WorldWide Drilling Resource

Hydraulic Training by J. Eric Freimuth Hydraulic Training Associates Knowledge is Power Part 1 With the economy as it has been for the past decade, it is important to understand how we all can make the bottom line better and maintain our equipment more efficiently. This article is not in any way designed to be the end-all to your maintenance problems, but rather a guide to help understand the importance of empowering mechanics so they will be able to improve the work they do. The better they are at what they do, the better they will be at reducing maintenance costs. We will be discussing infor- mation in our next few installments which I have passed on for years in classes. In- formation that, after people get it, say to themselves, “I knew that.” Yet it never hurts to reinstill the knowledge and refresh their base. We will be discussing basic information which tends to be forgotten because of the hurry-up mentality we have become so accustomed to. “Get it done now, we need that equipment working” - these words are heard way too often. In the process, steps are forgotten and information which is vital to the repair or installation is missed. This can happen to the best of mechanics. I was recently with a customer who had a new install. A problem had arisen which could have cost the customer more money. When they contacted us, we were able to help by isolating the components related to the problem. By having the prod- uct knowledge needed to evaluate the situation, we were able to advise them of an adjustment they needed to make which solved the problem. These are only a few steps to take, but can help reduce costs in the future for all your equipment. One of the first steps to reducing maintenance costs is assuring the mechanics have the knowledge needed for the equipment they are working on. Because my background is in the field of hydraulics and pneumatics, I relate all of my experiences to those components. This knowledge transcends all components, whether diesel or gas engines, brakes, transmissions, and any other mechanical component you can think of. Know the components you are working on, how they function normally, and what can be expected of them while they are working. To troubleshoot, it is impossible to know what is wrong if you don’t know how it should be when it is right. An example of this would be a pressure-compensated pump. If the mechanic doesn’t know how one is to function properly, and the main relief comes out of adjustment or the spring becomes weak, this could possi- bly cause an inexperienced mechanic to pull the pump - an unnecessary expense. The problem could be fixed by an adjust- ment, and the system would be back in working order for little to no cost. Eric Eric Freimuth may be contacted via e-mail to michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com To troubleshoot, it is impossible to know what is wrong if you don’t know how it should be when it is right. /*. 42 '/1 3)& ..4", ! /.'&1&.$& ".% 1"%& )/5 -#"227 4*3&2 /1-". /3&, /.'&1&.$& &.3&1 /.'&1&.$& &.3&1 1 /1-". &3 1&"%7 '/1 8 1&"3 6)*#*32 8 /.3*.4*.( %4$"3*/. 00/134.*3*&2 8 1&"3 *-& 3/ *2*3 5*3) 1*&.%2 / 1&(*23&1 $",, /2) $ ,*.3/$+ /1 (/ /.,*.& 555 /+(1/4.%5"3&1 /1( ".4"17 58 OCTOBER 2015 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® DEADLINES: Space Reservation - OCTOBER 25 TH Display & Classified Ad Copy - NOVEMBER 1 ST We’ll save a spot for you in WWDR ’s December issue! Call (850) 547-0102