Video: How to Maintain Construction Equipment in Cold Weather | The Dirt #56

In this episode of The Dirt, we look at the importance of choosing the right engine and hydraulic oils to keep your construction equipment running in top condition during the dead of winter.

Cold weather impacts your oils, making them thicker than during spring and summer months. Choosing the right oil for the right climate means knowing the viscosity of your oil products.

So how do you know which oils are best for the climate you’re in?

Host Bryan Furnace gets the answers in an interview with Shawn Whitacre, senior staff engineer with Chevron Lubricants. Whitacre explains how to understand the SAE viscosity grade on your engine oil and the viscosity index on your hydraulic oil products and how to use them to prepare your equipment for the seasons, cold and warm.

You should also be giving consideration to your oil when starting up your equipment’s engines during cold weather. Oil needs time to heat up before it can properly lubricate your machine before heading out to work. Whitacre tells how to know when the oil is sufficiently heated and your equipment ready to roll.

As Whitacre explains, selecting the right oils for your equipment requires some knowledge of how the various products will stand up to whatever temperatures you are operating in. In this short video, you’ll learn the basics, giving you the knowledge you need to keep your equipment running at peak oil performance in all weather conditions.

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