Approximately 40% of construction project overrun costs are attributed to construction equipment maintenance. It is also a factor in missed due dates, project stalls, and is something that’s easy to fix. By investing in regular maintenance for construction equipment, it’s possible to help a business in several ways.
Early Detection of Possible Equipment Problems
By conducting regular inspections of heavy equipment, operators can ensure the necessary parts and components are working properly. Malfunctions that are caused by manufacturer errors are often unavoidable; however, conducting inspections regularly will detect these possible problems.
Some of the most important systems and components to check include:

• Battery
• Oil level
• Tracks or tires
• Coolant level
• Meters and gauges
• Fuel

It may be beneficial to use an equipment maintenance software that allows operations to log the inspections done electronically. This allows everyone to track their records and assign tasks for needed maintenance and repairs for heavy equipment.
Save Money Over Time
Maintaining your construction equipment isn’t free. Sometimes it may appear you pay someone to tell you there’s nothing wrong. While this is true, that isn’t why you are paying the technicians for this service.
You are paying them so they can tune up your equipment to see if anything needs to be replaced. This ensures that while you are at the job site, you don’t have to worry about if the equipment will work properly. You can also continue your work without having to worry about bringing in someone for an emergency issue.
At the end of the year, you will likely discover you spent less on your equipment than you did in previous years.
Limit or Eliminate Safety Issues
When focusing on day-to-day objectives, you may overlook risk management issues. However, making sure you are compliant with OSHA – Occupational Safety and Health Administration – requirements is just one part of why you need to maintain your construction equipment.
Another factor is work zone safety.
Employee safety is a top concern for any business. Construction businesses are no different. After all, this is considered one of the most dangerous industries to work in.
Also, not all operations work in a completely safe manner.
This is one of the main reasons that regular inspections for heavy equipment are so important. By investing in routine equipment maintenance, you can limit the possibility of a serious accident.
Save Time
Having your equipment out of use for several hours for maintenance can be frustrating. However, having the equipment out of commission for several days or even weeks is a much bigger issue for most construction companies.
By using innovative software, you can build a complete schedule for your projects and for maintenance. This will also help you schedule maintenance, so it doesn’t significantly impact a project or timeline.
By staying up to date with equipment maintenance, you don’t have to worry about having equipment that is out of service for an extended period of time.
Prevent Downtime and Breakdowns
Regardless of if it is a problem with the fuel tank (https://krugerpower.com.au/bunded-diesel-fuel-tanks.html), hydraulic systems, or something else, a breakdown usually results in serious downtime. While there are an array of factors that make-up successful and safe options, problems with a few can cripple your productivity.
A single broken component can create a trickle-down effect and bottleneck your entire chain. If your equipment doesn’t function properly, or if it is forced out of service, your workers are bottlenecked from getting anything done.
When this happens, it’s impossible to stick to the timelines and adds more pressure to meet set deadlines. This downtime will cause delays and may compromise the reliability of the equipment for future projects.
If you don’t have a plan for scheduling inspections and maintenance for your construction equipment, you are setting yourself up for issues down the road. It’s always best to take a proactive approach to maintenance.
This includes creating a plan for basic maintenance and requires specific milestones, such as odometer readings and operating hours.
Increased Efficiency
When you keep up with construction equipment maintenance, you will also increase the equipment’s efficiency. Since preventative maintenance checks for damage and wear, it also helps to ensure all the parts are working properly.
Preventative maintenance checks the alignment and other problems to ensure users get the most out of the machines they use. This results in improved efficiency on your job site because the equipment is operating properly.
Safety is another area that’s improved. When equipment functions how it is supposed to, and no one is tempted to try to make it work better, the job won’t be interrupted due to a malfunction or faulty part.
Increase the Equipment’s Lifespan
The heavy equipment that is used for construction projects isn’t cheap. Once you purchase it (similar to a vehicle) the value will plummet.
As a result, you need to ensure your purchase offers a return on your investment. The more and longer you can use the equipment, the higher your rate of return is going to be.
Investing in routine maintenance is the best way to increase the longevity of your heavy equipment.
Regular Equipment Maintenance Is a Smart Investment
As you can see from the information here, investing in regular construction equipment maintenance is a smart move. It is going to provide all the benefits here and prevent issues related to expensive repairs and costly downtime.
Providing you with information to help ensure your construction business runs smoothly is our top priority. If you need other information, resources, or just advice, be sure to check out some of our other blogs. We update the site regularly so be sure to visit often for the latest and greatest in the construction industry.