Case gives advice on maintaining and analysing the condition of engine oils, hydraulic fluids and coolant in equipment. 
Monitoring of oils and fluids provides owners and operators information regarding the condition of their machines. This extends machine life and reduces downtime and repair costs. Case indicates that before any other advice is considered, and when considering the selection of oils and fluids, one should refer to the operator’s manual. This contains the recommended fluids, capacities and service intervals. In this first article, we bring some of the general fleet best practices for oil and fluid use, as supplied by Case:
- A chart should be kept of the machines in the fleet. It should highlight which machines require different oils. From this it can be determined how many different oils need to be kept in stock and how often fluid should be bought.
- Machine oil and fluid consumption should be monitored. The scheduled maintenance plan of the machine must be examined. In order to not keep machines waiting, it may be better to slightly shorten or extend the scheduled maintenance timetable.
- It must be known who is responsible for topping-up fluids. For example, is there a mobile fleet truck that checks fluid levels and refills, or do operators fill their own machines?
- The relationship with the dealer is important. Dealers can provide advice on how best to manage the fluid systems of their machines. It is also important for machine owners to fully understand the warranty on their machine and how the fluids used can affect it.
Carrying out a fluid analysis can protect equipment. Analysis programs involve sending small samples of the equipment’s engine oil, transmission oil and coolant to a lab for tests that identify the overall condition of the fluids, along with any contaminants. The results provide information on equipment condition and address issues before expensive failures. Source: http://www.casece.com/en_us/News/Pages/Fluid-Management-Best-Practices-for-Construction-Equipment.aspx