Category Archives: Heavy Equipment Mechanic

Characteristics of a good heavy equipment mechanic

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Heavy construction equipment is that essential part of the construction business without which the very basic of the work would not be possible. Therefore, every construction business needs construction equipment to do their task. But the heavy workload and the tremendously hectic working schedule makes the equipment damaged quite frequently. This leads to the problem related to operating the equipment and thus the work at the construction site gets disturbed.

In such situation, what is needed to be done by the owner of the equipment is to hire a mechanic who is skilled and experienced in repairing the heavy construction equipment. The need of a skilled mechanic is not limited in case there is damage in the equipment; rather to maintain the efficiency of the equipment so that it offers maximum outcome, the equipment owners must have professional mechanics.

Factors to consider in a heavy construction equipment mechanic:

The owner of the equipment must be careful about the characteristics of the mechanic that he hires. They must include:

  • Ability to diagnose the problem:

The first and the most important factor that the mechanic must be able to do is diagnose the problem that is causing the equipment to trouble. The skill should be of the ultimate level so that he can recognise the problem by checking the apparent symptoms.

  • Skill to solve the problem:

Whether the problem with the equipment’s functioning is with the electric wires or with the hydraulic system or even with the fuel tank, identifying the problem will not be enough, if the mechanic cannot fix it fast. The longer the mechanic takes to diagnose the problem and providing a solution to fix the damage, the longer will be the time to stop the construction process.

  • Listening quality and charming nature:

Just as the doctor should listen to the patient, the mechanic should also listen to the problems and the difficulties that the owner has been facing. If the mechanic is stubborn and unwilling to listen to the owner, then it will lead to a delay in the diagnosis of the cause of the damage. As the owner of the equipment does not have any knowledge of the mechanism, it there might be several questions going on in the owner’s mind. Therefore, the mechanic should have a charming quality to relate to the owners.

  • Knowledge of the technology:

With every passing day, new technologies are being discovered in order to make the construction industry a revolutionary one. The mechanics should be aware of these technologies, software and various other features that can make the equipment functioning easier.

Without these qualities, no mechanic can be proven beneficial for servicing the equipment of your construction company. There are many mechanics that are skilled, but if they lack in the other qualities and facilities, then you will not be able to find a quick and effective solution for the damages done to your equipment. Even to maintain the efficiency and the performance of the equipment, then also you will need to hire a skilled mechanic.

How to fix a hydraulic leak on heavy equipment

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Hydraulic is a technology that is widely used nowadays in most of the heavy construction equipments. This technology is very much helpful for running the functions of these equipments, because it is a fluid that moves within a confined section of the equipment and the high pressure created by this, moves the equipment in the desired direction. The hydraulic is mostly favoured by the users due to the tremendous amount of force that it generates, which helps those heavy construction equipment that needs force to perform. Nowadays, the equipments which are used at the construction sites; alone do not require this hydraulic system to be the working principle in the equipments, the small industries also make use of it to reduce the man power and costing that the hydraulic technology can offer.

What are the basic requirements for implanting a hydraulic technology into heavy construction equipment?

  • Hydraulic fluid or the hydraulic oil is the basic requirement for creating the hydraulic technology. It is this fluid that creates the pressure, which works as the main instrument of rotating or controlling the chamber.
  • A pump because without it the technology would not work to create the pressure.
  • The chamber to hold the hydraulic fluid. For that, a series valves and hoses are required.
  • A hydraulic motor and ram.

How does the hydraulic technology work?

The hydraulic pump draws and pumps in the hydraulic fluid, from the reservoir and sends it to the chamber where the valves and hoses work as the medium to create a high pressure through the pump. This high pressure then works as the main force of work for the rams and the motors. These rams and motors then move the equipment as per the directions of the user. The pressure that is created is very high, and equivalents almost 1000 PSI to 5000 PSI.

How to deal with the leakage?

Although you take ample care of your heavy construction equipment that is run by the hydraulic technology may face damage, especially leakage. This may occur due to a lack of force. If there is a hydraulic leak in the equipment, it is very difficult to deal with, because, hydraulic chambers and the entire system requires specific tools to check with the damage and the mechanics must also be quite trained.

  • Using a seal may be very helpful in case there is a hydraulic leak. Normally the seals are made of metal, but they can also be rubber rings with metal bands around it.
  • The area that has been damaged due to a low pressure, most of the time faces the damage. So, if you fix a stainless steel metal fitting, then it will create a high pressure and there will be no possible leakages further.
  • If the lines of the valves and hoses get thinned, due to constant movement of the fluid inside.  So replacing the lines will solve the problem.

