Skid Steer Maintenance Tips

Your skid steer is a valuable piece of equipment. Its small profile and tight turn radius allow it to fit into difficult spaces on work sites and tackle various projects. But even the highest quality models run into issues over time due to normal wear and tear. Fortunately, there are plenty of steps you can take to extend the life of your equipment. Below, we discuss the inspections you should be doing as well as proactive maintenance tasks you can handle yourself. For service shops/departments in York, Hanover, and Frederick, visit our dealership. Our expert staff is ready to get your skid steer back on the work site where it belongs.

Daily Inspections

You'll want to look over your skid steer before you fire it up for your day of work. This helps you catch issues early. The sooner you can catch the problem, the less headache you'll face fixing it. The longer a problem sits, the more damage it can cause. This can result in more expensive service department bills than you would have had to pay if you caught the issue earlier. These maintenance issues can also cause safety issues and damage on your work site. You never want to take compromised machinery on the work site and regular inspections can help prevent that.

First, you'll want to look for any leaking fluids. Skid steers require a range of fluids to function such as hydraulic oil, engine oil, and coolant. Make sure all the moving parts related to these fluids are functioning well. Check that your hoses are fitted tight enough and are in good condition. You'll also want to scope out your fan belt tension and fuel water separator.

Second, you'll want to investigate the various moving parts of your equipment. They can get worn down or broken over time and need to be replaced. This is also a good time to grease the fittings and pivot points. Check your air filter, too, as this will need to be changed every so often. Replacing it when it's time helps improve your skid steer's performance.

Finally, look over your tires. Check that they have enough tread and are inflated to the correct air pressure. If the tread isn’t wearing down evenly, this could indicate a problem. You'll want to visit a service department to get this fixed. Never use your skid steer if there is an issue with the tires since you could face a dangerous blowout.

Monthly Inspections

There are two key checks that you'll want to do each month. First, see if your oil is ready to be changed. Usually, you'll need to replace all your fluids every 250 operating hours. Second, see if your hydraulic fluid filter needs to be replaced. It needs to be swapped out about every 500 operating hours.

Proper Use Guidelines

There are many steps you can take to extend the life of your skid steer. Preventative and proactive maintenance is key. An obvious, but important, step is staying within the recommended operating limits. After all, they are there for a reason!

Next, be sure you are using the right set of tires and the right skid steer for the job. For example, you'll want to use a radial skid steer for grading rather than a vertical lift skid steer. Using the right tools for the job will help improve efficiency and reduce damage to your equipment.

We hope you found these tips helpful! If you are looking for service shops/departments in York, Hanover, and Frederick, stop by our dealership. Our expert staff can get your problem fixed so that you can get your skid steer back to work.