DIY Maintenance Series: Key Secrets to Extending Your Skid Steer Loader’s Lifespan
This guide provides practical tips on daily checks, fluid management, radiator cleaning, and lubrication—the cornerstones of equipment health.
Visual Inspection: Look for fresh leaks (oil, coolant, hydraulic fluid) around hoses, cylinders, and connection points.
Tires/Tracks Check: Inspect tires for adequate pressure and signs of damage. For tracks, check tension, look for cracks, and clear out debris (mud, rocks) from the undercarriage.
Safety First: Ensure all safety interlocks (seat bar, seatbelt, E-stop) are functional.
Attachment Check: Verify that the attachment is securely connected to the quick-attach plate with pins fully engaged.
Check Daily: Ensure the dipstick reads in the safe range.
Change Regularly: Follow your manufacturer’s recommended service intervals (often every 250 to 500 hours). Dirty oil is the leading cause of premature engine wear.
Check Regularly: Ensure the reservoir is topped up to the correct level (usually via a sight gauge or dipstick).
Keep it Clean: Never introduce dirt into the hydraulic system when topping up fluid. Contamination can destroy pumps and motors. Change the hydraulic filter as recommended by the manual.
Antifreeze/Coolant Mix: Use the correct 50/50 mix of coolant and distilled water. This prevents freezing in winter, overheating in summer, and corrosion year-round.
Check Level Daily: Ensure the radiator overflow reservoir is within the normal range before starting the machine.
The Cleaning Process:
Frequency: Clean the cooling area daily in highly dusty environments, or weekly otherwise.
Method: Open the engine bay/swing-out cooler door. Use compressed air to blow debris out from the inside (engine side) toward the outside. A pressure washer can be used cautiously, but ensure electronics are covered and allow everything to dry thoroughly.
Goal: Ensure you can see daylight clearly through the cooling fins.
Lift Arm Pivots: Where the arms attach to the frame.
Bucket Cylinder Mounts: Connection points for the tilt cylinders.
Quick Coupler Pivots: The mechanisms that lock the attachment in place.
Axle Pivots (on certain models): Check your specific manual for all locations.
