Tag Archives: Cold Weather

How to protect heavy equipment during winter

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Heavy equipment has to go through a lot of hardships and unlike humans it does not complain. Well, it does break down when it is unable to take any further but it has a very high level of endurance which makes it the most important component of the construction industry. However, it also becomes futile in front of extreme weather and rough terrain. Be it the hot summer or the wet monsoon or the harsh winter, it is expected to perform throughout the year but there is always a chance of it breaking down if the weather becomes extreme. More so in the winter, when the weather outside is frozen and the inside of the machine needs to be hot. Most of the times, it cranks up and does not start. It is therefore that the heavy equipment owners have to take extra care when it comes to their heavy equipment operating in chilled winter season.

Check if the engine is well lubricated:-

Most of the parts of the machine need to be well lubricated in order to function without any hick-ups. Hence, the operator needs to keep a very close watch and check time to time if the machine is well lubricated and special care needs to be taken with the engine of the machine. The engine oil should be changed on a regular basis and especially during winters, it should be changed once in a month. Due to the frozen climate outside, the oil becomes thick and it does not act as a good lubricator then. This may also affect the health of other parts of the machine which will eventually lead to complete replacement of that part. It absolutely makes no sense to invest money on buying new parts when you can easily change the engine oil at regular intervals.

Clean the fuel tank:-

Cleaning the fuel tank may sound to be trivial but is very crucial when it comes to the overall health of the heavy equipment. You need to clean the fuel tank cap and ensure that the cap is doing well. The fuel should be clean and should not contain any sediment or water. The presence of these components can become a big problem pertaining to fuel injection system failures.

Ensure that the batteries are in good health:-

It is perhaps the batteries that are the affected the most with the beginning of the winter. In order to ensure that the batteries are doing well, the operator should check the battery electrolyte and make sure that it is up to the full indicator and also above the plates. Another trivial but important part is to clean the top of the battery. There happens to be a lot of dirt on the top of the stuff and that can result in energy drain. You can make use of baking soda and terminal bush to clean any corrosion that exists around the posts. If you see that the heavy equipment will not be used during the winters and will be needed some other time, you can just remove the batteries and keep them in a storeroom so that it avoids any direct contact with the outside freezing weather.

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Cold Weather Diesel Fuel Tips

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It becomes very tough to get your heavy equipment started during winters. Imagine you have a big project in hand and the work has already started somewhere during the mid of the year and it is going in full swing. Just then, the chilling winter arrives and the machine just does not want to start. It is no less than a nightmare and the worst part is that it is happening for real. It is just the cold weather that can create all sorts of problem in your machine. But if you think that you can deal with it then let’s put it in this way. The problem is just the tip of the iceberg. When it gets colder and starts snowing, things become worse. Because it is then that you do not get mechanics to fix the problem and if you are a guy who does not know how to fix issues, then you are in deep trouble. We all know that heavy equipment run on diesel and diesel has the characteristic to become thick during winters. It turns into a gel like substance losing its liquid form. This becomes the cause of all the trouble. You need to equip yourself with alternatives that you can use to keep the machine on move.

Let us first talk about what happens to diesel fuel during cold weathers and what can be done to ensure that the machine works when it is expected to.

There are ideally two types of concern that we should prepare ourselves to deal with. The first one is gelling and the second is water contamination. Under “Gelling”, the fuel (diesel) turns into a gel-like substance and is not able to flow through the fuel filter. As a result of this, the engine may run irregularly. Often there are more chances of the engine getting turned off during the mid of work. There are also chances of the engine not starting at all. In order to avoid this problem, it is advised to use Diesel One fuel. This kind of fuel has shown positive results in preventing the fuel from turning into wax. Thus, it has been highly effective in keeping the engine intact and has also increased the efficiency of the machine during the winters.

Water Contamination is another problem that hits diesel run heavy equipment hard. Water when it comes in contact with the fuel has the potency to contaminate it in no time. During winter, it becomes very simply for water to get mixed with the fuel thus contaminate the fuel and breaks down the equipment. Water also has the capacity to freeze in fuel at a temperature of below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the supply line of the fuel is freezes, it evidently does not allow the fuel to pass and leads to issues. Just in case, it fails to freeze, then it will definitely become a place for microbial contamination and will have the potency to destroy the important parts of the machine. What can be done to avoid such a situation is using engine block heaters. They are used to keep the engine hot while it’s working. It keeps the engine hot for the next day. So the driver has to unplug the heater and then start off his work.

 

 

How does your heavy construction equipment handle the cold weather?

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Heavy construction equipment are usually tough machines and they are able to work under tremendous hostile weather conditions. But at times, especially during cold weathers, they come across a lot of complications that result in nonperformance of the equipment. Construction industry is a billion dollar industry and nonperformance of the heavy equipment for a single day means a lot to the industry. They may incur huge loss if the machines cease to work for a day or two. Therefore, it becomes very crucial to keep the machines in check throughout the year and when it is winter time, pay extra care to it.

We would be discussing as to what care an owner should take to protect its machine from cold weather and keep it working throughout the year.

Regular oiling to keep the machine lubricated:-

Heavy equipment majorly work in rough terrain and external dust particles are bound to enter the machine through various entry points. It may not be possible for anybody to keep a check on those entry points and fill them up so that the dust particles do not find a place to enter. Understanding the situation, it is imperative that the machine is kept lubricated all the time. This will not allow the dust particles to stay at the place for long and will easily slip away. Having said that, it is also important to clean the machine once or twice in every month. Apart from this, during cold weathers, the oil gets condensed and finds it difficult to flow inside the engine valve. In such a situation, regular changing of engine oil will help to keep the machine in good health. So, during winter, we may have to change the engine oil and also lubricate the machine more often than we used to do it in other seasons.

Ensure that the brakes are in order:-

Most of the times we pay a lot of attention to important things and skip stuffs that we believe are not so important. Same goes in the case of heavy equipment. We may give lot of importance to the maintenance and servicing part of the equipment but at times, we fail to check the brakes of the machines. According to experts, checking the brakes is the first thing to be done before you begin your work. Majority of accidents happen due to brakes not functioning properly and at the right time. It not only causes damage to the machine but may also become fatal to the workers working on the site. Checking if the brakes fluid is at the proper level should be considered as a priority. Only when you are sure that the brakes are in good condition that you should start your work.

Check if the electrical systems are in order:-

Checking the electrical system is also an important part to ensure that the machine is in good health. The battery should be fully charged and the connections should be proper. It should not happen that while you’re working with the equipment, you press the button and it cease to work. It may only lead you into trouble.

 

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