As the temperature rises and decreases, your industrial vehicles need summer and winter maintenance check ups. Regular and routine maintenance can keep your industrial vehicles running for years. Do you know what to check up when preparing your industrial vehicles for the summer or winter season? Here are few preventive maintenance tips that can save you from troubles down the road.
Tires – Drastic temperature changes cause tire pressure changes. At the start of every season (summer or winter), check whether the tires of your industrial vehicle are properly inflated, because if not, they can be damaged easily while driving. This situation is very dangerous, because you can easily lose control over the vehicle. To prepare your tires for the upcoming season, you need to:
- check the tire pressure, and if needed to inflate the tires to a proper level;
- look for any signs of excessive wear, and replace the tires if needed;
- check whether the spare tire is properly inflated so you can use it whenever you need it;
Hoses And Belts – In order all components and parts to working together, the industrial vehicles are designed with many hoses and belts. The hoses and the belts carry essential fluids, such as oils, coolant, fuel, etc. The two most important belts that need to be replaced are:
- V-belts on every 60,000 – 80,500 kilometers;
- Timing belts on every 80,500 – 140,000 kilometers;
To avoid major breakdown once the new season starts, change the worn belts and hoses.
Oil And Oil Filter – Changing the oil and oil filter of the industrial vehicles is a well-known preventive measure. But do you know when is the right time to replace them? That depends on many factors. Where you use the vehicles? How many hours have you spent driving? And how extreme were the temperatures? Most manuals recommend oil and oil filter changes on every 5,000 – 10,000 kilometers, but if you use the industrial vehicles in extreme temperatures, or for carrying heavy loads, consider doing this more often.
Air Filter – Clogged air filter is the most common problem during the winter months. In order to ensure that your industrial vehicle will have a constant supply of fresh air, you need to replace the air filter on a regular basis. Generally, the air filter needs to be changed on every 19,000 – 25,000 kilometers. To check whether the filter needs to be replaced, take it out and inspect the filter.
Brake Pads – Before the season starts, check whether the brake pads need to be replaced. Operating with damaged or worn brake pads is very dangerous The modern disc brakes feature a small metal piece which is called a wear indicator. This indicator creates a high-pitch sound to inform you when the brake pads need to be changed.