Winter storage of machines: water, battery, frost-free room

Ficon writes that liquid left standing for a long time in the pre-wetting tank on the FC 550-1100 and FC 600-1000TR can freeze and damage the spreader. Husqvarna writes that the PG 280, PG 400 and PG 450 floor grinders must be stored in a dry, frost-free place.

Liquid that can freeze

On the FC 550-1100 and FC 600-1000TR spreaders with pre-wetting, the liquid tank should always be emptied after each use, and the filter should also be emptied. If the liquid is left standing in the tank for a long time, it can freeze and damage the spreader. The FC 500-2000 brine sprayer must always be emptied before it is taken off the vehicle, and liquid must not be left standing in the tank for long. Ficon's limited warranty does not cover problems caused by incorrect maintenance or storage. The routines are described in Brine in the spreader and Spreader maintenance.

The road sweepers in Bucher's MaxPowa V series have the Pressadrain drainage system as standard. When frost is expected, the water is drained with a switch in the cab. You can read more about water and frost on the road sweepers in Cleaning a road sweeper.

Compressors in a cold room

Jun-Air asks you to protect the oil-lubricated compressors from rain, moisture, frost and dust. The operating manual does not give a storage temperature, but when the compressor is installed, it must be in a dust-free, dry and cool but frost-free room, and it must not be used when the ambient temperature is below 0 °C or above 35 °C. The warranty against defects in materials and workmanship requires that the operating manual has been followed.

For the oil-free system 87R-4P, the lower temperature limit in operation is 10 °C, and the system must not be installed or used in an enclosed room where the temperature can fall below 10 °C. It is only intended for indoor use in climate-controlled, dust-free surroundings. For transport and storage, the operating manual gives −28 to 65 °C, but the system must be kept dry at all times. Avoid conditions that cause condensation on the equipment, and release the pressure in the tank before the system is transported.

Draining condensate and the rest of the maintenance are covered in Jun-Air compressor maintenance.

The battery in the Oldham DL16 headlamp

The operating manual for the Oldham DL16 has specific advice for batteries in storage. They should be given a 24-hour boost charge three months after they are received, and then every six months. Before the batteries are put into regular use, they should be fully recharged. The recommended storage temperature is 0 to 27 °C.

The user manual also says that the battery must never be fully discharged, and that the lamp should be charged after each use.

Swepac power trowels and power screeds

Swepac asks you to clean the TR 600P, TR 750P and TR 950P power trowels thoroughly before storage, to avoid hazardous substances, and always to store the machine in a dry place. If the machine is stored in its operating position, the fuel tank must be no more than half full. Otherwise fuel may leak out of the vent hole in the tank cap. For the engine, Swepac recommends reading the engine manual supplied with the machine.

For the power screeds with petrol engines, the user manual refers to the engine manufacturer's manual for further instructions on the engine. All the screeds, including the FBE with its electric motor, must be stored in a clean, dry place when they are not going to be used for a long time. The rest is covered in Power trowel maintenance and Power screed maintenance.

Floor grinders and dust extractors from Husqvarna

Husqvarna states that the PG 280 and PG 400 floor grinders and the DC 3000 and DC 6000 dust extractors must be stored indoors only, and that the PG 280, PG 400, PG 450 and DC 6000 must be stored in a dry, frost-free place. The PG 680 and PG 820 should be stored in a dry place when not in use. There is more on storage in Floor grinder maintenance and Dust extractors for floor grinders.

Gast blowers in seasonal operation

If the motor on a Gast Regenair blower stands idle for six months or more, this counts as seasonal operation, and according to Gast the bearings should then be lubricated once a year, at the start of the season. This applies to motors with grease nipples, which is the case for motors above 5.5 hp. The manual does not cover SDR blowers without a motor or blowers with an explosion-proof motor. Lubrication, and the shutdown routine before storing the rotary vane and piston pumps, are covered in Gast vacuum pump and blower.

Seasonal preparation by our workshop

The workshop at Frogner handles planned maintenance, repairs and seasonal preparation for all the machines we sell. Our service technicians have their own vans and travel all over the country from Oslo and Bergen, while larger jobs are done in the workshop. Book a service on Workshop and service.

Getting the snow blower ready for winter is covered in Snow blower before winter.