SEARCH Ts ITE a Subscribe gift a sub (ttps:/wwwchdbtagerthwec fatericom/) asus) some ttas:Jawnodvfarms com / fam oulemest tis L/w nana farms comfarm-squameni/7 Daly Tracer Maintenance Tasks 7 Daily Tractor Maintenance Tasks Before revving up your tractor’ engine forthe workday, use this daily maintenance checklist ensure this important piece of small-farm equipment is running smoothly. om OOO PHOTO: Povo: Lesey Ward by Jim Ruen Rather than memorize the owner's manual (hitns:/wuw.hobbyfarms.com/author/Jim=ruen{) or drag it out each day, put together 2 Anil 27, 2012 checklist of wactor-maintenance dutles to accomplish before starting the day's work While relatively simple and faiely logical, Until they become routine, it's easy to miss In prepating this article, | consulted Craig Tammel, my neighbor and a mechanic at Preston Equipment Co., the local John Deere dealership in Preston, Minn. He helped me compile these seven cally tractor-maintenance steps to help prevent problems with safety and upkeep. era eri doe ue {fiins len hobbylarms.com/subserinuon! 1. Start with a visual inspection of your small farm tractor. ‘Check for leaks and worn or oose hoses or cables, Dirt bulldups could be a sign of minute leaks. Repair for leaks, big or small might simply entallightening of replacing hoses or lamps or tightening drain plugs. Check the glass sediment bowl beneath ‘the fuel filter for water or material. Some ractor(/farm-equinment-and-tools/cractor-shopping-14977.asn) models, especially newer ones, have check windows for hydraulic (Jhobby=farms-videostricks-of-trade-hydraulics-safety aspx) reservoir fluid levels. This is also a good tim lights and turn indicators, are in working order. Tammel recommends checking thatthe neutral start switch is operating ieooemmetese promertetdecractorftotersanftnegontnieragearibide 2 sate exzerene. By navigating the sie, you agree Io the use of cookies fo collet information, Read ou" Cast Paley (daracystey verify that your tractor's safety feature, such as PTO shields, are in place and lights, including hazard2. Check the tractor’s radiator-fluid level. ‘Gradual loss of fluids overtime can be expected in your small farm tractor; however, if a significant amount of additional coolant Is needed, it may indicate other. more serlous problems, such as coolant leaking into engine ol, Tammel warns. ‘Coolant can enter through faulty head gaskets or cylinder O-rings.” he says. “A gear-driven water pump can also be che cause.” 3. Check the fan's drive belt for wear and tension, and visually inspect the radiator core and grill screen. Any dir or debris should be cleared out using alr pressure fo avold damaging the fins on the radiator. If your tractor cab Is ‘equipped with airconditioning, take a minute to check the condenser, and remove any debris built up around i, as wel. f cleaning with a pressure washer, take care not to bend radiator fins or damage seals or other components. 4. Top off the tractor’s fuel tank. les good to have afresh supply of fuel for the days work, plus you can empty any sediment or water you see inthe sediment bowl, It may be necessary to partially drain the tractor’ fuel tank to remove excess water, Fuel should always be fresh—no more than three months in storage, according to Tamme you are using smaller fuel storage, like S=gallon cans (ifarm-Industry-news/2012/08,24store-gasoline-safely-this= season aspx), check to be sure they are clean and rust-free,"he says. "You don’t want to dump rust and contaminants into the tractor’s fuel tank as tractors using ethanol blends pose another concern. Over time, ethanol in the presence of as little as 4 teaspoons of water per gallon can separate from gasoline ane mix with the water, Tammel suggests adding a fuel conditioner to keep components in both gas and diesel fuels stable and in solution. ‘John Deere and most other manufacturers offer additives,” he says. “In the winter, an anti-geling additive Is a good idea in cold Climates, even when using a winter diesel blend. In the summer, additives help with lubricity now that sulfur has been mostly removes from diesel fuel” 5. Check the tractor’s oil. If adaling gas required you to start your tractor and drive a short distance to fuel storage, you're ready to check oil levels. If not, start the engine, and let it warm up before checking the oil Stop the engine, and give Ita few minutes before checking the dipstick or other oil-level indicator. If you have an older tractor, ths is a good time to check oil levels in gearboxes with their ‘own reservoirs. Check hydraulic and transmission fluid, as well. Some tractor models share a common reservor for both, [Add oll ag needed. Like withthe coolant, low