How often do you powerwash your equipment

OkieDave · Oct 18, 2011

...you can wash a tractor?

I'll be damned. Learn something new every day.

TripleR · Oct 18, 2011

When I finished yesterday, I parked it outside and it is being washed right now as it's raining.:thumbsup:

brucewj · Oct 18, 2011

When I first got my tractor I would wash it after every use. Then I would give it a good rubdown with Fluid Film.

Now I wash it maybe every two months, unless I get a lot of mud on it.

BeeferMan · Oct 20, 2011

All my hay equipment (discbine, balers, rakes, tedder) gets hand washed once a year, bucket of soap and the hose. I like doing the hand wash as my hands go over just about every part of the equipment, I see many issues that way long before they break - if just break it's always when you're using the equipment, never good for my BP!

Sometimes a prewash of real greasy areas with a solvent soaked rag, just so the soap and water isn't overwhelmed. I try to do this in the fall after the last of the haying is done. Then they get greased, oils levels checked, run for a few minutes, and put away. I'll usually do a spray can touch up of any bare metal as well. Tractors and fertilizer spreaders will get a hose down during the season after spreading.

I have been known to point the pressure washer at a piece of equipment if the equipment is there while I'm washing something else, but generally the only time I pressure wash equipment is when doing some service other than regular maintenance. Got a leaky valve cover gasket on the Case, it'll get washed before tackling that job, for instance.

ovrszd · Oct 20, 2011

I'm with Vince and 20/20. I regularly use my power washer. I always lube after washing. I've never heard of a bearing/seal failure that could be directly contributed to the proper use of a power washer and proper maintenance.

I also contend that the velocity of an air blow gun a couple inches from the tip is greater than the velocity of water out of a pressure washer a proper distance from the same object. People tend to get very close with an air gun because that's the only way it'll remove grime.

I would never say that it's necessary to power wash equipment. I just like to keep my equipment clean and tidy. I wax my tractors at least twice a year. All my stuff is parked in a heated shop year around.

I run a John Deere motor grader. We buy a new machine every four years. When we traded this Summer the equipment appraiser said he'd never saw a machine with that many hours that looked that good. We received a premium price for our used machine. It got power washed diligently, at least four times a year. And was always serviced after each washing. I waxed it once a year.

This is an interesting thread that has perked some strong opinions. Some with credibility, some with amusing comments. It's all good.

ovrszd · Oct 20, 2011

TripleR said:
When I finished yesterday, I parked it outside and it is being washed right now as it's raining.:thumbsup:

Thought it looked like you guys were getting some rain, lucky dogs.... We've had a little over an inch since 01 September. I haven't mowed my lawn for a month. Now we are getting freezing temps at night. I'd say the ole JD2210 is gonna change jobs from mowing to hauling in fire wood!!! :laughing:

TripleR · Oct 20, 2011

ovrszd said:
Thought it looked like you guys were getting some rain, lucky dogs.... We've had a little over an inch since 01 September. I haven't mowed my lawn for a month. Now we are getting freezing temps at night. I'd say the ole JD2210 is gonna change jobs from mowing to hauling in fire wood!!! :laughing:

We sure did luck out and it was sorely needed; dry as a bone. We got a good slow rain that soaked in really well; coulda used a bit more, but a lot of people are still cutting beans and need some dry weather.

Our renters just finished cutting our beans the night before it rained.

Yeah, I'm going to pull the cutters off our tractors and store them then put a box blade and back blade on then do a bit of loader work.

I had to retire my chain saws, sure miss working in the woods.

5030 · Oct 21, 2011

hosspuller said:
Like most of the others I don't PW my equipment to clean it. A leaf blower works well enough. Otherwise a garden hose and a bucket of soapy water...
Bearings and electrical connections don't like high pressure water... brittle plastic parts are expensive ...

...and from the factory, most all the snap electrical connectors will be dry inside, that is, no di-electric grease. Water ingress coes bad things to connector lugs.

We've had problems on motorcycles from washing (bikes stay clean, it's a 'I have to look good' thing so they get washed religiously). I always suggest parting all the connectors and filling with di-electric grease to keep moisture out, even the sealed high quality Molex type connectors.

That applies to my tractors as well. No point in having problems down the road from high resistance in connectors caused by oxidation.

Smallplot · Oct 21, 2011

Never have I even thought about power washing a tractor....:confused2:

Always figured a buildup of grease was just extra protection....:thumbsup:

just what is fluid film anyway?