Proper Articulated Dump Truck Maintenance Reduces Downtime, Lowers Costs

Tue August 20, 2024
DEVELON

While it's impossible to predict when a machine will experience maintenance issues, understanding proper articulated dump truck (ADT) maintenance can significantly reduce downtime and lower your overall cost of ownership when they arise.

Brandon Crockett is the DEVELON ADT product manager. He explains how to predict expenses, minimize downtime, easily service an ADT and increase the resale value by planning ahead for maintenance.

Predicting Expenses

Unplanned maintenance can lead to production losses, increased part costs and longer service times. By analyzing your daily equipment usage, you can better predict expenses and incorporate that information into a planned maintenance (PM) contract.

"Like any piece of heavy equipment, proper and timely scheduled maintenance extends equipment life and saves money in the long run," Crockett said. "A PM contract also enables owners to complete maintenance during off-hours, rather than having to shut down the machine on the job site."

Additionally, a planned maintenance contract can provide your company with future hourly costs to better understand current machine operating costs. By working with your equipment dealer on a PM contract, you can improve expense prediction, reduce downtime and extend your machine's life.

"Dealers know what parts should be stocked, not only by them but by equipment owners," Crockett said. "They ensure scheduled maintenance is performed on time and at a convenient time for the equipment owner. All this helps control costs."

Making a PM schedule easy to follow and documenting service intervals allows you and your operators to easily make sure each item is completed weekly, monthly, quarterly or as scheduled. You should also assess parts, labor, travel, supplies, lubricants and GPS fleet tracking systems, such as telematics, to better budget for ongoing maintenance, Crockett added.

"Wear items should be in stock and common supplies should be on hand to help reduce downtime," he said. "As far as lubricants go, owners should know the manufacturer's requirements. Using the wrong lubricants can lead to expensive and unnecessary repairs."

If you are experiencing mechanical issues, Crockett recommended completing a visual and on board diagnostic check and then following up with your in-house mechanic to better understand what repairs are needed prior to calling a service technician, if necessary. Collecting as much information about the problem as possible before talking to the service department will greatly simplify the repair process and reduce downtime. However, Crockett added that working on major components on your ADT requires specialized training, so many times a dealer service technician is needed.

A standard maintenance schedule is affixed to the ADT cab for easy reference and can be found in your owner's manual. Knowing the fixed costs of planned maintenance upfront can help you minimize unexpected business expenses. Fixed costs can give you confidence in knowing how much the operating costs will be, and by incorporating planned maintenance, you can make sure your machine gets serviced on time.

Minimize Downtime

ADTs are designed to haul the most amount of dirt, rock, stone and gravel with the lowest cost per ton transported in mind. These machines also excel in soft and slippery loading and dumping applications, and particularly in overburden removal, transport to crusher, crusher to stockpile and site reclamation applications compared to other equipment. If your machine is experiencing issues, the last thing you want to do is to waste valuable time servicing your machine.

With a PM contract, servicing time is typically based on the manufacturers' and equipment owners' schedules. According to Crockett, a PM contract also ensures that maintenance will be performed as required to help minimize any machine issues that can be caused because of lack of scheduled maintenance.

In addition to a PM contract, Crockett encourages ADT owners and operators to perform three other preventive maintenance procedures.

• Inspect the auto-lubrication system, if installed, to ensure that there is no premature component failure due to lack of grease.
• Assess tire air pressure, wear and damage on a regular basis.
• Utilize diagnostic tools to monitor engine temperature and rpm history, for example, to prevent future engine damage and major premature repairs.

The auto-lubrication system greases the major components approximately every 30 to 45 minutes when the machine is in operation, Crockett said. Although the system saves valuable labor, the system must be monitored to ensure that the grease reservoir is filled and there are no fault codes associated with the system.

Another preventive maintenance item is to visually and manually check tires for wear and damage.

"Low tire pressure can cause sidewall failure and machine instability," Crockett said. "A visual inspection will show if the tire has tread punctures or sidewall damage because of road hazards. Also, look for rocks wedged in between dual tires, which can cause tire failure."

Diagnostic tools can be used as preventive maintenance procedures by analyzing component historical data, especially in regard to the engine, transmission, electronics and the auto-lubrication system. Owners and operators should ask their dealership about purchasing diagnostic tools.

Crockett also noted that you should immediately repair components that are failing rather than wait until later when components are more likely to fail.

"Repairing a component before failure is less expensive and can be scheduled at the owner's convenience," Crockett said. "This saves significant time and money in the long run, as pre-failure repair costs are lower than total failure costs.

Easy Serviceability

Scheduling proactive site maintenance intervals is crucial to extending your machine life. If properly serviced, ADTs — even those used in extreme environments — can have a life expectancy of approximately 10 years (between 10,000 and 20,000 hours).

"What is really necessary is easy access to filters and other parts involved in PM," Crockett said. "Labor is a major component of PM cost, and easy access to all areas of the engine compartment helps keep costs low."

For instance, ADTs used in extremely hot or cold temperatures require more frequent maintenance schedules as well as alternative oils, Crockett said. Machines working in extremely dusty conditions may require multiple air filter replacements and daily cleaning. When used in muddy applications, ADTs may have to be greased more often because the driveshaft and other bearings come into constant contact with the mud. Failure to schedule maintenance can affect engine performance, lower productivity and burn more fuel.

Visit your dealership to create a unique package that can address your maintenance needs and assess key machine features — parts, labor, travel, supplies and lubricants — before servicing the machines.

Additionally, by reviewing telematics systems, owners and dealers can see when an ADT needs to be serviced and can better budget for ongoing maintenance.

Increase Resale Value

The machine condition dramatically impacts the resale price of the equipment. For instance, if there are visible signs that the equipment hasn't been properly maintained, has visible damage or major component wear, the resale value can be dramatically reduced.

"A low resale value can severely affect the machine's cost of ownership, possibly making it questionable to own," Crockett said. "The most important thing when reselling is that the major components, such as the engine, transmission and differentials, are in good working order. Proof of a PM contract is also valuable in maintaining resale value."

To maximize your resale value, follow these tips before creating a PM contract:

• Review the machine's scheduled maintenance chart.
• Identify how you are going to use the equipment.
• Identify low utilization times for maintenance.
• Identify the length of term you would like to establish preventive maintenance.
• Discuss the plan with your dealership.
• Create a PM contract.

After the truck's operating hours reach a certain predictable level, many ADTs can be rebuilt for a so-called "second life." Other times, ADTs are used as back-up units or converted into water trucks.

"All major components, such as the engine, transmission and differentials, have an expected life and have to be rebuilt periodically," he said. "If they are, the machine's life can be extended at a cost lower than the replacement cost."

This time frame will vary greatly depending on whether the ADT has had light, medium or heavy duty.

By planning ahead for maintenance, you can help predict expenses, minimize downtime, easily service the machine and increase the resale value of your ADT.

This story also appears on Construction Equipment Guide.