On a farm of any size one of the most important pieces of equipment is the tractor. Below are some maintenance tips to help keep tractors at their best.
During the working season a tractor will need transmission changes every 1500 hours and coolant changes ever 3600 hours. These numbers are an average and depending on the health of the mechanism in your tractor these can change, it is important to know when these changes need to take place and to have the tractor prepared before using it for the first time following the winter.
Another important thing to remember is tire pressure, although during the growing season it helps to keep tires at a lower pressure to prevent soil compaction, leaving tires at low pressure can lead to cracks and eventually leaks or bursts. It is due to these dangers that It is important to fill tires to a higher pressure for the winter to maintain their shape, once the growing season starts again tires can be depressed to a lower pressure again.
For automated and soil sampling tractors it is important to check the sensors and hardware, these checks can usually be done with a diagnostic test, but cleaning or alignment could be needed. Other farm machines like spreaders, plows, and tow spikers should be checked carefully for damage during the winter months, before the next use.
Equipment downtime can be stressfull, winter is a good time to ensure your equipment is ready for the upcoming planting season.