 

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Want To Get Your Machine Repaired – Get Help Of An Expert

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Construction industry is heavily dependent on heavy equipment and one need to take utter care of his equipment; because if the equipment go wrong, he has no work to do for the entire day. More to this, the work pending for the day gets carried forward to the next day, which means that he has to complete 2 days work in a single day. This could be quite problematic for a company which deals with huge projects. A delay of work for a day can even lead to huge loses and can also tarnish the reputation of the company. Therefore, it is very important for them to ensure that they have all their machines in working order and if they feel that any of the stuff needs some repair, they should make the arrangements in advance and see to it that things are taken care of much before it goes out of hand.

Knowing the fact that heavy equipment are an integral part of the construction industry, many construction companies keep a team of experts whose work is to check the condition of the machines on a daily basis and if they find anything objectionable then they have to report it to the manager or to the person up in the rank. Once that gets reported, it becomes the responsibility of the managers to take a call on this and give direct instructions to the mechanics who will ultimately get the issue fixed.

Where do you find these experts:-  Finding the right person to do the job is in itself a huge task. We normally find many people who claim that they can do the job but eventually they all turn up to carry very limited knowledge about their domain and only possess the skill to resolve the issue temporarily and can’t provide a permanent way out  to it. In such a situation, it becomes very important to find people who can do end-to-end work for you. There are many educational institutions that train students on heavy equipment. The training ranges from a couple of years to 5 years of rigorous training where they learn everything in detail about heavy equipment. No doubt, that they lack practical application, however that vacuum is soon filled once they start getting some experience in their line of work. This is one place from where you can pick guys and make them as potential experts. The candidates should be thoroughly screened and all sorts of technical questions should be thrown at them. If only they are able to give satisfactory answers, they should be allowed a place in your organization.

Contact your peers if they can help you out:-  If you have your friends who are also into the construction business, you might as well take help from them. Check with them if they know an expert who can fix problems in machines. If your friend is pretty old in this industry, he will certainly know someone who fixes his machine. So you might get some help from them.

Putting it on internet:-  You might also want to take help of internet by posting an ad there putting your requirements. You will be then contacted by an expert who will get the problem resolved.

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Prevent and Minimize Heavy Equipment Undercarriage Wear

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We all know that any minute issue in heavy equipment if not taken care at the right time may give birth to serious problems in the nearby future and which is why it is very critical to keep your machine well maintained. By saying your machine, it is just not limited to the equipment but also the undercarriage that forms an important part of the machine. The equipment is not operated in the right manner may give exert more unwanted pressure to the tracks and thus it may lead to issues down there and that may even result in the machine going idle for days till the time the undercarriage doesn’t gets fixed.

The major reason that can lead to an early deterioration of the undercarriage is having a tight track. A tight track can give rise to many problems in the undercarriage and therefore it is recommended to check the tracks well during the time it’s installed on the machine. Too tight tracks can lead to eating away of sprockets, bushings, carried rollers etc. thus decreasing the overall life of the tracks and will also shoot up the operating cost of the machine. The procedure to adjust tracks differs from machine to machine. It basically depends on the kind of sprockets being used in the machine (if it has an elevated sprocket or a conventional one). Though, it is advisable that one should always adjust the tracks in a job site rather than doing it in a shop.

Lower down the speed of the equipment when it is not productive. You definitely would not want it to wear for non-operational reasons. It has been seen in many construction sites that the operator is always in a hurry and runs the machine at high speed when it is not productive. Well, there is simply no reason to put it in a high speed when you don’t want it to perform. That is one of the reasons why the undercarriage wears in less time than compared to equipment that are not always in a state of hurry. How is speed related to deteriorating the quality of the machine? It directly affects the bushings, sprockets, idlers and all the other important component of the undercarriage. It affects the most to the bushings and sprockets when you reverse the machine at a high speed. Hence, when it’s not at work or when it is needed, it should be driven at a high speed.

Turning the machine constantly in a particular direction wears the undercarriage in that part. It particularly affects the rail slides, idle flanges and rollers. In case, where you just can’t avoid turning the machine in one particular direction, you should better examine the tracks at the end of the day and check if you can continue with it the following day. If so ever, you see that it needs some adjustments to be done, get that done before you further wear it down.

In case of slipping tracks, you should ensure that you reduce the load because if not done, then it may affect the grousers.

