Story by Wayne Ocker,
Caterpillar Forest Products
Technical Representative
After a long and harsh winter that most folks in North America would call brutal, we welcome the sights, sounds and smell of summer. We’ve changed our focus from staying warm to keeping our operators and machines cool. This is the time of year that doesn’t allow for procrastination when it comes to maintaining your cooling systems.
There are many forces working against you when it comes to keeping your equipment and operators cool:
- Engines provide the energy required for your machine to perform work, but they aren’t 100% efficient, so they turn some of their energy into heat.
- Hydraulic systems transmit the energy generated by the engine to tools such as cylinders and motors, but hydraulic systems are not 100% efficient and they also turn some energy into heat.
- Sunshine warms the Earth and your cabs.
Regular maintenance can help keep these forces at bay and keep you working through the summer.
Too many engines fail prematurely each year due to poor maintenance of the radiator and coolant/antifreeze. Radiators are the heart of the engine’s cooling system. Regular cleaning keeps airflow moving freely through the core, removing potentially harmful heat. Working conditions (pollen, dust, leaves, etc.) can affect the type of cleaning required (high pressure air or pressure washer) and frequency. Modern engines also have air coolers that supply air to the intake manifold and coolers for fuel. While coolers may not cause the engine to run hot they can negatively impact performance if not kept clean and in good working order.
Don’t forget to check your engine coolant. Regular sampling will give you piece of mind and let you know if the coolant/antifreeze has the correct mix, which can greatly improve engine life.
Perfectly maintained hydraulic systems generate a lot of heat; poorly maintained hydraulic systems generate an enormous amount. That tired pump or motor that you limped through winter with will make too much heat in the summer for the hydraulic oil cooler to eliminate. All hydraulic components have a finite life and as they age they create more heat. Don’t be tempted to run with overheated hydraulic oil to get that last load of the day, as allowing the oil to get too hot can cause damage to O rings, seals, components and the oil itself. Regular hydraulic oil sampling can help you keep an eye on the condition of your components.
How many of you have had the experience of turning the AC on for the first time on a warm, sunny day, only to be disappointed with the warm air coming from the diffusers? To keep operators safe, modern forestry equipment normally doesn’t have windows that can open, so even a moderately warm day can render an uncooled cab unbearable. Poor AC performance can be caused by loss of refrigerant, dirty condenser and/or dirty recirculation filters.
If regular cleaning of the condenser or recirculation filter aren’t enough, you will need to contact a certified AC technician for some help. If you learn that the refrigerant has leaked out, be sure to replace the receiver/dryer, as the descant inside will most likely be saturated. This can help avoid a revisit by the AC technician. In some regions of North America, AC systems can be pushed to their design limits during peak summer months. Closing the valves that deliver coolant to the heater core can help.
Keeping everything running cool really shouldn’t require any additional maintenance other than what your operations/maintenance manual describes. The trick is for you to decide when and where these maintenance activities will take place and not wait for your machine to tell you.