Exercising construction equipment is part of preventive maintenance. Neglected equipment will wear out just by sitting too long. Exercising equipment, at a minimum, means starting it up and running it for a set amount of time but it can also mean moving it over a set distance.
Without regular exercise:
- Seals dry rot.
- Hoses get soft, mushy or dry rot.
- Polished surfaces, like cylinder rods, corrode. A corroded rod will cut seals and cause leaks.
Most, if not all, of these maintenance problems can be avoided simply by exercising equipment on a regular basis. To keep equipment mission-ready, set up a schedule for your operators to run their equipment for 20 minutes at least once a month.
While the equipment is exercised, have your Soldiers look for leaks under equipment and shiny spots or rust around nuts and bolt threads. Listen for unusual noises. In short, they should report anything that doesn’t look, feel, smell or sound right.