Tips for Maintenance of heavy construction equipment

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With new construction taking place all over the world, the construction companies are always in need for heavy construction equipment that is in proper working condition. As there is a huge work load at the construction sites and the equipment has to perform for long and break-less hours, it is very likely that the equipment gets damaged and as a result it decreases the quantity and quality of its performance. So following some simple yet useful tips of maintenance is very helpful.

Why do you need to maintain the heavy construction equipment with special care?

As the heavy construction equipment performs heavy duty in the work field or construction site, it faces severe damage. From damage to the parts of the equipment and to the engine mal function, there can be many types of damages caused to the heavy construction equipment. If these damages are not treated from the very beginning, it will gradually lead to severe problems and as a result, it will stop the construction work for long. So it is always better to deal with the damage and keep a proper maintenance of the equipment so that the owner does not have to spend a lot of money in taking the equipment to the service center.

Tips to maintain the heavy construction equipment:

  • There is no better alternative than to go for a daily checking of the heavy construction equipment. While you do this, you must see to all the worn out parts of the equipment, and note carefully if it is damaging the performance of the equipment.
  • The nest most important thing is to notice if there is any oil leakage from any part of the equipment. If there is something in the notice, then it must have an immediate attention.
  • Clearing the air filter and checking if it is working properly or if you not it may cause equipment failure. Damage to the air filter means reduction in the life of the equipment.
  • Every day, at the beginning of the working hours and at the end of the working hours, the equipment should be fuelled properly. This is because, an empty fuel tank will damage the hydraulic engine and the load on the engine will increase. Not only that, a full fuel tank increases the performance of the equipment.
  • Check whether the electrical cords are in proper condition or not. If the casing gets damaged, then it might lead to accidents or the equipment might also not work properly.

Benefits of maintaining the heavy construction equipment:

The heavy construction equipment needs regular maintenance. (Call B&R Equipment Mechanic or Lube Technicians).  This is because it will decrease the cost of servicing and increase the life of the equipment. With higher performance rate and reduced fuel consumption rate as a result of regular change in the engine oil, hydraulic oil filter and engine oil filter the profit of the user will be more than satisfactory.

How to change the cutting edge of a piece of heavy equipment

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If you use heavy equipment for whatever reasons like construction, road building or other purposes, it is very obvious that prolonged usage and heavy load will damage the machine. Not only the engine, but the body of the machine also faces severe damages, especially in the metallic outer part. If that is the case, then heavy equipment needs an edge cutting so that it is repaired and can function properly again.

How can you change the cutting edge on your heavy equipment?

When your heavy equipment stops functioning properly or is giving you trouble, then it might be one of the reasons for changing the cutting edge of your heavy equipment. This is a rather difficult process and can be done in a few ways:

  • Removing the part of the equipment from its body so that it does not harm the rest of the equipment. Preparing or making a new part or joint for that part of the equipment.
  • Cutting the edge of the malfunctioning part so that it can get its original condition back. If the part of the machine or heavy equipment is broken, then it can be welded in order to make it useful again.
  • Cleaning up the metal so that the machine or part of machine which was facing trouble gets back to its original condition or it can be found where the problem lies. Whether it is broken or not.

 

Check out the tips in order to become a good mechanic

The U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics has stated that the demand of repairing and other services related to the heavy diesel machines like tractors and other construction equipment will increase up to 11 percent within 2016. Those who are interested in this field and want to make his or her career in this field should be aware of the basic qualifications that need for this job. A heavy equipment mechanic has to know all the proper ways to repair or control the heavy equipment in his shop. There are many types of heavy equipment so the job or services are also different for different category such as a diesel engine mechanic has to work on the trucks or other vehicles on the other hand a construction equipment mechanic should take training on such machines that are required for construction sites. The electrical, hydraulic and other operating systems should be learned by those mechanics.

 The duty of a diesel engine mechanic is to maintain the engine properly and understand everything related to the diesel engine. A construction equipment mechanic has huge responsibility as they are not only allowed to work on the engine but also the other damaged parts of equipment are repaired by them. So they have to increase their knowledge about the essential items that are needed for the construction sites like bulldozers, earth movers, cranes, paving machines, mixers and much more construction equipment.

While you are working on a construction site or in other sites related to this field you always should carry personal protective equipment (PPE) throughout the time of your working. This is a very important safety rule that everyone should follow. The mechanics are required to follow this rule in order to maintain their safety.

All the employers want to hire such mechanics who can work really well on the heavy equipment and also they should highly knowledgeable about their work. In order to get the job of a mechanic it is not sufficient to gather experience, you also have to enhance your bargaining skill for wages.

