What does it take these days for a logger to stay ahead of the competition? Tough, reliable John Deere equipment is a great start. Skilled operators are a big asset. Experience always helps. But there is another factor to keep in mind that also makes a big difference: uptime awareness.

So what exactly is ‘uptime awareness’? Basically, it’s knowledge of the maintenance and parts you need to avoid downtime on your jobsite. More than that, it’s a mindset – an attitude that there will always be an action plan for any possible downtime scenario. To be uptime aware is to be prepared for the worst, and able to address smaller day to day issues that come up without losing valuable time and money. Think of what downtime can cost you per minute. Uptime awareness will benefit the logger by making every minute count for profit. Some contractors have the favor of good climate, allowing for longer working seasons; where there is a longer working season, downtime may not be as big of a threat. But where the season is shortened to just a few months of the year, and when it means working all through the night, being uptime aware can make the difference between profit and loss.

The attitude needed for uptime awareness is one of preventative maintenance. A regular maintenance schedule is mandatory to keep any model of John Deere forestry equipment working at its full potential. Maintenance should be done by the book – the operator’s manual, that is – at daily and weekly intervals, as well as every few hundred hours as recommended by the manual and your John Deere service representative.

Uptime awareness involves education on the subject of preventative maintenance. The operator’s manual is a great resource beyond urgent situations, useful for learning how to keep each machine productive. It will provide guidance in avoiding downtime and help your operators to be mindful of what they need to watch out for, which is particularly important while they are still gaining experience early in their career. Another critical part of avoiding downtime is to have a good stock of parts on site, thereby minimizing the time needed to replace a hose or make a repair. If you anticipate that a particular hose or part is wearing and may need to be replaced soon, have genuine John Deere parts from the dealer ready. Also keep lubricants topped and available for the next scheduled maintenance time.

It always pays to be prepared, but this Boy Scout attitude is especially important in the forestry business. After all, time is money, and uptime awareness will help you cash in on more of your valuable time in the woods.

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