How To Store Your Drill In The Winter
As summer ends, the days get shorter, the weather gets more unpredictable, and your mechanical earth drill will be used less. When this happens, your drill will need a maintenance check before storing it for a few months. Since the Little Beaver mechanical earth drill is a reputable earth drill with heavy-duty components, it will only take a few minutes to complete all maintenance and ensure your earth drill will work as well as new for the summer. Follow these steps to keep your earth drill in tip-top shape.
1. Closely Inspect Your Drill
Ensure you are inspecting your earth drill and all components are working properly. To complete a detailed inspection, ensure your blades are past the flighting. If the blades are worn out, it is impractical to dig with the auger. Flip or replace your blades at this time to keep your earth drill working smoothly.
Go even further in detail and ensure all bolts are tight, and if you use a carbide blade, if it is worn out, sharpen it with a bench grinder. Only carbide blades can be sharpened this way, so do not attempt with a Pengo-style or standard blade.
Look At:
- The push button connector
- Throttle lever
- Throttle cable
Make sure these pieces move smoothly together so the cable moves freely on the other end when the lever is pulled. If it does not move correctly, replace it. If your cable is frayed, you cannot clean and reattach it.
2. Scope Out Your Mechanical Earth Drill’s Flex Shaft
Usually, the inspection of your drill shaft will be done every two to three years. But, checking it before storing it away for winter is always a good idea if you want to stay on top of all maintenance. Make sure your outer housing does not have cracks or discernable wires. If it looks great, remove it, clean it, and then remember to re-lube it before placing it back inside the machine. That way, your drill will work once spring comes around without any issues.
3. Look At Fluids And Other Filters
The fluids used in your transmission must be replaced on the regular. Seeing metal shavings in the fluid may mean missing teeth or too much gear wear. If you replace your transmission fluid frequently, you will not experience excess gear wear. You should not notice a copious amount of shifting when moving the output shaft.
Motor oils must be cleaned and changed. Use an air hose to clean filters. If using foam filters, shake them enough to get rid of unclean residue.
4. Regularly Clean Your Mechanical Earth Drill
Of course, your earth drill will get muddy while on the job. However, it is up to you to wipe your machine down every time it is used. Remember to do a proper deep cleaning with soapy water each year, ensuring you thoroughly disassemble the drill, torque tube, and auger. Altogether remove the fuel, or if you prefer, use a fuel neutralizer before putting your machine in storage.
Lastly, never place your earth drill for storage in a wet place. Ensure the contained area is dry and out of reach of the outdoor elements.