Pick your equipment, get the task list, annual hours, and a printable checklist with QR
| Equipment | Anchor service | Typical OEM interval | Clock that usually binds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forklift (LP / IC) | Engine oil & filter | 250 run-hours | Hours (6 hr/day → ~6 weeks) |
| Rotary-screw compressor | Oil change | 2,000–4,000 run-hours (fluid-dependent) | Hours at 8 hr/day ≈ annual |
| Diesel generator | Oil & filter | 200–250 run-hours or annually | Calendar (low run-hours) |
| Rooftop HVAC | Filter replacement | 30–90 days | Calendar |
| Fleet vehicle (synthetic) | Oil change / tire rotation | 5,000–7,500 mi / 5,000–8,000 mi | Miles |
| Fire extinguisher (NFPA 10) | Visual / maintenance / teardown / hydro | Monthly / annual / 6-yr / 12-yr | Calendar |
| Overhead crane (OSHA 1910.179) | Frequent / periodic inspection | Daily–monthly / annually | Calendar |
Intervals are typical manufacturer-recommended ranges for planning — always defer to your specific OEM manual, duty cycle, and local codes. Run-hour services on hard-driven assets come due weeks before any calendar limit; parked assets age by the calendar anyway.
A PM checklist fails in one of two ways: it's so generic nobody uses it, or it's so dense nobody reads it. This builder starts from the middle — an equipment-specific task list drawn from common OEM schedules — then prices the whole year so you can defend the program with a number, not a vibe.
Each task carries a frequency and an average completion time in minutes. Occurrences per year: daily × operating days (default 250), weekly × 52, monthly × 12, quarterly × 4, semiannual × 2, annual × 1. Annual PM hours = Σ (task minutes ÷ 60 × occurrences). Annual PM labor = hours × technician rate. The checklist renders grouped by frequency with checkboxes, ready to print.
Pick your equipment type, set operating days and shop labor rate, and the checklist, hours, and cost update live. Edit any task row to match your OEM manual, then print or save as PDF — the sheet carries a QR code linking back to this builder. Operating days matter more than you'd think: a 7-day plant doubles the daily-task minutes versus a 250-day shop, all by itself.
Rotary-screw air compressor, defaults: 2 daily tasks at 5 min total × 250 days = 1,250 min; 1 weekly × 52 = 520 min; 2 monthly at 35 min × 12 = 420 min; 3 quarterly at 60 min × 4 = 240 min; 1 semiannual × 2 = 60 min; 3 annual at 135 min = 135 min. Total 2,625 minutes = 43.75 hours of PM a year, which is $3,718.75 at $85/hr. At 8 run-hours a day across 250 days the machine logs 2,000 hours — exactly the conventional-fluid oil-change interval, so the annual service and the calendar land together.
Contrast the rooftop HVAC preset: 6 tasks, 510 minutes, 8.5 hours and $722.50 a year. Lighter duty, lighter checklist — but skipping the $722 of filter and coil work is how you end up buying a compressor years early. For the other direction, run a full year of assets through our maintenance schedule template and dispatch the work with the work order generator.
Three things per task: what to do, how often, and how long it takes. The best checklists group tasks by frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual), stick to inspect-measure-replace actions a technician can verify, and carry the OEM interval next to any task tied to run-hours. Our builder generates all of that from your equipment type.
It scales with how hard the asset runs. A typical rotary-screw air compressor needs about 44 technician-hours a year — 12 tasks spanning daily condensate drains to an annual oil and separator change — which is roughly $3,700 of labor at $85/hr. A rooftop HVAC unit runs lighter, about 8.5 hours and $722 a year.
Use whichever comes due first. An asset that runs hard (a forklift at 6 hours a day) hits its 250-hour service long before a calendar limit; an asset that sits (a backup generator) ages by the calendar even with low hours. Oil, filters, and seals degrade with time as well as use, which is why OEM schedules list both.
The math is rarely close. A year of PM on an air compressor costs about $3,700 of labor; unplanned manufacturing downtime is often benchmarked at $260,000 an hour (an Aberdeen figure cited across the industry since 2016). Skipping the $30 oil filter to risk a seized air end is a bad trade — PM spend buys availability, not just longer machine life.
Yes. The builder renders a print-ready checklist with a QR code linking back to this tool — print it, save it as PDF, and tape it inside the equipment panel so the checklist travels with the machine. Everything runs in your browser; no account needed.