Small excavators, like large excavators, require regular maintenance. Regular maintenance can not only effectively reduce the incidence of faults, extend the service life of the equipment, but also ensure its operating efficiency and safety. This is especially true for small excavators that work in complex conditions (such as earthwork, gravel, and muddy sites) for a long time, where the importance of maintenance is even more prominent.
- Regularly replace engine oil and oil filters (usually every 50-100 hours, depending on the instructions), to avoid engine wear caused by oil deterioration or excessive impurities.
- Clean or replace the air filter (every 20-50 hours) to prevent dust from entering the engine, which may affect air intake efficiency and the service life of the cylinder block.
- Check the fuel filter (every 100-200 hours) and replace clogged filters in a timely manner to prevent impurities from entering the fuel pump and injectors, which could cause fuel supply failures.
- Regularly check the coolant level and quality to prevent the engine from overheating; check the tightness of the fan belt to avoid slipping or breaking.
- Regularly replace hydraulic oil and hydraulic oil filters (every 500-1000 hours) to ensure the cleanliness of the hydraulic oil and reduce wear on components such as hydraulic pumps, cylinders, and valves.
- Check if hydraulic pipeline joints are loose and if seals are aged, and tighten or replace them promptly to prevent hydraulic oil leakage.
- Regularly drain sediment impurities and water from the hydraulic oil tank to avoid contaminating the hydraulic oil.
- Check the tightness and wear of the tracks (or tires). For tracked excavators, regularly clean foreign objects such as stones and soil from the tracks to avoid accelerated wear of track plates or chains; for wheeled excavators, check tire pressure and tire wear, and inflate or replace them in a timely manner.
- Regularly add or replace lubricating oil for travel motors and gearboxes (every 300-500 hours) to ensure good lubrication of travel components.
- Check the battery power and terminal connections, clean terminal oxides to avoid poor contact; charge regularly when parked for a long time to prevent battery depletion.
- Check if electrical components such as lights, horns, and instrument panels are working properly, and replace damaged fuses or components in a timely manner.
- Regularly check the connecting pins and bearings of structural parts such as the boom, arm, and bucket, and apply grease (every 10-20 hours) to prevent rust and excessive wear.
- Check if structural parts have cracks or deformations (especially welded parts), and repair problems promptly to avoid breakage during operation.
- Reducing the risk of faults: By inspecting and replacing vulnerable parts in advance, the downtime caused by sudden faults is reduced, and small faults are prevented from escalating into major problems (for example, hydraulic oil contamination may damage the entire hydraulic system).
- Improving operating efficiency: Well-maintained equipment has more stable power output and hydraulic response, which can ensure that performance such as digging force and movement speed is in the best condition.
- Extending equipment service life: It reduces the wear and aging rate of components, lowers long-term maintenance costs, and maintains a higher residual value.
It is recommended to formulate a detailed maintenance schedule according to the instruction manual of the small excavator, strictly implement it according to time or operating hours, and record the content of each maintenance and the replaced parts for subsequent tracing. For users lacking professional knowledge, some complex maintenance tasks (such as hydraulic system debugging and internal engine inspection) can be entrusted to professional maintenance personnel.
