Heavy Construction Equipment: Repair, Troubleshooting and Maintenance

How to Benefit from Hydraulic Equipment Repairs

3 April 2018 by Clifton Barnes

Did you know that hydraulic equipment repairs provide many more benefits than restoring your equipment to a functioning state? Read on and discover some of the benefits which you should obtain each time your hydraulic equipment is repaired.

Identifying Root Causes

Make sure that the hydraulic equipment repair report which you receive from the in-house or outsourced repair team has information about the root cause of the problem. Pinpointing that root cause can help you to institute measures to prevent the same problem from recurring shortly after repairs have been completed. Root cause identification also ensures that any repair which was conducted was directed at more than just addressing the symptom of the problem. For example, a bent rod in a hydraulic cylinder can be fixed by straightening it. However, that rod will bend again if the reason why it bent in the first place isn't addressed during the repair session.

Detecting Other Problems

You may have taken your hydraulic equipment for repair to address a specific defect. However, it is helpful to use that opportunity at the repair shop as a chance to identify the other problems which could be existing in that equipment. For example, replacing worn bearings can allow the repair technician to see whether the cylinder bore needs to be honed again. Fix those other problems during that repair session so that the equipment isn't taken out of service shortly after to address those other issues. Check the repair report and confirm that other issues were also attended to during the repair job.

Detailed Inspection

Every repair session is an opportunity for your hydraulic equipment to be inspected thoroughly. Special attention should be given to wear surfaces, such as the sump floor. The bearings, strainers, filters and other components should be checked. Check for corrosion and address any affected sections which are spotted. Never take your hydraulic equipment out of service with strict instructions that only the defect should be given attention. Inspect the equipment in its entirety before it is taken back into service.

The benefits above can only be enjoyed if you create a culture of improving equipment maintenance on a continuous basis. Such a culture eliminates the habit of finding someone to blame when equipment fails. Be motivated to improve your preventive maintenance programmes so that hydraulic equipment failure autopsies can yield the wealth of information which can form the basis of the improvements which you want to see.

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