How To's

How to Get Your Tools & Machinery Ready For Spring

Spring is upon us!

Some of your machinery and tools may have been hibernating over the Winter, which means they will be needing some TLC before putting them back to work.

1. Check for any broken parts - Do your PDI checks

With machinery sat for the winter months it is essential to carry out the basic PDI checks as a minimum. A PDI involves a complete and thorough examination of the vehicle, from the exterior (e.g. bodywork and paintwork), interior (e.g. upholstery) and engine.

2. Check air filters, fuel filters and spark plugs

The first place to start on any pre-season check is to inspect all filters for and damage or dirt, and if needed give them a good clean or replace them if necessary.

Our sister company Holm specialises in replacement filters for all plant and construction vehicles. If you would
like to speak to one of the knowledgeable filter experts about replacement filters or the Holm Filter Finder,
please phone Holm on 01403 914400 or email info@holmfilters.com.

3. Change the oil

Ensure you change the oil in any tools or machines. Ensure you stock up on the correct grade of oil as recommended by the manufacturer.

Here at HTS we are proud to be a trusted partner with Morris Lubricants to offer an extensive range of oils and lubricants. This extensive range of products are backed by the highest level of quality control and technical support together with an experienced customer service team. We stock oils for all construction machinery and equipment.

Shop the range here

4. Re-charge the batteries

Test and charge your plant machinery batteries! We may be past the colder winter months but with the ever increasing amount of electronics on construction plant machinery the battery is under constant pressure.

The most popular battery for construction machinery that we stock is the 669 type deep cycle, heavy duty plant battery. This high powered Yuasa YBX3669 battery fits all types of JCB Telehandlers, JCB 3CX and JCB 4CX machines as well the popular JCB dumper range. It replaces the JCB 729/10669 battery. Click here to order for next day delivery.

Shop the range here

5. Lubricate and tighten any loose parts

Be sure to check all moving parts on your tools, including any bearings, hinges, wheels and any grease points. 

We stock over 20 types of plant machinery grease for a multitude of applications. From anti-seize Copper grease, HRM0052, to the highest spec Morris Lubricants K323 Premium Blue Grease, HRM0825.

Not sure what grease you need? Check out our latest guide on grease on our Youtube channel

6. Time for a fresh coat of paint?

Now is a great time to give your machinery a fresh coat of paint. Here at HTS we are proud to be the leading supplier of plant machinery specific paint in the UK. We stock over 92 paint colours to exact match all types of construction plant. From JCB Yellow to Hitachi Orange, from Volvo Grey to Manitou Red we stock one of the widest ranges available.

Check out our paint guide here …this gives you all the information you need to correctly select the type and colour of paint you need.

7. Clean out the cab.

An area that often needs a good deal of attention is the cab. Operator comfort is not only a nice to have, it is also essential to ensure you stay the right side of the law! There are several key checks that need to be made within the cab, these include:

The seat and belt. Is the seat in good working order and are the seat cushions damage free? We stock a full range of plant seats which cover all types of excavator seats, telehandler seats and dumper seats. New to the range now are also genuine JCB seat covers and seat foams. We also hold the UK’s largest stocks of lap belts, including switched seat belts and static seat belts. Click here for the range…..

Heating and cooling. For cabbed machines it is essential to ensure the cab heater is working and all the cab air vents are functional. Click here to view one of our popular JCB style air vents.

Last point to cover off if you are servicing a piece of construction plant machinery is the access to the machine. Is the step undamaged and safe to use? We stock machine steps for both JCB machinery, the HMP1084 step which replaces JCB 331/27034 and the Thwaites dumper step HMP0777.

With over 9500 product lines held in stock for next day delivery across the UK HTS have become the leading supplier of construction plant spares in the country. We hold a full range of JCB parts, Mecalac parts, Thwaites parts and Bomag parts to name but a few.