Service Tips For Your Concrete Drill & Vibe

Properly maintained equipment is important to your business’s operations and the safety of your employees. While your Minnich concrete equipment is built to handle tough and demanding tasks, it still requires attention on a regular basis.

As we grind through the hot summer months, one of the most important things you can do is prepare your concrete dowel pin drills and vibes for next season. Prioritizing equipment maintenance helps to ensure safe and trouble-free operation and can prevent larger repair costs in the future. Keep your equipment in top form with these tips:

 

PERFORM REGULAR MAINTENANCE

Performing regular maintenance to your concrete drill and vibe will help to minimize repairs, reduce downtime, and help lengthen equipment life.

To maximize operating efficiency, be sure to check the following during maintenance:

• Check the drill oil level. Just like your automobile, proper lubrication is vital to prolonging the life of your hammer drill. Knowing which type of lubrication and how much to use is essential to maximizing performance. There are two ways to check for proper lubrication:
  
  1. Rub your finger inside the exhaust deflector of the hammer drill. You should feel a fine oily film.
  
  
  1. There should also be evidence of oil around the collar of the drill steel. Oil shouldn’t be covering these areas, only the fine oily film should be evident.
  
  
  

Minnich dowel drills have adjustment screws to regulate the flow. Please reference your drill product page on our website to watch short instructional videos on how to do this. For additional oil fill tips, Minnich Manufacturing provides step-by-step instructions.

• Inspect hydraulic vibrator motor housings. During an inspection, look for unusual wear patterns. Often, these wear patterns will create pinholes, which allow concrete to enter the vibrator housing and seizes the vibrator head permanently.
  

• Check hydraulic vibrator’s speeds. These speeds can be checked via a Paving Vibrator Monitoring system or digital tachometer. If your vibe is not performing well, sending the vibe to an authorized repair shop to be checked for slippage would be beneficial. Slippage happens after long exposure to hydraulic pressure. The path of hydraulic fluid could wear a slight groove in the aluminum motor housing which would allow hydraulic oil to slip past the gears in the motor. Another possibility for reduced performance would be if a motor seal wears out. Either way, an authorized repair house would be able to test the amount of slippage, repair the hydraulic motor, and offer a warranty on the vibrator.
  

• Clean dust collector filter regularly. Cleaning out the system’s filter will help to ensure optimum engine performance. Minnich Manufacturing has incorporated a purge button feature on the dust collection system, which reverses the airflow and blasts air through the filter to help keep the filter clean. Use of the dust collection system in wet environments is not advised as the fine dust on the filter and inside the system will gel and harden.

• Reduce downtime

Potential red flags are often uncovered during maintenance tasks that can be repaired or replaced before it becomes a larger issue. To keep your equipment in top condition, follow the recommended maintenance procedures found in your owner’s manual for your specific drill and vibe. For additional help, or to replace parts, contact your local dealer.

Consider sending in your paving vibrators to your manufacturer for repair early in the winter. Minnich Manufacturing has the expertise and tools to service concrete equipment to help lengthen product life span, helping you get the most from your equipment.