Good Maintenance for Your Medium-Duty Truck Avoids Downtime and Unnecessary Truck Repair Bills!
Medium-duty trucks are workhorses and are often under-appreciated in how much they can contribute to a working fleet. However, because they can take a beating, good maintenance a must. Otherwise, your vehicles could become unreliable, and lead to avoidable truck repairs in Cleveland that drive up your operating costs.
Medium or Heavy duty trucks are the unappreciated workhorses of commercial trucking. They're often pushed well past their limits, and are expected to do heavy-duty work a lot of the time. That’s why it's particularly important to keep up with their maintenance! Commercial truck repairs in Ohio are expensive, and they take a vehicle out of service, cutting into productivity. Some basic maintenance can cost far less than major repairs and are well worth the time investment.
Mainline RV & Truck Service is Cleveland's top choice for trailer and commercial truck repair, and we want every vehicle in Ohio operating at peak efficiency. So, let's break down the most important maintenance tasks, both short-term and long-term.
I. Short Term
1. Oil and Coolants
Working vehicles need frequent oil and coolant changes. You should check your fluids at least once a month, and always keep them topped up if they're low. Otherwise, you could quickly ruin your truck's engine. Remember, you'll likely also need a full oil change every 3-6 months as well - and change the oil filter as well, while you're at it.
2. Air Filters
Air filters are often overlooked in basic maintenance, even though they're necessary for maintaining good airflow within the engine compartment, as well as ensuring the air in your A/C system is fresh and clean. Air filters are typically easy to get at and replace, so be sure to check it regularly when you've got the hood open. If it's dirty, go ahead and replace it.
3. Tire Maintenance
Your tires are the only thing helping you maintain traction on the road, so it's vital that they remain in good shape. You should inspect your tires before any major job, or at least once a week overall. This should include:
- Checking for any visible damage such as sidewall cracks, bulges, or embedded objects
- Maintaining the air pressure at the manufacturer's specifications. Remember that outdoor temperature affects air pressure. Pressure will tend to be lower in winter, and higher in summer, so adjust the air accordingly.
- Monitoring tread depth. Your tread should never go below 2/32" depth, and even that is getting dangerously low. Always be willing to replace or retread your tires if the tread depth is too low.
Also, periodically rotating your tires will substantially improve their lifespan, and help them maintain grip. As a rule of thumb, do this whenever you have a full oil change.
4. Light/Signal Checks
It can be difficult to know if all your lights are working properly when you're on the road, so it's important to periodically check them with the help of another person. Needless to say, if any of your lights or indicators are non-functional, that needs to be fixed before the truck goes on the road again.
II. Long-Term Maintenance
Some tasks only occasionally need to be done, around once a year or so.
1. Transmission and Transfer Case Fluids
Your transmission and transfer case fluids shouldn't wear out, or dip in level, very often - but they will slowly degrade over time. Your owner's manual will usually have information on how long they're expected to last, but they need to be maintained. Blowing out your transmission makes for a very expensive repair job.
The same is also true for your radiator coolant. It shouldn't burn away too quickly, but it definitely needs to be checked and maintained every 6-12 months.
2. Shocks and Struts
Your truck's shocks and struts are built to take a lot of abuse, but nothing lasts forever. Typically, they can be expected to last around 50,000 miles before wearing out but check your owner's manual to see what the OEM says. These are components that need to be checked by a professional commercial truck repair service, who'll also do the replacements if needed.
3. Spark Plugs
Modern spark plugs last far longer than ones made in the 20th Century, and they shouldn't go bad very often. But. pay attention to any knocking, misfires, or evident loss of power when attempting to quickly accelerate. These could be signs of spark plug issues.
4. Serpentine Belt (and other belts)
A truck's serpentine belt is a critical component that ensures the timing of various engine actions all line up properly. You should inspect your serpentine belt, and any other belts, periodically to make sure they aren't too worn or showing signs of damage such as cracking. Don't try to drive on a cracked serp belt if you can possibly avoid it; the belt could fail at any time.
No one likes doing routine checking or maintaining their Medium or Heavy Duty Truck because it takes time away from what you get paid to do. But, ask yourself would your rather do it at your convenience or have your truck break down at the most inopportune time?
Mainline RV & Truck Service is always here to provide the best in Cleveland truck repairs, and drivers across the state regularly come to us for our services.
It’s important to keep your medium-duty truck running well, so let's look at some of the most essential elements.
Five Must-Dos When Maintaining Your Medium-Duty Trucks
1. Check fluids on a weekly basis
A medium-duty truck can burn through fluids such as oil, transmission fluid, or brake fluid, surprisingly quickly. The harder it's worked, the faster these fluids will diminish. So, best practices are to check the fluids every week and be sure to keep them topped up for best performance.
2. Know when to change the fluids
Fluids can't merely be topped up all the time, sometimes they need to be fully replaced - especially the oil. How often you need to change fluids will vary depending on which fluid and a number of other factors, including the vehicle, how many miles are driven, and how hard it’s driven. Either you, or the truck repair shop that maintains your vehicle should record each time fluids replaced so you are ready to change them according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.
3. Stay on top of your tires
The tires are one of the most critical areas of medium-duty truck maintenance since they directly affect both the safety and efficiency of the vehicle. Never let your drivers run on under-inflated tires! Besides the safety issues, such as being more prone to blowout, under-inflated tires will also drive up your fuel costs.
4. Regularly change air filters
The more your medium-duty trucks drive, the more quickly their engine air filters will clog up. Over time, this will significantly inhibit performance, and can also contribute to overheating - which can lead to extremely expensive truck repairs. If your trucks regularly drive offroad, or on dirty roads, you may be replacing the filters every month or two.
5. Periodically test and verify the electrical system
It's easy for the delicate electronics and wiring within a truck to be damaged over time, leading to a variety of issues. The battery, alternator, lights, and electrical system should all be tested and verified at least once every six months to ensure everything is functioning properly.
Not to mention, if any of the lights aren't working, your drivers will be at risk of being pulled over - delaying them and adding unnecessary legal fees.
Mainline RV & Truck Service
Meanwhile, if you're anywhere near Cleveland, OH, and ever need commercial truck repair - just bring your truck to Mainline RV & Truck Service for the best in repair, maintenance, and upgrades. Click here to schedule an appointment.
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Mainline RV & Truck Service provides excellent truck repair in Cleveland and the surrounding areas. If you're having trouble staying on top of your medium-duty truck maintenance needs, contact us to discuss setting up a service contract that will keep your trucks in great shape year-round!
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