Wash Your Tractor?

[Rimmer]

There was a post in one of the forums recently where a poster mentioned a problem that was caused when he washed his tractor. My first reaction was: "You did WHAT?!"

I didn't mean that as a criticism, that was just my initial reaction -- sort of the "talk first, think later" kind.

I have to admit that I wiped the dust off my new BX23 with a damp rag after I used it to clean a stack of very old hay out of the barn. After 20+ hours of operation, the mud stuck to the FEL, BH, and tires doesn't bother me any more. I doubt that the old 8N that my father bought used 50 years ago has ever been washed, at least not in the past several decades. (Although he did run into my mother's washing machine with it once -- but that's another story.)

So, I'm curious, how many of you actually WASH your tractor? Not talking about wiping up spilled fluids, cleaning things that need to be clean to operate properly and safely and prevent corrosion, etc., but about washing, waxing, etc. just to make it look "pretty."

/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[PineRidge]

Rimmer when I use my TC-40D it normally comes out on the short end of crusty. I just finished a 300-foot drainage ditch in a moderate rain. It was to say the least covered from top to bottom in heavy clay mud. I normally wait a day for the wet stuff to solidify in the pole barn, and then I take a spin down the road to clear the R-4s. I then drive it back to the ranch where I hit it with a 2600-psi pressure washer.

I used the pressure washer on my last tractor regularly as well. I look at a tractor as a big investment, one that I don't want to neglect.

If washing or waxing it brands me as a sissy, then so be it. I work it hard then put it to rest clean. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Henro]

Well...I used to wash it...

Even washed it special twice, once when Spencer stopped by and the other time was when 5030 visited...

I recall them both asking me why I don't wash my tractor! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Burst my bubble... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Now the real question is:

Do you WAX your tractor...??? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[frank_f15]

i ususlly wash and wax my tractor once a year, towards the end of summer, just gives me enjoyment and it can't hurt.

 

[paco]

Wash my tractor? My wife thought I was crazy when she caught me washing it. I am not the fanatic my father is about keeping equipment clean but I do wash mine, I consider it maintenance. to each his own

 

[thcri]

Oh yes, a couple of times a year to get the dust off and clean radiator. Once a year I will wax it. Yep, wax it. You see I got some neighbors that keep their John Deere's clean and I have to keep up with the "jones".

I have had some trouble though lately with a couple of hydraulic hoses that keep breaking. Got to take it in to the dealer to figure why, but that has had me pressure washing it to keep the hydraulic fluid off.

i think i said too much for just a simple question?? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
murph

 

[AndyMA]

I thought that was what the RAIN was for!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Andy

 

[MossRoad]

<font color="blue"> So, I'm curious, how many of you actually WASH your tractor? </font>

First, I hit it with the leaf blower to get the dry grass clippings out and such. Then I hit it with the shop vac to suck out the engine compartment(the engine on a Power Trac is pretty much inside a steel box, so stuff builds up in there. That's a downside. Upside is it is protected on all sides by steel plating. Pretty much indestructable). Then I hit it with the Simple Green cleaner in a spray bottle. Then I rinse it with the garden hose. I do this anytime I feel it needs it. Usually about 4 times a year. If the paint gets scratched down to bare metal, I just rough it up and spray on some JD green to protect the steel plate.

I find that keeping it clean only takes about 10 minutes and makes it much easier if I have to work on anything.

 

[F350Lawman]

Wash it whenever it gets real dirty(once a month). Even waxed it once as well. Sometimes I cheat and leave it out in the rain for a "lazy man's" wash /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Junkman]

I wash my tractor when it gets dirty, and I have not waxed it yet, but it is on the list. I have put a fair amount of scratches on the hoe and bucket and at some time in the future, I will give them a quick touch up of paint. I look at my tractor as an investment just like any of the other tools that I have. If you don't take care of it, it will depreciate faster and that will work against you come selling time. Beside, being retired, my time is my own and a little water goes a long way...