Landscape & Irrigation

January/February 2016

Landscape and Irrigation is read by decision makers throughout the landscape and irrigation markets — including contractors, landscape architects, professional grounds managers, and irrigation and water mgmt companies and reaches the entire spetrum.

Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/626548

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 21 of 35

Maintenance or mayhem. When picking between the two, the choice seems simple — no one would intentionally disrupt their productivity. Too often, when it comes to properly maintaining earth drills, operators forget the importance of daily and monthly inspections. Foregoing regu- lar maintenance leads to trouble onsite with ei- ther declined drilling performance or a complete breakdown. With maintenance in mind, rental centers and contractors should always choose a reliable manufacturer that produces quality equipment with minimal maintenance. After finding the best drill and manufacturer for their needs, operators must understand checking drills only once a year doesn't make the cut. Routine preventative main- tenance and servicing is crucial to achieve the most uptime. For rental centers, this means they can get the equipment "rental ready" faster, and ensure the next operator will have a quality product to use. Not only can routine maintenance cut expenses, but it can also eliminate the frustration contrac- tors feel when a machine goes out of service be- cause it wasn't properly maintained in the first place. Scheduling service for drills depends on the usage, specifically based on hours. For example, if an operator uses a drill every day for a week, he or she should service the drill once a month. If the drill gets used two to three times a week, he or she should service every three or four months. Drill maintenance depends on specific parts and features, because portable earth drills can come in varying models, like mechanical or hy- draulic drives. MECHANICAL MAINTENANCE Two-man drills feature the motor directly on top of the drill. By comparison, some manufacturer's mechanical earth drills include a motor on a car- rier connected to the drill handle by a flexible drive shaft. Due to the design, these drills only need one operator. This is beneficial because it can cut labor costs in half. Mechanical drills are less expensive than hydraulic models, and spin An Earth Drill Education TOOLS & EQUIPMENT Some manufacturer's mechanical earth drills include a flexible drive shaft that connects the drill to the carrier behind the operator. These drills also include the motor on the carrier rather than on top of the drill itself. 22 January/February 2016 Landscape and Irrigation www.landscapeirrigation.com No more excuses for drill maintenance ■ BY MIKE HALE ALL PHOTOS PROVIDED BY LITTLE BEAVER, INC.

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Landscape & Irrigation - January/February 2016