Equipment preventive maintenance schedule template
What to do at each interval, and how to track it
Preventive maintenance is cheaper than breakdowns, but only if it actually happens on time. This template shows common service intervals by engine hours and by calendar time. Treat the numbers as a starting point: your manufacturer's manual and your oil analysis decide the real intervals for your machines.
Typical PM schedule (adjust to your manuals)
| When | Typical work |
|---|---|
| Every day or shift | Walk-around, fluid levels, leaks, lights, belts, tires or tracks, grease the daily points. |
| Every week or 50 hours | Grease all fittings, check air filter restriction indicator, clean radiator and coolers, check battery and cables. |
| Every 250 hours or 3 months | Engine oil and filter, fuel filter and water separator, check hydraulic oil level, inspect belts and hoses. |
| Every 500 hours or 6 months | Replace fuel filters, check coolant condition, change air filter if needed, take an oil sample for analysis. |
| Every 1,000 hours or 12 months | Hydraulic oil and filters, final drive and swing gear oil, check valve lash if the manual calls for it, full structural inspection. |
| Every 2,000 hours or 24 months | Coolant flush, hydraulic tank service, deeper inspection of the undercarriage, pins and bushings. |
| Every year | Annual inspection, fire extinguisher, safety decals, and registration, insurance and any inspection your regulator requires. |
How to set it up
- Pick the trigger per machine. Use engine hours where the machine has an hour meter and works unevenly, and calendar time where it sits idle. Many shops use whichever comes first.
- Count from the last service, not the calendar. Each PM resets from the day and the hours it was actually done. Late work should push the next one out, not skip it.
- Keep different services separate. Oil changes, greasing and annual inspections run on different clocks. Tracking them as separate schedules keeps one from hiding another.
- Write down what was done. Date, hours, who did it, parts and cost. That history is what you show an insurer, a buyer or an auditor.
Common mistakes
- Logging it only when something breaks. A PM log only helps if the routine work goes in too.
- One interval for every machine. A dump truck that idles all day and an excavator that digs hard need different clocks.
- Skipping the hours reading. If operators do not enter engine hours, an hours-based schedule never fires.
Keep a record you can show
RigCheck tracks several maintenance schedules per machine, such as oil change by hours and annual inspection by date. It counts down each one, emails you ahead of time, and keeps the history in one place. Operators enter the hours when they inspect. The first 14 days are free, with no card.
See also: daily equipment inspection checklist · all guides. RigCheck is a record-keeping tool and does not replace any inspection your regulator requires.