It will be best for your career if you take a certificate or a degree on this course from a reputed organization. Many technical schools and community colleges provide such degrees for those people who really want to work on diesel and heavy equipment repairing services. You will be able to gather experience on different types of heavy equipment as well as different brands from them. These programs also offer internship opportunity and also a work experience certificate. Many employers want to hire those who have such degree or certificate on this course.
So all these things are very important for a mechanic and if you get a proper training then you will definitely be able to become a good mechanic.

Avoid Costly Repairs by Implying Preventive Maintenance Measures in Your Heavy Equipment

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You may have the best of the heavy equipment available in the market to get the job done but what use it is of when it does not work at the time you need them the most. The reason for this is very strong and also alarming. It is certainly not that you have bought faulty equipments but it broke down as it was not properly maintained. The heavy equipment working constantly in the construction site are prone to dust and other foreign particles that can choke the flow of oil to its important parts which can lead to the breakdown. If not taken care off at the right junction, it may become a very expensive affair to you.

As you read on, you will come across many hazards that can occur due to not taking good care of your machine.

Hazard to the project:-  Big projects are given on the basis of the goodwill you carry in the construction industry and also on the type of equipments you have to get the work done. The project giver does not simply hand away projects to any newbie and are always on look of people who are experienced in this sector. They also see to the fact how maintained are the machines. If they have doubts on it, you may as well receive a negative reply from them which definitely will hurt your business. Moreover, the one that you have in hand may take a halt as you can’t move an inch ahead with your ceased to work equipments. This may take a bigger toll on your business and moreover to the goodwill that you have created in the last many years.

Cost to get the equipments repaired:-  We all know how expensive are heavy equipments and it is quite obvious that the parts of the machines are no less expensive. This means that if any part of the equipment goes faulty and is needed to be repaired, you need to shell out a good sum of money to get it replaced with a new one. Now assume that you have good number of machines which needs to be repaired. This means that you need to spend a fortune on them while you are also suffering a setback in your business. This would be completely unacceptable to any businessman who has been in this sector for years.

Cost incurred on the mechanic:-  The mechanic who repairs heavy equipments are very high in demand which is why they are quite expensive. They will get the machine up and running for you but will also charge hefty fee for that. You on the other hand are left with no option than paying him his charges.

All these could have been avoided if you had a team who will do nothing but look after the machine. The team can be a member of 3 people who are able and competent in their domain. They would be responsible to service the equipments are regular intervals and take due care of the machines. In this way, you can save a lot by taking good care of your machines.

Finding the Right Heavy Equipment Mechanic for the Job. Not Just a Parts Changer

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When you are into a big construction business, you need to have heavy equipment of all types which can get the job done for you. These machines are expected to work round the clock and gets very little time to rest. Machines are perhaps quite similar to humans in this case and yes they too need some rest after the day’s long and tiring work. However, we on the other hand do not realize this and without allowing it to take its break continue with the arduous work. This is certainly taking a toll on the overall health of the equipment and very soon it may just give up to work.

Undoubtedly, the construction industry is the most demanding industry where not only humans but also machines are expected to work constantly. The company works on strict deadlines and in order to maintain the goodwill it has earned over the years, they do not like to compromise on those deadlines. But in this process, they are forgetting one very important point which is to maintain the machine by giving proper servicing. Since the equipment doesn’t get proper servicing, it becomes prone to chronic breakdowns which ultimately affect the project.

In such a situation, the most viable option is to get the equipment hooked with an able and competent mechanic who knows his work well and is sufficiently experienced to understand the issues in the machine and get it up and running. Nevertheless, it is not a simple task to get a good mechanic. All that you get are parts changer. Parts changer are perhaps good in changing the parts of the machine with a new one but may not be able to fix something for which you may not need the old stuff to be replaced in the first place. They can identify the problem but are no good in giving out solutions. Most likely, they will ask you change the parts and get rid of the problem.

As a matter of fact, parts of heavy equipments are as expensive as the machine itself is. You need to shell out a good sum of money if any important part of the machine is affected. Most of the times, you have the option to fix the affected part rather than getting it replaced which is probably more sensible and effective. In such a scenario, you need a good mechanic who can check and let you know what has gone wrong with the equipment and what he can do to get it fixed. A number of times, an able mechanic come out with ways and methods to fix the defective part. The last thing that’s there in his mind is to replace the faulty part with a new one. With his experience of years, he manages to set it right thus saving a good deal of money for you.

These mechanics are highly paid but are equally effective and are worth for every mint you pay to them.