preventative maintenance saves $$$

[Soundguy]

I normally 'service' my tractor after each use. That is I refill fuel, hit grease fittings, and do a quick cleaning, check fluid levels in tractor and implements.. tire pressure.. etc.. look for damage.. etc...so that when i need to use her again, she is ready.

Last week I mowed and was in a hurry, and just put her away wet and hungry.. I got off work early today due to rain, and decide to pull the tractor and batwing up to the barn to get her ready for the next mowing fueld up, and then got to try out my new right angle grease gun tip adapter, for getting at those hard to reach universal jont zerks ( worked great ).

As I was greasing the rear wheel hubs on the batwing, I noticed a good 1/8" of play in one of the 'wing' wheels. As we all do.. I got that 'darn' feeling, hoping the bearings werent gone.. etc.

I was happily surprised to find the bearing and hub in great shape.. however the cotter pin on the castle nut had broke. I repacked it, and got her back together with a new pin.. I must have re-used the old pin last time... I'm glad a moment of cheapness didn't cost me a hub and spindle and bearing and seal set.. not to mention the downtime and hours to fix.

Check those wheel hubs! not just the tractor.. check the implement wheels too... they are just as important... the tractor ain't much good if the implement is broke down... And don't reuse a 3 cent cotter pin!!!

I got real lucky this time.

Soundguy

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I normally 'service' my tractor after each use. That is I refill fuel, hit grease fittings, and do a quick cleaning, check fluid levels in tractor and implements.. tire pressure.. etc.. look for damage.. etc...so that when i need to use her again, she is ready.

Last week I mowed and was in a hurry, and just put her away wet and hungry.. I got off work early today due to rain, and decide to pull the tractor and batwing up to the barn to get her ready for the next mowing fueld up, and then got to try out my new right angle grease gun tip adapter, for getting at those hard to reach universal jont zerks ( worked great ).

As I was greasing the rear wheel hubs on the batwing, I noticed a good 1/8" of play in one of the 'wing' wheels. As we all do.. I got that 'darn' feeling, hoping the bearings werent gone.. etc.

I was happily surprised to find the bearing and hub in great shape.. however the cotter pin on the castle nut had broke. I repacked it, and got her back together with a new pin.. I must have re-used the old pin last time... I'm glad a moment of cheapness didn't cost me a hub and spindle and bearing and seal set.. not to mention the downtime and hours to fix.

Check those wheel hubs! not just the tractor.. check the implement wheels too... they are just as important... the tractor ain't much good if the implement is broke down... And don't reuse a 3 cent cotter pin!!!

I got real lucky this time.

Soundguy

There's one of those reasons why it never hurts to clean equipment once in a while too. I can't begin to count the number of loose bolts, missing pins, broken pieces, and lost parts I've noticed while cleaning up a tractor or other equipment.

My wife thinks I have an obsessive/compulsive disorder when it comes to my equipment. Every time we walk around the place, I end up kicking a tire, or maybe looking under a mower, or some other sort of quick "exam".

Another habit I got in to was a result of taking flying lessons when I was younger. I do a "walk-around" before heading to the field. Caught a few "almost's" that way too.

 

[Soundguy]

I agree 100 %. When i walk up to my tractor, I check the oil, then start her up. I then do a walk around and kick tires and whatnot.. wind up mower jack.. etc, and by the time I'm done, the tractor has had a minute or two to warm up at idle before I drive out to the field.

Ditto on cleaning too. I'd found cracked metal and broke welds by sweeping debri off things... Some, as you mention, were 'almosts' too. I was mowing out in my pasture with my 3pt 10' mower early this year and stopped for a 'call of nature' brake at a nice bush, and as I was climbing back on the tractor I notice one of the cat 2 3pt pins looked odd. The nut had backed off and was laying on the mower deck with the lockwasher, and the only thing holding the pin in, was the bind from the deck weight and lift arms. It actually galle dthe threads at the back of the pin.. but those weren't needed anyway. Luckilly I carry a big crescent wrench with me that 'made due' till I got back to the barn... could ben alot worse... probably another 5 minutes of mowing and that pin would have come out...

Soundguy

 

[Volfandt]

I also do a post flight inspection for the similar reasons.

I like to blow the machinery off while they're idleing down. I always open the hood(s) to blow out the engine compartment(s) and listen for any abnormal sounds.

