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How do I know if my lubrication program is effective

"It isn't what you know that will kill you, it's what you don't know." The problem with pithy sayings like this one is that, of course, they are true, but who cares? Right?

Last post we provided a couple of good reasons why you should focus on your lubrication activities at the beginning of this new year. Here's a few tips to help you identify if you really do need to make improvements.

If the answer is 'Yes' to any of these questions then you need to improve your lubrication program.

  1. Do you have open containers of oils, greases, or hydraulic fluids lying around your workshop?  Ignoring the well-known fact of the hygroscopic nature of hydraulic fluids, ignoring the obvious unsafe conditions that spilled lubricants cause, open containers of lubricants point to either an ignorance or an apathy on the part of your service team.
  2. Are all your lubricants stored in a clean, dry, well-maintained location? This goes along with point 1. Care of consumables is just as important as care for your tools. Professional service departments do not allow a workman to throw tools around, or to leave them in an untidy or dirty condition. Why should this be any different?
  3. Do you have daily occurrences of equipment failure?  Read my blog from last week. The number one cause of equipment failure is not adhering to appropriate lubrication cycles.
  4. Do you have bent fan vanes, broken bearings or seized parts in your bins?  These are a clear indication that lubrication was not adequate for the conditions the equipment was working in. Nine times out of ten (and probably 95 times out of 100), an appropriate lubrication program will prevent this damage from occurring.
I cannot say it enough. The first priority of a service department is to ensure proper lubrication programs are in place for all equipment.

Enough said.


Posted by Mark Chimes
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