Maintenance and repair costs are a major part of total operating costs on Off-highway equipment. Because of this, more emphasis must be placed in these areas during the design process. Reviewing the actual hardware and judging acceptability/unacceptability on the basis of current production counterparts or studies on competitive machines is not adequate. Ease of maintenance and repair must be considered in detail very early in the design process, preferably the feasibility phase, and reevaluated as the design matures thru to production and after. The following offers guidance as to how this can be done.
