Check and Maintain Your CAT Dump Truck
Caterpillar is considered to be the largest OEM around, manufacturing CAT ADTs (Articulated Dump trucks or Artic Dump Truck for some) and RDTs (Rigid dump trucks) and such for construction projects.
Each dump truck has specific uses for stages in your construction. For instance, most contractors use the CAT 777 100T class or a CAT 797 after the roads have been built. This is ideal for carrying heavy loads up to approximately 350T. Take note that most of these trucks are powered by diesel engine and one CAT 777 could eat up as much as 90 L of diesel gasoline PER HOUR, so you can just imagine how much gasoline it needs to be able to keep running every single day.
Maintaining Your Dump Truck
Since these mean machines are very expensive both to maintain and to use, it could save you a lot of trouble and money if you know how to properly care for it. Regular checks and maintenance are essential to keep it up and running for a long time – for your money’s worth.
If a scheduled maintenance is necessary for your regular sedans and light vehicles, it is even more important for these trucks since you use them 24/7 even in rough conditions. Usually, scheduled checks and maintenance are done at intervals depending on how long you’ve been using it.
Your next check is for breakdowns. These are unscheduled and randomly decided upon when there is something noticeably different about the way the truck runs. Damage or accident checks are done when the truck has been subject to misuse, i.e., ignoring noticeable discrepancies in the way it runs until it results in major damage.
While it is true that there are accidental damages that can occur, most of the time, these are avoidable and can be prevented with regular maintenance checks.
Ask Your Dealer
You dealer should know where the best place is to have your truck checked and maintained. If you don’t know where to take your truck, ask them about it and get referrals. Better still, do your own little asking around and checking to make sure that you take your truck to the right shop – one that can truly take care of it.
While these trucks are heavy duty, it doesn’t hurt to be careful with their use since anything you overuse is bound to break down eventually. Remember that regular checks can save you time and money.
Posted in Trucks