Today I was making rip rap and after discovering I was leaking a fair amount of hyd fluid I did some searching and found a fitting for a sending unit broke off on the tower. The sensor was broke right off, however I didnt notice any thing amiss other than the fluid leaking, machine still ran fine. However I figured I had better get one ordered to have it here in the morning and ran back to the shop to do so. I think I could have ran the rest of the afternoon, but wanted to get it ordered. How many of you guys stop to take the time to fix WHATEVER is broke or if it CAN make the day wait? Just kind of curious, as somtimes the machine will still run and other times you find it when the machine stops. Trbo
I would have cap'd it off and kept working i i could have without hurting the piece of equipment....just my 2 pennys tho!
Depends what it is. You always must make a reasonable assesment. I can promise you, if you lose a boom hose on a 30 ton Cat, you'll know what to do. If you have a foot valve that weeps a little, well that's different. There is no objective answer to this question, just have to use your judgement.
Tonka, thats what my thought was, however couldn't find a plug to fit it, and although it wasn't leaking real bad it was bad enough. Sides that I was doing some fill in work, just cleaning up a old shot in the quarry and had enough rip rap made for the job needed so that played into my choice. ST, I agree 100%, there are lots of times when a guy can patch, plug or deal with certain things. And like your boom on the 30 Ton CAT, well you just have to stop, been there before with a 312 boom that cracked. Trbo
I think some people are capable of making that decision and some aren't. Reminds me of my brother calling me one day about his chipper asking "just how low can I run my hydraulic fluid?" The real question is, will more damage be caused by running it like it is? Never let a loose bearing turn into bearing, race, hub and spindle replacement.
If I can keep operating without causing further damage to the machine and be able to complete the job properly, I'll put off the repair until the end of the day, otherwise it's stop and fix it.
On the prevailing wage/government job I just did in Newport Beach the fines would of started with the first drop of fluid on the ground. So i would call it a day and get it fixed. My 0.03 (California tax)
I treat it like triage. The worst wounds get priority. if i can bandage them up and send them back out to fight again. I removed the right of the employees to make this call on their own. If they don't tell me immediately when something is not right then there will be hell to pay.
The other day my guy noticed a serious leak on a hydraulic pump. He shut down immediately and walked home. I was happy with that. Unless you have the knowledge and you absolutely KNOW that continued operation is not going to result in further damage shut her down till you find out. Machines are so complex these days, what looks like something really simple can be very costly. A quick call to the dealer costs nothing. As far as the leak goes, it was a simple loose plug. 10 seconds with the wrench and we're running again. Better safe than sorry.
I have CAT parts and service to my local dealer saved in my phone. other wise i hate cleaning up hyd fluid! remember when pressure is involved(not sure about where your leak was from) small leaks can turn into big ones in a hurry.