A Tractor For All Seasons

Around this time of the year as summer draws to an end many of us must now turn our attention to the task of converting our tractors over to the Fall & Winter tasks which will surely come. Soon we will be removing mower decks, plows & and other grounds keeping equipment & hooking up to front & rear snow blades & blowers as well as many other specialty attachments like log splitters & tow behind sand spreaders. And maybe some of you might even use your tractor to power up emergency equipment like a generator in case the power goes out. And some of you may even ad on some wheel weights & chains.

Now is the very best time to inspect, repair & replace your grounds keeping equipment. By the time the end of the mowing season arrives, your mower is in need of attention. Blades need to be removed, inspected, sharpened or replaced in sets if they show any signs of damage like bends or twists that shouldn't be there, or really deep gouges in the cutting area that can not be removed by reasonable grinding & sharpening. Be sure to inspect deck belts, springs & to lubricate all bearings. And do not let that mower deck sit around all winter long with grass, mud & other trash stuck to the under side of the deck or the top of it. Any trash that is left to sit stuck on the under side of the deck will surely accelerate deterioration & rust out of the deck shell. Use a paint scraper & a wire brush on the under side of the deck & remove all that accumulated trash from the under side. And don't forget to do any paint repairs as well.

And if you must store your deck outdoors, you need to protect it from the elements. It makes no sense at all to clean & maintain a deck & then leave it thrown on the side to sit in the rain, snow & ice for the next several months. Ideally, you want to store all equipment indoors if at all possible & up off the ground, on a pallet or blocks. If you must store it outside be sure to place it up on a pallet or blocks so that it is not in direct contact with the ground. Avoid places on your property that you know can become flooded from time to time from melting snow & ice. Also be sure that you securely cover all equipment with a plastic tarp or other covering material. To do anything less is just going to give you problems down the road. Replacement cost of a mower deck can run from several hundred to thousands of dollars to replace, not to mention the delays & aggravation you will face come next spring.

Now is also the time to do some routine maintenance on your tractor as well. With attachments removed, what better time could there be to do all those routine maintenance checks that are listed in your owners manual. Get on the ground & take a look under your tractor. Look for broken or missing springs, worn belts & hoses, broken or loose nuts & bolts. Inspect all sheaves & pulleys to insure they are not showing any signs of wear, normal or abnormal. Clean out any accumulated trash from the under side of the tractor. In the winter if you have accumulations of grass & mud they will freeze in place & could cause problems with belts, pulleys, springs & other tractor parts. While your down there be sure & find all those grease fittings & give them a shot or two with the right grease AFTER you clean them off.

Now would be a good time for an oil change as well along with any filters. And you want to check those tires especially if you will be adding any weights or chains to them. And of course you want to make sure that your battery is up to the task of getting you through the winter months with those freezing cold starts you will be making. And don't overlook your tractor's electrical system. Make sure the ignition & charging circuits are functioning properly as well as all lighting circuits.

At the end of last winter, when you were converting over to summer attachments is when you should have inspected, repaired & replaced any of your winter equipment. And if you did that, congratulations to you! Because now all you need to do is hook up & go! But if you did not take care of business last winter, then you need to do it now before you put that equipment on. The time to find out that you have a missing spring, or a bent lever or a worn or leaking hydraulic hose, is not when its snowing outside & the temperature is sinking to zero. And if your attitude is "It Looks ok" so why bother. Sooner or later it will catch up to you & you will pay the price. We all have difficulty in finding the time & resources to do the things that need to be done. But if you rely on your equipment to be ready when you are without the necessity of emergency repairs, then you need to develop a maintenance program that is going to work for you & your equipment.