Getting Your Fleet of Heavy Equipment Ready for Spring

There may still be a chance of snow, but right around the corner is spring. If you’ve had your heavy equipment in storage for the cold months, you want to start thinking right now about everything you need to do to get each machine ready to work again. Luckily for you, we here at Stribling Equipment are here to help. 

We’ve got all the tips you need to get your equipment ready for spring, including a dedicated service team that can provide a more thorough inspection and look for problems that need solving before you find out about them the hard way. We have dealerships conveniently located all throughout Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas, so contact us today to see how we can assist you.

Locate Your Owner’s Manual

All the tips we’re going to provide today should be applicable to most pieces of heavy equipment, generally. However, the only place you’re going to find specific information on your machine’s make and model is in the owner’s manual. This will have all sorts of maintenance and seasonal guides that you’ll want to review before getting started. If you don’t have your owner’s manual, check out the manufacturer's website. There are usually copies of every manual they’ve issued available for download.

Clean the Equipment

One of the easiest ways you can prepare your heavy equipment is to wash it. It’s been sitting in storage for some time now and has probably collected a bit of dust. Even if you cleaned it before winter, it’s a good idea to do it again. You’ll want to wash the exterior and clean the inside of the operator’s cab.

Inspection

This is also a good time to perform a thorough inspection of the machine. Look for signs of wear and tear or damage that may have occurred during storage. And be careful about blindly sticking your hand anywhere. You never know what kinds of critters have decided to call your piece of heavy equipment home for the winter.

Return the Battery to the Engine

If you removed the battery for the winter (which, if you didn’t, you might be looking at a dead battery), you’ll want to put it back as you’re performing your prep work. While you’ve got the engine open, it may also be a good time to check belts, chains, and gears, as well as change the oil if necessary. 

Lubrication

It’s a good idea to lubricate the moving parts of your heavy equipment before you get started. This is another area where even if you took care of this before storage, you’ll still want to do it again. It’s the best way to know there’s plenty of grease on each moving part and that nothing’s going to get stuck when you’re working.

Hydraulics

If your heavy equipment comes with a hydraulic arm, you’ll want to make sure fluid levels are up to par. And if you switched to a more winter-appropriate product, you’ll want to switch back to the more standard option. 

When to Ask for Help

As you’re preparing your heavy equipment for spring, you might encounter a repair or maintenance concern that requires more skills or tools than you have available. In that case, you’ll want to contact a trusted and skilled service department with trained technicians. Trying to muscle through a problem on your own could lead to an even bigger maintenance problem that’s even more expensive to fix. Plus, when it comes to heavy equipment, it can be dangerous to work on the machine if you don’t know what you’re doing. That’s why it’s best to leave this kind of thing to the professionals.

Speaking of which, whether you need a trusted service department ready to help you prepare for the work season, or you’re still looking for the right equipment to fill out your fleet of machines, Stribling Equipment is here to help. We’re your one stop for everything you need to improve your uptime. Just contact one of our many locations in Tennessee, Mississippi, or Arkansas, to see what we can do for you!