Washing your tractor

[Cat_Driver]

WOW! I don't think I have ever seen WASHED and TRACTOR in the same sentence in my life!

When it rains the tractor gets washed and here in the Desert that means the tractor gets washed once every couple of years whether it needs it or not.

 

[Wacky]

Wash mine every time I use it for mowing, which is every week.....that is until the wreck.

 

[TrippleT]

I wash mine and give it a waxing ever once in a while. It helps to find issues as one post said. I have found things that need attention every once in a while if I wash it and wax it.

 

[Earl Ohl]

I wash mine and give it a waxing ever once in a while. It helps to find issues as one post said. I have found things that need attention every once in a while if I wash it and wax it.

Yep, gotta agree here. Before retirement, I was a school bus mechanic for almost 27yrs. One thing we used to do when school was out for summer is pressure wash all engines & chassis. You'd be surprised at some of the stuff (defects, damage) you find pressure washing that you may not see otherwise because it's covered with dirt or grease. When I pressure washed, I used to have some plastic bags available to cover water sensitive items like alternators & electronics. Also, a good lubrication is absolutely necessary immediately afterwards to chase the water out of the grease joints. And don't forget to run that engine till it's up to normal temperature also.

 

[jesnic]

Earl, great advice to run after washing. The only time I ever washed my tractor was after using it to pull another stuck tractor out of the mud. I pressure washed it and left it overnight only to find the clutch had stuck. I had to start in gear and drive slamming the brakes and dropping the bush hog quickly to unstick. If I ever wash it again, I will keep the pressure washer nozzle away from the clutch area and start after washing and run it to chase away water. Maybe even leave a slight slope so water can drain.

 

[MoreCowbell]

Aside from making sure my radiator and HST are clear of debris, I really don't clean the tractor. However, I do go pretty crazy about washing my MMM after mowing. I don't want all those wet clippings caked on it and rusting it out. Regardless if the weather is rainy or dry, the clippings hold a lot of water and I like to hose them off right away. I then turn the blades back on and go to full throttle to blow as much of the water away as possible.

 

[Retro]

I'll take an air compressor to mine every now and then and wash it a couple times a year when it really gets grimy. When I wash I am also looking for maintenance issues to take care. Also do that when I'm greasing the FEL and other points.

-A

 

[MiserableOldFart]

I've found this thread interesting. I wash my tractor once a year and wax it then as well. I might occasionally hose it off when dusty or muddy, but I don't really consider that a washing. Spent an entire day washing and waxing the tractor, FEL (which I have never taken off) and the brush hog finishing mower and painting the loader bucket in hopes to cut down on the sticking snow in the winter.. After that, and washing and waxing my car and attempting to clean the deck on the house by hand I decided to get a pressure washer. I went to Lowes, Home Depot and Sears, but the only model I liked was at HD and it was too expensive and too big to fit in my car (My 24 year old pickup is too old and crotchety to take the 50 miles or so to get there.) So I ordered one online and it's on its way. Hope it gets here in time to do the deck as the days dwindle down to a precious few lol. Anyway, armed with that, I expect to wash the tractor more often. Waxing is important for me because I don't have a garage or barn for it, so it's really a necessity, and I should be doing it more than once a year. I wanted a Cat pump model, but had to settle on an AR pumped model with a 5 hp Biggs engine because that was what they had in stock. It's a triplex plunger type and I hope it will outlast me, though I also hope to last for awhile myself..