Cold Weather Is Coming: Is Your Aggregate Plant Ready? 🥶🪨

Fall is here, and while freezing temperatures may still be a few weeks away, September is the time to start preparing your aggregate operation for colder weather.

Cold temperatures can expose problems that weren’t noticeable during the warmer months. Lubricants behave differently, moisture can freeze, batteries work harder, and already-worn components can become bigger problems when temperatures drop.

A little preventative maintenance now can help avoid a lot of frozen headaches later.

1. Check Lubricants, Fluids & Oil

Cold weather can affect lubricant viscosity and equipment performance, making it important to review lubrication requirements before temperatures fall.

Check oil levels, inspect for leaks, and make sure you’re using the correct lubricants for the equipment and expected operating temperatures. Follow the manufacturer’s recommended oil type and change intervals.

For crushers equipped with heating elements in their oil tanks, now is also the time to make sure those heaters are operating properly. These systems help bring the oil to the appropriate operating temperature in cold conditions, so discovering a problem before temperatures drop can help prevent cold-weather startup issues.

This is also a good time to review your oil sampling program. Regular oil analysis can help identify contamination, abnormal wear, or other developing issues before they become failures.

2. Inspect Belts, Hoses & Wear Components

• Summer production can take a toll on equipment. Before winter arrives, inspect components throughout the plant for signs of wear, cracking, damage, or deterioration.

  Pay particular attention to:

  • Conveyor belts, splices, and cleaners
  • Hydraulic hoses and fittings
  • Crusher and screen wear components
  • Bearings, seals, and guards
  • Skirting and transfer-point components

  Replacing a worn component during planned maintenance is much easier than dealing with a failure on a freezing January morning. 🥶🔧

  3. Protect Water Systems

  For wash plants and other equipment that uses water, freezing temperatures require additional planning.

  Inspect pumps, hoses, valves, tanks, and piping for leaks or areas where water can collect. Develop procedures for draining or protecting components that could be damaged by freezing when equipment isn’t operating.

  Don’t wait for the first hard freeze to figure out where water is hiding.

  4. Give Mobile Equipment Some Attention

  Mobile crushers, screens, and conveyors bring their own cold-weather considerations.

  Inspect batteries and electrical connections, hydraulic systems, fuel and fluid levels, tracks, and other critical components. Follow the manufacturer’s cold-weather operating and warm-up procedures for your specific equipment.

  A few extra minutes of preparation can go a long way toward keeping mobile equipment dependable when temperatures fall.

  5. Stock Critical Wear & Spare Parts

  Cold weather isn’t the time to discover you’re missing the part needed to get production moving again.

  Review your critical spare parts inventory now and consider the components your operation can’t afford to be without. Depending on your equipment, that may include wear parts, bearings, belts, hoses, filters, screen media, conveyor components, or other commonly replaced items.

  Your PMI sales representative can help review your equipment and identify parts worth keeping on the shelf before winter arrives.

  Don’t Let Winter Catch Your Plant Cold 🪨❄️

  Cold-weather preparation doesn’t have to be complicated. Inspecting equipment, addressing wear, reviewing lubrication, checking crusher oil-tank heaters, protecting water systems, and stocking critical parts now can help prevent unexpected downtime later.

  If you’re not sure where to start, Process Machinery’s parts and service teams can help you prepare your operation for the colder months ahead.

  📞 1-800-860-1523
  📧 sales@emailpmi.com

  Plan now. Stay ahead of the freeze. Keep the rock moving. 💪🪨