is then further affected by the vagaries of the weather. However, we all know that the grass grows rapidly in the spring, slows in the summer and goes again in the early autumn before winter brings the growing season to a close.
A busy golf course or sports facility will also have a range of events in the sporting calendar. The turf maintenance practices of aeration, topdressing and renovation must be planned around these events. The machinery maintenance requirements must also be planned into this schedule, so that the machinery is ready for the work programme, and available for the required routine servicing. So, there is a predicable trend to it and, if we can track that by recording simple engine hours per month, we can see the annual trends for each piece of machinery. This way, we can see historic usage trends and the planned use for the months ahead. Now, we can plan the servicing schedule.
This method also means that less frequently used equipment is serviced as well. It’s too easy to concentrate on the front-line machines and forget about the rest of the fleet, only to find that it lets you down when you really need it.
Any realistic plan must be data driven, and maintenance plans are no different!
An Annual Service: All front-line machinery must be given a full service at least once a year. Mowers, tractors, utility vehicles, even the humble strimmers and hedge trimmers all have a service requirement which, if met, will increase their reliability and productivity. We used to call this the “winter service”, as all mowing would conveniently stop in October and not start again until late March. However, in so many parts of the country,
the grass cutting season can run through to December, and start again in February or early March. So there just isn’t the time for servicing large fleets through the winter periods like there was before. Hence the deliberate change to an ‘annual’ service, which of course can be done at any time when the machine is not being fully utilised. The current trend for hotter, drier summers are a perfect opportunity for this.
By phasing the annual servicing requirements across the year, (whilst avoiding the main cutting seasons of spring and autumn), the full fleet can get the attention it deserves, and the added advantage of spreading the work like this means the budgets are also more evenly spread across the year.
The more frequent servicing of engine oil changes and replacement of wearing parts should be scheduled according to the expected hours of actual use. By regularly recording engine hours, it is easy to track the usage of each machine and then build a historic usage pattern. This will then guide the maintenance so that the service schedule matches the expected hours of use. Replacing lower cost filters, worn bushes and damaged seals is much easier and far less costly than replacing pumps, bearing housings, rams and motors. It really does make economic sense.
Operators manual: Its been said so many times, and here we say it again; refer to the manual! It will have the recommended service schedules, all the correct fluid specifications and detail all the maintenance tasks which need to be performed. This really is the bible for each machine and must be used when setting up a maintenance plan.
PC August/September 2018 137
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