A 500-hour service lands on a different date for every machine. The excavator trenching a dusty pipeline right-of-way runs 55 hours a week; the spare loader in the yard runs 10. This planner turns hour meters into dates your shop can plan around.
Typical tasks at each interval
A starting point only: check every task and interval against the manufacturer’s operation and maintenance manual for your model and serial number. Each service includes the tasks of the shorter ones; daily checks and greasing are left out.
| Service | Excavator | Wheel loader |
|---|---|---|
| 250 hours | Engine oil and filter where the manual sets 250 hours; oil samples from engine, hydraulics, swing drive and final drives; check swing drive and final drive oil levels; inspect air filter; clean radiator and cooler fins; check belts, battery and track tension. | Engine oil and filter where the manual sets 250 hours; oil samples from engine, transmission, hydraulics and axles; check transmission and axle oil levels; inspect air filter; clean cooler fins; check belts, battery, tires and service brakes. |
| 500 hours | Engine oil and filter on most current engines; primary and secondary fuel filters; drain water and sediment from the fuel tank; hydraulic tank breather; coolant test for freeze point and additive level. | Engine oil and filter on most current engines; primary and secondary fuel filters; drain water and sediment from the fuel tank; hydraulic tank breather; coolant test for freeze point and additive level; parking brake test. |
| 1,000 hours | Swing drive gear oil change; hydraulic return and pilot filters; pump drive gearbox or damper case oil where fitted; air filter elements if the restriction indicator has not called for them; inspect hoses and turbocharger. | Transmission oil and filter change; hydraulic return filter; air filter elements if the restriction indicator has not called for them; inspect driveshaft joints, steering and brake accumulators, and hoses. |
| 2,000 hours | Final drive gear oil change; engine valve lash check and adjust; hydraulic oil change, or sample and extend where the manual allows; coolant change if due for your coolant type. | Front and rear axle oil change, differentials and final drives; engine valve lash check and adjust; hydraulic oil change, or sample and extend where the manual allows; coolant change if due; brake wear check. |
Service interval questions, answered
How often should heavy equipment be serviced?
Most heavy equipment is serviced by engine hours, with major services at 250 or 500, 1,000 and 2,000 hours, plus daily checks and greasing. The exact intervals depend on the model, the engine and the duty, so the manufacturer’s operation and maintenance manual for your serial number is the final word.
What is a duty factor in equipment maintenance?
A duty factor is a multiplier that brings service intervals forward when a machine works in severe conditions: heavy dust, high heat, constant heavy load or long idle. A loader feeding a crusher on a caliche pit needs air filter and oil service sooner than the same model on a paved yard. It never lengthens an interval.
Should equipment be serviced by hours or by calendar?
By hours first, and by calendar where the manual says “whichever comes first.” A machine parked for the winter still ages its coolant, hydraulic oil and batteries, so most manuals pair hour intervals with a time limit. Low-hour standby machines are the ones most likely to slip past a calendar service.
Can oil analysis extend service intervals?
It can, where the manufacturer allows it. Regular samples from the engine, hydraulics, swing drive or axles show wear metals, dirt, fuel and coolant in the oil. Some manuals permit longer hydraulic oil intervals when results stay clean; your shop lead and the lab report should make that call, not a planner.
How does Gytix schedule these services automatically?
Gytix reads each machine’s engine hours from an A1 gateway or the manufacturer’s feed and opens a work order 50 hours before each interval. Service plans and duty factors are set per model during onboarding. Preventive maintenance is part of the Shop plan, billed per machine and month to month.
Put every machine on schedule
Send your asset list with current hour meters. We load each model’s service plan during onboarding, and your shop lead approves it before the first work order opens.