engine-o levels are indicators of other problems. Unlike coolant, internal oll leaks ill usually show up first as blue smoke In the exhaust of as reduced power [Asa final step in dally tractor lubrication, grease joints, Out-of-the-way grease zerks—the small metal tings for inserting ‘9rease into mechanical joints—are easy to miss. When initally compiling your checklist, doa careful count ofall fitings, ané count them off when you use your grease gun. 6. Check the tractor’s tire pressure. Au irmportant for safe and efficient small farm tractor use, not to mention tie life IF you run tres with excessively low tire pressure, tread wear increases dramatically, as does fuel use, Think ofthe recommended pressure as a good guideline, but adjust air pressure for the type of work planned for the day ahead. If road travel s expected, ‘on your agenda, reduce pressure by a few pounds. Loader use (/obby-farms=videos tcks-of-trade-loader=safety.as ‘99 more smoothly with a few mare pounds in the front ties, while heavy lifting on the rear might benefit from a few more pounds of pressure in rear tires. Checking alr pressure in the spring is especially important, a tres can lose pressure over the winter. 7. Check air filter (optional). les not necessary to check tractor ar flters on a daily bass; however, Ifyou find crop~ oF weed-residue buildup on your radiator Cr grill sreen or you've been operating in particulary dity conditions, take a look, "Watch for air restritions that affect power and also for dusty operating conditions that can put an extra load on ar filters, ‘Tammel says, “Black smoke in the exhaust can also be a sign of insufficient ai mixing with te fuel Most alr filters today have a larger outsile fiter and a smaller (backup) inner filter, The inner fiker should not be pulled out ‘except for replacement. Ifthe outer filter is visibly diy, remove it and blow it out using no more than 35-psl airflow; then retura it to the housing. Wipe out any dirt or dust before closing the housing. This article originally appeared in the May/June 2012 issue of Habay Farms. We canhelp you make the most of your life with farming. https: //www.hobbyfarms.com/subscription/) RES se eis en he at A es A YR LSA ta mal frmmtracton ‘antenance (ntfs /i nobhyfarme com tag tractor maintenance), actor owner's manualShtosi//wwn nobbviarms com ftag/tractor-ouners-manuall Filtered Under Fac Enuinment(iltos!/\Ww Hobbul (Facm-Equinmenl) Farm Taos (eins Hoy Es Eoulpmentéfarm-Taois/, actors (ites Jiu abbvarms.Com/Farm-Eaulnment/ Tractors! Jim Ruen lives and works in southeastern Minnesota, an area of hills bludfs and valleys, near the farm where he grew ‘up and spent most of his first quarter century. MORE ARTICLES (1TTP5//¥HHOBBYTARMS.COM/AUTHOR/IM-RUEN/ Leave a Reply ‘Your email adress wl not be pulsed, Required eis are marked * Save my name, emall and website inthis browse forthe net time | ommment. Next Up (si) ATVs & UTVs G0 To ATVs & UTVs section » (https://wwmhobbytarms.com/tarm-equipment/atv-utv/) {Wlas//awsshobb ormscon ester youstorm-equementatinn!) ‘Tires Keep Your Farm Equipment Rolling (httns://www.hobbyfarms,com/tires-keen-vour-farm-equipment-rolling/) Fiat ties are inconvenient ann some instances, can present a dangerous sceavi, But some basic, routine maintenance can keep things roling : a ‘Rs Jawaabivars conus sablizorasiec-eninessuinetneatiaasont Fuel Stabilizers Protect Engines During The OIf-Season (nttos://www.hobbytarms.com/tuel-stablizers-protect= ‘engines-during-the-offseasan/) ‘Worried about leaving gas In your farm machines during the ofseason? Gasoline normaly degrades ui bu fel stablizer can slow he process usecase penal cre ale andes a an poe sat eerie ang te STevyvege other cnt cole rtm eo fue Pa than m O{ness hopbvarms confer youn ve shsemilerazcees) Keep Your Farm ATV Alive With These Maintenance Tips (hitos//www.hobbyfarms.com/keeps swith-these-maintenance-tins/) ‘An alterain vehicle, oF ATW can Bean essen far oo, but alting yrs se fam one eques care and some pride work, foursfarmvatv-alives You Should Also read: Featured Articles gui NEW ARTICLES ‘ttinsLinm hotbfarms coms waysncreae community footsecurialner ‘6 Ways To Increare Community Food Security For Winter (httns://www.hobbyfarms.com/6-ways-increase- ‘community-food-security-winter/), ‘ttinsLinu noth tars comMroduceratie-rauesaric-yr-sarda! ‘tks nob acmscom/sarecroesminterdshuaiaa ‘dehydeation/) (tps nobbyarms con/animalshelpveteranshea‘atitle:mountalvaritarm/) From Invisible War Wounds At Little Mountain Ark Farm Lue hobbytarms.com/anima We use cokes tanta personalize content allo andmeasure as, and proud a ater exserenc. 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