How to Prepare Your Bobcat Equipment for Spring

Everyone knows that winterizing your heavy equipment before the snow hits is essential, but not as many people realize that de-winterizing it is just as important in the spring. 

After a long and snowy season, it may feel like winter will never end, but eventually, when the snow stops falling and the temperatures rise, it is a good idea to have a plan in place. Inspecting your Bobcat equipment and getting it ready for spring will help you get a new year of operation off to a good start. 

Cold climates can affect heavy equipment in more ways than you might imagine. Even if your Bobcat equipment is stored properly throughout the winter, sometimes it’s impossible to completely prevent the cold from getting to it, and when it does, it can have some adverse effects. 

Plus, anytime that heavy equipment sits for a long time without being used, it’s wise to perform some thorough maintenance work to ensure that everything is in tip-top shape before using it again.

How to Get Your Bobcat Equipment Ready

When it comes to readying your Bobcat equipment for spring, there are a number of important actions that you should take and multiple important things to keep in mind. You should dedicate an equal amount of time and attention to each of these factors if you want to avoid running into costly problems down the line.

The following are some of the most essential steps that should be included in your de-winterizing process:

Refer to Your Owner’s Manual

Depending on the type of Bobcat equipment you have, it may have different seasonal requirements that must be followed. 

You can usually find information regarding these requirements, along with other specific tips for how to best maintain your machine, in the equipment’s owner’s manual.

Following procedures that are specific to your model is generally more effective than sticking to a more general approach.

Check the Battery

If your Bobcat equipment has not been in use all winter, you might imagine that the battery should be as you left it before the start of the season. However, unless you have disconnected it for the winter, it will likely have run down and will need charging, as there’s always an energy draw as long as it is connected. 

It is also possible for internal battery damage to occur if the battery freezes in the winter due to its low charge. So, if you notice it’s malfunctioning, this may be the cause, and a battery replacement may be necessary.

Examine the Tire Pressure

Another important element of getting your Bobcat equipment ready for the spring is checking its tire pressure, as you should never operate heavy equipment without ensuring it has proper tire pressure first.

When Bobcat equipment is inactive, air slowly permeates through the tires’ rubber, causing them to gradually lose pressure. You can find specific details related to your equipment’s tire pressure requirements in the owner’s manual.

Check the Fluids and Fuel

Before you start operating your Bobcat equipment in the spring, it is important to check the hydraulic oil, engine oil, and coolant levels, topping them up as needed. It is also important to ensure that you match your equipment’s fuel and oil to the temperatures and applications that the machine will be used in.

For example, you should only use No. 2 grade fuel when operating the equipment at temperatures above 15 °F; however, a blended or No. 1 diesel fuel with the addition of anti-gel additives is better when temperatures drop below 15 °F.

Inspect the Attachments

When you are preparing your Bobcat equipment for spring, it is important that you pay an equal amount of attention to the attachments that you intend to use. 

Depending on the kind of attachments that you are dealing with, it may be necessary to check hoses, cylinders, guards, cutting blades, and edges for signs of damage or wear that may need to be addressed. 

You can also examine the functionality of the attachments by connecting them to the equipment one at a time and testing them in situations that gradually build up pressure. This way, you can ensure they are in working order before the equipment makes it to a job site.

Clean the Equipment Thoroughly 

One of the best ways to improve the longevity of your Bobcat equipment is to keep it clean, but it is easy for equipment to gather dust when it has not been in use for a number of months. 

Therefore, it’s a good idea to perform a thorough cleaning of your Bobcat equipment when you pull it out of storage in the spring. Once your equipment is cleaned, it will also be easier to conduct an overall inspection, as sometimes wear or damage can be hidden by dirt or grime.

How Oaken Equipment Can Help With All Your Bobcat Equipment Needs

As Canada’s largest Bobcat equipment dealer network, Oaken Equipment is the place to go for all your compact construction and grounds maintenance equipment needs. If you want your equipment running at peak performance this spring, take advantage of our vast Bobcat parts inventory or schedule a maintenance appointment with our Bobcat-certified service department before the spring rush. 

Everyone on our service team has extensive knowledge of the inner workings of our Bobcat equipment, and we have a wide range of authorized Bobcat tools and diagnostic methods to isolate any issue quickly and get it taken care of to minimize your downtime and keep your jobs moving forward.

Whatever your expectations are, our goal is to always meet and exceed them when it comes to our sales, parts, service and rentals, as we always put our customers first. We want to maximize your uptime while helping you to increase your bottom line by finding the best possible solutions for your needs.

If you’re in the market for some new gear this season, our highly experienced Sales Team can help you find the right machine for your job. We always have a wide machine and attachment inventory, and the breadth of our Bobcat dealer network means that we can always help you source the right Bobcat loader, Bobcat tractor, Bobcat mower, or Bobcat compact excavators in Ontario.

For more information about our Bobcat equipment inventory or to learn about our extensive Bobcat equipment servicing options, call Oaken Equipment at 1-888-OAKEN-11.