3 Important Processes to Add to Your Preventive Maintenance Program
What processes do you need to add to your preventive maintenance program?
- Fluid analysis
- Engine Check
- Exterior Maintenance
The operation of heavy-duty machinery and equipment like the road roller doesn’t stop after a construction job is done. Just like any other valuable thing in a given person’s life, maintenance is a vital component of ownership. This is especially true when the thing you are owning is a machine used to compact a wide variety of surfaces such as soil, asphalt, and concrete.
That being said, road rollers can be more prone to wear and tear when compared to other machines because they are exposed to more elements that can possibly disrupt their systems. Not only that, compaction tasks usually involve uneven surfaces that need smoothening and extended periods of road roller operation due to the nature of roads and highways. To combat the inevitable decline of your machinery due to regular use, maintenance programs are prescribed by industrial equipment manufacturers and engineers. The said programs should be strictly and regularly followed. However, a problem many equipment owners and operators could face is a lack of complete maintenance knowledge. You might be aware of checking the water system or the engine oil, but there is so much more to maintenance than that.
To help you understand some of the inner workings of your road roller and to help make your maintenance efforts more comprehensive and beneficial, here are some important processes you can add to your preventive maintenance program.
Fluid Analysis
One thing that can improve any preventive maintenance program is the incorporation of some elements from the predictive kind of maintenance. While both concepts are different, they are by no means mutually exclusive. At the end of the day, the longevity and preservation of your assets is the main goal. In that regard, fluid analysis is one thing you can incorporate.
Fluid analysis means monitoring and analyzing the lubricant oils present in your road roller and checking them for viscosity and contamination. A viscous, contaminated lubricant can result in the wearing out of machine parts and it decreased performance, if not fail altogether.
Engine Check
Routine engine checks are crucial if you want to keep your road roller as functional as possible because the engine is where the power of the road roller comes from. Here’s a small checklist when it comes to that: air, fuel, and cooling or lubrication. Good airflow is helpful in keeping your engine’s heat levels in check. As for fuel, having the right type of fuel whether it’s diesel, unleaded gas, or crude oil will go a long way. Using the wrong kind of fuel will eventually ruin your machine’s engine. Lastly, coolants and lubrication also help regulate the heat of your roller’s systems aside from the engine itself.
In order for a given road roller to have the proper output to compact materials like asphalt, the engine has to run at specified RPMs (rotations per minute). If the engine isn’t turning fast enough, systems won’t perform as designed and performance will be diminished. this can result in inadequate impact spacing and a loss of density.
Exterior Maintenance
One pitfall a person embarking on a maintenance mission is to neglect the exterior of a machine. After all, the most important parts of a machine are on the inside, from the engine to the pneumatic systems and power steering. However, that doesn’t mean the exterior factors don’t deserve your attention.
For example, the lights whether it’s the headlights or warning lights should always be functioning and bright. This is for the protection of both the operator and the people around him or her. Road rollers often work in a convoy of different paving machines in order to construct a road or highway. Sometimes job orders are running on a short deadline. All these factors can culminate in construction jobs happening at night. This is where the lights are crucial in order to avoid accidents. Aside from the lights, make sure that the reflectors aren’t chipped, the steering wheel is working properly for excellent maneuverability and the pedals are also well oiled and working properly.
Key Takeaway
The best way to preserve the longevity of your road roller is proper use that is supplemented by regular and diligent maintenance.
To put it simply, if you use a compactor the way it was meant to be used, on jobs it was designed to do, then that will have a positive impact on how long it will last. For example, do not roll it over solid blocks of concrete or stone. Over compacting certain surfaces can also have adverse effects on the components of a road roller, so you should also keep that in mind. Use it as much as you need it, and once it passes its effective fatigue limit, don’t think twice about replacing it with newer and better equipment.
