When practicing preventative maintenance, walk-around inspections on equipment is something you should be doing every day. As you visually scan equipment for issues such as low oil levels, worn tire treads, dirty filters and signs of damage to undercarriage components, make checking grease point lubrication part of your routine. There are important lube points throughout your equipment that can cause failures requiring costly services and repairs if they’re not properly greased.
A leading cause of a variety of common service issues is the lack of grease point lubrication. Without the appropriate level of grease, metal-on-metal contact occurs causing stress and damage to parts. Since heavy equipment joints, linkages and moving parts are designed to support one-another, a single weakened element can take down an entire system. For more insight into the importance of inspecting and maintaining lube points, watch this helpful video containing tips from a Cat® technician.
Video Transcript
Hi, Trent here with today’s Quick Tip.
Today, we are going to talk about the walk-around inspection and grease points.
It’s always important to walk around your machine at the beginning of every day to make sure that there’s nothing in the way and that the machine is ready to operate.
The main thing that’s important is lube points.
You can always find your lube points and your maintenance information in your operator’s maintenance manual and also on the back door.
Always make sure these are greased, even the ones that are easy to get to, and the ones that could be more difficult to get to.
These parts are there to prevent another part from failing that can cost a lot of money in the long run.
A lot of repairs that come to our shop are due to a lack of grease and they can get costly extremely quickly.
So, make sure every day that these are greased and your machine is ready to go.
That’s today’s Quick Tip.
Thanks for watching.
Identifying Lube Points
The biggest challenge in including grease point lubrication in daily walk-around inspections is knowing what to look for. While some points are easier accessed then others, consulting the maintenance manual that came with your equipment is the best way to ensure you’re aware of them all. Use the illustration provided in the manual to find each lube point and grease them using these simple best-practices:
- Follow the same order for locating and inspecting lube points every day
- Use a quality grease gun and manufacturer-recommended lube
- After attaching the nozzle, gently pump it to confirm grease flow
- Check to ensure grease nipples are intact and undamaged
- Keep lube points clean so dirt doesn’t get inside
Michigan CAT Can Help You Maintain Your Equipment
Grease point lubrication is an effective defense against wear and tear for compact and heavy equipment. Checking lube points before every shift will keep your equipment healthy and productive between regularly-scheduled service intervals. When you bring equipment in for service from Michigan CAT, we’ll take a closer look at the condition of your equipment and demonstrate the right techniques and practices to ensure parts are adequately greased.
Contact our team for more information and to schedule equipment services today.