Tag Archives: mechanic

Winters can be a big problem for heavy equipment

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Extreme climate change can pose real big problems to almost any type of business. When people face difficulty to move from one place to another due to extreme weather, it does have a larger impact on the smooth functioning of the business as well. As a matter of fact, you will not find much of an alternative to crack the problem.

Hot summers are still manageable but heavy monsoon and chilled winters are almost unacceptable for most of the industries and if we talk specifically about construction then monsoons and winters are its biggest enemies. If it rains heavily then there is a problem with transportation of materials and simultaneously you can’t even work on an existing project. Winters can have havoc on your heavy equipment. Winters do not affect the project directly but it plays a bigger role in hampering your work by attacking heavy equipment. Thus the productivity of heavy equipment takes a hit and you take the hit on your business.

Before the arrival of winter, you should be prepared to do some basic repair work on your heavy equipment. Your machine goes through a lot during all the weathers and still perform. So it becomes crucial for you to ensure that the needs of the machine never go unattended. With the onset of winter, the oil gets thick which blocks the flow while you start the engine.

This has been a major problem for every operator. At times it takes over an hour for an operator to just start the machine. Other than that, there are many other complications that come in with the arrival of winter. Experts believe that heavy equipment that are serviced regularly and are well maintained do not give a tough time to the operators during winters but the ones that are not serviced at regular intervals are bound to cause trouble.

Take help of a mechanic:-

Firstly it is important to keep the heavy equipment well maintained. So keep a track of the days when you service the machine and also ensure that you do not delay the service date for the upcoming month. It has been observed that you perhaps think to delay it by a day or two but you eventually end up delaying it by more than a week. This is absolutely not healthy for any heavy equipment and it thereby weakens the machine from the inside. Before winter arrives, you should take help of a mechanic and ask him to inspect the machine. If they find any flaw with it, ask them to get that fixed even if it requires replacing some important parts of the machine. Give very clear instruction to the mechanic that you want the heavy equipment to work like it always does during the winter.

Take help of user manual:-

Heavy equipment before the start of the problem give signals. If you fail to comprehend those signals, take help of the user manual and check what does signals are for and what you need to do if it throws some kind of signals. The user manual usually talks about the care that you should take and going by the book can really lengthen the life of the machine and also keep it running during winters.

Do not start heavy equipment workshop without adequate experience

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It is mostly advisable to not start a business that you do not know much about. You will most probably end up burning your fingers. It is quite natural for a person to not understand what is going around in his business if he understands nothing about it. So it makes no point to start something that you know nothing about or know very less. When we think about starting a business, we not only invest good sum of money into it but also our time and effort and we should make sure that we get everything back from it. So when you start a business, do it with the intention that you have to reap profits to the extent that you get back the money you have invested and also the time and efforts that you have put in. We all know how thriving the construction industry is and how profitable any business will be that is closely associated with the industry. Therefore it definitely makes sense to get into something that the construction industry requires on almost every day basis.

Owning a heavy equipment workshop means real big thing. Contractors will come to you with their heavy equipment to get them fixed and you in turn can make good money out of it. But for that, the pre-requisite is that you have sound knowledge of heavy equipment. The people who will come to you to fix their machines will want you to do the work at the earliest. They may not have time for you to take days to find the problem and then look out for a solution. They are people who probably want mechanics with excellent knowledge about machines and who can acknowledge the issue the moment they start the engine. So if you intend to open heavy equipment workshop you have to be that competent. You do not have any scope to take things for granted because if you try to do so you will start losing business. The contractors will take no time to switch workshops.

Work as a mechanic in some workshop:-

It is quite crucial for you to gain some experience as a mechanic before you end up starting a workshop of your own. Now you can gain experience by either working as a mechanic in somebody else’s workshop or try to get into heavy equipment manufacturing company as a mechanic. You also need to study on heavy equipment and pass exams to become a certified mechanic. No heavy equipment company or for that matter workshops will hire you if you do not have any such certifications. Spend some years working with them and try to learn as much as you can. Try to deal with different types of heavy equipment so that you are exposed to many machines at a time.

Become a freelancer:-

You need not have to open a workshop to fix machines. You can even work as a freelancer. So the construction companies who want a mechanic will reach out to you and you visit them at the jobsite and try to fix the equipment. In this way you do not have to shell lot of money on infrastructure that is otherwise required if you own a workshop of your own.

Why should we do preventive maintenance for heavy construction machinery

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In order to increase the life of any mechanical substance it is highly crucial that it is serviced, checked and maintained at regular intervals. The mechanical instrument is perhaps being used all throughout the day and if any such instrument works for hours at a stretch then the chances of it breaking down increases manifolds. This is the reason why the owner of the stuff should take uttermost care to service it at regular intervals and ensure that if it shows any signs of wreckage that should be addressed then and there. Heavy construction machinery falls under the category where it works almost all throughout the day. Heavy equipment are quite expensive and the owner of the machine can’t afford to just leave it unattended and uncared. On top of that, you can’t work for a day without the help of heavy equipment. They constitute an integral part in the growth and success of your business and therefore their ill-health can’t be and should not be ignored.

Can’t buy another one easily:-

Due to the high price of heavy equipment you can’t afford to buy a new one whenever you see a need for it. No one wants to sell their used heavy equipment for cheap and if that is the case then one can easily imagine the price of brand new heavy equipment. For that matter if your machine goes out of order and you need to keep up with your work pace you have to get another one its place or repair the existing one. Getting another one is not a wise idea and getting repaired means you have to wait for days to get it back fixed. This means that your work is now in jeopardy. This is one of the prime reason why you should always ensure that the construction machines are serviced and maintained regularly so that it does not develop any glitch at the time when you need it the most.

Hiring a mechanic can prove to be expensive:-

Heavy equipment mechanics are equally expensive as they understand the complex stuff that they are dealing with and when you deal with a complex thing you charge more for that. So if there appears to be any technical glitch that may have surfaced due to improper maintenance, you have to call a mechanic. Now this guys will fix his rate depending how complex the problem is and how long will it take for him to get it fixed. Moreover it will not be a day’s affair. He might just take the machine with him and will give it after a couple of days or may be even more. The same is applicable if you give it to an authorized dealer who fixes heavy equipment.

Servicing and maintaining heavy equipment is not a thorny thing to do. It is all about remembering the last time when you serviced the machine and also recognizing from the signals the machine throws if it develops any problems.

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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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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.