March Maintenance Check… Would your gear pass a proper once-over right now?
March can be that in-between month out here in regional NSW.
Farmers are flat out sowing.
The rush of harvest clean-ups has eased.
Earthmoving and civil jobs are still ticking along.
It’s not peak madness.
But it’s not quiet either.
And that’s exactly why it’s a smart time to stop and look properly at your gear.
If you’re running loader attachments every day - whether that’s a stick rake, grain bucket, hay forks, or cotton spears - this is the window to check everything over before the next busy run kicks in.
Because once things ramp up again, no one wants to be pulling gear apart mid-job.
Most breakdowns don’t come out of nowhere.
They build slowly.
A bit of wear here.
A bit of movement there.
Something slightly out of line.
Then one day it turns into downtime.
So, the question is - if you gave your loader and loader hitch a proper once-over this week, what would you find?
Here’s what we’d be checking.
1. Wear Pads – The Quiet Wear You Don’t Always Notice
Wear pads are designed to take the friction, so your hitch frame and mounting faces don’t.
They’re sacrificial. That’s their job.
But because they wear gradually, they’re easy to ignore.
If you’re regularly running stick rakes for clearing work or heavier buckets under load, those wear pads are under constant pressure.
When they get too thin:
Attachments don’t sit tight
Movement increases
Load transfers unevenly
Other components start wearing faster
It doesn’t feel dramatic at first. Just a bit of play.
But, small movement turns into accelerated wear surprisingly quickly.
What we’d check:
Are both sides wearing evenly?
Is there visible thinning or cracking?
When you lift and settle the attachment, is there more movement than there used to be?
Replacing wear pads early is routine maintenance.
Rebuilding mounting faces on a loader hitch isn’t.
2. Pin Holes & Mounting Points – Catch It Early
Pin holes don’t suddenly fail.
They slowly oval out.
Pins slowly score.
Welds slowly fatigue.
Heavier work - pushing bulk material with a grain bucket or clearing country with a stick rake - puts serious load through those mounting points.
Once movement starts:
Shock loading increases
Stress transfers into weld seams
Cracks form at pressure points
Frames begin carrying load they weren’t designed for
Pull the pins properly and check them.
Look for elongation.
Look for uneven wear.
Run your finger around the hole edges - can you feel distortion?
Catching it early might mean a tidy repair.
Leaving it too long can mean cutting and rebuilding a section completely.
There’s a big difference in downtime between those two.
3. Hydraulic Hoses – The Breakdown You Can Usually Predict
Hydraulic hose failures feel sudden.
But most of the time, the signs were there.
Fine cracking in the outer casing.
Slight bulging.
Oil dampness around fittings.
Chafing where hoses rub on steel.
If you’re running hydraulic loader attachments regularly, those hoses are under pressure every day.
And hoses don’t fail when you’re idling in the yard.
They fail under load.
Mid push.
Mid lift.
Halfway through a job.
Under NSW regulations, plant equipment must be maintained in safe working condition. SafeWork NSW outlines guidance around managing plant safely here:
https://www.safework.nsw.gov.au/safety-starts-here/plant
We’re not saying overthink it.
But keeping hoses in good condition isn’t just about convenience - it’s part of running safe, compliant gear.
It’s far cheaper to change a tired hose in the yard than lose half a day on site.
4. Is Your Loader Hitch Actually Sitting Square?
Your loader hitch is the connection point for everything.
If it’s not sitting properly:
Wear pads wear unevenly
Locking mechanisms don’t engage cleanly
Mounting points take stress they shouldn’t
Over time, those compounds wear across the entire system.
When everything fits the way it’s meant to:
Movement is controlled
Pressure distributes evenly
Wear happens where it’s designed to
Your machine works smoother and lasts longer
It’s one of those things that’s easy to overlook - until something doesn’t line up the way it should.
Why March Is a Good Window
Out here, machines work hard.
Long hours.
Heavy loads.
Rough conditions.
Once winter projects ramp up or larger contracts kick in, no one wants downtime.
March gives you breathing space.
Time to:
Tighten what’s worked loose
Replace what’s starting to wear
Swap out tired hoses
Make sure everything is sitting square
It’s not about over-servicing.
It’s about catching the small stuff before it turns into expensive stuff.
If you’re unsure whether something’s worn too far, starting to move more than it should, or just want a second opinion on your loader hitch or attachments - give me (Ross) a ring.
📞 0428 637 682