Category Archives: Repairs

How to diagnose fault codes on heavy equipment

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Knowing the nature of work heavy equipment are bound to have issues which can even result in loss of work. Therefore it is so critical to ensure that the heavy equipment are in good shape. Machines do give some hints letting the operator know that there is some issue that is getting generated in it and it should be taken care of at the earliest. These hints are known as fault codes or diagnostic codes. The purpose of the code is to inform the owner of the machine or the person who works on it about a specific problem that will crop up in the future. It then becomes the responsibility of the operator to understand the codes and what it is pertaining to. Different types of problems are relayed through different types of codes and one must know how to read them. Once you are able to read the codes and understand what it is trying to say you will save a lot on the operating cost of the machine.

One can read the codes through the OEM’s telematics platform. This is a highly useful platform that one can make use of and prevent their machines from any breakdowns happening in the future. Since the OEM’s send early notifications action needs to be taken in the right direction. For instance, if the OEM sends fault codes for over speeding the engine, one must realize that he is probably driving too fast on a steep path. The person should understand the code and bring a change in his way of driving the machine. He should be more careful while driving on steep paths as the machine has already thrown faulty codes pertaining to that subject. It also means that there are chances that the machine may develop complications if the driver does not stop driving fast on steep roads.

If you are a person who does not understand much about faulty codes then the best option would be to gather the codes and take it to the equipment dealer. The maintenance manager will go through the codes and will advise you on the future course of action. They are the guys who deal with the faulty codes every now and then and therefore it makes more sense to you to approach them with the faulty codes and ask them to set up some plan and advise you on the type of action/care you should be taking to keep the machine in order.

The owner of the heavy equipment can send the fault codes wirelessly and can alert the technician of the ground situation. If the technician sees codes that suggest him to change a particular part of the machine then he can inform the owner accordingly and likewise a decision can be taken. The owner will in no way want to reduce the productivity of the day and will therefore not take any chances. The fault codes help in a big way to increase the overall life and also augment the productivity of the machine.

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Appoint expert mechanics to fix heavy equipment

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Construction and mining industries are highly dependent on heavy equipment and if they do not work for a day can cost them huge sum of money. So the thing that becomes important for them is to ensure the health of the heavy equipment is in good shape and in case if there is any problem irrespective of how big or small it is, get it rectified then and there. It is not the operator’s work to check if the heavy equipment is doing well and is free from all issues. Though in our practical world, construction companies expect the operators to take care of that part as well. What operators can do is identify if there is any issue with the heavy equipment and if they see anything wrong, they can directly report it to the concerned authorities who will take up things in their control and try to fix it before things go out of control.

So when we speak about the concerned authorities, it can be the guys who are given the task to ensure that the heavy equipment are in good shape or it refers directly to the mechanics that are appointed by the companies to keep the machines in order. So the operators if identify any problem with the heavy equipment can report it to the mechanics and try to get it fixed in no time.

Now the crux of the matter is how competent are the mechanics that the company has hired. Well, if the mechanics are not competent enough, then it can be a grave problem for the construction company because they may not know what is wrong with the machine and eventually on one fine day, it will just stop working. There is no point to fire them then. You got to make sure that the selection process is stringent so that you can hire the cream or you can just collaborate with some freelancers who are good mechanics and pay them what they are worthy of.

In no way you should be risking the health of your heavy equipment by giving it to mechanics that do not have complete knowledge or lack experience in the subject matter. Hiring freelancers can be expensive but that will still be a worthy affair as their services will be anytime less than the total cost of the machine. Also you have to keep in mind the loss you may incur if the machine is non-functional for a day or so. Other than this, there are construction companies who appoint contractors to work for them. Now these contractors do not own the heavy equipment. They mostly get it on rent from someone else and they have to return it the way they got it. That is without any fault or any major wear and tear. This is why it is a must for them to have a tie-up with expert mechanics. You can also give the machines for monthly or bi-monthly maintenance to these mechanics. These create a good rapport with them and if there is a situation where a part needs to be replaced they might do that for you with minimum cost.

