How often do you powerwash your equipment

[AKfish]

I use a power washer maybe 2-3 times a year on my tractor. However, like any equipment - it's important to consider the kinds of problems that might occur if you misuse it!

I use the 40 degree nozzle - wider spread of water jet - and I don't get too close to any surface that could be damaged by high pressure. Like painted surfaces!!! Window seals, axles, bearing's, external shaft seals (pto) and gear case vents.

Important to consider the likelihood of seal damage, etc. from 175psi air, too. All my hay equipment is air hose clean as well - except my disc mower cutter bar and the shroud. I pressure wash that.

However, my air compressor has never done a real good job of cleaning up the pins and bushings on my loader or backhoe! That built up grease and crud just sits there...

A little bit of degreaser and hit it with the powerwasher - thing of beauty!

AKfish

 

[DK35vince]

When I power wash my tractors I open the hood and do the engine also.
The first picture is the engine compartment on my 10 year old Kioti DK 35 with 1600 hours. Pictures 2 and 3 are of my 33 year old John Deere 850 with 1800 hours.
You don't keep tractors looking this good by just using air.

 

[WilliamBos]

When I power wash my tractors I open the hood and do the engine also.
The first picture is the engine compartment on my 10 year old Kioti DK 35 with 1600 hours. Pictures 2 and 3 are of my 33 year old John Deere 850 with 1800 hours.
You don't keep tractors looking this good by just using air.

Looks good Vince!!

 

[canoetrpr]

Clearly a mix of opinions here.

I decided to powerwash my bucket which was full of crud after working in manure today. Powerwashing curd off a tractor sure is a heck of a job as everything that comes off goes right back on elsewhere on the tractor unless you are super careful.

I found that a better technique was to use a shovel to loosen the crud out of the bucket and then powerwash or use a use rather than trying to use the pressure of the water to take the crud off.

 

[pat32rf]

I bought My JD4300 to reduce my workload around our house (and 80 acres of bush), not as a show unit. If I were to PW the engine it would probably look just as good as the one with 1800hrs, except mine has 4300hrs in 8 years.
I think that the only time I have used a PW on "John" is when I wanted to clean grease/oil/dirt off an area before I worked on it...if the weather was warm and the PW was out anyway to do another job.

 

[Short Game]

That built up grease and crud just sits there...

Yeah, ain't it nice?

I never worry about that grease coming out of the pins. It gives me a good feeling.

I said it once before on another thread that pressure washing isn't so much washing as it is transferring the dirt on what you're washing from it to you.

 

[5030]

I use a power washer maybe 2-3 times a year on my tractor. However, like any equipment - it's important to consider the kinds of problems that might occur if you misuse it!

I use the 40 degree nozzle - wider spread of water jet - and I don't get too close to any surface that could be damaged by high pressure. Like painted surfaces!!! Window seals, axles, bearing's, external shaft seals (pto) and gear case vents.

Important to consider the likelihood of seal damage, etc. from 175psi air, too. All my hay equipment is air hose clean as well - except my disc mower cutter bar and the shroud. I pressure wash that.

However, my air compressor has never done a real good job of cleaning up the pins and bushings on my loader or backhoe! That built up grease and crud just sits there...

A little bit of degreaser and hit it with the powerwasher - thing of beauty!
AKfish

Remember Fish, rust never sleeps and corrosion is rust's brother.

My air compressor will blow the socks off Obama.....

 

[5030]

Yeah, ain't it nice?

I never worry about that grease coming out of the pins. It gives me a good feeling.

I said it once before on another thread that pressure washing isn't so much washing as it is transferring the dirt on what you're washing from it to you.

Ain't that the truth.....

Somehow, when powerwashing, all the crud winds up on your face, shirt, jeans and everywhere else.

I do powerwash the cars because one, I'm lazy and two, we live on a dirt road so in order to see out the windows, powerwashing is mandatory.

Me, I like to see grease coming out from under pins and such. That dirty old grease has exited and the newer, cleaner stuff is inside.

That's what paper towels are for. Wiping the old dirty grease off things and sending it to the landfill.... Life is good.

 

[Short Game]

Power washing machines and engines is the last thing you do before tearing them apart. That would be my weakness.

 

[canoetrpr]

I'm going to make a confession.

On my last tractor I used this dirty black looking grease with Moly because I researched and found it was good good stuff as far as grease goes. Man did it make the tractor look ugly.

