Category Archives: Oil

Regular greasing of heavy equipment can increase its longevity

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For a heavy equipment operator or for a construction company owner, heavy equipment has been an integral part of their daily life. An operator just can’t think his life without heavy equipment and probably spends more time with the machine than with his family. In a way, the machine becomes his family for the larger duration of the day and at times he finds the lifeless thing as his best pal. Heavy equipment play a very crucial role in determining the future of a construction company. If the owner keeps the machines in order, then he simply increases the longevity of the machines. However, if he does not keep them in order, he is only messing up his own business.

One of the most important parts in keeping the machine healthy is timely applying grease to it. Heavy equipment work in tough terrain and are often prone to dust particles entering inside the interiors of the machine causing friction. If the friction is too frequent, then it can cause irreparable damage to the machine. According to Stede Granger, OEM technical manager of Shell Lubricants, we cannot just limit grease as a lubricant but it works much more than that. It works as a hurdle to contamination. However, he is also of the view to check what kind of greasing your machine requires.

All the heavy equipment has own set of requirements and may not match with the other equipment. Same goes with the greasing of the equipment. One type of grease may not be suitable for all the equipment and therefore there are different types of greases available in the market. At the same time, there are also different qualities of greases available. It depends upon how much you can afford for your machine. Ideally, it is not necessary to apply the most expensive grease as it may not suit your machine. You need to know what kind of grease goes well with your equipment.

Just in case, you do not know what kind of grease you need to apply on your machine, it is better that you consult this with some expert in your place and get to know about it. You can also join a forum and get people’s opinion. You will never find yourself short of opinions as people will always come with information to help you out.  You can also find some help in the user manual that you get from the heavy equipment manufacturing company. Those manuals can be helpful to you as well. Nevertheless, it has been found that people find the descriptions given in the user manual to be kind of vague and it ultimately does not go well with the machine. It is not that they did not follow the instructions properly, but it simply does not work on their machine. The equipment’s working environment plays a pivotal role in determining what kind of grease will the machine need. You just can’t depend on one type of grease. Your machine may need different types of greases to keep working.

Are the oil prices affecting the construction industry

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The cost of heavy equipment depends a lot on the oil price which also has its impact in the construction industry. It is not necessary that if the oil prices are low, it will be a sunny day for the construction industry but ideally it always has a positive impact. The construction industry seems to make good profits when the oil prices are at its low primarily because the heavy equipment consume the same amount of fuel with limited costing to the company. We have seen that when the oil prices were high, it had a negative impact on the construction sector or in other words the construction industry were not able to afford to give any discounts to the end users.

When we relate construction industry with oil prices, we also have to consider few other dimensions and they are the ones that have a greater impact than the others. For instance, after excavating the land, the soil is supposed to be dumped at a distant location for which you need trucks. Now if the oil price is high, it will undoubtedly become expensive for the company to move the soil from one place to another. This will certainly have its impact on the industry as the construction companies will not want to incur losses by selling their products at a lower price. This was just an example. There are many other factors that are co-related with the oil prices that determines the fate of the construction domain.

There is also a flip side of fall in oil prices that can have a negative impact on the construction domain. Heavy equipment companies are in the process to manufacture equipment that consume less fuel. Now taking this new technology into consideration, we can construe that the equipment will be expensive and if the oil prices starts falling they are in no mood to product equipment that are less expensive but consumes more fuel. So the construction companies are left with no option other than to buy those expensive equipment. Other than that, we have seen that after a small correction in the oil price, it again starts rising. This means that the fall will be for a very limited time and the heavy equipment companies will not want to change their technology for a limited duration.

Fall in oil prices affect the construction industry in one more unique way. For instance, a construction company started a project when the oil prices were high but by the time it completed oil prices started falling. This actually is benefitting the companies who have started the project during the fall as they will be able to sell the product at a lower rate than the one who completed their project during the time when the oil prices were at its peak.

Other than that when the oil prices are high, it has the capability to make the entire industry sluggish. It is particularly during this time that the construction companies are not able to show huge profits. Nevertheless, fall in the oil price is mostly considered to have a positive impact on the construction industry.

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Why does my heavy equipment lose oil pressure?

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It has been seen that many construction houses do not pay much heed to the maintenance of their machines. Though heavy equipment are meant for rough uses but that does not mean that they should never be maintained and since it is left unmaintained, it develop complications which then require the help of sound technicians or mechanics who charge good sum of money to get it fixed. One of the major problems of not maintaining the heavy equipment is it losing oil pressure at frequent intervals. Other than this, another major issue is cold weather. Well, nothing much can be done if the weather is really chilled but that does not mean that one has to sit doing nothing. Cold weather does not bring a “no business” tag along with it. There are always ways and means that one can take to avoid a situation where the engine of the heavy equipment is simply not willing to start and you are at the mercy of the ineffectual thing.

We would be taking in details as to why heavy equipment loses pressure and what can be done to fix the problem.

In extreme weather (especially cold weather when the temperature is below 0 degree Celsius), the engine oil gets thickened, due to which it fails to build the oil pressure quickly. Similarly, if the equipment is already in working mode, the pressure may suddenly fall and the engine will stop responding. The thickness of the engine oil may also cause the system to go sidestep resulting to the same problem. Other than the problem of cold chilled weather, improper maintenance of the machine is another issue that can cause to similar issues.

In case, if this problem recurs to happen, then it will have direct impact on the quality of the engine. It may damage the engine that includes engine oil pump, crankshaft bearings and camshaft bearings (tin overlay), bearings of engine timing and many other things. The damage can be to several minute instruments all around that constitutes the engine of the machine.

Solution to the problem

The best possible solution will be to change the engine oil and filter when one experiences this issue. The person can put in multi-viscosity oil like 5W-30 or can even install a low wattage engine oil pan heater that will take care of the problem. There is another way to check if the oil thickness is up to the mark or has that degraded. One can test the oil viscosity by doing a lube oil testing. In the testing, if the lube oil shows that the viscosity is at 40 degree Celsius and 100 degree Celsius then, it indicates that the oil has degraded. The soot loading, oxidation and sulphur will all read as high.

Ideally, the soot loading is one of the major reasons for the increase in thickness in the oil. It also increases the oxidation level in the oil which becomes the reason for the thickness in the oil. Sulphur generation can happen due to not changing the engine oil at regular intervals. If we combine all these problems, it leads to increase in viscosity in the oil and the solution would be to change the engine oil and the filter.

 

Increase the Life of Your Heavy Equipment- Go for Oil Analysis

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That the use of heavy equipment is mandatory for the success of a construction project is a fact that cannot be denied in any way. Being in charge of the construction industry almost always equals to dealing with heavy construction equipment. And dealing with heavy construction equipment comes hand in hand with maintenance and safety issues which cannot be overlooked. Oil analysis has been found to be one of the many ways in which could proceed towards this goal.

What Is Oil Analysis All About?

So, the very first thing that must come to your mind is what is oil analysis all about? Broadly speaking, oil analysis refers to the test conducted on the properties of a lubricant in a laboratory. A part of preventive maintenance measures, oil analysis has been proved to be helpful in a number of ways. The entire process is carried out in three different stages, viz, analysis of the various properties of the oil, analysis of the contaminants and analysis of the debris from the equipment accumulating out of wear and tear.

Oil Analysis and the Heavy Equipment

The entire oil analysis procedure has been found to be quite useful for maintenance of heavy equipment. One cannot deny the fact that maintenance plays a key role in determining how long particular heavy equipment will survive. And oil analysis helps construction site owners do exactly that. It helps them in determining what is best for their heavy equipment thus, increasing its longevity.

Machine Conditioning Monitoring has emerged as one of the latest trends in the entire heavy equipment maintenance affair. Based on oil analysis, this system, though not compulsory, has been found to hold a significant position nonetheless. Heavy equipment go through a lot in the entire construction business. It is the heavy equipment that are exposed to extreme working conditions, going through all the rough patches in order to complete a construction project on time. In such a situation, oil analysis can emerge as a significant contributor to the entire maintenance procedure of the equipment and increase its longevity.

An effective oil analysis can prove to be of great help in not only determining the assets of the construction equipment, but also prove to be significant in putting a leash on abrupt failures, increasing both productivity and longevity. Oil analysis takes aspects, such as, viscosity, water, fuel dilution, soot, wear metals and the like into account for its purpose. This is important, as it is this procedure that will help determine the next step that is to be taken in the entire maintenance procedure.

It therefore, would not be wrong to conclude that the oil analysis does prove to be an important factor in the entire maintenance procedure of heavy equipment. Not only does it ensure the optimal utilisation of the equipment but also adds to the entire longevity factor of the equipment.

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Making the most from your oil analysis data

Oil analysis also known as OA is used to get accurate information of the lubricant and the condition of the machine. With the help of oil analysis one can eliminate heavy costs involved in the maintenance of the machine. Tribologists are there to interpret the data of oil analysis.

