Your fleet of construction equipment is the backbone of your projects, and maintaining it in top shape is crucial to preventing downtime and rising maintenance costs. For this purpose, it is crucial to follow OEM specifications, do thorough inspections, and perform preventative maintenance. Despite all these precautions, overworking with your heavy equipment may lead to expensive repair or early deterioration. When the machine is overused, it usually shows some indicator signs to warn you. Understanding those warning indicators that you might be using your heavy equipment over its breaking point is extremely important. Overusing these machines can result in decreased efficiency, greater wear and tear, and higher costs.
Turned on Warning Lights
An obvious red flag is the presence of warning lights on the dashboard of your equipment. These lights are advanced sensors that can identify underlying problems that require care. It is not possible to solve the issue by ignoring or hiding these signals. When warning lights start to appear more frequently, there has been too much use and not enough maintenance. Even worse, if these lights dim for an extended period of time without coming back on, it indicates sustained overexertion and possibly component failure.
Frequent Breakdown
Unexpected failures are a clear indication that your heavy machinery is under stress. Breakdowns should be rare when used within their specified boundaries and maintained frequently. Downtime in used heavy machinery throws off plans and drives up repair costs, so prevention is important to keep it as low as you can. Frequent failures of your machines are a symptom that they are being overworked due to excessive demands, prolonged use, or inadequate maintenance.
Low Fluid Levels
The durability and functionality of your equipment depend on careful fluid level and its management. Regularly low levels of engine oil, gearbox fluids, hydraulic fluids and coolants, especially in spite of frequent checks and refills, indicate overworking. Such circumstances may indicate leaks, such as internal seal breaches that are not readily visible. These leaks have the potential to seriously harm other system components.
Different Exhaust Emissions
The exhaust of a machine or vehicle provides important information about its general condition. Exhaust emissions should typically be almost colourless, with a few yellowish hints at the beginning. However, visible exhaust emissions are a symptom of overworked heavy machinery and possible problems. Different exhaust colours indicate different problems, which helps with early problem diagnosis. Refer to the user manual for a detailed understanding of the exhaust colour changes and their effect on the machine’s performance.
Weird Noises
A major component of identifying overworked heavy machinery is the use of auditory clues. The people operating the machinery should be familiar with its normal noises so they can quickly identify abnormal noises. Unusual noises like rattling, clanking, hissing, or changes in normal noise levels can indicate potential problems and require for prompt attention.