Washing your tractor

[cointoss]

I always blow the debris and dust off by using a leaf blower right by the barn door. Makes a difference in keeping the crud from building up under the hood and in the radiator finns. As for washing, mainly after I have been working in mud or wet dirt. I also wax mine just befor winter on the hood and fenders to help the snow and ice slide off better. I have three tractors and I know it takes a little time but it makes me happy.

 

[teg]

Isn't it in the manual??? Every ten years or 1000 hours???

I'll let you know if it gets washed.... I have not done it, yet... five years and counting.


.

 

[merrickvilleguy]

i hose mine off when it gets dirty ... not really any timeline ... just enough to keep it from keeping moisture ... and I use the air hose under hose to blow away the bits that get stuck there ... making sure to clean the rad thoroughly so it does its thing

 

[Johndeere3720]

i wash my tractor off when it gets real dirty so i can grease it and see the paint underneath. The picture is defiantly a rare sight at my dads. I didn't even know there was paint on the front rims! Last week my dad and step mom went on a horse ride with some friends and I decided to pressure wash the tractor. I couldn't believe how much didnt came off it! They got back and it looked like a brand new tractor. My Dad loved having a clean tractor.:thumbsup:

 

[Rob-D]

God washes my tractor.

Now that I have a new one maybe I'll wash it.... then again, maybe not.

If Dawn uses it in the barn yard she washes it... I do have my limits!

Rob

 

[buck12]

I spray the mud off as needed and after bush hogging I blow off the motor when I blow out the radiatior. I have yet to hand wash it.

 

[Ford tractor]

If the 4x4 tractor gets mud in the front axle seal area, it gets hosed off. If there is a lot of field debris, it may get blowed clean with a leaf blower or maybe compressed air depending on where it it. Typically, it will get blowed off by being roaded home or trailered home.

The 2wd tractors are older and will get pressure washed 1x a year in the fall along with the 4x4. No sense leaving mouse nest materials close to hand (or paw as the case ma be). Also no sense leaving oil and grease that is mixed with dust and field debris to potentially start a fire.

 

[CurlyDave]

I hose out the operator station when the dust gets thick enough that I will track it inside. Does that count as washing?

 

[D7E]

Usually they get it once a year but as long as radiators and windows are clean not important , Even with combines i'm not a fan of water on machines and do as much as possible with air and never wash them before going away for winter always in spring right before work followed by a good greasing to push water from bearings .
They always go to bed dirty ?

 

[RoyJackson]

Y'know, if you went back about 5-6 years (or a bit more) on TBN, you'd read where guys washed and waxed their tractors at least seasonally.

 

[Zxyrthe]

Here's a semi-related question:
I'm looking to buy an air compressor in the near future not just for the dozens of tires around here but also to clean the dust off and out my tractor.

Do you need some kind of special end on the compressor's hose to do that? My current little portable compressor simply has a Schrader end on it.

Thanks.

 

[dodge man]

They make "air guns" for the end of the hose. Some even have long handles which would be handy for a larger tractor.

 

[TripleR]

I use one of these: Milton Air Blow Gun With Rubber Tip — Lever-type, Model# S-153 | Air Blow Guns | Northern Tool + Equipment

They also make them up to 2' foot long. To blow off debris from the tractor and mowers, I use a 170 MPH Stihl leaf blower.

 

[40_acre_mule]

How many times a year? I plan on giving mine a good wash this fall after the final brush hog. I guess I would say once a year, same for my attachments, going to clean them once a year after the season is over.

Well, down here we have growing/mowing season all year long. If I waited until the end of the mowing or bushhogging season, the tractor would never get clean.
Still, I'm lucky if I can get a round tuit twice a year. (Actually, I keep a round tuit in my toolbox, but I never seem to use it).

 

[buck12]

They make "air guns" for the end of the hose. Some even have long handles which would be handy for a larger tractor.

I keep two of the "air guns" near the air compressor: one with the long wand (10 - 12" ?) and one with the rubber tip. These are handy for many tasks.

 

[RobertN]

I pressure wash/clean beforeyearly maintennace. Also rinse off if it is real dusty, mostly getting stuff out of the radiator ect. Zerks every 10 hours, so if it is dirty I will give it a quick rinse before crawling all over it.

What causes more of a problem for me ispoison oak. I will give it a good scrub and pressure wash if I know I have been in the poison oak. I have got poison oak from the tractor before; the 1/2 life of the oil is pretty long...

I have got Poison Oak from the tractor, and from the dogs...

 

[TGF]

Seems i will be a bit on the lazy side compared to most of you. I do grease the zerks every ten, probably a bit to much as I usually squeeze the gun till i see a bit of grease come out of the fitting. I don't have a pressure washer so it will be a hand wash. Maybe I will drive it down to the cheer leader carwash this august and watch the girls get it nice and clean.

 

[oldballs]

Like some of the others here, I stay away from water as much as possible. Of course it's been so wet here the past year or so, that there isn't much dust. And my BX is used mostly for mowing. Compressed air and a cloth wipe down after most jobs is the rule. Greasing (after 10 hrs) and routine checking is also the rule. A putty knife is used to scrape the big stuff off the underside of the MMM. It is parked outdoors under the pines with a tarp cover. In the Army, all units had to be hosed and checked when returned to the motor pool. That was good training.

 

[Mike_Kanzer]

Once in five years!

 

[Bird]

If you keep your tractor indoors, as I do, eventually you figure out putting a dirty tractor away in a clean garage, barn or shop only brings more dirt in. Then you have to clean it up anyway. So, it's kind of "Clean the tractor now, or the shop later... take your pick." It's just easier to keep the tractor clean.

Yep, my tractors stayed inside in my 40' x 60' shop, and I had an air hose right by the door. So if it was just dust, the air hose took care of it. If it was dirtier than that, I used the water hose. I used to have a gun to which I hooked both a garden hose (water) and the air hose, to make a pressure washer type arrangement.

I'm looking to buy an air compressor in the near future not just for the dozens of tires around here but also to clean the dust off and out my tractor.

Do you need some kind of special end on the compressor's hose to do that? My current little portable compressor simply has a Schrader end on it.

I have a short little blow gun like this with the safety tip instead of the rubber tip. Then I also have a 2' blow gun with the rubber tip. The 2' one was what I used on the tractor. I also have a 4' blow gun without the rubber tip. I don't have a gasoline or electric "leaf blower" or whatever you call them, but I have enough compressor and air hose to serve the purpose. Of course, I'd recommend quick couplers for all your compressed air tools and hoses. Other than the 3 blow guns, I have two 60' hoses and one 50' hose, a half-inch impact, 3/8" air ratchet, angle die grinder, one quart paint gun, and pneumatic brad/staple gun. Before I moved back to town, I had a few more pneumatic tools, like the same blast cabinet, air drill, etc.