Farm Machinery Maintenance Important This Time Of Year
February 09, 2012
Now is a good time to take care of machinery maintenance.
It's better than waiting until the spring planting season when spare time for this type of work is limited.
Waiting until later is also a problem if you need to order parts that are not in stock at your local implement dealer.
The following steps in machinery maintenance are a good place to start, according to a news release:
- Move the equipment from its current storage area, then check the area beneath it for fluid leaks.
- Conduct a walk-around to look for obvious problems, such as damaged tires; cracked hoses; leaking hydraulic lines; and rusted-out, corroded exhaust systems. Replace these items if found.
- Make sure all guards and shields are installed so they can provide the level of safety they were originally designed to handle.
- Check the lighting and marking equipment to ensure it's functioning properly. This includes replacing SMV emblems that are missing, damaged, faded or have lost their reflectivity.
- Inspect drive-line shafts to ensure their guarding is intact and operating safely.
- Clean all access steps and the operator's station platform of mud, snow, ice and debris.
- Follow recommendations in the owner's manual to adjust brakes and clutches.
- Check the engine crankcase oil and change the oil if the scheduled maintenance is needed.
- Remove the air cleaner and either replace it with the recommended type or clean the existing one.
- Check for damaged or missing rear-view mirrors. This is quite common on enclosed ROPS cabs and creates a dangerous situation when the operator can't see vehicles approaching from the rear during highway use.
- Make sure all safety decals are installed and readable. This is particularly critical for by-pass starting decals on tractor solenoids.
Keep these mid-winter maintenance hints handy and check them off as you complete them.
Machinery will be safer and more dependable when it's needed as planting begins.
- Iowa Farmer Today
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