washing a tractor

[cchoate]

I wash my tractor (B7500hst) after every mow, using a normal garden hose to rinse off all grass, dirt, etc. I don't get engine wet. Towel dry body.Should you grease your fittings more often? Anything else need to be done different more often?

 

[Carl_NH]

Grease every 8-10 hours, change oil and clean the air filter per the manual, wax and buff as needed, stand back and admire for hours.

Carl

 

[Turfman]

My B2710 manual shows a plugged port on the clutch housing that they claim should be opened to drain the clutch housing of water after a wash. Have never done it, but I probably should.

 

[dlabrie]

I have always wondered about that plug as well. Has anyone opened it? Where is it exactly on my B2910?
David

 

[robertm]

I thought the same thing last weekend after I washed my new B7500 after it's first five hours were logged. I, however, take it a step further. Stupid as it may look to passers by, it goes like this:
Take a leaf blower and blow off all the grass clippings from the tractor and the deck. Especially after you remove the belt covers from the deck. This eliminates spattering wet clippings all over your tractor, and chasing them from side to side of the deck with the hose. Then wash the tractor as you normally would. I use a pressure washer (with care) and rinse with the low pressure setting. Then, take the blower again to blow off the water. This especially works well to rid the deck of standing water on top, and in the curled lip around the outer perimeter of the deck edge. Be careful not to blow water into any orfices or covers. Most of the water that normally drips from the unit and spots your nice wax job will probably be eliminated. This works really well in the joints of the loader arms, and between the cooling fins on the transaxle. Yes, I know your neighbors will look at you like you are nuts, but soon they will be copying you as it works well getting that never-ending water drip from the mirrors on your car or truck that spots the body panels.
Be sure to remove and clean the screen in the radiator and the grille before washing, as wet cottonwood seeds and dandilion fluff stick in the smallest holes while washing.

 

[hosejockey2002]

If your tractor is old and well used like mine, pressure wash it twice a year whether it needs it or not. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

 

[phantom309]

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>

...twice a year whether it needs it or not

<hr></blockquote>



If that often /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif.

I owned my last tractor seven years and washed it...once.

Rigbt before I sold it.

Actually, I don't know if what I did can be categorized as _washing_. I took two cans of Engine Brite and a putty knife to it. The grime I took off it added a fair amount of goo to my crushed asphalt driveway!

I feel bad enough washing my (relatively new) cars/trucks only a time or two per year. I'm glad that my tractor is old enough to allow me to ignore it in good conscience. Being very ****-retentive, but too busy to take care of things like you'd like is agony! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[hosejockey2002]

Are you sure ****-retentive is hyphenated??/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Darren]

That's the way I see it. If the mud gets in the way of doing something on the tractor, I might hit it with the hose. Why constantly wash it off? It's just going to get mucked up again.

 

[Slamfire]

Well, the deal with washing and waxing ain't to make the vehicle look better. The purpose is to run your hands over everything and maybe discover something that might be less than servicable. This is a lot more important on your motorcycle than your tractor.