Inside Our Shop: The Unseen Work That Keeps Your Projects On Track

Double B Excavations & Grade LLC

KEEPING OUR machinery in tip top shape for reliability

It's a beautiful spring day here in central Ohio - the kind that usually has us out working on driveways or clearing land.

But today, we're in the shop doing something just as important: taking care of the equipment that takes care of your projects.

A lot of folks don't see this side of the business.

They just know we show up with reliable equipment and get the job done.

But keeping things running smooth takes work - the kind of behind-the-scenes maintenance that prevents headaches for everyone down the road.

That's why we're taking advantage of this nice weather and some downtime to handle important repairs.

Because the last place we want to fix equipment is in your driveway or on your job site.

Here's a perfect example of why we take maintenance so seriously: the tracks we're replacing today are only a year and a half old with about 500 hours on them.

A few weeks back, we noticed one starting to show signs of wear.

Could we have pushed it longer?

Maybe.

But that's not how we do things.

You see, when a track fails, it doesn't just affect us - it can shut down an entire job site.

Worse yet, if it happens on your property, you're stuck with a disabled machine blocking your driveway or tearing up your yard.

By catching these issues early, we prevent those kinds of disruptions.

It's the difference between a planned maintenance day and an emergency repair that throws everyone's schedule off track.

Let me walk you through what we're doing today.

We've got the skid steer up on blocks - wooden ones, actually.

That's intentional. If something shifts during repairs, the wood will break before any expensive parts do.

It's a simple trick that saves a lot of headaches.

The real work involves something called an idler tensioner.

Think of it like a belt tensioner in your car, but bigger and controlled by grease pressure.

This system keeps the tracks tight enough to work properly but not so tight they wear out too fast.

You can actually see some of the grease coming out as we work - that's normal.

Getting this tension just right is crucial.

Too loose, and the track could come off.

Too tight, and you're asking for premature wear.

Here's what it comes down to: we believe in fixing small problems before they become big ones.

Sure, we could wait until something breaks - plenty of companies do.

But that's not how we built our reputation in central Ohio.

We take care of our equipment because it helps us take care of you.

This isn't just about saving money on repairs (though these tracks aren't cheap!).

It's about respect - respect for our equipment, respect for your property, and respect for the trust you put in us to get the job done right.