Cold Weather Maintenance Tips

The cold weather is creeping in and equipment is being stored away for winter. Low temperatures bring different challenges to maintaining large machinery. To keep your equipment from breaking and your operation running smoothly, Puck’s Service Department noted some helpful tips for freezing temperatures.

1. Check Run Dry Systems

Make sure to drain off any water from run dry systems to prevent freezing and damaging the run dry seal. One alternative to draining would be to switch oil to antifreeze in the run dry canister to prevent water from freezing, as well.

2. Dry Your Pumps

Be sure to spin the main Cornell pump dry during cold temperatures and leave all gates open. Spinning the pumps to make sure they are dry prevents liquid that may be in the pump from freezing and potentially cracking pump components.

3. Turning On in Cold Weather

If you are pumping in cold weather and operating a hydrostat system, make sure to warm everything up together. This is done by turning the hydrostat on at a low percentage to allow oil to circulate the entire system and warm everything up simultaneously. This method is to prevent hot hydraulic oil at the lead pump being sent to a cold hydrostat motor on a boom or lagoon feeder. This combination of hot and cold can create a thermal shock situation that leads to a failure to the hydrostat motor.

4. Check Low Lying Hose

Be mindful of hoses on your toolbar and do your best to prevent any low lying spots. Low lying spots in distribution hoses can cause liquid to freeze and create a blockage or possibly rupture the hose.

As always, the off season is the perfect time to do routine maintenance or large upgrades on your equipment. Puck has four service locations across the United States to help your operation stay on track. Call our direct service line to schedule your maintenance checks today at (712) 655-9250.