hi fellow engineers and technicians! I am a 29 yr old engineer just taken the post of Chief engineer, and one of my tasks is to recored machine history etc. has anyone got any sheets or information they can help me with. I value any info at all, I am beginning to put things in place but all I have to go on is my personal experience, so thats where you people come in. So I thank you for any help you can offer!

A good maintenance/repair history log should show...

Scheduled maintenance intervals.

Used oil analysis intervals and results (trend analysis is a plus).

Any and all repairs. For regular repair items keep track of time in service for the part. Keeping track of items that fail often should help to raise a red flag for trouble items that need further attention to do some failure analysis on.

Your in the logging industry so I guess a large portion of your equipment is either track or rubber wheel equipment with diesel engines. Monitor the fuel usage/hours. If a piece of equipment starts to use more fuel than normal it's time to find out why. With the increased cost of fuel keeping track of fuel usage can save quite a bit of money in operating cost.

Keep track of oil level top up amounts, especially hydraulic systems. Those little drips add up over time and what may seem like only adding a little oil every now and then may actually be cheaper to fix in the long run.

I'll say it again, used oil analysis!!!! This can be a HUGE money saver in the long run. Finding a problem when it's just starting to happen is much cheaper to fix than it is when the equipment comes to a screeching halt, engine blows, trans locks up, pump failures, etc.... Unplanned out of service equipment is not only a inconvenience but results in lost revenue. Lost revenue means a unhappy boss and you don't want that.

Depending on what lubricant supplier your using you may find that your UOA's are free. Some provide used oil analysis with their products. If you don't know, ask. At $20+ per sample those supplier furnished UOA's can add up by the end of a year.