Preparing your Heavy Equipment for the Winter Season

Winter in BC is sporadic, one week it could be freezing temperatures with snow and the next could be light rain or sunshine. The bottom line is you need to expect the unexpected and start preparing your heavy equipment for the winter season. Temperatures have already dropped to zero overnight and soon frost will be a part of everyone’s morning. Here are some great tips to ensure your heavy equipment remains in top operating condition this winter.

Keep Batteries Fully Charges and Warm

Cold weather requires your batteries to generate twice as many cranking amps in order to turn the engine over. Keeping your batteries charged and warm (indoors if possible) helps considerably when it comes time to start a cold engine.

Warm up and Stretch

Any athlete will tell you the importance of warming up their body and stretching their muscles before heavy physical exertion. Think of your equipment the same way. Each day should begin with a proper engine warm up to prevent intake and exhaust valves from sticking, be sure to leave enough time for the engine to reach operating temperature before work commences. It is also important to stretch your machines hydraulic components. The ensures warmed oil is distributed throughout the system so all the machine’s functions are performed with ease.

Tire Inflation

Tires should be checked for proper inflation at the beginning of each shift, a good time to do this is while the engine is warming up. Colder temperatures can cause tires to lose air faster, and under inflated tires are bad for fuel economy and harder on your machine overall.

Keep the Fuel Tank Full

Something so simple can cause you major headaches in the morning if it is overlooked. Fuel tanks should be filled at the end of each day to avoid freezing. Fuel itself has an extremely low freezing temperature, but condensation can build, and we all know water freezes quickly. A full tank of fuel will prevent this and ensure each morning’s goes much smoother.

Preparing your heavy equipment for the winter season is important to ensure your operation remains productive and profitable during the colder months. If you are looking for more winter maintenance tips or want to book a service with one of our heavy equipment mechanics, contact the heavy equipment experts at Handlers Equipment!