Routine Checks For your Tractor
Major, expensive, failures on your tractor could potentially be avoided by routinely checking 6 key areas.
This is a great guide provided by AskTractorMike, but like Mike says in the video you need to read the owners manual to make sure you are following the manufacturers recommendations and meeting the terms of the warranty.
1 - Tractor Lubrication - check key areas such as engine and hydraulic oil levels and PTO shaft is adequately greased.
2 - Tractor Engine Fuel - need to check that there aren't any contaminants, such as water, or debris in the fuel. Having clean fuel is really important. Modern tractors often have a plastic bowl on the fuel system so you can see the quality of the fuel without having to remove anything.
3 - Clean Air to the Tractor's Engine - check that the air filters are clean. May have to remove them to do this. Certain times of the year, such as during hay making this will need to be done more often.
4 - Tractor Cooling system - Make sure that the tractors radiator and tractors cooling system isn't clogged up and air can flow freely over it. Particularly important if you have been grass cutting, hay making or conducting other activities that kick up a lot of dust or airborne debris. Also check your tractors radiator fluid level and top it up if necessary.
A couple extra that Mike doesn't mention but we think are important, especially given the little time it takes to check versus the consequence if something goes wrong.
5 - Tractor Tires and Wheel Bolts - make sure the tires are correctly inflated and not loosing air. Check the wheel bolts are not loose. 1 minutes to check versus the hassle of realising something is wrong when you have travelled out to the field!
6 - Tractor Lighting - Important when you will be working at night. But not only the tractors running lights, make sure the spots are working if you will be needing them for the work to be carried out.
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