How do you wash your tractor??

[MtnViewRanch]

We had the same issue, too much cost to have water and electricity. I put gutters on our pole barn and built a simple platform for a poly tank (250 gallons) from Northern. In a 1" rain last week, my tank was filled. I have a special screen that is self cleaning and keeps leaves and debris out. Costs were very minimal. Now I don't have to transport my tractor and implements to clean them. This is especially nice when fertilizer is used. Its amazing how many gallons can be collected from 1" of rain. If I remember correctly, I believe you get .66 gal. per 1 sq. ft. of roof.

There are always ways to meet your needs.

 

[PA hayseed]

In theory I like the idea of washing the tractor everytime it is used. In practice I wash it off before my maintenance so that I am not getting dirt into my fittings or filters, or after it is so coated in muck that it makes it dangerous to get on and off the platform.

I would think that you would be fine with your tank and sprayer. You will hear the difference in the pressure washer when it does not have enough flow. Just stop spraying when the flow is low. It will take a little longer.

Pressure washing chickens...now that was funny.

 

[DieselAddiction]

Thanks Jake for the reply. My cistern is also elevated about 3 feet. Maybe I can just draw water from it to my gasoline pressure washer. I was just afraid of damaging the pump since the operating manual specifically states a certain psi and flow is needed. Has anyone else drawn water from a tank directly to a regular pressure washer? And of course I don't blast my electrical lines or seals, and I too hate dirty equipment. And yes, you may laugh, but I have even waxed my tractor.

When we were racing this is how everyone washed their machines. There were all types and models of pressurewashers, Electric and gas powered. Everyone had a 15, 30 , or 50 gallon plastic barrel full of water and it was just gravity fed into them. No one that I was aware of ever had any problems.

 

[joe48]

couple weeks ago, took tractor to church to blow back the snowpiles. truck,trailer and tractor were covered with salt from road. Too cold to use hose, so went to quarter car wash and hosed everything down. $7.00 bucks later clean as a whistle.
Like everyone says just don't hit electrical stuff ,bearings and seals with direct stream.

 

[sixdogs]

I never used to take care of the outside of my equipment. Sure, the mechanicals were perfect but they looked grungy outside. Then at a couple of auctions, I saw what was a mechanically excellent but dirty/ripped seat tractor sell for much less than one that looked great but the owner never even changed the oil. Point was, keeping your equipment in good mechanical and physical shape paid off. And paid off well.

So, from a financial perspective I started to care for my equipment. I even waxed it. I felt better. Now I may trade a five year old tractor for another one at a dealer and have been offered a premium price (and more than I paid new). So I figured it paid to take care of stuff and the money I save --by not throwing away--can buy more stuff.

"Men do not realize how great a revenue economy is"--- Cicero
Same as the "penny saved is a penny earned" thing.

 

[deere755]

I never used to take care of the outside of my equipment. Sure, the mechanicals were perfect but they looked grungy outside. Then at a couple of auctions, I saw what was a mechanically excellent but dirty/ripped seat tractor sell for much less than one that looked great but the owner never even changed the oil. Point was, keeping your equipment in good mechanical and physical shape paid off. And paid off well.

So, from a financial perspective I started to care for my equipment. I even waxed it. I felt better. Now I may trade a five year old tractor for another one at a dealer and have been offered a premium price (and more than I paid new). So I figured it paid to take care of stuff and the money I save --by not throwing away--can buy more stuff.

"Men do not realize how great a revenue economy is"--- Cicero
Same as the "penny saved is a penny earned" thing.

I have found this to be true also. I have a neighbor who has always told me I am wasting my time cleaning and waxing equipment, he says it will not run any better when I am done. He was sure supprised at how much more I got on trade in for the same model he traded in.

 

[Predator]

It is important to keep things clean, in spite of what a lot of people think. The Allis WD I just inherited from my neighbor is in great condition mechanically. It looks terrible,though. Most of the paint is gone, the sheet metal is all beat up, and there is 55 years of grunge and dirt on the under side. When a tractor is clean, you notice a leak right away. I have something dripping out of the bottom, and I have no idea if it is gear lube or hydraulic fluid or where it is coming from because everything is covered with black goo. Now I have to clean it before I can work on it.
I know a lot of loggers, and their equipment ranges all the way from sparkling to "what the heck is that over there, anyway". One of them washes all the equipment with a pressure washer every Saturday. They have never lost a piece of equipment to a fire. One time a bunch of kids got one of their old 6X6 army trucks started, ran it over against the woods, and left it running with the tire spinning on a root until the tire caught on fire. It ruined the tire and rearend, but the truck didn't burn. But if a piece of equipment covered with grease and sawdust ever catches on fire, all you can do is stand there and watch it burn, because you'll never get it out.
Plus, they look better clean.

