How to be Sure Your Industrial Vehicles Start Every Time This Winter

Truck on driving on highway in winter - How to be Sure Your Industrial Vehicles Start Every Time This Winter

Winter is about to hit full force, and with it comes the frustration of vehicles that refuse to start. Jump-start becomes a regular appearing word in many vocabularies during this season. The best way to make sure your vehicle starts the first time during the winter is to have your battery fully charged. This is the job of the charging system. Vehicle drivers rely on the charging system to provide a full charge, especially at the end of the day. Here’s how to ensure your industrial vehicles start every winter.

Performance check

We suggest the following maintenance check for your vehicles for their readiness to perform properly this winter.

  • Check belts, pulleys and drive systems for cracks, wear and tension
  • Check the tightness of the mounting bolt. Make sure it is reset to the manufacturer’s specifications.
  • Inspect the rectifier fins for dirt and clogging. If necessary, use compressed air to blow out any debris.
  • Perform a voltage drop test on the cables. Stay at no more than half loss from the terminal to the battery’s terminals at full alternator output.

What can go wrong?

There are four main parts of an alternator that can succumb to damage. These are:

  1. Bearings – These normally emit a grinding sound before they give out completely. Bearings are the most likely part of the system to simply wear out and need replaced.
  2. Wirings and diodes – With electricity constantly going through them, wires tend to take a lot of heat, literally. Wires and diodes make up the heart of the electrical system and need to be made of strong material.
  3. Voltage regulator – The voltage regulator is just as its name indicates; it is responsible for making sure the correct amount of voltage goes from Point A to Point B. If this fails, the battery can’t stay fully charged, and you face silence when trying to start your vehicle in the morning.
  4. Battery – The best way to test this is to jump-start your vehicle. If the vehicle stays running, it is most likely your battery that needs to be replaced. If it shuts down once the jumper cables are removed, the alternator is at fault.

Safety reminder

Electricity is a powerful thing, and you need to keep yourself as safe as possible when working around it. Please don’t perform any electrical work without taking the following precautions:

  • Know where the nearest eye wash station is located
  • Always wear eye protection
  • Remove anything made of metal, such as watches and jewelry, so an accidental electrical charge isn’t created.
  • Don’t smoke near batteries
  • Don’t rest tools on a battery
  • Use proper disposal methods for batteries when necessary.
  • Follow common safety procedures.

Final words

Don’t get left out in the cold this winter. Make sure your industrial vehicles start AND perform at top condition. For more information on how you can ensure the best performance possible from your vehicles, visit Elreg. Look around or have a live chat with one of our experts.

REQUEST INFORMATION