Preventative Maintenance Schedule

[madhatte]

I'm designing a PMS schedule at work for all of our gear and would appreciate some input on gas-powered tools. I'm finding it really difficult to come up with logical and orderly maintenance items -- apparently a lot of what I do is so automatic I can't think of it to write it down. I'm building this into an Access database along with all of my inventory stuff so that there is a date and acknowledgement associated with each item. Here's what I have right now.

Winterize Chainsaw: Drain fuel, pull carb through, purge air bulb as appropriate. Inspect plug and wire, check coil air gap and adjust as necessary. Remove muffler and inspect exhaust side of piston and rings for signs of heat damage. Inspect and clean or replace the following as appropriate: spark plug, air filter, fuel filter, starter pawls/ spring/ cord, clutch/ drum/ sprocket/ needle bearing/ brake band, nylon bushings, chip guard, chain catcher, A/V bushings/ springs, fuel and impulse lines, bar mounting studs, and fuel/ oil caps. Grease clutch drum needle bearing upon reassembly. Blow out dust, hang in saw room with flag marked "Winterized" visible.

Winterize Other Small Engine: Drain fuel, pull carb through, purge air bulb as appropriate. Inspect plug and wire, check coil air gap and adjust as necessary. Inspect and clean or replace the following as appropriate: spark plug, air filter, fuel filter, starter pawls/ spring/ cord, A/V bushings/ springs, fuel and impulse lines, fuel and oil caps. Pull spark arrestor; if light cannot be seen through it, replace it. Sharpen cutting attachments as necessary. Blow out dust, return to saw room with flag marked "Winterized" visible.

Monthly Saw Maintenance: Inspect bar rail for true, bluing, cracking, other damage. Inspect bar tip for pointed teeth and free bearing rotation. Inspect bar heel and rails for wire edge. Inspect oiler holes. Inspect drive sprocket for wear. Inspect cooling fins for damage and free air flow. Inspect overall saw for damage. Correct deficiencies as appropriate.

Daily saw maintenance: Blow off surfaces. Inspect air filter, clean or replace as necessary. Inspect tank and caps for leaks. Reassemble and start saw. Verify proper acceleration and oiler function. Verify chainbrake engagement and disengagement. Verify kill switch function. Adjust or repair as necessary.

Grease Gear Mechanism on Hedge Trimmers: Open grease port on bottom of gearcase. Inspect for metal pieces in gearcase. Repack with fresh grease. Replace plug on grease port.

After A Fire: Clean air filter. Blow across flocked filters rather than into them. Inspect spark plug. Blow out under clutch cover and inspect for damage. Inspect bar rails/blades for bluing. Reassemble and run engine. Verify proper acceleration and oiler function as appropriate. Verify proper chain brake engagement and disengagement. Adjust or repair as necessary.

We have a bunch of other equipment as well but I'll figure that out separately. Any ideas are greatly appreciated.

 

[astnmacgto]

All sounds good to me, maybe spray some kind of an oil in the cylinder before putting muffler back on for winterizing

 

[madhatte]

Good suggestion. Thank you.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I would just follow the manual.

I don't do 90% of that to any of my saws, though we don't have gasahol here.

 

[cedarshark]

If you follow that schedule, you will have some of the best maintained saws out there. I know its somewhat different for you as you are in the fire-fighting business, but IMHO, thats a good plan.

 

[madhatte]

I would just follow the manual.

I started there. It doesn't say enough. It's way too general and overlooks a lot of important details.

IMHO, thats a good plan.

Thank you!

 

[Pioneer]

Even though I have completely drained and run my 4 stroke engines dry, I still have had a case where the main jet would plug up when some residual fuel would evaporate and turn to sludge in the jet.
Now I do all of the above and THEN put a half cup of Coleman fuel in the tank. This prevents the gaskets from drying out, prevents the tank from rusting, and NEVER forms sludge if it evaporates. Just look in the tank once a month and add as needed. When it's time to use it, just fill up the tank with high octane gas and run. Naptha is low octane, so the added gas will prevent detonation and overheating problems.

 

[rwoods]

I doubt it was followed by many but my 36 year old McCulloch Ten Series Owner's Manual among other things recommends replacing the crank seals and carb diaphragm once a year.

My 36 year old saw still has the originals.

Ron

 

[madhatte]

Just look in the tank once a month and add as needed.

Once a month?!?

Once a month, though? I still have stuff to do, even in the winter.

McCulloch Ten Series Owner's Manual among other things recommends replacing the crank seals and carb diaphragm once a year./QUOTE]

ONCE A YEAR?!?

Engineers are so weird.

 

[rwoods]

ONCE A YEAR?!?

Engineers are so weird.

I guess it beats warranty claims. Note how they recommend that an authorized dealer do this work as well as several other items on the list. Ron

 

[Pioneer]

Once a month?!?

Once a month, though? I still have stuff to do, even in the winter.

Seriously? A minute spent looking into a gas tank beats a 2 hour carb teardown/cleanout in my books any day.

 

[madhatte]

If the tank is already empty, and the carb dry, nothing should change over the months between fire seasons. Your plan makes good sense for a saw stored indefinitely. These are going to be used hard every few months and then rested.