Landscape Architect Articles

LSMP Close Up March 200403-01-04 | News

Spring Maintenance Tips

By Steve Tait, assistant professor, SUNY, Delhi College, with commentary by
Harry Smith, professor at Lake City Community College*

Reel grinders, lifts and mowers are just some of the equipment donated by industry partners who loan machines to the Lake City Community College?EUR??,,????'???s Turf Equipment Management Program.

The weather is getting warmer and you are getting antsy. You?EUR??,,????'???ve been thinking about getting the equipment out and getting back to work. While you are waiting, you really need to start thinking about getting your equipment tuned up to be ahead of the spring rush. You don?EUR??,,????'???t want to wait until the last minute to get your equipment running or repaired.

New Stihl 4Mix engine and Honda Mini 4 cycle engine.

Did you use your equipment right up to last possible moment and then just put it away? If so, then you may need to do a little extra work to get everything in tip top shape for this spring. All equipment powered with engines requires similar maintenance. The engines require fresh clean fuel, air and a method of ignition. It?EUR??,,????'???s fairly simple to develop a checklist of the items that need to be checked. Most owners?EUR??,,????'??? manuals even provide a checklist.

The Turf Equipment Management classroom at Lake City Community College. Martin Thompson, Jason Morris and Dustin English, first year students, work on Stihl and Honda overhead cam engines.

This is a good time to update your records. Record the pertinent information such as make, model and serial numbers. Keep a list of which parts and filters go with which machines. Later on, you can pick up the items needed for a service without having to make several trips to the parts store, or if the piece breaks down you have all the numbers in your file to order the correct parts the first time.

Another item that really needs to be noted is the general condition of the equipment. This is important to help you budget those hard earned dollars for the necessary replacement equipment. You need to be able to plan ahead to effectively manage your budget.

Some may wonder about the comment to touch up the paint. If the equipment looks good, the employees seem to take better care of it! The side benefit is that your customers like seeing nice shining machinery working their property. It doesn?EUR??,,????'???t have to be a first-class paint job, but it needs to look presentable.

Here?EUR??,,????'???s wishing you a very productive year with minimal maintenance headaches!

* For more information on the turf equipment management program at the State University of New York at Delhi College, visit www.delhi.edu.

–––––––––

Suggested List of Maintenance Items

Thoroughly clean the machine
Fresh gas & new filter
Clean air filter
Check spark plug(s)
Oil & filter change
Check coolant & clean radiator fins
De-carbon exhaust ports?EUR??,,????'??+two strokes
Hydraulic oil, filter, & lines
Check belts for cracks & adjustment (rust on belts and pulleys spells imminent failure).
Battery cleaning, service, & connections
Check condition of all bearings
Check hoses and nozzles for worn, stiff/cracking flex pipes
Grease
Nut and bolt check
Inspect cutting system (sharpen, replace or adjust/balance/track check of blades).
Check tire pressure and condition (critical to accurate cutting height and traction)
Check the starting system (recoil, rope and pull system)
Check starting system on handheld equipment (recoil, rope and pull handle condition)
Touch up paint