A tractor is a vital farming machine to complete farming tasks. So, tractor maintenance is also crucial for keeping your tractor healthy and efficient as a new one. In this way, you should add some daily tractor maintenance tips to your routine so that you can use your tractor for an extended period. Also, these tips ensure the tractor is running smoothly.
Rather than keeping the user manual with you, you can keep this checklist with your tractor to use before starting your work. Don’t skip any of these tips, and check your tractor accordingly. For the drivers’ / owners’ convenience, we are here with only 7 vital checkups for the tractor. So, let’s know about 7 tractor maintenance tips for keeping a tractor healthy.
7 Vital Tractor Maintenance Tips In India
These small and easy checkups for your tractor are necessary to keep it safe. So, we will know about them one by one.
Visual Inspection
You should inspect your tractor visually for checking worn, leaks, loose hoses or cables. Recognise the minute leaks by seeing dirt buildup. If there is a leak, then repair it as soon as possible. You can fix it by replacing or tightening the hoses, clamps and drain plugs. Also, check the glass sediment bowls underneath the fuel filters for materials or water. And for new tractors, you should check the windows. It will show you the hydraulic reservoir fluid levels.
Also, it is the perfect time to inspect your tractor’s safety features, including PTO shields, lights, hazard lights, indicators, etc. Then check whether the natural start button is working or not. If it is not working, replace it or fix it to prevent the tractor from starting while in gear.
Oil Level in Radiator
Over time, we can see the gradual loss of oil in our tractor. But if oil loss is more than the accepted level, it represents significant problems, including coolant leaking into the engine oil. Coolant enters through faulty heads, gaskets, cylinder O-rings, etc. Also, a gear-driven pump for water can be the reason behind it.
Some tractors like Eicher Tractor 242 and others are present less fluid loss than others. Also, their main advantage is that they don’t need too much maintenance and work smoothly. Therefore, it saves farmers’ expenses done in regular maintenance.
Inspect the Radiator Core and Grill and Screenfan’s Drive Belt
Dirt and debris can damage the fins on the radiator. So, we have to remove dirt by using air pressure to avoid further damage. Also, check the condenser and remove the debris built-ups from its surroundings if your tractor is equipped with air conditioning. And carefully clean the tractor with pressurised water so that there is no loss in fins, seals or other components.
The seals are the most vital thing to prevent oil loss. Also, the engine has seals and valves to avoid oil, pressure and power loss.
Top of Fuel Tank
You should provide a fresh supply of fuel to a tractor for the days’ work. Also, remove any sediment or water from the sediment bowl. Sometimes, you can partially drain the tractors’ fuel tank so that excessive water or other deposits can be removed from the tank. Moreover, fuel should be fresh, and you should not store it for more than 3 months.
Apart from the fuel tank, if you use smaller fuel cans, including 5-gallon cans, keep them clean and rust-free. Because the rust dump in the tractor’s fuel tank causes lower efficiency, and sometimes the tractor is not working.
We have to use ethanol blends for gas tractors. Over time, its presence in a small quantity (4 teaspoons per gallon) mixes from water and separates from gasoline. So, you should add a fuel conditioner to keep the components stable and in solution for gas and diesel fuels.
Some tractors like Farmtrac 60 Powermaxx and others come with good quality and several additives, including an anti-gelling additive for winter or cool climates and lubricity additives for summers or hot temperatures. These additives remove the sulfur from diesel fuel.
Inspect the Tractor’s Oil
It is suitable for the tractor you check the oil level of your tractor. For example, if you fill the fuel and move to work, just give some time to inspect your tractor’s oil. Or, if you are not moving but the tractor is started and warm, stop the tractor and give some time to check your tractor’s oil level. Moreover, if your tractor is old, then check the oil level in the gearbox and reservoirs. And check the hydraulic and transmission fluids for extra safety of the vehicle.
If you found any fluid level down from the accepted level, fill it with fluids, including engine oil, coolant, etc. You can also recognise the coolant or oil loss by seeing the blue smoke from the exhaust. Finally, grease the joints of the tractor as, without grease, tiny metal plates or joints can be broken. So, carefully count the joints for greasing them.
Tire Pressure
Checking tire pressure takes only 2 or 3 minutes, but it can affect the tractor’s life and efficiency. So it is not about only tire life; it is about the tractor’s performance and efficiency.
So if you run your tractor at lower tire pressure, it causes excessive wear and fuel use. You can check the ideal tire pressure in the user manual and also keep it according to work. In this way, road travel needs a little more tyre pressure than fieldwork. Or few more pounds of rear tire pressure are required for lifting heavy implements.
Keep Air Filters Up To Date
Checking air filters is not mandatory for doing it daily. But over time, you should check the air filters. Or, when you see crop residues on the radiator or grill screen of your tractor, check the air filters.
So, these are the regular checkups for your tractor. When you check your tractor daily, according to them, your tractor remains healthy and efficient. For more information regarding tractor maintenance, checkups and more, stay with our website.