This last time I heard a louder than normal rattleing on the BX23 and in checking it out I thought that the air cleaner was shakeing more than normal. Upon further inspection I noticed that one of the two nuts that secured it down on the mounting studs was completely gone and the other was loose. Only thing holding the entire air cleaner assembly in place was the long rubber intake hose and single nut that was just about backed all the way off.
It was an easy fix to just replace the missing nut and tighten them both down as opposed to haveing to replace a broken airfilter bracket or housing or both!

Plus I don't mind doing both a pre and post flight inspection on my machinery. And fixing them as soon as I discover a minor problem before it beomes a major one. Thats probably why my 1966 Wheel Horse is still earning it's keep and my 48 TE20 was too until I sold it alittle over a yr ago

Volfandt

 

[dillo99]

I was using my loader one day (with heavy gravel) and I happend to glance at one of the arms and notice that a pin was sticking out and ready to give way. The cotter pin that held it in place had somehow dropped out and the large pin in the center of the loader arm was working its way loose. I had maybe 1/2 inch of pin still in there - barely enough. I hate to think what would have happened if that pin had slipped all the way out as I was driving along with a full load of gravel. At a minimum, it would have twisted the heck out of the other loader arm as all weight was shifted to that side. Worse yet...who knows - would have been bad.

I now check all my pins and cotter pins pretty regularly.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I agree 100 %. When i walk up to my tractor, I check the oil, then start her up. I then do a walk around and kick tires and whatnot.. wind up mower jack.. etc, and by the time I'm done, the tractor has had a minute or two to warm up at idle before I drive out to the field.

Ditto on cleaning too. I'd found cracked metal and broke welds by sweeping debri off things... Some, as you mention, were 'almosts' too. I was mowing out in my pasture with my 3pt 10' mower early this year and stopped for a 'call of nature' brake at a nice bush, and as I was climbing back on the tractor I notice one of the cat 2 3pt pins looked odd. The nut had backed off and was laying on the mower deck with the lockwasher, and the only thing holding the pin in, was the bind from the deck weight and lift arms. It actually galle dthe threads at the back of the pin.. but those weren't needed anyway. Luckilly I carry a big crescent wrench with me that 'made due' till I got back to the barn... could ben alot worse... probably another 5 minutes of mowing and that pin would have come out...

Soundguy

Loosing a connection on a lower link while running a bush hog is about as bad as it sounds. Had that to happen once. I had a Woods MD172 mower at that time. It employed the "captured pin" type of hitch, where the pin on the mower went through 2 plates, one on each side of the draft arm. The folks at Woods thought it best to use a linch pin on both ends of the 8" long rod that was the lower connector. (Double the chance of a linch pin falling out) Apparently one of the linch pins worked its way off. I was mowing a road-side easement on some property I'd bought for an investment. It was the first time I'd cut the place. As I worked slowly along, I ran up on what was left of a telephone pole sticking out of the ground about 10". I lifted the mower to pass over the pole. Just as I crossed over it, the pin fell out of the left draft arm connection. The mower fell, on the pole end, while still running. You talk about NOISE! I hit the PTO clutch as fast as I could. (Deere 2440, Independent PTO control knob in front of shifter between knees) No damage done, other than my nerves were shot for the rest of the day. While off in the weeds hooking the mower back up to the tractor, I spotted the biggest Copperhead I've ever seen. What little bit of my nerves that was starting to return to normal was out the window at that point.

I sold that piece of ground 3 weeks later. Good thing too. I might not have EVER mowed it again.

 

[Soundguy]

My stepfather has a deer 2240.. very similar to that 2440.. has the same IND pto knob.. etc.

I helped him rebuiild the pto section on that unit after an employee used it with a tiller with too long of a drive shaft, and it ate the pto bearing carrier, and pushed the shaft in, breaking the retainer and snap rings, as well as eating all of the clutch plates in the pto section... Basically, we had to replace everything but the pto shaft itself... Was a real bummer... plus parts were a tad over 500$..

Soundguy

 

[RobJ]

and then got to try out my new right angle grease gun tip adapter, for getting at those hard to reach universal jont zerks ( worked great ).

I bought one at the autoparts and it won't seal off the zerk. Pretty useless but I still could use one.

 

[Soundguy]

Is yours the one where it just snaps on to a regualr quick adapter.. or is it the threaded one one, that accepts the zerk from the side?

I found mine very usefullgreasing u-joint zerks. Ironically.. I was in a greasing mood this weekend and repacked the 6 axle bearings on my 2 flatbed trailers. Half way into the job i was wishing i had waited till winter!!

Soundguy