How should the maintenance of the quick couplers be done?
A quick coupler is a machine that needs maintenance in order to work safely and to withstand the stresses from the carrier and the attachment. Otherwise, the interface between components will work loose and the moving parts will wear, which will render it unusable or may even lead to catastrophic consequences.
Correct maintenance of a quick coupler includes checks and inspections, which will result in the corresponding required actions (repairs, replacement of components, etc.) in order to prevent and rectify its deterioration.
To this effect, the preventative maintenance must always be strictly complied according to the manufacturer’s instructions to ensure that the use of the quick coupler remains safe, and the checks and inspections should always be carried out taking into account the frequency of use of the quick coupler and the environmental conditions in which it regularly works.
On this matter, the following basic checks and inspections should always be included in the company procedures:
- Daily Pre-use Checks: they should be carried out at the start of every shift and include checks for damage, build-up of dirt, and correct functioning of the quick coupler.
- Weekly Inspections: additional inspections to the pre-use checks.
These checks and inspections should be recorded in order to keep track of the maintenance of the quick coupler. And if carrying out these checks a defect is detected it must be reported immediately to repair it as soon as possible. However, if it affects the safe operation of the quick coupler it must be repaired immediately, otherwise, its use will be forbidden.
Additionally, as part of the maintenance tasks lubrication of certain items, such as the greasing of sliding parts, at specified intervals.
In any case, the personnel destined to carry out any of these maintenance works must have the necessary machine-specific training, experience, and competence in both periodic and breakdown maintenance.
Moreover, it should be noted that:
- The quick coupler should not be modified without the permission of the quick coupler manufacturer, otherwise, the safety of the quick coupler could be compromised. Additionally, unauthorised modifications will affect the warranty and may compromise safety.
- Repairs or adjustments should only be carried out by authorised persons
- Repairs on-site should only be undertaken following a thorough job and site specific risk assessment and the implementation of a safe system of work.
- Replacement components should be in accordance with the quick coupler manufacturer’s specification.
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