Glossary
Heavy Equipment Mechanic Terms & Vocabulary
15 essential heavy equipment mechanic terms with plain-English definitions: the vocabulary you’ll hear in training and on day one.
Key heavy equipment mechanic vocabulary
These 15 terms come up constantly in heavy equipment mechanic training, on the job and in interviews. Knowing them helps you follow instructions, document accurately and sound prepared.
- Cylinder
- A component that converts hydraulic pressure into straight-line motion.
- DEF
- Diesel exhaust fluid used in emissions systems.
- DPF
- Diesel particulate filter.
- ECM
- Electronic control module.
- Fault code
- A diagnostic code stored by a machine’s computer.
- Final drive
- The gear reduction that powers tracks or wheels.
- Hydraulic pump
- Creates fluid flow in the system.
- Hydraulic system
- A system that uses pressurized fluid to move cylinders and motors.
- Pilot controls
- Low-pressure hydraulic controls that operate main valves.
- Powershift transmission
- A transmission that shifts under load.
- Preventive maintenance (PM)
- Scheduled service to prevent breakdowns.
- Relief valve
- Protects the system by limiting maximum pressure.
- Swing drive
- The system that rotates an excavator’s upper structure.
- Telematics
- Remote monitoring of machine data and location.
- Undercarriage
- The track, rollers, idlers and sprockets on tracked machines.
Practice these terms
Test yourself with the free Heavy Equipment Mechanic practice test: it includes vocabulary questions built from this list. For a complete course, see Heavy Equipment Mechanic training.
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