I do like a pretty looking tractor. It does not have to be clean but that black stuff was bad looking! I think I'm going to try to find grease that matches my tractor Any ideas? Really I think that so long as I grease it often and grease it well it is unlikely to matter what I use so long as it is compatible. I think my dealer put some blue stuff when he greased up the mower.

 

[WilliamBos]

You can get synthetic grease that will be close to the same colour.

 

[Short Game]

I inherited a case and a half of AmsOil's bright red grease with my yellow Cub Cadet. Now I use it on my blue LS. The Fashion Police should show up any time now

 

[5030]

They can come down on both of us.......

I hate oil and grease threads with a passion but I will confess (as well) that I use Mobil Synthetic Fleet Grease and it's ORANGE, not red.

However, my disclaimer is, I'm not sure if it's availabe in less than drum quantity. I've never seen it in tubes. I buy mine in 150 pound drums. I believe you can get it in 50 pound plastic pails but again, not sure.

...yes, I use a lot of grease and yes, like everything else, grease is much cheaper in quantity.

 

[PapaPerk]

We have never used our pressure washer on any of our equipment. We use compressed air or leaf blower and then maybe a garden hose.

I never used a pressure washer on my motorcycles either, just soap and elbow grease.

I may not be doing it right, but we have some pretty old stuff still running fine.

I gave up working with cows many years ago, so that may be a different thing.

I agree. Not a fan of pressure washers for machines. Garden hose is as much as mine sees.. and then I'm careful to drive it off and use leaf blower on it.

The dirt is far less destructive than water getting pushed into the electrical connectors and bearings.

With that being said I do like to keep my equipment clean so I blow it off with a leaf blower and hand wash it occasionally. :laughing:

 

[PapaPerk]

Remember Fish, rust never sleeps and corrosion is rust's brother.

My air compressor will blow the socks off Obama.....

LOL! You guys can involve Obama in anything! LOL!

 

[PapaPerk]

I'm going to make a confession.

On my last tractor I used this dirty black looking grease with Moly because I researched and found it was good good stuff as far as grease goes. Man did it make the tractor look ugly.

I do like a pretty looking tractor. It does not have to be clean but that black stuff was bad looking! I think I'm going to try to find grease that matches my tractor Any ideas? Really I think that so long as I grease it often and grease it well it is unlikely to matter what I use so long as it is compatible. I think my dealer put some blue stuff when he greased up the mower.

All grease will get black once dirt and crude get into to. I'd just wipe it off occasionally...

 

[Willl]

Have never needed the pressure washer for the tractor, just the regular garden hose with a good nozzle.

And there aint no way it's getting parked in the shop with doo on it.

 

[Short Game]

I was **** about keeping my first bike (my beautiful orange, black, and lots of extra chrome, '64 BSA Lightning Rocket) clean. I was he same way with the only new car I ever had (a '68 Camaro). But I have gotten over it.

 

[20 20]

Power washing is a bad idea.




Power washing is a bad idea.
I just greased the BH on my BX23 and was suprised at the water that was pushed out of the fittings and all I had done was let the hoe stick out of the garage door and it rained lightly a couple of times .
After seeing this I decided no power washing for me.

I will completely disagree with your opinion and I'll explain why. Power washing is not "BAD" as some of you keep suggesting as long as it is done proper. I power wash, then do maintenance grease, oil, check bolts etc..... I will guarntee there is NOTHING wrong with ANY of my equipment, except maybe age. Once done it goes undercover until used again.

I'll take a used well taken care of machine any day before I'll buy one covered in muck possibly hiding some serious malfunction.

 

[20 20]

I have to laugh when I read some of the say "no" to power washing posts. I use a shovel on my dozer/excavator{and sometimes even tractor} to get the big chunks of muck out but, there is no way in h311 that a garden hose would even come close to getting the muck out of the tracks etc..... I sure would not want to leave the dirt{containing sand, rocks, and other abrasive materials} on the undercarage just eating away at the rollers etc...

With my opinion out here, I do understand why some are afraid of high pressure water. I quess it is kind of like owning a motorcycle/car/truck, you may understand it will go 100+mph but I'm sure most would not push the petal to the floor everytime they went for a ride. What I'm writng is, there are proper ways of doing things and there are just plain crazy ways of doing things. Power washers are not monsters people are:laughing: Or maybe I should have wrote, power washers do not kill equipment the person pulling the trigger does :laughing: