Wintertime will find you and your machinery covered in snow, ice, and debris. While it may not seem important, getting these out of the way can help the performance and lifetime of your rigs. Cleaning off a tractor, skid steer, or any other equipment in the cold is not anyone’s idea of a good time, but it should be at the top of your list of priorities. What’s the safest and best way? Here is our list!
The snow that is on the roof of your machine should be the first go. Clambering up top with a brush and scraper is not a great idea, so investing in a brush with a longer handle, or an extendable handle, is going to be your best bet. While some pieces of heavy equipment don’t move quickly, it’s still better to clean up, as flying snow and ice can cause damage and injury.
Fully cleaning and scraping your windows is very important as well. Anything that is inhibiting your lines of sight needs to be taken care of, especially ice, snow, and frost on your windows. Invest in a good scraper that doesn’t dent easily so you can be safe all through the colder months.
While the visible areas of your rig will be taken care of, it’s easy to forget that the undercarriage of your vehicle needs to be cleaned as well. Whether that means parking indoors to allow the snow and ice buildup to melt, or getting underneath with a pressure washer, it’s very important to keep that area free from snow, ice, and debris.
While most of the mess is going to be outside of your vehicle, remember that with the cold in the air, you’re less likely to open your windows. That makes wintertime the perfect opportunity to replace your air filters. A summer’s worth of dust and dirt is in there, which means it’s making its way inside to you. Take the time to replace it now and save your lungs.
Safety on the job is the ultimate goal. By properly cleaning your vehicle, you help maintain not only the life of the equipment but the safety of everyone on site. Do you have questions about heavy equipment training or upgrading? Reach out! We’d love to help!
