Equipment Inspection
When you’re buying, selling, and managing maintenance of way and heavy equipment, you will need the services of Maintenance of Way Equipment Services. MOW is here to help you with inspections and get the best quality, price, and buying experience. Inspections are an integral part of any equipment purchase from inspection of the machine’s history to inspection of the machine.
Heavy equipment inspections combine data collection and analysis with hands-on testing and examination for a thorough look at the equipment’s condition. A complete inspection is an important preventive way to make sure equipment is safe for use and that all systems are working properly.
Heavy equipment can last for years if properly maintained. MOW Equipment Services uses cutting-edge technology and hands-on expertise to inspect, collect, analyze, diagnose and monitor equipment functionality. When combined with other information, like machine history and use, we have all the tools we need to suggest repairs and maintenance for optimal safety and performance.
OSHA
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires each piece of heavy equipment to pass inspection before use. If any of the safety features are in disrepair, you should not use the equipment. Damaged or broken equipment requires immediate repair to prevent problems. According to OSHA, all heavy equipment must have:
- A working brake system, including emergency brake and parking brake
- Working headlights, taillights and brake lights
- An audible warning device, like a horn
- A windshield and windshield wipers in good condition
What Our Inspection Team Looks for?
Heavy equipment inspectors check all the components of a piece of equipment, emphasizing safety. In general, equipment inspectors will check the following components using both diagnostic tools and an expert eye:
- Roll-over protection structures, including seatbelts
- Gauges and lights
- Battery
- Engine performance
- Safety features such as deflectors and sweeps
- Steering components
- Brake systems
- Exhaust system
- Cooling system
- Fan belts
- Engine support
- Radiator guards
- Transmission function
- Tracks and rollers
- Rear hitch
- Oil level and condition
- Tires and wheels
- Glass and mirrors
- Undercarriage
- Hydraulic system
An inspector will run tests, collect diagnostic codes, analyze data and visually inspect the equipment to checks for leaks, broken or loose parts, excessively worn parts or any potential problem areas. With an inspection checklist in hand, either on a device or paper, a technician will make sure they don’t miss anything.
- Visual Inspection – Look for welds, cracks, rust, fluid leaks, as well as grease around seals and bushings.
- Check out the condition of common wear items like tires or undercarriage. We will help you decide how much life some of common wear items have left, so you can plan for replacing them in the future.
- Check the fluids – The condition of the engine oil, transmission fluid, coolant and hydraulic fluid will provide insight about how well the machine has been maintained. We will insure the fluids are clean and look for other clues of potential issues like water in the engine oil.
- Run/demo the machine – MoW’s experience operators will test functionality of the machine. While it is running, we will listen for any unusual sounds and pay attention to how the machine performs in common tasks. When starting the machine cold, the color of the exhaust can tell you a lot about the health of a machine. Black smoke means the air/fluid mixture is too rich in the fuel. White smoke could mean the fuel is burning incorrectly. Blue smoke can indicate the engine is burning oil.
- We also check for – Oil in radiators, oil leaks, hydraulic leaks, damp lines + fittings, any fluid leaks, noises upon starting, noises upon idling, noises upon shut down, smoke upon starting, smoke upon idling, smoke upon shut down, slack in pins and bushings, surface rust, rust damage & cancer, check brakes, check transmissions, check steering, check all controls, check all gauges, check seats, seat belts, backup systems, check all glass, interior panel condition, tire wear, tread wear, undercarriage wear, forward and reverse operation, hydraulic vibrations, hydraulic noises, operating temperature, overall exterior, overall interior, safety, quality, functionality, performance, with checklist reports.
Buying used equipment is great way to get the best return on your investment. Materials and equipment will be inspected by MOW Equipment Services or a direct agent. MOW has designated and competent technicians, who have been trained properly in inspection guidelines, to inspect all heavy equipment.
Written documentation will be made of all items inspected and the resultant findings. Deficient items found will be noted and a statement made on how deficiencies were corrected.