Wash Your Tractor?

[Gatorboy]

I have a tractor that has 7900 hours on it, and the only washing it ever gets is from the rain coming down on it. It has never been washed with soap and water.

Perhaps the main reason, is it has never seen a hose. For all the work it has ever done, there has never been a water supply around.

 

[Bird]

I was like most of the other guys I guess. I frequently hosed my tractors off with a garden hose. They were kept inside my shop building (concrete floor) and it hard enough to keep the floor swept out without taking more dirt inside. So no way was I going to leave the tractor out in the weather overnight and no way it was going into that shop building muddy. And when I hosed it off, I also raised the hood and hosed off the engine, too. I was just careful to not get water in the air intake, and of course, didn't spray water on a hot engine. Actually the tractor got washed more frequently that the car or pickup. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[SacandagaBrad]

Sure I wash it! With only 30 hours I have already buried it to the axles twice in mud, at that point sometimes just a quick hose-down to remove the mud. I've even waxed it, but in the garage behind closed doors where the neighbors can't see me /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I also still wash my 25 year old Gravely and mower deck, sometimes with engine degreaser. I see caked on mud and grass clippings as moisture and heat blankets. On the air cooled Gravely, keeping it clean helps it run cooler. That's true of any motor.

They're tools of pride that took a lot of negotiating with the CFO, I need them to last as long as I do.

Brad

 

[riptides]

Hah!

Not only do I wash it, I put armor all on the tires. Yep, them things look brand spanking new.
I have not waxed it yet, perhaps in a day or two, it still beads
water.

Nothing like do a job with a clean machine.

-Mike Z.
/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Dave___in___CT]

Hi...

Wash it as needed...
Wax once a year or 2... compounded once oor twice...
"Armoraul" the tires when waxed...

This definately helped re-selling the 17 year old Deere CUT at a good price... by looks and buyer knowing I cared enough to wax it...


Dave...

 

[5030]

Rimmer:

Henro is right, I did ask him why his tractor was so dirty. Besides, it had grease clumps all over it. Looked like a piece of old construction equipment......

I wash my 5030 about once a month and if it gets really muddy or dirty, right after I use it.

I keep my 5030 in my climate controlled machine shop so if it is muddy, the mud dries and gets on the shop floor which is a no-no.

I just happen to have a diesel fired hot water pressure washer so cleaning is no problem. I use commercial cleaning chemicals and hot wax just like the local car wash so I never wax my tractor or vehicles for that matter. I just hot wax everything and then towel it off.

One thing about pressure washing your tractor, especially with hot water and chemicals....I always grease the unit after I wash it. The hot pressure washing blows the grease out of the FEL so a greasing is in order.

If you pressure was an engine, diesel or gasoline, do it COLD. and cover the air intake. Engines don't like water inside them.

 

[cowboydoc]

We rarely, if ever, wash our tractors. We've got 40 year old tractors still going strong and never been washed. Still look in good shape. I've got a 30 year old 4430 with 10,000 hours and it's never seen a bath. It still looks pretty sharp.

 

[RoyJackson]

I use air pressure, then hose it down to get any debris, mud, grass clippings (raise the mower to get the underside of the deck), etc.

Haven't waxed it yet, but I think about that now and then. This tractor is pretty much garage kept, so no paint fading from the sun (considering it's 12 or 13 years old).

 

[Henro]

<font color="blue"> Henro is right, I did ask him why his tractor was so dirty. Besides, it had grease clumps all over it. Looked like a piece of old construction equipment...... </font>

Actually, I just realized that I do rinse my tractor a fair amount...but a soap and water wash is rare...Now it wasn't really that dirty, was it 5030? /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

5030 is right about the grease, I do sometimes take a rag and wipe off the grease...but I like to grease things pretty often...and guess I got this idea that the old grease providea a barrier to keep things from getting in where I don't want them... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Somehow I just can't bring my self to put the pressure washer wand too close to the places where grease belongs...just don't feel good about driving water in there... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[theonlybull]

my father uses dry wash-n-guard on our tractors when they come out for summer duty... course they are a 45, and 52, guess shining them up doesn't hurt them