Daily oil checking Cancel The title field is required!

1. Dave Depp

   

   3 posts
   
   3/15/2017 9:03 AM

   I was just curious who does the oil checking on mowers, service vehicles, ect. the last two courses where I
   worked it was the responsibility of the operators, but if I suggest that at my current course you'd think I grew
   a third eye. Just wanted to know.
   
   Dave Depp EM

   
   
   
   
2. Keith Lamb

   

   3 posts
   
   3/15/2017 9:03 AM

   At a previous course the EM or his assistant would come in early, check job board and prep and pull out equipment needed. His thinking was it put one of them on every piece of equipment on a regular basis to catch problems that operators may not notice.
   
   At my current course the operators check oil and tire pressure before they use any equipment for the most part, but only the mechanics add any needed fluids. If a operator isn't sure or notices it's low he grabs a mechanic and he checks it out. My mechanics will sometimes do some of this depending on their morning schedule, but it is mostly the operators responsibility.

   
   
   
   
3. Corey Eastwood

   

   82 posts
   
   3/15/2017 10:03 AM

   If you don't want mistakes the Mechanic should check them.

   
   Corey Eastwood CGCS, Stockton Golf & CC, Retired
   
   
4. Sean Hoolehan

   

   0 posts
   
   3/15/2017 11:03 AM

   Dave,
   
   I think the operators should check their own oil levels but they need training. You would be surprised how many times equipment gets over filled or filled with wrong oil. I like my equipment Tech to come in a couple hours after the rest of the crew so he is here when the equipment is in the shop and not on the course. They park the mowers at the shop and he goes over them and puts them away.

   
   
   
   
5. Bob Pruneau

   

   5 posts
   
   3/15/2017 12:03 PM

   I check my gear here. My job ,if someone forgets to check or over fills a machine it becomes my job I'm happy to cut out the middle lol saves me work in the long run. lol .

   
   
   
   
6. Roger Brink

   

   0 posts
   
   3/15/2017 4:03 PM

   The equipment operators are just that, Operators. The equipment tech is just that, Equipment Tech. Like Bob said, he's the one who has to fix it if things aren't checked properly. Makes no sense have a $10-11 hour person maintaining a $40-50k machine.

   
   
   
   
7. Andy Jorgensen

   

   1 posts
   
   3/15/2017 6:03 PM

   Employees check with Assistant Mechanic supervising. Any filling is done by Assistant Mechanic. We do it this way so that the majority of the employees can leave the shop without waiting on someone else to do it. It also allows the mechanic to make sure it's getting done and to hear the equipment as it is firing up and leaving.

   
   
   
   
8. Paul Hallock

   

   6 posts
   
   3/16/2017 5:03 AM

   The best system I ever worked in, required Assistants and Mechanic to come in 1/2 hour before crew and pull out all equipment needed for the day. It would all be fueled, oil and fluids checked and staged. It was nice and worry free and on cold days we would let some equipment idle so it would be warmed up and ready to mow.

   
   
   
   
9. Ron Bradley

   

   63 posts
   
   3/16/2017 6:03 AM

   On our course the crew check oil and tire pressure before they go out on the course. I check oil in the morning
   when I can don't always get to it , so our guys are trained to check just in case I did not get to it. We have a good crew and this works for us. I am solo here so it is hard to keep up when the season is in full swing.

   
   
   
   
10. Stephen Tucker

    

    0 posts
    
    3/16/2017 8:03 AM

    We have our operators check the fluids and techs fill the fluids. So if something needs oil, anti-freeze, tires aired up our technician staff take care of that. We want our operators to have a certain level of ownership of the equipment. Putting a 10-13 an hour guy on a machine doesn't relinquish his responsibility to take care of the machines he's using. The other issue is I much rather our labor spent on technicians to be spent on other things than taking up all their time in the morning checking the oil in machines. It does require training in most cases but I have found if they are not the ones filling the fluids we have minimal risk.

    
    
    
    
11. Roger Brink

    

    0 posts
    
    3/16/2017 4:03 PM

    I guess my question is, do we really need to check oil levels daily on all of our equipment. Perhaps once a week is fine. Does anyone pull the dipstick on their vehicle every morning before heading to work? I'm thinking not. Unless you have a machine blowing oil I really don't see the need. We basically stopped having the crew pull dipsticks years ago and haven't had any issues. When our equipment tech brings the units in for regular service he checks them. At least we KNOW they're getting checked and filled properly. As he has time he'll pull a few sticks along the way as well.

    
    
    
    
12. Keith Lamb

    

    3 posts
    
    3/16/2017 5:03 PM

    We don't check our utility carts and such daily...maybe weekly, but mowers we check before every use because of where they operate. I want to make sure they aren't leaking before I drive them across greens/tees and other areas. We always check the area where they were parked when pulling out to make sure there aren't any other leaking issues.

    
    
    
    
13. Bob Pruneau

    

    5 posts
    
    3/17/2017 5:03 AM

    I check all machines once a week and certain machines after they are used .all my cutting units are checked for fluids and cuts when they come off the wash rack . If you know your gear you know the oil burners .

    
    
    
    
14. Merv Lovie

    

    0 posts
    
    3/21/2017 8:03 PM

    I 100 % agree with Stephen, the operator has to buy in and have a certain level of ownership of the equipment. We train every operator on the equipment and they have to read and understand the operators manual. In every operators manual there is a daily checklist that has to be performed before the operator can leave the barn with the piece of equipment. If they find a problem they contact me (Equipment Manger) and I take care of the problem. When they come back in at the end of their shift they must fuel up the unit, clean and wash it, and park it back in its designated spot so that it is ready to go for the next time needed. Its kind of fun to watch as the operators get a little competitive and will tease each other about not having as clean a machine as theirs. Once you start to create this culture it is contagious.

    
    
    
    
15. Frank McQuiggan

    

    2 posts
    
    3/24/2017 6:03 AM

    I'm a firm believer in checking the oils daily and its the operators that should do this. They check I add oil if necessary. I am a one man operation so for me to check every piece of equipment before it rolls out in the morning is not possible unless I come in an hour early every day 7 days a week. So they check I add. All of the equipment is normally run at high RPM for at least 2 hours a day so its a good reason to check the oil every time the equipment is run. The operators are required to fuel and clean everything before they put it away, now we just need to get them to clean them up a little better.

    
    
    
    
16. Anthony Lewis

    

    1 posts
    
    3/29/2017 6:03 PM

    Paul Hallock said: The best system I ever worked in, required Assistants and Mechanic to come in 1/2 hour before crew and pull out all equipment needed for the day. It would all be fueled, oil and fluids checked and staged. It was nice and worry free and on cold days we would let some equipment idle so it would be warmed up and ready to mow.

    
    
    I like using that system too. Plus I can usually do things while others are thinking about it..