How do you organise preventive maintenance for your equipment?

Systematic vs condition-based preventive maintenance: the difference

Systematic preventive maintenance triggers a service at a fixed, predefined interval: every X operating hours, or every X months, regardless of the machine's apparent condition. It is the simplest approach to set up and follow.

Condition-based preventive maintenance, on the other hand, triggers a job based on the machine's actual observed condition (visible wear, an unusual noise, a leak, an operator's report), without necessarily waiting for the systematic deadline. The two approaches complement each other in practice: the systematic schedule sets the framework, and field reports allow a job to be brought forward if needed.

Example plan by equipment family

Each manufacturer sets its own maintenance intervals in the machine's manual: that is the reference, not a general rule. Here, nonetheless, are the generic check points found across several construction equipment families, for guidance.

Organising your preventive maintenance schedule

A preventive maintenance schedule lasts if it stays simple to consult and update. The key is knowing, for each machine, what the next deadline is and who is responsible for it.

1. List all the equipment in the fleet with its technical record and the corresponding manufacturer's manual
2. Record the maintenance intervals recommended by the manufacturer for each machine
3. Choose a clear trigger per machine: number of hours or a date, whichever is more relevant
4. Designate who tracks the schedule and who carries out each job
5. Review the schedule regularly to spot upcoming deadlines before they are missed

The role of pre-use checks

A pre-use check is a quick inspection carried out by the operator before using the machine: visible fluid levels, general condition, no apparent leaks, basic safety devices working properly. It is not maintenance, but a first line of detection.

These regular checks catch an emerging problem before it becomes a more serious breakdown, and get the information through in time to schedule preventive work rather than suffer an unplanned stoppage.

Following anomalies through to the end

Effective preventive maintenance does not stop at a maintenance schedule: it includes tracking anomalies reported by operators and mechanics. A reported anomaly must be assessed (its severity), followed by a decision (immediate action, scheduled action, or simple monitoring), then tracked through to resolution.

Without this tracking, a minor anomaly reported verbally is easily lost, until it becomes a more serious breakdown that preventive maintenance could have avoided.

What preventive maintenance doesn't eliminate

Even with a well-maintained preventive plan, a breakdown remains possible: preventive maintenance reduces the risk, it does not remove it entirely. The goal stays realistic: to intervene more often, in a planned and controlled way, rather than discovering a site stoppage at the worst possible moment.

Involving operators in the process

A preventive maintenance plan works better when operators are involved, not just mechanics. They are the ones using the machine day to day and are the first to notice an unusual noise, a drop in power or an emerging leak.

Making this reporting easier, for example by simplifying how an anomaly is reported from the field, encourages operators to do it systematically rather than waiting for an opportunity to mention it verbally, with the risk that the information gets lost.

Documenting every job carried out

Every preventive service carried out deserves to be recorded: date, nature of the job, hour meter reading at the time, parts replaced if any. This document, sometimes called a maintenance logbook, serves as the machine's memory and makes it easier to brief a mechanic encountering the machine for the first time, or the inspection body during a VGP inspection.

Without this traceability, it becomes hard to know whether maintenance recommended by the manufacturer was actually carried out on time, or to find a machine's history in the event of a recurring breakdown.