Tractor maintenance

[CJBOTA]

For the last 5 years I have been taking my tractors to my dealer for service. I am going to retire next year and I need to find ways to save money. I now have two tractors. (MX5100 & B2620) I am thinking about doing the general maintenance intervals and only taking them in for certain major intervals.
I know I can handle changing the oil, air filters, and greasing. I do get nervous about "adjusting" things. Also, I don't know what I don't know. Are there better manuals then what comes with the tractors that go into more details about general maintenance? My dealer does a great job and I have been very satisfied with their work but it is not cheap. Plus the transporting is a pain in the %$#@. When I retire money will be tight but I should have alot more time to do things. I just don't want to kill the patient. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
CJ

 

[TripleR]

Until this year, my wife and I did all of the maintenance on our L5030 and BX2660. My mobility has declined and my son now helps us with the hydro fluid and filters etc.

We found the operator manual to be sufficient. We just pulled the tractors into the garage got the tools and fluids/parts staged and set aside enough time to take each step at a time, took breaks when needed and found it really isn't that hard.

We always remove the FEL which makes it much easier.

The only time they will go to the dealer is for valve adjustments.

My son does all the maintenance on the M8540.

 

[art]

For many the service manuals mean nothing because they are to indepth for the common issues.

The owners manuals have good coverage for the average individuals and will help you with any normal problems of adjustments.

 

[texasjohn]

Am agreeing completely with both prior posts..... you can invest in whatever tools you may not have to make the job easier.... funnels, large oil catch pans, etc..... Take time and all will be good. Remember to bring concerns/problems to TBN and you will quickly get responses from people. Occasional grease gun or zerk issues come to mind.

 

[TripleR]

Our dealer has a 15% off parts every spring, so we buy all the filters and such we will need that year for our tractors; might check with your dealer has such a program.

We call our order in and they box it all up in advance.

We have begun using nitrile gloves to aide in clean up; work much better than exam gloves and you can get different thicknesses. Get lots of paper towels or shop rags and some oil dry.

 

[super55]

Agreed for general maintenance an owners manual usually can cover a lot of the basic stuff. As for doing more in depth procedures such as brakes or an injector replacement a shop manual for your specific tractor is an invaluable tool. Steps about on Removal/Replacement, Information about torque settings, injector pressures, clearances and such and some but not all will have a really good trouble shooting guide which will go down a whole list of possible causes to a specific problem.

They are pricey. Usually a shop manual can run over 100 bucks but you can easily re-coup that cost in labor alone from just one visit.

As for maintenance an owners manual should suffice. If you end up needing to have to do a repair to something even as simple as a water pump a shop manual is a nice tool to have around. They are also really nice to have for troubleshooting electrical problems since they usually have very detailed and concise wiring schematics.

My advise for what it's worth. Use operators manual, If something breaks that seems in your capability to fix, get a shop manual, review it, troubleshoot problem and re-assess before ever turning a nut. If you feel it is in your capability go for it. A lot times especially electrical you can pay a ton in overall costs but the part was only a 15 dollar relay because the dealer had to send someone out to pick up the tractor, road time, and then troubleshoot. Just be sure not to attempt something over your head. There's an old saying from mechanics: "We fix 50 dollars an hour, You tried to fix 75 dollars an hours."

 

[repete]

Surely you did not take the tractor in every time you needed to grease the loader did you? Mine says every 10 hours of use it should be greased.

 

[MHarryE]

Up here in Northeastern Minnesota, doing almost everything yourself is a requirement as the nearest dealer of any brand (except lawn & garden) is 150 miles away. I have the shop manual and parts catalog for my L5740 and they cover most everything includint the stuff that needs special test equipment. Our larger farm equipment - they will fax me pages with parts I have identified to check off what I need and instructions on special settings, torques, in reassembly. Most of the things on the tractors you have are simple and there are troubleshooting tips in the shop manual that can help a lot when you have a problem. In addition there is more detail on routine service items. The shop manual cost over $100 but will be a savings in the long run. For example I tore out a wet clutch on a combine twice before the dealer sent me the manual showing it had its own separate circuit - pump, filter, relief valve - and was able to clean out the plugged line that caused the clutch failure in the first place. If I had the manual, I would have been able to recognize what I needed to check in the first place.