 

[NewToy]

Everytime I wash mine with a garden hose I also`put a good coat of "Liquid Glass" wax on it. Every now and then I'll clean all the plastic on the dash with armorall and hit the tires. I have 415 hrs now and it looks new. I think the multiple coats of wax offer some protection from scratches when "off course" in the brush.

John

 

[milt in ny]

I wash mine with loving care

 

[sixdogs]

I posted an earlier comment about clean equipment resulting in higher prices but it never occurred to me to give an actual example. Here goes.

In 1987 I bought a Ford 2110 and had a Du-All HD loader ordered for it. 4WD and synchro trans. One remote. Cost was !3,300 I think but that's not important.I used it for general small farm use but mostly to pick up rocks in the spring while in the glacial till soil of Maine. I hired two crews of four boys each and each crew worked four hours. Toss in an agressive daughter and reluctant wife and we had maybe 100 hours most years picking rocks from plowed fields. Big rocks. The point is that tractor was well-used.

But it never sat outside, I can't recall it ever in the rain but it had the oil changed every 50 hours and cleaned and waxed at least once a year. I had perfect maintenence records. No dents or untouched dings.
When I sold it in 2004 with 885 hours and nice original rear tires (new front) it looked and ran like new. It booked for $5,500? and there were a number for sale up to maybe $8,000-$9,000 but I can't recall exactly.

I advertised it for $14,500 and took $13,500 cash. So there you go; I leveraged that $$ plus more to buy a new holdover JD5520 with loader the dealer seemed stuck with. I was happy, the buyer was happy, the JD dealer was happy and I had the satisfaction of sweet-looking equipment along the way. And it paid me to do it.

 

[slaveToHorses]

It is important to keep things clean, ... It looks terrible,though. Most of the paint is gone, the sheet metal is all beat up, and there is 55 years of grunge and dirt on the under side. When a tractor is clean, you notice a leak right away...

Yes, there certainly is a point there. I have joked at some folks that wash and wax their tractor every time they use it. I have too much equipment and way too little time. But I never let equipment get so dirty that I can't spot a leak right away.

The rain here in the Pacific Northwest also helps out a lot

 

[dking]

The lord washes my tractors...sometimes too often...

 

[Silver_Knight]

Life is too short to waste time washing a tractor. When the time comes and you are lying in a hospital/nursing home bed I bet you won't be thinking.....Gosh I wish I had washed my tractor more.

Play with the kids.......

Pick up the phone and call them if they don't live at home.....

Go inside and listen to the wife for a while...Or at least act like it

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Life is too short to waste time washing a tractor. When the time comes and you are lying in a hospital/nursing home bed I bet you won't be thinking.....Gosh I wish I had washed my tractor more.

No, I will be thinking that I sure am glad that I enjoyed washing my tractors all those years, my wife will be able to sell them easily for top dollar to help pay for this %$$% place.

 

[TrippleT]

I have a motive to washing mine. It gives me a chance to go over things to see if there is something pulled loose. Like wiring and what have you underneath. I have found that and a busted ujoint boot to the front drive etc.
But what is worse I wax mine as well once in a while with all the plastic I HOPE it keeps UV damage down as well. I have a JD lawn tractor that the sun ruined the hood completely is brittle as can be. Granted it is an older model and I sure don't want my TC33D crumbled. SO I wash it and once in a while I wax it. And, since my shed got blown down I tarp it when not in use.

 

[Silver_Knight]

No, I will be thinking that I sure am glad that I enjoyed washing my tractors all those years, my wife will be able to sell them easily for top dollar to help pay for this %$$% place.

I hope she doesn't start thinking about depreciation.....She might be planting you sooner than you think

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I hope she doesn't start thinking about depreciation.....She might be planting you sooner than you think

No, she will stall the payments till the tractors are worth more than we paid for them. Hopefully sort of like the 8N's. Well, I can hope anyway.

 

[Zephrant]

You are not OCD about washing your tractor, until you pull all the pivot pins so you can wash behind the cylinder ends to get out the dried grease...

Not that I did that or anything... more than once or twice at least....

 

[sixdogs]

I once had a loader I took off and left outside for a month or so of rain and whatever. It wasn't a very good loader--sloppy and all.

The loader began to wash and look cleaner so one day I sprayed it with some diesel fuel, let it sit and pressure washed it clean, mounting pins and all. I was surprised to see how worn the bushings and mounting areas were. So I had the pin areas rebushed.

It made a world of difference in performance and if I had been able to see the wear through all the grease would have done it sooner. So there is another vote for clean.
Just my two cents.

 

[jda1961]

i use wet water, its got to be wet water, dry water won't work.