Working in a Winter Wonderland

Tooling around a parking lot in a skid steer, throwing snow 40 ft off the beaten path is a tough job. Between snow removal and your usual loader and excavator tasks, the last thing your crew needs is to repair and service your compact machinery while battling such a bitter wasteland and the sub-arctic temperatures of your winter jobsites. Thoughts of a cab without heat or a machine with a low battery should have you focused on the upcoming winter season.

It’s a stark reminder that it’s about that time of year to winterize your compact equipment — tool carriers like your compact excavator and skid steer. Like any maintenance project, the manufacturer’s operator’s manual is the
bible of machine knowledge and the first place to start. Within its pages, you’ll find a check list of seasonal
maintenance points, as well as recommendations for which types and mixture concentrations of oils and
fluids to use for the cold climates.

“Whenever you are doing any type of maintenance, refer to the owner’s manual for service points and, specifically, in the winter for fluid recommendations,” says Mike Conley, product manager of compact hydraulic excavators at Komatsu America Corp. “If you don’t do the maintenance you’ll see noticeably slower cycle times and, in a skid steer’s case, slower machine movement getting from point A to point B.”

From hydraulic and engine oil additives to tire
pressure and track tension, every inch of your machine should be given a once over before you put it to work
in the demanding environment of a northern winter.
Whether you’re getting ready for a big construction job in the fall or your snow and ice side business in the winter, your routine maintenance checks will remain constant.

“Cold temps can affect the machine in different ways. You may have a hose or a line crack, which wouldn’t happen in warmer temperatures. And as the temperature lowers, the tire pressure will too. If the tire had a small leak or a nail stuck in it and you previously filled the
tire up once or twice a week, in the cold weather
you’ll be filling it up once or twice a day. It’s better to
take care of these problems to avoid downtime,” says
Mike Fitzgerald, Bobcat loader product specialist.

The Lifeblood of Your Machine

Without the proper amount of water, your body would shut down after three to four days; your compact machines could see a similar fate if you neglect its unquenchable thirst for engine oil, engine coolant, hydraulic oil and, of course, fuel. Making sure you put the correct fluid in the correct increments is the foundation of winterizing your skid steer or excavator. For instance, your engine’s oil viscosity, or thickness, is very important going into the winter months.

“Colder climates require lighter oil that won’t congeal as fast,” says Conley. “Thinner oil will get lubrication to your engine faster than thicker oil, which can be sluggish in the winter. In warmer climates, thicker oil is somewhat thinned by the higher ambient temperature. Be sure you have the properly weighted oil for your work conditions.”

More often than not, your excavator or loader will utilize an all-year round engine oil, for example 15W/40 SAE rated oil. For operation in extremely cold weather, some
manufacturers may recommend SAE 5W/30 or even SAE 0W/30. It’s a good idea to go with whatever your owner’s manual
recommends in the way of all engine fluids. If your manual recommends a year-round oil and you take it upon yourself to put in a more specific oil, for instance SAE 0W/40, you could void your warranty and be
responsible for repair costs from any damage an un-recommended fluid caused.

Similarly, you will also want to check your hydraulic oil.

“Approximately 80 percent of the industry uses VG46 on both compact excavators and loaders, which is used for both summer and winter,” explains Bill Anderson, Volvo product specialist for compact excavators. “VG46 oil is generally used on machines throughout North America, however, some machines utilize the thicker VG68 oil, recommended for higher ambient temperatures, in areas such as southern California, Arizona and Texas. There’s also the VG32 oil, which is recommended for much colder temperatures. The change interval for hydraulic oil is in most cases 1,000 hours for both the compact excavator and
the loader. For engine oil and filter, most manufacturers recommend 250 hours.”

Aside from the hydraulic oil check, be sure to inspect your hydraulic oil filters for any water that may have collected in the spring and summer months. If water is present within the filter, it will freeze and cause
problems down the road.

Standing right beside engine oil in the
list of must-check fluids is engine coolant
or antifreeze. Coolant is a mix of water for heat transfer and glycol to prevent the water in the mixture from freezing or boiling. In a nutshell, it keeps your engine block
from freezing and becoming a huge, worthless paper weight. While there are certain coolant products that protect at specific
temperatures, the majority of the industry uses a green ethylene glycol (see sidebar on page 30 for more information).

“Some machines use a pinkish polypropylene anti-freeze. Volvo uses and recommends the green ethylene glycol for its compact equipment engines. A challenge in using anti-freeze is commonality with the industry. Multi-machine owners may have a need of both types of anti-freeze,” says Anderson.

Beyond the coolants and oils, another fluid that must not be overlooked is fuel. In the United States, it is generally not required to use anything other than normal No. 2 grade diesel fuel. However, diesel fuel can gel if it is left in the cold for an extended period of time. For the northern areas of the United States and up into Canada, minus 30 or 40 degree F weather is not uncommon. In that case, you may have to look into an alternative to No. 2 diesel.

