Best Way to Keep Track of Equipment Parts and Info!
If you have even a few pieces of yard equipment, it’s hard to keep track of parts and ordering information to keep your equipment maintained and replacement parts easy to order. We use this simple and effective system to keep sane while keeping track of so much info and parts.
#organization #repairparts #maintenance
You can get quickly overwhelmed with keeping track of manuals, specifications, and parts for shop, lawn, and garden equipment. DirtFarmerJay has created a very effective way to keep all the information and parts inventory intuitive to access. This allows for better maintenance, less frustration, and plenty of time saved!
DFJ’s system:
Name and info listed in contacts (we use Google Contacts).
Lidded Bin, labeled clearly for each piece of equipment being cared for - placed on a shelving unit dedicated to these kits
A printout of the Google Contacts sheet placed in each bin with parts/supplies
Notebook for manuals and materials for all tools and equipment in the system
Compartmentalized Part Box for generic service parts for gas engines and such (hose clamps, gas filters, extra fuel hose, oil plugs, etc.)
Tool size labeling directly on equipment where practical
HOLD ON! Six components look complicated and too hard to implement.
NOPE! All 6 tie to each other and are easy to set up. Let’s take a quick look at each and what to do:
CONTACT INFO: All small gas engine lawn equipment, household appliances, and woodworking stationary power tools are treated as an entity/person and are entered into your contact listing using the common, most intuitive name, usually the tool or equipment name! This makes it easy to retrieve. In the notes section, include such items as:
Serial and model number
Year purchased and from where
Oil filter #, spark plug info (including order number from Champion, Bosch, NGK, etc.), and air filter order number. Also, include where you buy them from.
Oil type and capacity
Note wrench sizes needed to do maintenance, such as the socket size for the spark plug, or to remove an oil drain plug.
LIDDED PARTS BIN: We use a translucent plastic bin with a snap top to keep dust out and to be able to see parts inside. We use a permanent marker to identify what the tub is for, using the same title for the piece of equipment we used on our Google contact. All dedicated parts for that equipment is put into the tub. When we do annual maintenance/winterization, we order the parts for next year. We NEVER want to go to work on a machine and not have parts. All the part bins are kept in a dedicated shelving area. We never want to have to think about where the parts are. That same area is used for supplies that are used for several pieces of equipment, such as oil filter wrenches, grease guns, carb cleaner, starting fluid, gas treatment, and oil.
PRINT OUT OF GOOGLE CONTACTS SHEET IN THE BIN. This simply makes it convenient to see everything you need to know about the equipment you are getting ready to service. As we update contacts with any new information or supply sources, we put that updated sheet in the associated bin and discard the old sheet.
NOTEBOOK FOR MANUALS AND SPECIFICATION SHEETS. This is a dedicated notebook with plastic sleeves to hold manuals, “exploded” part and service diagrams, warranty cards, and the like for each machine being cared for. Again, we want to know EXACTLY where to go, immediately, for this information, without having to think hard.
GENERIC PARTS BOX: There are small common parts that get used across the care of several pieces of equipment. All that kind of stuff is kept in one place, by the bins, so it’s all ready to go.
TOOL SIZE LABELING DIRECTLY ON EQUIPMENT. When practical, we use a paint marker or a permanent metallic marker to mark directly next to fasteners that have to be removed and reinstalled each year. If we can mark the size where it is adjacent to the fastener, will be protected from weather, and won’t be on a hot surface, we do it. An example is an access panel fastener on our John Deere riding mower that needs to be removed each time we change the oil filter. You can’t see the head on the fastener readily, so we have to guess every year what size socket we need. No more. It’s marked in silver metallic marker inside the cover.
With this system, we almost look forward to servicing all of our equipment and having everything on hand to do so. We take better care of our equipment, more consistently than ever before. We think you will too. Try it - you’ll be glad you did!
JUST DO IT YOURSELF!