Masonry Magazine December 2005 Page. 17
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For forklifts, a basic service that includes changing all of the filters and greasing the machine should be performed every 200 hours, Adams says. It takes four hours and costs $425. A full service should occur every 600 hours. It encompasses everything in the basic service, plus draining and replacing fluids, such as transmission fluid and oil in the wheel hubs. The full service takes six hours and costs $695.
Warren Townsend, yard manager for Davenport Masonry Inc. in Holt, Mich., says his company schedules maintenance on its 30 to 40 mixers every 50 hours. The service involves changing the gear casing oil, which costs $20.
"We haven't had gear casings go down in the field since we started that," he says. "It's a good return on that investment."
John E. Dolce, president of J.E. Dolce and Associates, a Roseland, N.J.-based consulting firm, and author of three books about fleet maintenance and management, suggests a 30-day inspection cycle. Equipment is inspected every 30 days, allowing contractors to assess whether it will break down before the next inspection. If it will, then repairs need to be made before it goes to the job site. If everything will hold up for 30 days, then it's ready for work.
The same philosophy holds true for seasonal equipment. Dolce recommends inspecting machinery before the busy summer season. If it'll last through the summer, it's safe to hold off on replacing parts. If it won't, then the equipment should be repaired before the season gets underway.
When putting equipment away for long periods of time, inspect it before it goes into storage, Dolce says. Inspect it again 30 days before it's needed.
Even equipment as straightforward as scaffolding needs servicing. Jerry Castle, president of Bennu Parts & Service, as well as Jerry Castle and Son Hi-Lift Inc. in Elk Grove Village, III., says hydraulic scaffolding needs a daily inspection, but it only takes 10 minutes.
"You have to check the motor every day," Castle says. "And make sure the scaffolding is level and plumb and the safety mechanisms are in place."
Making Equipment a Priority
WITH BUSY SCHEDULES and tight deadlines, it's easy to push machines to their limits and postpone servicing. It can be a costly mistake, which is why experienced contractors make equipment care a priority.
As Brad Kirkpatrick, a mechanic with J. & E. Duff Inc. in West Chicago, Ill., points out, once the owner and job site foreperson make equipment maintenance a priority, it trickles down to all the employees.
"If your foreman is saying, 'Have you greased the machine and checked the oil?' then the guys realize if it's important to the foreman, it's important for them," Kirkpatrick says.
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Fax 586.294.1505 www.mccauseylumber.com
December 2005
Masonry 15