Every project these days needs a skid steer, so let’s take a minute to make sure the skid steer is ready for duty. If you allow this machine to get caked with material, or if you “forget” to grease vital pinch points, you can bet you’ll have less efficiency on the job.
Start with greasing. The general laborer who is assigned to run the skid steer should take responsibility for keeping up with its greasing schedule.
Double-check the machine hour meter also. While some hour meter systems make a distinction between on time, working time and idle time, not all of them do. You’ll want to perform specific maintenance tasks based on actual time worked.
Once season gets here: During the morning walk-around, make sure hydraulic fluid is leveled off, of course. But check to make sure it’s clean. Why have metal flakes and dirt gumming up the system? If the fluid is compromised, schedule to have it changed.
Also during season, stay on top of routine care. Crews need to put time into preventive maintenance. The managers who incentivize good maintenance are the managers who have reliable uptime and consistent production. If the crewmembers take the time to wipe down pinch points and hydraulic cylinders on the skid steer at the end of the shift, they’re keeping material buildup from hindering efficiency and production tomorrow. Fifteen minutes at the end of the workday saves an hour or two during critical production time tomorrow.
We all understand this concept. You can instill the best practices in your crewmembers by starting with equipment that’s in best condition going into spring start-up