When Do You Do Pm?

[Truck#1]

Hey guys,

This was probably covered before but I'm new to this site,and a new owner of a 98 CH. I have 2 questions actually..and i know it depends on the application. How often are you guys doing PM???? My rig will be doing dump work ( about 15,000 miles/year) and maybe an occasional lowboy out of state run. The company I drive for now the mechanic tells me every 10,000 he does PM. But i dont think he changes everything...just filters and engine oil.

My 2nd question is this ......do you follow the maintainence manual to the letter?? I 've never heard of changing power steering oil once or twice a year. How often are you guys changing trans and rear axle oils????

thanks in advance.

Rob W.

[HK Trucking]

Hey guys,

This was probably covered before but I'm new to this site,and a new owner of a 98 CH. I have 2 questions actually..and i know it depends on the application. How often are you guys doing PM???? My rig will be doing dump work ( about 15,000 miles/year) and maybe an occasional lowboy out of state run. The company I drive for now the mechanic tells me every 10,000 he does PM. But i dont think he changes everything...just filters and engine oil.

My 2nd question is this ......do you follow the maintainence manual to the letter?? I 've never heard of changing power steering oil once or twice a year. How often are you guys changing trans and rear axle oils????

thanks in advance.

Rob W.

Here's how I always did it with my dump trucks, and the company I work for now does it this way too.

Complete grease job every 5 working days.(and while under the truck take a good look at everything)

Oil & filter change & check all lube & fluid levels every 300 engine hours.

Mileage is a poor way to determine service intervals for a dump truck, due to the fact that the truck may be on short hauls / jobsite work which puts few miles on the odometer, but the truck is working just as hard or harder than if it was on the highway, and there is more dust & dirt than in a highway application.

Sample your engine oil and have it analyzed by a reputable oil lab.

Trans & rear end oil should be changed every year or so, it's cheap insurance against lube related problems.

Air filter? Change when the indicator shows that maximum allowable restriction has been reached, or once a year, whichever comes first.

Do not!!!!! under any circumstances remove your air filter element, blow it out with compressed air and reuse it!!! This is a sure way to cause a premature engine overhaul. A new air filter element is much cheaper than a new or rebuilt engine.

[maxidyne237]

i agree with HK. I also change fuel filters and water filter at 300hrs. The power steering gets changed every year or two depending on the mileage. (steering boxes are expensive) The only time I dont change the oil at 300hrs is when the truck came equiped with extended service. Extended service trucks have three full flo oil filters (dont count a centrimax filter), huge oil pan, big water filter and large secondary fuel filter. You can go 600hrs on oil, filter and fuel and water filter changes.

[Bollweevil]

There is a very fine line between regularly scheduled maintenance and preventative maintenance. Herb as given you an excellent example and schedule for tightening up your maintenance intervals. PM should become part of your mindset. A drivers daily inspection shouldn't end. It should be daily as in all day long. As you raise and lower the dump body train yourself to look at the cylinder. If you step out and walk away for any reason, look under the truck as you walk back. You might find oil puddled up. Listen to your truck, as you become used to listening it will tell you when something is wrong. If your truck said ouch ouch ouch and you have a CD going wide open, all you will hear is the CD. A tire billy or a claw hammer won't tell you how much air pressure is in a tire, but you can sure tell if it's not enough. My point, is to train your mind, if you train your eyes to watch what's gong on, and train your ears to listen. Then you will know when something is wrong. When I first started pulling a dump trailer, I could not leave the yard without my boss saying' be careful'. That only lasted about 4 years, I can still hear him saying ' make sure you are on level ground, and watch over head, don't boom up into any power wires'. Over the Road, and on off, are a little different, YOU HAVE to take a different approach to Maintenance and if anything you have to be more careful. Trucking has been a way of life for me, and if I have learned anything it is, take care of your equipment, and it will take care of you. James

[Truck#1]

Thanks for the info.

Rob

[greg]

I change my oil and filters at 250 hrs, Grease once a week or every day depending on what and where you are hauling. I carry my grease gun with me , if there is any waiting time at the pit or dump site I will go around and grease my trunnion's , dump hinges, kingpins.

I change my trans, and rears every spring.

[Truck#1]

Do you guys prefer a certain brand and or grade of grease?????

[jward]

I grease at least the frontend every weekend, sometimes the whole truck depending on how much i've seen of my daughter during the week. Everything else I do the same as those other guys, except for the transmission, which has synthetic oil. I change the air filter a feww times a year regardless of the restriction meter. Make sure you jack the frontend up when greasing the kingpins, and block the tires and release the brakes when greasing the back brakes so that there is no pressure to keep grease from totally lubricating the s-cam bushings. I use Mystic JT-8 oil and Shaefers Moly Supreme grease. I don't know if they are the best out there, but with 12000 hrs and 267,000 miles, I don't use a drop of oil between changes and haven't replace a u-joint, kigngpin or springpin yet. OIL ANALYSIS IS ESSENTIAL!!! Learn it, Read it Live by it.