Oil analysis helps to identify two primary oil conditions that can cause hazards to the equipment:

  • Measuring the acid number and oil viscosity help to detect the chemical changes that has occurred due to thermal degradation of the oil.
  • Metallic contaminants in the oil are detected by Atomic Emission Spectroscopy which also indicates lube mixing.

Tribologists use the Oil analysis data and distinguish the new oil from the used one to replace the oil at the correct time. A careful Oil analysis data sometimes make the oil sweetened either by putting some quantity of fresh oil or by adding replenishing additives that were drained.

What is the use of oil analysis?

  • Amount of dirt contaminants present in the oil.
  • Fuel liquefaction of lubrication oil.
  • Limitless bearing wear.
  • Quantity of antifreeze in the oil.
  • Lubricant is correctly applied or not.

Through oil analysis one can peer inside the engine, transmission and hydraulic system without dismantling the machine.

How to take an oil sample for oil analysis?

An oil sample represents the condition of all of the oil in the machine. It is useful to get the oil hot and thoroughly mixed before taking it as a sample.

Taking the oil sample at the time of draining is more preferable because during draining some of the used oil will be drained and one could store the remaining oil in an appropriate container.

One can have oil sample by sucking out the oil by connecting a plastic tube with the oil reservoir.

How to choose the best oil analysis laboratory?

There are many oil analysis laboratory and choosing the right one is definitely a herculean task. Some points are given below that may help one to choose the right laboratory.

  • Turnaround time is one of the most important factors. It means the time which the laboratory has taken to test the sample. It should be 24 to 48 hours after the sample has been received by the lab.
  • Alert notification through email, telephone call, fax or by sending message should be given to the person if some kind of abnormality is detected during testing.
  • One has to find out whether the industry is specialised in that kind of testing equipment’s oil or not.
  • The analyst should interpret the environmental information, condition of the fluid, contaminants parameters and machine wear parameters and directs the person for the next step that should be taken to save the machine.
  • One should find out a laboratory that performs wide range of tests and not only one that fits the person.
  • Oil analysis test is mainly based on “you get what you pay for.” So one should not prefer price over quality service.

Oil analysis data serve as a tool to measure the condition of lubrication management procedure. So it is important to make the most from oil analysis data and prevent the machine from its early breakdown.

 

 

 

Pump In Oxygen In Your Vehicle By Changing Its Engine Oil

You spend a lot for buying a vehicle and when you make a purchase you make sure that you are buying the best in terms of your budget and affordability. After having bought the vehicle, you take extra care to ensure that you do not bump it with any other vehicle that naturally will leave a scratch on it or you may even end up with a dent on it. You also give it for servicing after every 5000 miles or when you feel the need for it. The mechanic at the garage does the entire thing for you like changing the engine oil, putting grease in all the right places for better lubrication and check if the car is smooth enough for a comfortable drive. Everything seems right till now. However, once thing that leave us with an opportunity to ponder is the fact “has the mechanic used the right engine oil for my vehicle?”

This is perhaps the most important question when it comes to servicing your vehicle. There are many engine oils available in the market; all have their importance in certain model of cars. No one engine oil can be used for all cars and it depends upon the type of engine the car has upon which the compatibility of the oil is considered. The engine oil can be considered as the oxygen of the engine without which the engine of the car becomes nothing but a piece of rusty metal.

Why do we need to change the engine oil?

In order to get an answer for this question, we need to first understand why an engine needs oil in it. Well, a vehicle has lot of moving parts which brushes each other quite often in the process of moving the vehicle. This friction of the moving parts creates heat. Here comes the function of the engine. The oil lubricates the engine which absorbs the heat that is generated from this friction and permits the parts to continue their function without getting over heated. The particles generated from the friction get mixed with the oil which ultimately wears out the quality of the oil and create the need to get it replaced with fresh oil.  This is one of the major reasons why you need to change the oil.

How often should one change the engine oil?

 The user manual gives instruction as to when should the customer change the engine oil. However, it also depends on some other factors which play a significant role in determining the frequency to change the engine oil. Factors such as “how you drive the vehicle”, “Where you live” “the age of the engine” etc. Ideally, you can just take your vehicle to the mechanic who will check if you should be changing the oil now or will give you a time frame as to when you should come back to him for full servicing.  As stated above, basically we need to change oil after every 5000 miles. However, if you use special synthetic oil, it may run for another 5000 miles. These oils are very expensive but one may still find it to be affordable if they want their vehicle to perform in the long run.

