Inspect the expected

Time is something Hamo Krkbesevic doesn’t have much of. But as the equipment manager for Aronimink Golf Course in Newtown Square, Pa., he does have plenty of equipment to repair at any given time – more than 300 pieces in total on the course. There are more machines in his shop than on an average course, he says, and with some part-time assistants, he’s keeping those running.

“Basically, the shop is stuffed very tight,” he says. “We have a lot of equipment compared to other courses. We have to be very efficient in what we do here.”

While they have enough spare equipment to sometimes just tag a problem piece that needs work and grab the next available mower during the season, the end of the year is the time when Krkbesevic takes the time to take stock. But even though the winter keeps the machines out of commission, he doesn’t have time to rebuild everything.

“Some places, they have four or five walking mowers they use, and they religiously rebuild every bearing and every seal,” he says. “But we have a lot of equipment. We’d have to have a huge budget to overhaul every piece. It requires a lot of time and a lot of money to do it. It can’t happen.”

Every piece does get a full inspection by Krkbesevic after the season wraps up, where he checks each engine component and any parts that can get worn down. It’s during that inspection that he makes the call to do quick repairs and move on, or set aside the time to do a complete rebuild on a mower.

“I make the decision on what is needed to rebuild and what looks bad,” he says. “I inspect the hoses, lines and bearings and everything. If it’s really not needed, it won’t be done. Maintenance depends on how many pieces you have and how much money you want to spend. The best I can do in this position is inspect every little piece and make decisions right there about what’s happening with it.

“Preventive maintenance is happening for parts and equipment, but there’s really not what people saw maybe 15 to 20 years ago, when they had time and could strip everything down, rebuild and repaint everything. Today, it’s almost not possible to perform that type kind of maintenance unless you have a staff of 6 to 10 people in the shop and almost an unlimited amount of money.”

Without the time to take apart each engine and rebuild from the ground up every year, a key part of Krkbesevic’s system is a log covering each machine, its work hours in the past year, any repairs that happened through the season, and a schedule laid out for expected preventive maintenance, part replacement and fluid changes. Keeping that updated, he’s able to see at a glance how much work a particular mower has seen, and how much life it still has in it with the right repairs. It pairs with his own experience in just how far a bedknife or reel can go, so he can see which machines can take a little extra mileage.

In particular, he keeps in contact with the superintendent about the health of the equipment, which parts can last a little longer and which needs immediate attention. Even during the year, they communicate about upcoming projects and adjustments that need to be made or quick repairs to prepare.

“With my super, we have a good relationship,” he says. “Our communication is daily, and I’m always at the meetings. I know when we’re doing our applications and when we’re doing height changes, or any projects. My job is to support the whole system.”