Equipment Running Hours Log

Who this is for

An hour meter read into a log that does the subtraction. Each entry records the reading, works out how many hours the machine has run since the last one, and counts down to whatever service figure you have entered at the top.

Anyone running plant, generators, compressors, tractors, pumps or boats where the hour meter, not the calendar, decides when work falls due.

What this helps you track

• Hours run between one entry and the next, from the readings themselves
• Hours remaining to the next service figure you entered
• Who operated the machine and what it was doing
• Fuel or oil added at the same time, alongside the hours
• Total hours logged over the period covered by the sheet

How to use it

1. Write the machine, its serial or asset number, the reading when the log started and your own next service figure at the top.
2. Read the hour meter at the end of each day or each job and write the reading as it shows, including the decimal.
3. Note who ran it and what the work was — the same hours mean different wear on different jobs.
4. Hours since the last entry and hours to service fill in on screen and in the workbook; on paper, subtract as you go.
5. When the machine is serviced, record it on its own service log and enter the new service figure at the top of a fresh sheet.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Where does the next service figure come from?

From the machine's own handbook or from whoever services it. Intervals differ by machine, duty and conditions, so none is printed here — the box at the top is for the figure you have been given.

What if the hour meter has been replaced or reset?

Start a new sheet at the new reading and write the old total in the notes. A column of readings that jumps backwards is worse than two clean sheets.

Can I use this for kilometres instead of hours?

Yes — the arithmetic is the same. Write the odometer reading in the reading column and label the sheet accordingly in the notes.

Does this replace a service log?

No. This counts hours towards the next job. The service log records what was actually done when the hours came round, which is the record a buyer or a warranty claim wants.