How Far Is it Important To Keep Your Heavy Equipment Well Maintained

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You buy a new house and you do everything to ensure that it looks new all the time. You bring in new furniture, fit in with the most expensive false-ceiling that you can afford and also with all these expenses, you also make sure that you paint the house at least once a year and call people to pest free your house. You do this because you want your house to not lose its shine till the time you own it. This will help you in two ways. Firstly, it will be a hygienic place to live and second if you ever wish to sell it off, you can fetch a good price for it. It is very obvious that the buyer will not like to spend a good deal of money after buying your house by paying a fortune. Moreover, your house being in good condition makes it saleable at a high price as compared to other properties in the same location. Well, the same theory goes with heavy equipment.

Heavy equipment may not be as expensive as the property you live in but at the same time, it definitely pinches to buy a new machine to meet your business requirements. Undoubtedly, the high cost of heavy equipment makes it unbearable for a small time construction company to purchase a new stuff which is why they are more likely to end up buying a second hand or a used machine to take care of their project needs.

How frequently should one service his machine?

The frequency for servicing the machine largely depends upon the type of work it was under. Nevertheless, the thumb rule is that one should service the machine once in a month or at times once in 2 months. You may simply call in a mechanic at your place and ask them to check the different parts of the equipment. Change the oil, lubricate the different parts of the machine, give it a complete wash and if there happens to be any spots that got burned, fix it up as soon as possible without waiting for the servicing period to knock your door.

Paint your machine:-  Not much heed is paid to painting the equipment as we all find that job to be of least importance. Well, as far as taking care of heavy equipment are concerned, there is nothing known as least important in its vocabulary. If you find your stuff worn out, try to get that repaired by either painting that part of the equipment or out some sticker which will limit any further damage to the part. If we keep it idle, dust will settle in and as a result it starts damaging the part at a much faster pace than it would have. Moreover, it will also give a feel good factor to us at any moment our eyes fall on the machine.

Keeping good mechanics as part of the crew is an added advantage as they can fix any problem that comes up during the project and ensure that things run at the same pace without falling apart.

Synthetic Oil versus Regular Oil for Heavy Equipment

Does your automobile is in need of fuel? Do you need to choose between synthetic oil and regular oil and are not exactly sure as to what they are? Which among the two is better for your heavy equipment? Let us put the ongoing debate of synthetic oil versus regular oil inside our head to rest and clear the concepts in our mind first.

 

What Is Synthetic Oil?

 

First of all let us be clear about what does the term synthetic actually refer to? Any substance that is made using chemical substitutes rather than its natural component is termed as synthetic. Now, how does it fit the bill here? Synthetic oil is made out of chemicals such as, synthetic esters, hydroisomerised based oils, polyalphaolefin and the like. The regular motor oil is derived by refining the crude oil extracted from the earth. As opposed to the regular oil, the synthetic oil does not have crude oil as its base; rather its base oil is the product of the chemical laboratories. As opposed to conventional lubricants, synthetic ones are a mix of molecules of varying dimensions.

 

Synthetic Oil versus Regular Oil

 

The debate of which is better for use in heavy equipment- synthetic or conventional oil has been on for a while. If we take a quick look at the charts, then we can see that synthetic oil has been the popular choice for automobile users for quite some time now. Why is it so? First let us consider the disadvantages of using the regular oil. At higher temperatures, the regular oil often botches, thereby bringing the flow of the lubricant to a halt and increasing friction. This in turn leads to poor performance of the engine.

 

Now, let us look at why the synthetic oil is better than the regular oil.

 

For starters, the synthetic oil is ideal for use at extreme conditions. In case of regular oil, extreme weather conditions make the fuel botch, thus increasing the friction and leading to poor performance of the engine. The synthetic oil has just the right viscosity that reduces friction thus leading to improved performance. And when the performance improves, you can bet that the cost is reduced appreciably. Along with extreme weather conditions, the synthetic oil is ideal for extreme driving conditions or heavy equipment as well.

Though synthetic oil can prove to be a pocket pinch when you are a regular user of the conventional oil, there is also the fact that it plays a vital role in the longevity of the heavy equipment engine.

With everything else, sludge, which is a common problem when it comes to automobiles using conventional motor oils, is non-existent in case of synthetic oil.

 

With the growing popularity of synthetic oil, more and more automobile or heavy equipment corporations are manufacturing automobiles or heavy equipment that run on synthetic oil as opposed to conventional oil. It is not that there aren’t any drawbacks of the synthetic oil, but the fact remains that the pros are too many to count.