Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/732903
EquipmentWorld.com | October 2016 35 Engines • Diesel fuel. As the mercury drops, diesel can gel and develop water condensation. Filters can clog, and sediment can collect in the bottom of storage containers and the fuel tanks of unused equipment. Check your onboard fuel filters to make sure they're clean and functioning properly. But don't substitute a less efficient filter to fix a perceived problem with premature plugging. A less efficient filter may extend the period before plugging occurs, but it will also allow contaminants to flow downstream. Heating diesel fuel above the cloud point is the simplest and most reliable way to avoid plugged fuel filters in the winter. An OEM-approved all-in-one fuel filter, water separator, and heater will warm the fuel close to the maintenance | by Tom Jackson | TJackson@randallreilly.com Get on it now: Your machines will run better this winter and be ready to rip come spring WINTERIZING YOUR FLEET N othing is more annoying than a maintenance oversight caus- ing a machine to go down – unless it's a maintenance failure that causes a machine to go down in a howling artic wind. As the days get shorter and the weather turns colder, contractors are scrambling to finish projects. And while the work has to get done, this is no time to cut corners on your maintenance. Winter and cold weather is al- most always harder on equipment than the warmer months. Some experts even contend that more damage is done in the first ten seconds after cold-starting a diesel engine than in any other point in its operating cycle. If you want to maximize uptime given the limited daylight available in the months ahead, then now's the time to go through your main- tenance protocols with a fine-tooth comb. With each passing week, these tasks will only get harder to complete. We asked a handful of equipment experts what they rec- ommended. Here's what they said. The best time to get maintenance done is before the snow flies.