Want to keep your machinery repair costs down? The best way is to have a plan in place for maintenance and repair, which will also minimize losses due to down-time.
Some tips to do this are:
- Learn about your equipment and understand the regular maintenance recommended.
- Use a checklist to ensure service work and regular repairs are done on a timely basis.
- Develop a maintenance/repair schedule to ensure the work is done and spread the expense out over the course of the year. Also, make sure tasks like changing air and oil filters in engines get done regularly to potentially boost fuel economy by 3 to 4 percent.
- Keep accurate service records, with a separate logbook for each piece of equipment. Keeping detailed records will not only help keep equipment performing well, but will also increase resale value, make tax and warranty filing more smooth and give growers confidence the machinery is safe and ready to operate.
