1000 Hour Service Checklist for Heavy Plant

What the 1000 hour service is for

The 1000 hour service is the first major service. On top of everything in the 250 and 500 hour services, it is where more of the drivetrain oils get changed and the machine gets a proper look over rather than a quick check.

It is usually a planned job: half a day to a full day, often with a qualified heavy diesel fitter. Machines that miss their 1000 hour service tend to show it later in final drives, swing drives and hydraulic components, which are among the most expensive parts on the machine.

This is a general guide, not a service manual. Service items and intervals vary by make, model, attachments and working conditions. Always follow the manufacturer's maintenance schedule and manual for each machine, and have servicing done by someone qualified to do it. Use this page to plan and check your work, not to replace the manual.

1000 hour service checklist

Everything from the 250 and 500

Engine oil and filter, greasing, fuel filters, cab filter, fluid checks, oil samples and the walk-around. See the 250 and 500 hour checklists.

Drivetrain oils

• Change the final drive oil on tracked machines, or the axle and planetary oils on wheeled machines, if due at this interval.
• Change the swing drive oil on excavators, if due.
• Change the transmission oil and filter on machines with a transmission, if due.

Hydraulics

• Replace the hydraulic return filter and drain filter.
• Change the hydraulic oil if the manual calls for it at 1000 hours. If your manual allows longer intervals based on oil analysis, use the sample results to decide.
• Clean the hydraulic tank breather and suction strainer if specified.

Engine

• Check valve clearances on engines that need it at this interval.
• Inspect the turbocharger for oil leaks and shaft play.
• Check the cooling system: coolant condition and concentration, hoses and clamps. Some makes change coolant at this point, others run it much longer.
• Drain the fuel tank sump to remove water and sediment.

Inspections

• Check the electrical system: wiring, connectors, alternator output and starter condition.
• Check brakes and park brake on wheeled machines.
• On excavators, check the swing bearing for play and the bolts for torque.
• On tracked machines, measure undercarriage wear against the manufacturer's limits.

Oil samples

• Take another round of samples and compare them against the 500 hour baseline. This is where trends start to show.

Parts to order before the machine comes in

• Everything for the 250 and 500 services
• Final drive, swing drive and transmission oil, in the quantities for each compartment
• Hydraulic return and drain filters
• Hydraulic oil if it is being changed, which can be a large volume on bigger machines
• Transmission filter if fitted
• Coolant if it is being changed
• Oil sample bottles and labels

This is the service where waiting for parts hurts most. A machine booked in for a day can sit for a week because one filter or a drum of the right oil isn't in. Order when the machine is 50 to 100 hours out.

How long it takes

Half a day to a full day for a competent fitter with everything ready. Longer if inspections turn up repairs.

What gets missed at 1000 hours

• The final drives and swing drive. They are out of sight, and old oil in them shortens their life.
• Torque checks on the swing bearing and other critical bolts.
• Comparing the oil samples. Taking samples and never reading the trend wastes most of their value.
• Writing up what was found but not fixed, so it gets planned instead of forgotten.

Where the 1000 fits in the cycle

• 250, 750, 1250, 1750 hours: a 250 hour service
• 500 and 1500 hours: a 500 hour service
• 1000 hours: a 1000 hour service, which includes the 250 and 500
• 2000 hours: a 2000 hour service, which includes everything

For the full cycle, see service intervals explained.

Keeping track of it in Burgy

Burgy treats services as additive. A 1000 hour parts kit includes the 250 and 500 items too, so when you raise a purchase order from the kit, nothing from the smaller services is left off. Each machine has its own 1000 hour checklist, so the fitter ticks off the items for that machine, not a generic list.

Oil samples are recorded against each compartment, with labels printed for the lab, and the history stays on the machine so the next sample can be compared with this one.