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Do not shell all your money repairing old heavy equipment – Buy a new one

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It is close to impossible to function in the construction industry without the presence of heavy equipment. You simply will not be able to walk an inch if you do not have good functional heavy equipment and may find your businesses moving to your competitors. So possessing necessary heavy equipment is of utter importance if you want to make your presence felt in the construction domain. However, if you have few construction machines that are faulty and every now and then you have to spend a fortune paying good chunk of money to the mechanic to fix things, you are heading for a bigger mess.

Firstly, you just can’t remain in business with machines that do not work. If it a minor problem and you can get it sorted with the help of a mechanic, you should do it at the earliest but when you start experiencing chronic issues, it is time to give away the old piece of metal and buy a new one. Spending more money for repairing the stuff does not make any sense when you have a big construction business to run. You can’t expect your equipment to go off the field for whatever reasons.

Buy a brand new machine if you have enough reserves:-

To buy a brand new heavy equipment or a used one can be a very tricky question. It all depends upon your requirement and the reserve amount you have in hand. For instance, if you have projects that demand new equipment at work, there you are left with no other option that to invest your money in buying a new stuff. But if the situation does not demand you to buy a new machine and if you can get a used one that is quite functional then you should prefer the later. Keep your money for future requirements as you do not know when you may need the money.

In case, you have to buy a new machine and you do not have sufficient reserves for it, taking a loan is the last option. You can think of all the options you have at your disposal when it comes to borrowing money. It can be from a friend or somebody from your relatives. There you may not have to pay any interest to them but if you do not get any financial assistance from them then you have to turn up to a financial institution for loan. You will be charged interest on the loan which is required to be paid on a monthly basis.

Buy heavy equipment directly from the company:-

Buying heavy equipment directly from the company can be very rewarding. There you can expect to get some offers that the company is running at that point in time. You may also get some discounts on the price of the machine or they may offer you some accessories for free. Overall, it will prove to be a win-win situation for you.

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Learn to repair heavy equipment and make a good career

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We all need to have some kind of unique skills that can set up apart from the rest of the folks. It is just that it takes good deal of time to recognize that skill and by the time we realize it, it becomes too late for us to capitalize on it. However, the one who realizes his true potential can make wonders with his/her skill and can be innovative while applying the skill to various causes. Thus, the person can earn good money and also enjoy the work. Same stands with becoming a mechanic of heavy equipment. Heavy equipment is quite a complex subject and it takes years and years of study and practice to become a good mechanic. Once you have devoted all the time it takes you to reach the pinnacle, you can set examples for others. Apart from being a complex subject, heavy equipment are really expensive products and it takes a fortune for any construction company to buy an equipment.

As long as the machine is in good order, the owners of the machine are happy but once it starts developing any complications, they want a mechanic to fix the problem at the earliest. Here is where an expert mechanic can make things merrier for himself. Since he knows everything about the machine, just be the sound of the engine he may make out the issue and thereby apply things to get it fixed. If the machine gets up and running, the owner of the machine may give further machines to him or may spread his good work to other people thus increasing his business.

Join a reputed institute to learn about machines:-

To become an expert, it is important to learn thoroughly about heavy equipment. You can’t get all the knowledge by working under someone. To get complete knowledge about machines, joining a reputed institute is the best option. There they will teach you most of the things about heavy equipment. Once you complete the preliminary training, you may look forward for advanced courses and also seek some practical training. Institutes ideally send their students to various workshops from where they can see people working on machines. This is the place from where most of the students get to learn in depth and creates their fascination for the machine.

Keep yourself in the company of students who are serious in making this as their career:-

You tend to come across various kinds of people. Some will be very intense with what they are doing and some not that serious with studies. Try to be with people who take their studies bit seriously. That doesn’t mean that you don’t mix with the rest of the folks. It is just that you be with people who can help you make your career.

Get hired by companies:-

Once you are done with your studies and manage to get good scores, you may be picked up by some construction and heavy equipment company. Most of the institutes have campuses from where students are picked up for job.

