Equipment checkup

Ruppert Nurseries

Ruppert Nurseries holds its employees responsible for hand tool maintenance on a supervisor level. Tools are assigned to a general crew leader or supervisor, and the supervisors are entrusted with their upkeep.

The Laytonsville, Md., wholesale nursery grows 180-plus varieties of trees over its 800 acres. Its production crews have been trained in machine and hand digging, and transplanting and installing trees up to 14-inch caliper. To move trees that size, the crew needs to use some heavy machinery. But everything from hand tools to heavy equipment is carefully maintained at Ruppert Nurseries.

Kelly Lewis, general manager of Ruppert Nurseries, says that he always wants his crew working with the best tools under the best conditions. So, he makes sure workers have time to sharpen spades, repair handles, grease loppers, or do any other maintenance that needs done to ensure tools are in top shape.

“You never want to lose efficiency and time because you have a guy out there raking with a broken handle,” Lewis says. “So we put that responsibility on the supervisor level and we support them with the shop and the tools they need to maintain what they’ve got.”

The maintenance shop is available any time and is fully stocked with everything needed for proper maintenance or replacement, if necessary. It also houses a full-time mechanic.

This allows Ruppert Nurseries to do virtually all of its repairs in-house.

“All of our equipment from small-engine stuff like pumps, chainsaws, and blowers, all the way up to our large truck-mounted tree spades, have a twice a year what we call ‘recon,’” Lewis says.

During recon, a piece of equipment goes into the shop and the mechanic does any routine maintenance that is required. During the process, the mechanic also checks items like belts and side boards that may need repaired or replaced.

“We’re looking for things we can replace in the offseason during this recon, versus having it go down in the busy season when we really can’t afford to be without it for a day,” Lewis says.

Another tool Ruppert Nurseries uses to keep its tools and equipment in top shape is the “PM” sticker. Each piece of equipment is marked with a “PM” sticker, denoting periodic maintenance. The date on the sticker tells the equipment operator the next time that piece of equipment is due in the shop for maintenance. In the case of a truck, the sticker would be placed directly on the speedometer. The shop manager will write the mileage number when he wants to see that vehicle again for periodic maintenance. This includes changing oil and filters.

For more: www.ruppertnurseries.com