3 Things To Do NOW to Have a GREAT Leaf Season
We all know the feeling. Leaves are starting to turn and there’s a crispness to the air that evokes the excitement of back-to-school and football. Problem is…the leaf equipment that's been parked since March kinda got ignored over the summer and you’re starting to remember what it felt like when one of your leaf trucks went down during the heaviest week of leaf fall last season.
Here's the good news: none of that has to be a surprise. The programs that come through leaf season looking sharp aren't the ones with the newest trucks or the biggest budgets. They're the ones that got three things right before the first leaf hit the ground.
1. Give Your Equipment More Than a Glance
Leaf equipment gets beat up. Weeks of nonstop use pulling tons of debris, followed by months of sitting idle waiting for the next season. That's a rough way to treat hardware, and if you skip a real inspection before turning it back on, you're bound to run into a problem at the worst possible time.
Before fall hits, run a comprehensive inspection of your leaf-vac fleet. Pay particular attention to:
• Hydraulic lines, pumps, cylinders, and fittings
• Blower housing, liners, hoses, and impellers
• Bearings, bushings, belts, filters, and lubrication points
• Lighting and electrical connections, including safety lights and cameras
Catching these issues now will save you precious time once collection season is in full swing.
2. Stock Up on Parts Now
Something is going to break on your leaf-vac equipment mid-season, it's inevitable. Stock up on common replacement parts now so you're not sidelined waiting days or weeks for parts once the season is underway. Pull last year's maintenance records, see what failed and what you scrambled to find, and put those parts on the shelf before the season starts. Good places to start include:
• Bearings
• Blower housing liners
• Nozzles
• Impellers
Getting common leaf-vac parts mid-season can be hard, expensive, and slower than expected, since many folks are in the same boat. Stocking up now can be the difference between a truck back on the road in an hour and one sitting in the bay for a week.
3. Listen to the Person in the Driver's Seat
Your operators know the equipment better than any inspection checklist. They hear the blower change pitch. They feel the vacuum losing pull. They notice the truck running a little rougher than it did yesterday. Those aren't annoyances, they're the earliest warning system you've got.
Train your operators to watch for these signs and to stop and investigate rather than push through, and you'll catch small issues before they become disasters. It's equally important to train your crew on proper operation and collection techniques – rocks, mud, bricks, and whatever else residents hide in their leaf piles can destroy an impeller, blower housing, or hose in a hurry.
Staffing matters too. One operator can run a vacuum truck alone, but our experience shows that adding a ground crew member to rake and blow leaves toward the truck makes the operation roughly 30% more efficient than running with a single operator.
Preparation Pays Dividends
None of this guarantees a perfect season, and Mother Nature will always have a say. But investing time in your equipment and crews now will make the season smoother and leaf (pun intended) you better prepared for whatever comes. We know it's hard to prioritize leaf collection in the middle of summer with so many competing demands, but a little time in the shop this month beats a lot of downtime in late November.
The good news is that Really Good Equipment is can help with all your leaf-collection needs. If you need parts, are having hydraulic issues with your leaf-vac truck or would like to outsource the headaches of leaf collection, give us a call at 804-276-2122 or visit us at reallygoodequipment.com.