Written by: Emily Joswiak • March 29, 2021• Business

How To Increase the Longevity of Your Construction Equipment

Construction equipment is a large investment. Naturally, companies want it last as long as possible. Here, we discuss ways to increase equipment longevity.

Equipment is one of a company’s biggest investments, and for good reason. Even with the most skilled contractors and workers, the manpower required to move massive amounts of lumber and other building materials would render most projects impractical without it.

But when construction equipment goes down, it can cost companies even more money and time. While unearthing, most companies could be aware of the public and private underground utilities. An important criterion that needs to be considered is getting the right private utility locating company to get the plot marked before the excavation. Also, knowing how to increase the longevity of your construction equipment is the easiest way for your company to stave off these unexpected costs.

Use Vehicles as Intended

Even the highest quality construction equipment can become damaged if companies use it incorrectly. You might use certain equipment for a job it wasn’t designed to do. Mistakes as simple as driving a bulldozer too quickly or exceeding a forklift’s load capacity can take years off an apparatus’s lifespan. Intended use also includes making adjustments for weather conditions.

Employee Training

The best way to ensure that equipment is used correctly is to train operators in the proper usage of these vehicles. This is especially important for new operators, but even seasoned operators can benefit from continued education. Standardizing your training will help prevent breakdowns in communication that can result in accidents.

Preventative Maintenance

Along with proper use of vehicles, employee training should also include proper care of vehicles. When we talk about preventative maintenance, we aren’t talking about a reactionary policy of fixing things when they break. We are discussing practices such as:

Daily inspections
Monitoring fluid levels
Replacing brake pads
Replacing lights
Regular lubrication of parts

The goal of preventive maintenance is to catch small problems before they become bigger. For instance, installing a new face seal is a faster and easier fix than replacing a final drive motor that has become clogged with mud and debris.

Vehicle Hygiene

Most wouldn’t think that keeping equipment clean is one way to increase the longevity of construction equipment. After all, this is machinery designed to work through mud and debris. However, cleaning equipment regularly prevents corrosion. Performing this task once every few months should be enough to maintain your machine’s lifespan.

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