masonry germantown equipment is a major expense for any company and therefore it’s essential that business owners do their utmost to ensure these assets are maintained correctly. A well maintained concrete mixer will continue to operate efficiently for many years.
It is important that any technician working with a concrete mixer not only understands how the concrete machinery operates, but also how to troubleshoot and pre-empt any problems that arise. Routine maintenance is also critical as this will prevent problems from occurring in the future.
Essential Maintenance Tasks for Concrete Machinery
One of the most important tasks when keeping concrete machinery operating perfectly is maintenance of the drum. Dried concrete left inside the drum can cause serious problems over time, coating the inside and gradually reducing its capacity and the volume of concrete it can hold. The problem sounds easy to resolve, but it’s actually very hard to remove any residual concrete once it dries inside the drum. Using a pressure washer whilst the drum is rotating can help, but is not the most effective means of removal.
Whilst there are companies offering chemical and industrial pressure washing services, even these techniques can fall short, failing to remove all traces of concrete from inside the drum. In these cases, the only solution is manual removal with the most rudimentary of tools – the jackhammer. Many companies have had to resort to using a ‘chipping service’ to remove the residual concrete inside their concrete mixer and concrete pump equipment. The service involves sending in a specialist to chip away at the solid concrete until it is all removed. It’s a tough job, but effective!
Concrete Machinery Monitoring in the 21st Century
Of course, even the most experienced technician might not know there is a problem with their concrete equipment until it is too late. Concrete mixers can now tap into new technology that gives a clue as to what is going on under the bonnet and inside the drum. As the saying goes, ‘prevention is better than cure’ so the more problems you can pre-empt the less expense and downtime you’ll experience with your concrete equipment.
• Condition monitoring dashboards are becoming more popular in the concrete industry and many other industries where heavy duty machinery is in operation.
• This innovative software allows technicians to view a number of variables including machine operation, fuel burn, component life and location.
• For companies with large fleets, this type of system can prove invaluable and provide insight into the most common problems with concrete mixers or a concrete pump.
• It also gives accurate indications about when concrete equipment needs to be retired and replaced.
• Maintenance costs can be reduced and performance management improved with the simple application of this software and the necessary staff training.
In summary, maintenance of your concrete mixer and concrete pump equipment is absolutely essential and could save you thousands of pounds in parts, labour and downtime.
