Operating an equipment rental business can create unique, specific maintenance challenges. The team at Crown Rental in Burnsville, Minnesota, has over the years learned how to overcome those challenges in serving its consumer and small contractor customer base in Dakota County, Minnesota, and the South Metro area of the Twin Cities. A year after adding a Sage Oil Vac lube cart system, the Crown Rental team is taking stock of how it’s changed their machinery maintenance operations for the better.
The idea of delivering a new level of service was in mind when Crown Rental maintenance techs and leadership saw a Sage Oil Vac 3011-1100 evacuation lube cart and the functionality the small but mighty tool could bring to their maintenance needs. So, when a stroke of luck provided them the opportunity to try it out, they jumped at the chance to put it to work. In doing so, they discovered the benefits of the pump-free Sage Oil Vac compressed air system, not just taking care of routine machinery engine maintenance, but also to manage some of the maintenance tasks that come with renting excavation and power equipment in a largely suburban marketplace.
“We rent a high volume of equipment to small contractors, homeowners and municipalities. Our customers may rent equipment for one day or one month, and 95% of the time, we conduct the service once the rental is completed,” said Crown Rental Service Technician Jarrod Heath. “We rent and maintain air compressors, drivable boom lifts, wood chippers, excavators, bulldozers, light towers and small generators.”
Luck of the draw
With expanding ways to serve that equipment rental business customer base in mind, Crown Rental Owner Doug Haas attended the 2020 American Rental Association (ARA) convention and trade show in Orlando, Florida, where he connected with the Sage Oil Vac team. Haas was the winner of a Sage 3011-1100 evacuation lube cart giveaway at the Sage trade show booth, and that tool introduced Haas and his team to a new way to change oil in machinery. Haas eventually also purchased a Filter Stinger™ and Dipstick Tube Evacuation kit for the cart. Now a year later, the system has altogether changed how Crown Rental maintenance team members do their jobs.
“Before Sage, we hadn’t really explored new options for lubricating equipment. We were just pulling drain plugs and draining into pans, then into a bulk waste tank. The main headache we had with changing oil on smaller equipment was caused by the location of drain plugs and the process of draining oil. We used to have to take multiple drain pans with us on our service trucks, and they would always overfill and spill oil everywhere,” Heath said. “With the Sage unit, our mobile service techs can vacuum out the oil pans while we’re draining the oil out of the machinery. It changes the job completely and eliminates so much of the mess we faced before.”
The lube cart solution to routine and unique problems
And that’s just with routine maintenance; Heath said his team’s been able to use the Sage lube cart to manage problems that would otherwise be much more costly to solve.
“The lube cart was a huge help when we had an issue with a customer mistakenly filling a diesel engine with gasoline. We were able to vacuum and evacuate the gasoline from the entire diesel system,” Heath added. “We also used it once when a customer mistakenly added diesel fuel to a hydraulic tank. Those are headaches that can become bigger and costly issues, but they didn’t because we had the Sage system. It saved us a lot of time and we were able to get equipment back up and running and on to the next customer.”
An easy transition for service teams
Though the transition to the Sage Oil Vac system was a departure from normal operations for the Crown Rental equipment rental business maintenance team, Heath said it was an easy one. While he did have initial questions, his Sage Oil Vac rep was quick to find answers, so he was able to easily integrate it into his operations. Now a year later, he said it’s helped open his eyes to how tools like his Sage lube cart can help streamline once-cumbersome, messy and time-consuming jobs like changing machinery oil.
“Our relationship with the Sage Oil Vac team has been awesome. We’ve had no problems with the cart from an operational standpoint,” Heath said. “Whenever we’ve had questions or have needed additional parts, everything always happens in a timely manner. That helps us take good care of our machinery, keep it rented and keep our customers happy.”
If you’re thinking about ways to streamline your own equipment maintenance, contact a Sage Oil Vac dealer to learn more and put a system to work in your business.
Being equipped with the precise tools to conduct the unique equipment maintenance your customers demand is crucial for minimizing work stoppages and maximizing productivity. The proper system also provides your team with more than just what they need to perform equipment maintenance on the jobsite; it also helps keep them engaged and performing optimally.
And with the Sage Oil Vac LubeBuilder™ system, that’s exactly what you get.
WHAT IS THE LUBEBUILDER SYSTEM?