How to change a transmission on a bulldozer

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It is never easy to work on things that you do not know especially when it comes to fixing your heavy equipment and you have absolutely no knowledge how to go about with it. This is when you should depend on guys who are into fixing problem pertaining to heavy equipment. It is better that you give the machine to a mechanic who after checking the stuff will do what needs to be done with it. However, at times it becomes important for you to know a bit of fixing thing as well. You do not always get the mechanic handy and in situations like this you may experience the real trouble. You have work in hand and your machine is just not ready to work. It could be due to some problem with the transmission and in order to get it fixed, you need to open up a lot of stuff and the transmission out.

Ideally in a bulldozer, the transmission is located near the engine crankshaft and it remains attached there with the help of a flywheel or a clutch. In order to change the transmission, it is first critical to remove the stuff carefully from the place it is located. In case of a bulldozer once has to be very careful while getting it removed beside the engine crankshaft. He needs to be make sure that he does not mess up with the crankshaft or that will lead to further complication with the machine. You got to be absolutely sure that you know how to work things out and get the transmission replaced.

To learn things in a much better way, it is advisable that one should go through the user manual as the procedure is stated with pictures so that one does not go through a lot of hardship to understand how to change the transmission. You can also check how the mechanic works on your dozer. The way he spreads out the engine crankshaft and from there he pulls out the transmission. You can even ask the mechanic if you can give it a shot while he is there monitoring your work. In this way, you can practically try to change the transmission but if you feel that you are confident and can do it again, it is prudent that you do it in front of an expert so that in case you go wrong somewhere dealing with it, there will someone who can set things right for you.

One more method that you can adopt to learn to change the transmission is through training videos. Well, you get to learn a lot of stuff from there. You only have to enter the things you want to see and you get ample of options. Just pick the one you feel you should watch and check if that is the one you are looking for. For instance, if you want to check videos where people are shown changing the transmissions, you can do that on YouTube. It really helps but if you want to do it practically, better try things in front of an expert.

 

Top heavy equipment repairs questions

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Undoubtedly, heavy equipment are the toughest machines and they do not wear off so easily. But they are also prone to issues that often crop up due to negligence on the part of the user. Firstly, we need to understand why any of the issues crop up in the first place and then how do we correct them. Heavy equipment unlike any other equipment are put to extreme difficult tasks and are also expected to do the work without causing any damage. On top of that, heavy work pressure and delivering the work in time becomes the most primary reasons why the owners of heavy equipment skip to give the machines for maintenance.  They feel that the machines is working fine which means that everything inside it is in order and the maintenance work can be postponed for few more days. What they usually miss is that the heavy equipment has gone through enough stress and will perhaps continue to do so before it is serviced, that will indeed take a toll on the machine. It is only when the machine starts developing some or the other problems that the owner realizes that he should get the machine checked by a mechanic.

Other than this, when the current owner lease the machine to another person, he does not instruct the new person categorically to maintain the machine at regular intervals. This becomes quite nasty for the equipment. The new user uses the machine according to his whims and fancies and therefore develops some issues in the machine. If the user is done with his project, he keeps the machine idle without trying to know if it has some internal damage and if he should be showing it to the mechanic or needs some minor repair work. It becomes the duty of the owner to say it very upfront to the user to get the equipment serviced from a good mechanic, to change the engine oil at regular intervals and if ever he feels that there is any problem with the machine or he has got any part of the machine damaged while working, then to get it fixed in no time.

Other than that, for people who wants to know what to do when the machine fails to operate in the way it used to, the best option is to join a forum where they can ask questions related to the repair of the machine. Heavy equipment can have lot of problems and it is inevitable to operate the heavy equipment for years with no problems keeping in mind the nature of work it has to do. Problems such as engine not starting during cold weathers are the most common questions that can be found in the forum. Some even ask about the viscosity level in the oil. Other top questions can be where to get the excavator repaired in Wisconsin or for that matter in some other states? How often should one maintain his machine? Questions like should one replace the faulty part of a machine with a new one and from where should he be buying them from are the top most questions that one would like to ask.

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