Choosing an oil for your mixed fleet of Cat equipment seems like it should be a relatively simple decision. Do a little research and pick a product. However, to make the right choice, the process quickly becomes highly technical and surprisingly tangled.
Making the right selection has bigger consequences than you might think. Maintaining your equipment at the highest possible level helps bolster your bottom line. You can save significant cash by keeping everything in top working order. With the highest maintenance standards, you don’t have to shell out cash for repairs. Meanwhile, you can put off expensive replacements for as long as possible.
With all that in mind, it’s worth a little investment to make the right decisions regarding equipment maintenance. However, the choices themselves can get shockingly complicated.
Which brings us to the question of what oil to choose.
Providing oil for your equipment is key to extending its life and making sure everything is ready for work when you have a project to do. However, to keep costs down, you want to purchase in bulk. You’d prefer to use the same oil in all your equipment, which forces you to find a fleet-wide solution to your oil problem.
Factors to Consider
Generally speaking, the type of oil you need depends on your engine. Looking at the kind of equipment you have will narrow your selection process.
That said, the government enforces certain minimum standards related to fuel consumption and emissions, therefore, you must keep these requirements in mind. As you make your selection, research the products that will allow you to comply with both government regulations and industry standards.
However, be aware that these standards can change. The government is constantly updating its regulatory requirements, meaning what was acceptable in the past (especially for older models) might require rethinking with the new requirements in mind.
Fleet Mix
Adding to the complications surrounding the oil decision is the fact your fleet keeps changing. As you retire older equipment and buy replacements, the mix of your machinery in operation constantly updates.
This matters as you review your oil options. Older vehicles might not be able to handle some of the newer formulations on the market, forcing you to stick with a particular product to maintain those aging models.
Meanwhile, newer equipment, while likely better than the old stuff in most ways, has its own limitations. The engines might require something more modern, not allowing you to use that traditional oil you had gotten used to.
As a rule of thumb, give more weight to what your newer equipment needs. Those machines have the longer working life ahead of them, so keeping them in peak form will pay off for a longer time.
Seek Professional Help
The intricacies of this decision might seem overstated; however, it makes a difference for the longevity of your equipment, for the fuel efficiency of your fleet, and, as a result, for your bottom line.
As such, it pays to invest some resources in making the right decision. Many lubricant providers have experts on staff that can help you decide. If you don’t trust this advice (they are trying to sell you stuff, after all), you can bring in a third-party consultant to help with the decision.
Find Highly Skilled Professionals When You Partner with Qualified Staffing
It also helps to have knowledgeable people on staff to help guide these kinds of technical decisions. Working with a strong recruiting firm, like Qualified Staffing, can make the process of finding these highly skilled professionals easy.
Contact Qualified Staffing today to find out more.