Don't Miss These 3 Things During Your Annual Tractor Service!

Описание: Most tractor owners do an annual service, including oil and oil filter change,
and inspection of the fuel filter, air filter, etc. While you're doing those activities, it doesn't take much time to go ahead and perform three more maintenance activities that will make things go a lot easier later when you're busy and trying to get everything done.

The first involves grabbing a can of WD-40 and hitting some crucial points on the tractor. WD-40 is a sponsor of mine, they help bring these videos to you each week. I've used their products for the better part of my life and am a strong believer in the value they bring to tractor ownership. Grab a can of WD-40, and I like the new design with the EZ-Reach Straw, where you can direct the spray, and start at the front of the tractor and go to the back. It's also good to have some WD-40 Rust Release Penetrant Spray to soak parts that may have frozen up (especially on equipment stored outside). It makes freeing up stuck joints a lot easier.

The first thing to spray with WD-40 is the quick attach. One some models there are grease zerks, but there may be many other moving parts that don't get grease, and without some lubrication they can make changing front attachments really difficult. Spray the critical components while working the levers and you'll be surprised at how much easier they all work.

Next let's move to the operator area and there are two places to spray there. First, a shot in the seat rails will keep them free and moving, and second, hit the mechanism that adjusts the seat springs that enable you to adapt the ride to the weight of the operator. You may be the only person who ever operates your tractor, but you need to make sure those components can still move freely in case a different sized operator want to help you with chores.

Finally, move to the back of the tractor and spray all of the hitch components. If you have a quick hitch you won't be able to spray the balls in the lower link arms, if not, hit them first. If it's a fairly new tractor you might need to scrape the paint off them as well to get them to spin in the sockets. Then, spray the stabilizers, the top link threads, and any other components that are used to attach implements and it will make hooking and unhooking much easier.

Next, grab your tire gauge. Many tractors come from the factory with WAY too much air in the back tires, I've never figured out why. Once you notice what that looks like you can spot them a mile away, they'll have a dust ring wear pattern that shows where the weight of the tractor is riding. If the wear pattern is really narrow, the tires have too much air. I keep my back tires at around 12-15 pounds. It gives good tractor, a soft ride and even wear.

The front tires are a different story. If you're using the loader a lot, keep the front tires at, or near, their maximum recommended inflation because they're carrying the weight of the loader and its contents. If you're not using the loader, or there's no loader, it's okay to have them at, or near, their minimum recommended inflation.

Finally, and this may be the most important thing for the life of the tractor, get a good torque wrench with an extension and some sockets. Here's a link to the one like I used in the video from Amazon that goes up to 250 lbs (check to make sure that will cover all of your bolts): http://amzn.to/2t5rHvD. Here's a link to the 1/2" extensions I used: http://amzn.to/2tu1Wb6. Finally, here are the 1/2" metric deep dish sockets I bought: http://amzn.to/2tqACtt. Check all of these bolts to make sure they're tight...the front and rear wheels, if you have adjustable wheels, check the bolts that hold the rim to the hub, the loader bolts, the draw bar bolts, and the roll bar bolts.

Tractors vibrate a lot and bolts tend to work loose. The owner's manuals of most tractors provide the exact torque specs and tell you to check those bolts often, most folks don't. Also, the dealership employee who preps your new tractor for delivery may be the newest hire/least skilled person in the shop. You definitely want to check their work and check these same bolts when you take delivery of a new tractor. A couple of bolts coming loose and breaking off in the loader can lead to an expensive failure, it's possible to have a wheel come off a tractor and you don't want that experience. So check all of these bolts at least once a year. You may be surprised at what you find.

Your tractor is ready to go to work...enjoy!

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