Better Farming - December 2016

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Better Farming December 2016 Dig Deeper: 53
MACHINERYAT WORK
Determining winter maintenance plans
Use the winter months to complete oil changes and decide which repairs should be undertaken to
prepare your equipment for the coming season.
by JAAP KROONDIJK
According to Wikipedia,
“technical maintenance is
intended to maintain or
improve the health of some asset. It
forms an integral part of any asset
health management strategy.”
Your equipment is part of your
farm business assets, so put the
statement above into practice and
maintain your equipment. Mainte-
nance is a management decision.
Consider: what do I expect from
that piece of equipment next season
and how many more seasons do I
need to use it? With those questions
in mind, you need to give your
equipment an honest going over
before putting it away for the winter.
Believe me – all the issues it has today
will still be there next spring. And the
problems will likely get worse if you
don’t address them sooner rather
than later!
Keep a notepad, iPad, you-name-it
pad handy and start by making notes
about what is not working properly
when you use your equipment. You
or your operator know best what
issues have slowly developed. And, if
you do not complete your own
maintenance and repairs, then share
that information with your techni-
cians. Having this information saves
them a lot of time and helps to
prevent them from overlooking the
item that annoys you the most.
The owner’s manual for most
pieces of equipment typically has a
maintenance schedule which states
the recommended oil and filter
interval changes. The schedule also
outlines other factory-recommended
maintenance items. These recom-
mendations are based on regular use
of the equipment, which is not the
case with a lot of seasonal machinery.
For example, if you put 200 hours
a year on a piece of machinery and
the engine oil interval is 500 hours,
then do not wait two and a half years
before changing the engine oil! Yes,
technically, this is what the mainte-
nance schedule directs, but that is not
a wise move.
Oil breaks down and, in the case of
engine oil, it should be changed at
least once a year. If you run 1,000
hours per year, then an oil change
twice per year would be acceptable.
The same rule applies for hydraulic/
transmission oil – do not wait longer
than two years to complete this type
of oil change or you will be in trouble.
Use sound judgement when
making your oil change decisions.
Consider: what do I expect of my
machine and how do I use it? Better
10 oil changes too many than one
short; oil and filters are cheap com-
pared to the investments you made in
the purchase of your equipment or
the untimely expensive repairs
completed by your dealer due to lack
of proper maintenance.
Considering the hourly door rates
at your dealer, it should not take a
calculator to figure out that routine
maintenance and some parts will save
you money in the long run.
If you do your own work, then
start with the notes you made during
the season. Grab the grease gun and
start systematically and intentionally
going around the machine. Look for
leaks, worn or damaged parts and
grease the machine at the same time.
Mark down what you see and survey
the whole machine! Only then can
you make a sound management
decision on what course of action to
take with this particular piece of your
assets.
Once you thoroughly examined
the machine, you have a good picture
of its condition and what it needs to
serve you for another year. Or,
perhaps a decision to replace the unit
Grab the grease gun and start systematically and
intentionally going around the machine.