“You want to make sure that you match your fuel with your working conditions. No. 2 fuel is heavier than No. 1 and has better burning properties, which makes it more powerful. However, because number 1 is lighter, it flows easier. When No. 2 fuel gets down to 25 or 30 degrees F, it will start to gel. Then you might need to switch to an arctic fuel or blended fuel. The arctic fuel is specifically refined fuel,” says Fitzgerald. “Arctic fuel is refined to harness the power of No. 2 fuel while retaining the movement properties of a lighter fuel. Some people blend No. 1 and 2 fuels. They may start off at a 10 percent No. 1 and 90 percent
No. 2 mixture in the fall and then move to a 50/50 mixture in the beginning of winter and 75/25 mix in the middle of a harsh winter. Others run straight No. 1 diesel in the most severe temperatures. It all depends on what your working conditions require.”

Anti-coagulant additive products are also available, but Conley recommends that if you are going to add an
anti-coagulant, look for a simple anti-gel agent. Don’t use something that provides “additional benefits” such as
cleaning your fuel system at the same time. Stay away from anything gimmicky and, again, consult your owner’s manual.

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

You spent a good chunk of September pouring over
your machine’s fluid recommendations and routine
maintenance checks, and you’re shopping around for a snow blade for your skid steer and a hydraulic breaker
(for slicing that frozen ground) for your compact excavator. While you’re busy whistling “Let It Snow,” there is still maintenance to be done to ensure that you’ll be warm and your skid steer will be productive.

“When you see cold weather in the forecast, you’ll want to check the machine’s defroster, defogging and heating systems before you get into the middle of the season and your heater fails on you. Being in a cold cab is the worst place to be in the cold weather,” says Conley. “Make sure your air filters are blown out or replaced. It’s still dusty on the jobsite, even in the winter. Also, there may be a valve by the radiator that needs to be closed, which will provide better heater operation. On older machines, check the cab’s door and window seals; you may want to replace those, as good seals keep the warm air in. And be sure that you have a new windshield wiper blade and washer fluid that won’t freeze.”

This also would be a good time to check your battery life. In the colder environments, there is more strain on the battery to put out nearly twice as many cranking amps to turn over and get the oil to the engine. Take an hour, grab your battery and head to the nearest dealer or automotive store and have a load test performed. This test will tell you if you’re good to go for another winter season or if it’s time to replace the battery. Also be sure to check the wires and wire connections to the battery for any wear or rust, which can result in a loss of amps.

When the temperature outside finally drops, you’ll want to watch your skid steer’s tire pressure. Much like your car or truck, a change in temperature can affect your compact equipment’s tire psi and that translates to lower lift and push capacities if you are moving snow.

Be sure to check the manual for the proper psi for cold weather operation and inflate accordingly. If you have a compact track loader or compact excavator, you’ll want to check the track’s tension per the manufacturer to get the optimal performance — too loose and too tight are bad. Make sure that your lugs are in place and that there is no excessive wear.

When the snow starts to fly and you hop into the cab, you’ll want to be extra careful if you are at the controls of a tracked excavator or compact track loader and not peel out once the machine is warmed up.

“Be careful when steel tracks are wet from operation as they will literally freeze to the ground overnight. Trying to free the machine by moving forward or backward can cause damage to the drive train,” says Joel Powell, Volvo product specialist group manager for compact equipment.

“If it rains and it freezes in between the tracks, it can expand that section, which won’t necessarily damage the machine but it will cause the tracks to lock. To unlock them by operating the machine would take so much force that the machine would stall and do potential damage,” Anderson adds. “You can pressure wash the tracks with warm water or use a hot air hose to unlock the tracks. You don’t need to get all the ice off, just enough to unlock them.”

“But if it’s that bad, it might be better to go home and sit by the fire with a cup of hot chocolate
during weather not fit for man or beast,” Conley quips with a chuckle.

When the day is over and it’s time to shut the machine off, don’t just shut the engine off and hop into your pickup for the ride home. Let your machine idle for two or three minutes before you shut it off — especially if you have a turbo-charged engine, you don’t want to starve it for oil.

“You want to make sure that there is still oil left in the engine and you want the rest to drain
properly. If you turn it off, your oil could be
completely drained. If you idle down, the seals and engine will retain some of that oil and that will keep it lubricated,” explains Anderson.

With the machine’s fluids checked and changed, cab and heater integrity tested and tires with spot-on pressure, you’re ready for that first morning when you step outside and inhale the crisp refreshing winter air. As the first snowflake floats from the ominous gray clouds, it’s a sure thing that more will follow. Driveways and parking lots will need plowed and snow will need to be moved. It’s that time when Frosty the Workman hops into his winterized compact machine and gets the job done. Thumpetty, thump, thump, look at Frosty go.

Jason Morgan is assistant editor of Compact Equipment.