The Sage Oil Vac LubeBuilder system is a customizable, scalable and versatile collection of components that can be assembled into exactly the system you need. In all, there are more than 300 different configuration possibilities, with tank options ranging from 10 to 600 gallons, all oriented to fit your specific truck bed or other maintenance vehicle.
“This system isn’t just great for organization. A few common situations we see are when a pre-built lube skid’s footprint doesn’t fit, a customer can’t afford to get another dedicated truck or a lube trailer doesn’t work with the jobsite parameters they frequently visit,” said Sage Oil Vac CEO Aaron Sage. “Whatever the reason, a LubeBuilder system provides equipment maintenance operators with the lube exchange essentials to fit their exact set-up at a fraction of the cost.”
No one knows your jobsite needs better than you, and with a LubeBuilder system, you get the tools to tackle just that, plus all the benefits of the patented Sage Oil Vac no-pump vacuum technology and other innovations unique to the platform. Each LubeBuilder is a specific, unique solution to problems operators now no longer have to face when it comes to equipment maintenance.
WHICH SYSTEM RIGHT FOR ME?
| Do you want customization? | Regular lube skids have limited customization. Sage (and competitors) have several lube skid models and dimensions available, but these products are harder to customize. | The sky is the limit with a LubeBuilder system. You decide every element involved, from tanks and reels to the overall layout preferences. |
| Do you need to be able to move your system? | Easy – all you need is a forklift. | Transfer options are limited. Once a LubeBuilder kit is installed, it is likely staying with the vehicle. |
| Does the footprint matter? | Most lube skids are bolted within an unchanging static frame (e.g., 4 ft. x 6 ft.). | With LubeBuilder’s customizable footprint, the components of the uplift can be placed throughout the platform in ideal positions. Put tanks in one corner of the truck, and the reels and control panels at ground level off the side of a truck, for example, for easy access. It’s all up to you. |
| Do you need a shorter load time? | Regular lube skids require component assembly and welding, increasing the lead time by several weeks. | Because the system does not come pre-assembled, getting you the components, parts and tools shortens the lead time. Estimated 2-4 weeks for arrival after order design and completion. |
THE PROCESS
We’re often asked, ‘LubeBuilder systems are completely customized for each operation; that must mean it takes longer to get my system delivered and up and running, right?’ The process is actually quite efficient. Each system isn’t pre-assembled, meaning there’s typically just a two- to four-week turnaround time for design, manufacturing and delivery.
Michael Llewellyn, Shop Manager at Florida-based Johnson-Davis, Inc., was impressed with the overall process for his custom system. “The process was easy. I gave the Sage dealer our tank sizes and what we wanted, and they took it from there.”
Sage LubeBuilder systems will arrive complete with the tools, instructions and hardware to get it installed in your vehicle, plus one-on-one access to a Sage Oil Vac specialist who can walk you through the process quickly and efficiently.
Homer Gonzales, Field Technician at Ditch Witch Sales of Michigan, echoed the simplicity of the process and support from the Sage Oil Vac team, from start to finish. “Sage Oil Vac provided easy-to-use instructions and diagrams for installing the system in the back of my truck. The whole process took about eight hours and was pretty easy. I probably could’ve wrapped it up faster, but I’m pretty particular about my truck so I took a bit longer.”
PUTTING LUBEBUILDER TO WORK
On any given day, Louisiana-based Beard Construction is running more than 250 pieces of machinery across 12-15 commercial or industrial excavation jobsites. To meet the unique needs of their jobsites, Equipment Manager Lee Morrison knew they needed a customized, highly-reliable system to get maintenance done efficiently.
“I wanted a unit designed for specific applications that only had what we needed on it and nothing else,” Morrison said. “We knew the dimensions and that we needed full containment, and we got together and sketched out some drawings and came up with what would work best. With a lot of companies, you’re at their mercy, they have what they have and if you want it customized, you have to do it at your own shop. With this Sage system, we worked together and came up with the exact rig we needed.”
See more on how Beard Construction uses Sage Oil Vac LubeBuilder systems.
NOW IS THE TIME TO BUILD YOUR CUSTOM SYSTEM
“The sky’s the limit with these LubeBuilder systems,” Sage said. “You pick out every component and how it’s laid out. And our team will be there to walk you through installation so you’re spending less time in the shop and more time on the jobsite taking care of your customers and generating revenue.”
Are you ready to add a LubeBuilder to your operation? See the full specs of the systems and if you’re ready to go, contact us to zero in on your needs and how we can design the perfect system for your business.
