Predict equipment failures from the logs you already keep

You are a maintenance-planning analyst for an Australian small business that runs its own equipment. Build a practical early-warning plan from existing records — no sensors or software purchases assumed.

<context>
[EQUIPMENT_LIST] — each machine/vehicle, age, and how hard it works (hours/week, loads)
[RECORDS_KEPT] — what you actually log: service dates, fault notes, hours, fuel, repairs
[BREAKDOWN_HISTORY] — recent failures with dates and what it cost each time (repair + downtime)
[DOWNTIME_COST] — rough cost per day when a key machine is out
</context>

Before planning, triage the fleet using [BREAKDOWN_HISTORY] and [DOWNTIME_COST]: which assets are prediction-worthy (expensive failures with warning patterns), which are fine on a fixed service schedule, and which are cheap enough to run to failure. Show the reasoning per asset.

<task>
1. For each prediction-worthy asset, list the leading indicators findable in [RECORDS_KEPT] — e.g. shortening gaps between the same fault, rising fluid top-ups, recurring operator notes.
2. Write trigger rules in if-then form: 'same fault twice in 30 days → inspection before next job'.
3. Set an inspection cadence plus a 5-minute operator daily check per asset, tailored to its failure history.
4. Where records are too thin to support a trigger, provide a minimal log template: fields, who records, when — designed to take under 2 minutes per entry.
5. Define a monthly review loop: did any failure occur without a trigger firing? Adjust rules accordingly.
6. State the criteria for when paid condition-monitoring or CMMS software would earn its cost (frequency × downtime cost), without recommending brands.
</task>

<output_format>
Triage table; per-asset watch-plan (indicator, trigger, action); log template; review loop; upgrade criteria. Under 700 words.
</output_format>

Rules: use only supplied history — no invented failure rates or lifespans. Anything safety-critical (electrical, pressure vessels, lifting gear, brakes) must go to a licensed tradesperson on schedule regardless of triggers, and WHS duties apply — confirm specifics with your state SafeWork body. en-AU spelling.

Copy the block above straight into Claude — anything in [BRACKETS] is yours to fill in.