Cut downtime by having the right egdpment
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by R. W. Eaton, sales manager. Servicing Equipment Division, Tecalemit (Engineering) Ltd.
THE Department of the Environment annual test has disciplined most operators to plan their vehicle servicing programme one year in advance. Normally such a programme is detailed on a wall chart with routine dockings marked off at the relative dates.
When pre-planning, operators have a choice of either mileage or time as the basis of their servicing programme. Indications are that the mileage method is being preferred because, generally speaking, vehicles return a fairly constant mileage each week.
The general policy is to effect quick servicings at a time interval corresponding with about 2000 miles, backed up by thorough inspections to MoT test standard every three months.
Many commercial vehicle operators are in the process of improving inspection and maintenance facilities in view of the greater .standards of safety which are now required, and are implementing new or up-dated practices. Corresponding with these advances there has developed a serious shortage of skilled servicing staff and it has become vitally important that operators have access to time-saving workshop methods and facilities. The problem is not only to keep vehicles serviceable but to do this as efficiently and as economically as is possible.
Servicing equipment manufacturers have a wide range of products, including air compressors, tyre inflators, lifts, lubrication equipment, waste oil drainage units, washing units, wheel balancers, tyre changers, brake testers, alignment and diagnostic units, designed not only to assist the operator in maintaining his vehicle in peak condition, but also to improve the speed and efficiency of his workshop, reduce turn-round time and thus improve overall profitability.
Pits v lifts
Whether the operator decides to use pits or lifts is really a personal choice and also revolves, to a certain extent, around the types of vehicles in his fleet.
If a pit is to be used, unless it is a drive-through type of work area, it should be of the sunken workshop style which then enables fitters to have work benches, and therefore their tools, at the level on which they are working. It is important that the area should be properly illuminated and ventilated, thus affording good working conditions, which in turn will lead to fast and efficient servicing. The use of pits and sunken workshops does enable the roof height of the premises to be kept to the minimum, whereas lifts, while affording good all-round working conditions, require higher roofs within the servicing area.
'Lubrication equipment, which can either be a series of mobile units or hose-reel systems connected to a central oil store, should be totally adequate to meet the requirements of the vehicles being serviced. Nothing is more frustrating for mechanics than to find that they do not have the correct lubricants or tools to fulfil their duties and the frustrated man soon becomes a slow and lackadaisical worker.
Besides being clean and "on hand", hose reels can also be recessed within the pit area for those services which are required beneath the vehicle, and can be mounted overhead or on an adjacent wall or support frame for those services which are required at ground level, One manufacturer especially has introduced a large-capacity oil hose reel which is capable of delivering up to 10gal per minute, dependent upon the oil viscosity and the type of pump units being used.
Waste oil Waste oil has always been a problem, and mobile automatic units are available up to 27ga1 capacity which, when connected to appropriate pipework, will discharge the waste oil from a pit or other location in two minutes into a bulk storage tank which can be up to 150ft away. Some operators retain their waste oil for use in their workshop heating systems during winter months, others sell it to reclaimers.
A great deal of emphasis in both trade and national Press has been placed upon the mechanical safety of commercial vehicles, in particular upon braking efficiency and steering geometry. None will decry the necessity for ensuring that all vehicles have effective brakes and to this end much brake testing equipment is available. One such unit is the Universal Brake Analyser, which not only indicates to the operator whether the brakes are good or bad, but also records on print-out paper in graph form, pinpointing faults such as drum ovality, sticking servo mechanisms, brake snatch, etc, as well as reporting whether the brakes on the axle are balanced, together with the time delay which occurs from application of the brake to a maximum efficiency being obtained. Such a test system is a real time-saver, enabling the mechanic to attend to any fault while the vehicle is on the unit and considerably reducing the vehicle downtime.
Steering geometry checks and the balancing of wheels should be carried out at frequent intervals, either as routine maintenance or based upon the driver's defect report. A range of equipment is readily available to assist operators in correcting tyre wear through faulty steering and balancing. Tyres for the commercial vehicle are major expense items and every opportunity should be taken to eliminate wear potential through correct and regular maintenance.
Everyone is now surely aware of the need to keep a vehicle in a clean condition—it is a mobile "front door" for the commercial vehicle operator. In the past such work has invariably been carried out in conjunction with a steam cleaner. A number of cold/hot water high-pressure wash units at moderate prices are now available, thus affording the operator better working conditions. Units with pressures up to 1150 psi can be obtained, either electrically or air operated. One such air-operated unit incorporates metered detergent into the high-pressure line to assist in the easy removal of caked-on grease and oil deposits. There are additional advantages in having clean vehicles, not least in mechanical fault location during maintenance.'
Engine diagnostic equipment covering both petrol and diesel vehicles is gradually being accepted as a requirement by many fleet operators in order to obtain maximum operating efficiency as well as to reduce smoke emission to a legal level. Manufacturers of such equipment usually operate training schools and many fleet operators are availing themselves of these facilities.
Industry as a whole is concerned with improving overall efficiency of maintenance staff by providing them with the tools to do the job more speedily, more effectively and more profitably. In the long term such a policy is to everyone's advantage.
Seek advice Equipment manufacturers are becoming more and more specialized in their product ranges, and commercial vehicle operators should seek their advice when they have a problem or are considering equipping or re-equipping their workshops. My own company, for example, has 21 sales engineers covering the country. These men, specialists in their product range, can readily offer advice, submit layout drawings and quotations without commitment by the customer. They are further backed up by more than 60 fully equipped and mobile service and installation engineers, located throughout the country.
We all know that vehicle maintenance must not be neglected—neglect is dangerous, costly and damaging to an operator's reputation.