Washing a tractor

[monkeybreath]

I know this may sound a bit dumb, but I have a reason for asking - what care do you need to take when hosing down your tractor - or pressure washing it ? I ask because I once caused major damage to my diesel pickup when I was cleaning and de-gunking the engine - I was told that I should never have hosed or put water anywhere near the engine. If this is true, do I have to be particularly careful if I pressure wash a diesel tractor ?

 

[yellowsocks93]

Hi Monkeybreath,
I do a lot of tractor washing at the old JD store and I never have had a problem pressure washing the engine or the whole tractor off from the small ones up to the big 4 wheel drives and such. If a tractor is really gunked up on the engine or if the mechanic spills oil or something on the engine I pressure wash it off. Just don't get the starter wet.

 

[bgott]

If you send the tractor in for service or repair they pressure wash it before they send it back. Just don't do it when the engine is hot. If you spray cold water on a hot injection pump you can shrink the housing and the hot guts can bind up and destroy themselves. You don't want to spray cold water on a hot exhaust, either. You can crack a manifold. Water can get into electrical connections and cause problems but that can happen on anything. It would be a good idea to figure out where the transmission and axle vents are located and avoid spraying water directly on them, or, more precisely, up under them. Just use a little common sense. If you wash the radiator out with a pressure washer, do it from a distance so you don't flatten out the fins. I'm sure others will come up with things to watch out for. Remember, the guy working the washrack at the dealership ain't a master tech, they hire some kid, point out the rack and tell him to wash. If there was that many things to go wrong it would cost them so it must be pretty safe to let 'er rip!

 

[GreenMtnMan]

I'd also caution to use a wider spray pattern and not to spray hot engines or direct the pressure at any rubber seals or your fuel cap and vent. You don't want to blast even a tiny amount of moisture into your hydraulics or fuel system.

 

[frank_f15]

Ron: don't wash it when the engine is hot, also i don't use a pressure washer, just the garden hose. i got my tractor when it was clean and never allowed it to get so dirty that it need pressure washing. when washing it either with hose or pressure washer be careful around electrial, also when washing and waxing your tractor, make sure u do it in an area where the neighbors can't see you! as it will just confirm that you are a wacko /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif also expect a few shakes of the head and a few mumbelings from the boss(wife) /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[chrisjbell]

Yup, keep it clean from the start and you shouldn't need to pressure wash it. But don't hit a hot engine with cold water. You can crack the block - new engine time.

<font color="blue"> also expect a few shakes of the head and a few mumbelings from the boss(wife) </font>

And that is before anyone catches you waxing it /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif...

 

[DavesTractor]

I recommend parking the wifes car in the yard and keeping the tractor in the garage. Cuts down on washing. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[Docsknotinn]

LOL, I tried that with my wifes truck but now its my truck thats in the drive way ! I think you should never get water on a hot engine delberately. If useing a pressure washer avoid spraying directly at the grease seals especially for the FEL. If you have a model with a plastic hood avoid getting any of the grease cleaners like the orange or purple or green stuff on it.

 

[cowboydoc]

I rarely wash my equipment with a pressure washer. If it gets really bad or I get into alot of mud I will. I like to use a long high pressure air nuzzle and after most uses with any of the equipment I spray the dirt, oil, etc. off. This keeps the equipment pretty clean.

 

[normde2001]

The main thing I would do first is unhook the battery. Water makes a great conductor. Even if you let it dryout before rehooking, you never know when something will still be wet and "zap" your wiring, and you lose all your smoke.

 

[mountain_man]

I've had good luck spraying full strength "Simple Green" (available from Wally World) on greasy/oil buildup and letting it set for a few minutes. Then washing it off with a garden hose. Of course always on a cold engine. I've found power washers can cause seal problems. I guess I'm just a simple green kinda guy with my JD...

 

[shady1701]

main thing is do it cold.. and don't let it get in the intake..

 

[WVBill]

I've done the same thing with "Orange Blast" - it matches my tractor color. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[Hambone]

Just curious, what did you damage on your truck?

 

[B7500]

Hey Ron,
To twist your excellent question a bit...
How would one get rid of those nasty grease splats? I tend to over grease EVERYTHING. Consequently, I've got gobs of grease every ware. Just plain soap and water don't cut it.
Any suggestions??
-Terry

 

[cowboydoc]

I just use a paper towel and clean the grease blots up.

 

[CTyler]

Looks like you've got the info you need.

I have to disagree with the folks that say don't use a pressure washer. A garden hose is fine for washing a city tractor /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[Docsknotinn]

I use paper towel to clean the grease as well. Its the best systen I've found. The orange stuff left spots on my hood that ate the surface of the paint in seconds. It looks like it was washed and never chamied with water spots. grrrrr /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[GreenMtnMan]

I agree. The garden hose barely makes a dent in the red clay around here, and I can't drive my tractor anywhere without getting covered in it. Pressure washer is the only way.

 

[monkeybreath]

Regarding your inquiry as to what was damaged on truck - after washing and cleaning engine it would not start no matter what. Ran perfectly before I did that. So, I had a man up here who was supposed to be very knowledgeable re diesels look at it and he said I damaged the fuel system - that water got in there and that was that - as I recall - it was a long time ago - injectors I believe. He told me to never never never ever spray water on the engine as I did. And as I recall I really did get in there and hose everything down.