This article initially appeared in PS 766 (Sep 16), p. 19.
Operators, when it comes to the inside and outside air filter elements for your 120M road grader’s cab, you need to be air-aware.
Dirty filter elements mean dirty air inside the cab. Clean elements keep clean air circulating—and you breathing easy—while out at the dusty worksite.
So if you find yourself coughing a little too much while in the driver’s seat, try this:
1. Check the air inlets for sand or dirt buildup. Ice and snow can be a problem during cold weather.
2. Pull both filter elements and tap them gently against the palm of your hand to remove as much trapped dirt, dust and sand as possible. Just be careful not to bang an element against anything hard. That will bend its sealing edge or crush the filtering material. Then you’ve got bigger problems than a clogged element.
Pull outside (left) and inside (right) filter elements to check for debris buildup3. If available, clean the elements with low-pressure air (30 psi or less). If not, make sure it gets done when you get back to the motor pool.
You’ll find more information on cab filter element cleaning in WPs 0013-38 and 0013-41 of TM 5-3805-293-10 (Dec 10).