Greasing
Your cost: $10
Shop cost: $45-$85
Time: 3⁄4 hour
Greasing is simple and inexpensive. You can purchase a high-quality, lever-action grease gun, grease and wipes for less than $50. While air-powered guns make the job go faster, maintenance experts actually prefer the gentler job a hand-operated gun will do. Forcing grease into fittings too fast can overstress some grease seals.
Bill Litosky, service manager at Bergey’s Mack and Volvo in Franconia, Pa., recommends greasing at least once between engine oil and filter changes, as well as along with the oil change, if you are running an oil change interval of 25,000 to 30,000 miles.
Owner-operator Earl Evans of Ohio has found that frequent greasing means his Kenworth tractor “drives like it was new at 600,000 miles.” He says he has never replaced any chassis component that has a grease fitting. He jacks the truck up and greases everything as often as every 2,500 to 3,000 miles, especially when he’s been running on unusually rough roads.
Getting a tractor and trailer greased, combined with a check of fluid levels and tire pressures at a shop, costs $45 to $85. Doing it yourself might allow you to grease more often and ultimately avert some repairs.
Changing oil and filters
Your cost: $120
Shop cost: $190
Time: 1 hour
The Overdrive Owner-Operator Market Behavior Report shows more owner-operators purchase their engine oil at oil company distributors than anywhere else. You can buy oil in 55-gallon drums, which makes it at least 10 to 15 percent cheaper per gallon than buying gallon containers.
