On March 20 we begin the spring season. The spring equinox (coming from Latin meaning equal night) marks the time of year that the weather starts to get warmer, the flowers bloom, and the days get longer.
At GK we like to think of this time as the season for “Spring” cleaning, a time to inspect your springs and make sure your equipment is running smoothly. Here are some tips when doing your own “Spring” cleaning.
Before Turning Off Your Equipment
Check the stroke. Make sure the stroke is as specified in your user manual. Over or under stroke can cause major issues for your equipment as well as causing multiple springs to need to be replaced at once. It is important to monitor the stroke frequently as it can be a great indicator of future maintenance. Check out GK’s BARRIER™ monitoring system for more help.
Play it safe!
When going to check your springs make sure you Lockout all related equipment in accordance with your facilities Lockout-Tagout procedures. It’s always important to make sure your environment is safe before working on equipment.
Always Check The Springs
Worn out and damaged springs can wreak havoc on your equipment so it is important to check them during your scheduled maintenance. If springs appear to be worn out or damaged, replace them using the guidelines in this GK tutorial.
While checking the condition of your springs, be sure to note that no springs are coming in contact with each other and nothing is blocking the coil. Friction is known for causing a plethora of problems.
Check the Mounting Surfaces
Make sure each mounting surface is clean and free of damage. Damaged and blistering mounting surfaces can cause greater problems if not corrected quickly.
In addition, ensure the hardware is centered in the springs and torqued to specification in manual. Loose hardware can cause rubbing and damage to both surfaces.
Though the beginning of spring is a great reminder to check your springs, they should be monitored on a frequent basis to ensure your GK equipment keeps running at its potential.
For more help with spring cleaning, talk to our GK Field Service Team today!
