Essential Pre-Season Maintenance For Snow Pusher Boxes
Yes, it may be the summer — but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be preparing or at least thinking of preparing for the winter and the challenges that heavy snowfall brings. Remember that the snow and related weather events can cause serious problems if you aren’t careful — Severe winter weather caused 15 percent of all insured auto, home and business catastrophe losses in the United States in 2014. If you are the lucky owner of a snow pusher box, it is imperative that you know what to do before the snowing season begins to get your bobcat snow pusher up to speed.
Sooner than you’d like to think, you’ll be bringing those snow pushers out of storage. And granted, they are hardy workers and can go a whole snow season without needed a single repair. But, that will only continue year in and out if you make sure to keep up repairs. Here are the steps you should be taking to make sure your snow pusher remains in excellent condition:
Clean and Protect
Make sure to give your rubber and steel snow pushers a good, thorough clean before you take them out of storage. Depending on where you’ve been keeping them, they likely have accumulated a fair amount of debris, so clear off and then clean. Make sure to let the machine air dry a bit before applying a standard penetrant oil to rust prone parts.
Inspect and repair
Use your annual clean as a chance to do a thorough inspection and make sure everything is in proper condition. Take a look at the manual, too — for instance, a rubber pusher might need different care than a steel one. Wear shoes should be replaced when worn at or below 1/4 thick.
Store properly in the on season
Obviously, you will be storing your sno pusher when it isn’t in use, but it is extremely important that you store it in a dry place! The last thing you want is for your sno pusher to break down and make it so that you are unable to clear snow in dire situations. In this case, rust is your worst enemy.
Remember, you can also use your sno pusher for different tasks — they can be used for any light materials moving/handling ? ranging from water, mud, sludge, silage, manure, and grain to trash. Your bobcat snow pusher really is your best friend!