Spring is a great time to prepare your Ditch Witch equipment for the upcoming busy season. A little attention now can help you be ready when those landscaping, trenching, plowing, and drilling jobs start coming in.

You can either have your local Ditch Witch dealer provide a complete and thorough inspection of your equipment, or you can perform your own inspection by doing the following:

• Start by checking all wear items. Replace damaged or worn items as needed. Order a few extra of the wear items you replace most often. Having them on hand will minimize downtime later.
• Inspect drill pipe for signs of wear or damage. Rotate pipe order so that the same pipe does not enter the bore first every time.
• Inspect drive chains and digging chains to ensure they are properly tightened.
• Check the condition of digging teeth, bits, and drill heads. Replace worn or damaged ones.
•  Inspect trackers, beacons, and beacon housings for damage. Test each tracker and beacon for correct operation.
• Review lubrication and maintenance schedules listed in the operator's manual to ensure that your equipment is on schedule.
• Finally, check that all guards and shields are in place and that everything is in proper working order.

Ask your Ditch Witch dealer about more preventive maintenance you can perform to prepare your equipment for dependable service throughout the year.

Published in the Spring 2006 issue of The Underground.