kbuegel
Member
I think the best way to learn about your tractor is to do your own maintenance. If its new, it will usually need maintenance after 20-50 hours or so, and then be ok for 500 hours or so after that. So you'll get the opportunity to do maintenance right away.
So go down to your dealer and pick up an oil filter, fuel filter, hydraulic filter and the matching fluids in the amounts needed. Your dealer should be able to tell you how much you need of each.
And you'll need a grease gun and grease which you'll probably have to get at a hardware store or tool store (see the various threads on Harbor Frieght's grease guns and other tools). Then go find all those grease fittings and just put a little bit in each - you can blow out the seals on grease joints, so don't overdo it until you get the hang of it.
And you should buy some gear oil for your front end or differential or whatever your tractor has - those don't get changed out much and don't have filters, but you should buy and top off the oil so you know where the filling ports are and know how much it should have. Then when you check it again in a year, hopefully you'll notice if its drastically different (indicating you have a leak).
Also get a general spray-on oil, like silicon spray or WD-40. You can spray that on things that turn or move but don't have grease, like all the 3pt hitch hinges. Also it doesn't hurt to spray some silicon spray on any metal surface that might get scratched to prevent rust as much as possible. Also you can lightly oil the hydraulic valves and connections for your loader controls and other controls. Lift up the rubber boots to see the workings under the controls and spray a bit of oil in there to keep it all moving freely.
Any rubber parts, like boots around the controls, should get a UV-resistance spray coating. ArmorAll I think has that, but you can find stuff at hardware stores or autoparts stores, just make sure it has UV protection because the sun will be doing the most damage to the top side of your tractor. The seat will also benefit from UV-resistant spray, but make sure it does not leave an oily stain on your clothing. Personnally, I don't put anything on my seat for that reason. A new seat every 5-10 years is not expensive.
I also recommend using a fuel additive if you are running diesel fuel. Unless you use your tractor a lot, it will do a lot of sitting and a fuel additive will help keep your fuel tank free of algea (yes, several types of algea can grow in diesel tanks) and keep injectors and fuel pumps clean from residue build-up.
A lot of the above stuff can be bought at an auto parts store, but the first time you do maintenance, I would recommend getting it all from the dealership. Since you are doing this to learn about your tractor, you're better off paying a bit more for filters and oil and getting guidance and advice from the dealer.
Establish a relationship with your dealership. If you start off doing maintenance, they generally are happy to help you. So many tractor owners just buy stuff and run it without maintenance until it breaks down and then blame the machine or dealer. So if you start out by doing maintenance right away, your dealer will likely be impressed and happy to help you.
Oh, and of course, read the manuals. Frankly, everything I just wrote is in the manuals.
So go down to your dealer and pick up an oil filter, fuel filter, hydraulic filter and the matching fluids in the amounts needed. Your dealer should be able to tell you how much you need of each.
And you'll need a grease gun and grease which you'll probably have to get at a hardware store or tool store (see the various threads on Harbor Frieght's grease guns and other tools). Then go find all those grease fittings and just put a little bit in each - you can blow out the seals on grease joints, so don't overdo it until you get the hang of it.
And you should buy some gear oil for your front end or differential or whatever your tractor has - those don't get changed out much and don't have filters, but you should buy and top off the oil so you know where the filling ports are and know how much it should have. Then when you check it again in a year, hopefully you'll notice if its drastically different (indicating you have a leak).
Also get a general spray-on oil, like silicon spray or WD-40. You can spray that on things that turn or move but don't have grease, like all the 3pt hitch hinges. Also it doesn't hurt to spray some silicon spray on any metal surface that might get scratched to prevent rust as much as possible. Also you can lightly oil the hydraulic valves and connections for your loader controls and other controls. Lift up the rubber boots to see the workings under the controls and spray a bit of oil in there to keep it all moving freely.
Any rubber parts, like boots around the controls, should get a UV-resistance spray coating. ArmorAll I think has that, but you can find stuff at hardware stores or autoparts stores, just make sure it has UV protection because the sun will be doing the most damage to the top side of your tractor. The seat will also benefit from UV-resistant spray, but make sure it does not leave an oily stain on your clothing. Personnally, I don't put anything on my seat for that reason. A new seat every 5-10 years is not expensive.
I also recommend using a fuel additive if you are running diesel fuel. Unless you use your tractor a lot, it will do a lot of sitting and a fuel additive will help keep your fuel tank free of algea (yes, several types of algea can grow in diesel tanks) and keep injectors and fuel pumps clean from residue build-up.
A lot of the above stuff can be bought at an auto parts store, but the first time you do maintenance, I would recommend getting it all from the dealership. Since you are doing this to learn about your tractor, you're better off paying a bit more for filters and oil and getting guidance and advice from the dealer.
Establish a relationship with your dealership. If you start off doing maintenance, they generally are happy to help you. So many tractor owners just buy stuff and run it without maintenance until it breaks down and then blame the machine or dealer. So if you start out by doing maintenance right away, your dealer will likely be impressed and happy to help you.
Oh, and of course, read the manuals. Frankly, everything I just wrote is in the manuals.
A little kiss on the fender every once in a while wouldn't hurt either.