TECHNICAL
3. Longer machine life - performing regular scheduled maintenance helps extend the working life of your equipment, which helps stretch your investment further
4. Cost savings - preventive maintenance is proactive. It helps minimise breakdowns that require more costly unscheduled repairs
5. Effective budgeting and cost control - look for a plan that has a fixed cost for the period of the contract and there is the choice of monthly or quarterly payments
6.Peace of mind - reassurance comes from knowing you can be assured your machines will perform to the best of their ability and support comes quickly when needed
Components of an effective programme
Doing scheduled maintenance and adjustments will prolong the life of your equipment, help prevent expensive downtime and give the best possible performance.
1. Regular, thorough servicing. Experience has shown that a high percentage of problems that occur in turf equipment have developed over a period of time and could have been prevented by adjustment, lubrication, or other required maintenance
2. Highly trained technicians. Today’s equipment is becoming more and more sophisticated with electric, hybrid and computer technology. If you don’t have a
warehouse and full-time mechanic, then consider outsourcing your service programme to ensure your machinery benefits from servicing by people with the necessary skills and commitment to stay current with trends and ongoing training
3. Limiting downtime. There’s nothing more frustrating than a machine out of action. Breakdowns costs time, and time is money. Downtime is basically a record of the cost of lost operator hours, lost income (if applicable) and replacement equipment hire costs. When recorded accurately it helps to support an ‘instinct’ that equipment is unreliable and ‘costing’ money. It can also support a considered decision to change equipment before its planned time. There is a direct correlation with maintenance practices reducing and, in some cases, preventing downtime. An aging or poorly maintained equipment fleet is likely to generate unwelcome repair costs and spiralling downtime creating additional difficulty in controlling maintenance budgets.
What does a maintenance plan specifically cover?
There’s a range of maintenance plans on the market to suit the needs of every customer; flexibility and choice are key, with plans being able to be set for a base line of servicing based on tighter budgets, to a full care plan where it is easier to list ‘what isn’t covered’. These gold standard plans, when linked to a new equipment investment, can
Equipment is becoming more sophisticated with electric, hybrid and computer technology. Take Toro’s all-electric eTriFlex 3370 and hybrid counterpart the 3360 for example. If you don’t have a warehouse and full-time mechanic, then consider outsourcing your service programme to ensure your machinery benefits from servicing by people with the necessary skills and commitment to stay current with trends and ongoing training
provide years of fixed price maintenance and budget certainty - the financial surprises are removed. As well as robust and preventative maintenance, these plans focus on aspects that also affect the quality of cut and presentation of the surface, the significant reason for regular maintenance and adjustments. Important aspects include:
Sharpening rotary blades
A dull blade will produce a ragged cut and will require an excessive amount of engine horsepower to rotate the blade through the grass. More horsepower demand also means more fuel consumption. The most common causes for rotary mowers not giving a good quality of cut are due to dull cutting edges and/or bent blades.
Cylinder mower quality of cut
Remember that the ‘effective’ or actual height of cut depends on cutting unit weight, cutting unit accessories and turf conditions. It is important that accessories fitted to cutting units are cared for regularly too. Also remember that the ‘effective height of cut’ will be different than the bench set height of cut. In some turf conditions, mis-selection can contribute to bottom blade and cylinder wear if too low.
Factors That Affect Quality of Cut
There are many! Tyre pressure, engine governed speed, cylinder bearing condition/adjustment, cylinder and bedknife sharpness, bedknife parallel to cylinder, bedknife to cylinder contact, bedknife
118 PC October/November 2020
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