In almost every serious failure we have been asked to look at, the evidence was visible beforehand. Parts crack slowly, fastenings work loose over seasons, wear builds up a little at a time. What is missing is usually not equipment but a routine. This one takes about twenty minutes and needs a rag, a magnifying glass and a torch.
1. The most heavily loaded fittings first
Wipe each fitting clean and look closely at the points where load concentrates, using magnification. You are looking for hairline cracks. Any crack at all condemns the part. Also check whether the part is bent: a fitting that has been loaded the wrong way has usually taken a permanent set.
2. The connections
Run a rag along cables, fixings and joints. If the rag snags, something has started to fail. One broken strand or one loose fastener is a repair, not a monitoring item. Wear concentrates where parts meet, so that is where to look hardest.
3. Pins and mounting holes
Pull a pin out if you can and roll it on a flat surface. If it rocks, it is worn oval and should be replaced. Look at mounting holes from the side: an elongated hole means the part has been overloaded, and that calls for professional attention rather than a spare part.
4. Adjustable fittings
Check that threaded adjusters have enough thread engaged and that lock nuts are actually tight. Remove any tape and look for corrosion staining underneath. Tape hides more problems than any other single item.
5. Retainers and securing hardware
Every pin needs its retaining clip, fitted so it can be removed without cutting. Anything that holds a critical part in place deserves thirty seconds of attention on every inspection.
6. The parts you cannot reach
Use binoculars or a camera for the areas you cannot inspect by hand. Look for anything hanging at the wrong angle, anything missing a retainer, anything stained with rust. You will not see everything, but you will see the obvious things without special access.
What to do with what you find
Photograph anything you are unsure about, with a rule in the frame for scale, and send it to us. We would far rather look at fifty photographs of healthy parts than one photograph of a failure. Hardware has a service life, typically ten to fifteen years in normal use and less in harsh environments, and no inspection routine extends that indefinitely.