When it comes to heavy machinery, unexpected downtime can cost large companies hundreds of thousands of dollars per hour, according to a recent report. 

It’s impossible to avoid downtime altogether in every industry. Yet, when you work with heavy machinery, you can avoid it by ensuring your equipment stays well maintained and in a good state of repair.

Here’s how to do that by choosing the best heavy machinery parts possible for your line of work.

Your Options for Heavy Equipment Replacement Parts

When it comes to choosing the best heavy equipment parts at the best price, you have two options if you’re buying new parts. These are:

New Parts for Heavy Equipment

Brand new spare parts are the most expensive and reliable way to keep your heavy machinery in good running order. If something goes wrong with a part, you know you can get it replaced easily.

There are two types of new parts available for heavy machinery. These are OEM parts and aftermarket parts.  

OEM parts hail from the machine’s original manufacturer, while aftermarket parts come from another factory producing almost identical parts for a cheaper price. 

Aftermarket vs OEM Parts

When it comes to heavy machinery, genuine parts are always best. You know they’re going to fit your machines perfectly and perform as expected.

These parts will offer the same quality the manufacturer offers throughout its brand, and you’ll have recourse if something doesn’t work as it should. 

There are many excellent manufacturers of aftermarket parts around. Yet, these manufacturers aren’t aware of any minute changes made by the brand that could affect the design of their matching components. 

Aftermarket parts rarely meet the same quality and performance standards as OEM parts do, so they void the warranty on your machine, and they won’t last as long as original parts.

Used Parts for Heavy Equipment

Used parts are a cheaper option for budget-conscious machinery repair. There are two types of used parts you can consider for your machines, namely:

Salvage Parts

Salvage parts are the cheapest type of parts available, but they do come with a few risks. These include:

Quality Concerns

Since salvage parts usually originate from scarp yards, you have no information about the history of the machines they came from. There’s no guarantee they will work or, if they do, how long they’ll work for. 

No Warranty

Installing salvage parts in your heavy machinery can void any warranties you still hold. If something goes wrong, this can cost you a lot more than the savings you’ll enjoy from buying salvage parts. 

Safety Issues

Quality concerns can easily escalate into dangerous situations. You have no idea if the parts in question could lead to catastrophic equipment failure, placing your employees at risk. 

Remanufactured Parts

If you bought your heavy equipment from a dealer, you can trade in your old equipment. The dealer will take a careful look at these items to see if they can bring any of the components back to life.

This process usually involves three steps:

Removing Useful Parts from the Equipment

Experienced mechanics carefully disassemble the machine, taking care not to damage any part of it. They clean the individual components, making sure they remove all debris.

After a thorough inspection, they retrieve any salvageable parts from each component and send the rest to a recycling facility.

Remanufacturing Heavy Machinery Components

Then, they build new perfectly functional space parts out of these restored items, taking care to update any defunct components to the latest standards. 

They also inspect every inch of the components for wear, cracks, and any imperfections and repair or replace things as necessary.  This prevents small issues from escalating in the future.  

Quality Control

Quality control is the most important part of the remanufacturing process. These remanufactured parts must meet all the original criteria as set up by the relevant heavy machinery brand. 

After this initial in-depth inspection, each part undergoes performance testing to ensure it’s fit for the job at hand. Despite all this hard work, you can still buy remanufactured parts for cheaper prices than new ones. 

Apart from the price, there’s no difference performance-wise between new and remanufactured parts. 

Commonly Used Heavy Machinery Parts

All heavy machinery and industrial equipment feature some parts that wear out quicker than others. It’s always best to keep stocks of these often-used items to hand, especially if you work in remote destinations, or after business hours.

These are some items you should keep a stash of in your workshop, so you can replace them quickly when needed:

  • Air, fuel, hydraulic, and oil filters
  • Batteries
  • Belts
  • Engine oil
  • Hydraulic and transmission fluid
  • Engine starters
  • Fuel injectors
  • Hoses
  • Spark plugs

Be sure you have enough of these in stock and replace each item as you use it. You can place an order with your regular supplier every month or week to ensure you never run out of these vital components. 

Nowadays, you can even pick up some of the parts you need online if that’s more convenient for you. Click here for more information.

Fortunately, using non-OEM parts for these items rarely voids your warranty, but you must check with your machine’s manufacturer before stocking up. 

Planning for Success and Savings

Taking the time to source the best heavy machinery parts and equipment can save you a ton of money and reduce stress. Why not sit down today and figure it all out, before something goes wrong?

Spending a little time now can save you a lot of distress, expense, and inconvenience later. 

We all welcome a little assistance when it comes to researching the best options for our businesses. Browse our blog for more information on a wide range of topics to help save you time and money.