MAINTENANCE TIPS - AGROASIA

Using a tractor is beneficial to its owner in many ways but to enjoy its benefit for the longest time possible, only timely maintenance can help you do that Maintenance ritual for tractor starts before physically starting a tractor, here are some of the maintenance methods and checklist we have created for you to help you set your tractor maintenance goal.

Going to take your tractor to work, remember to check the below mentioned essentials daily:

Examine the engine oil level
See if the transmissions are properly greased
Look if the filters are clean or need changing
Check if you have sufficient fuel
Look if your fan tension belt is tight enough
Look at the joints and screws, if they all are in place
Check your tire pressure or look for any sign of wearing out

The above mentioned steps should include in your daily tractor care before even starting the tractor and now comes steps that you should follow weekly.

Examine and clean your radiator fluid
Examine if all the tractors greased points are properly greased
Examine engine battery, if it’s filled up properly or is there any sign of rust

Greasing the tractor parts:

On weekly basis, tractors parts need to be greased so that tractor works smoothly and avoid accidents. The below mentioned part must be looked into and greased properly:

Bearings
Front spindles
Clutch and Brake Linkages
Front Axles
Hydraulic systems
Steering Components and joints
Three-Point Hitch systems
Drawbars in case of using implements

Daily rituals for tractor Maintenance

Now as you have checked the tractor components, it’s time to start the tractor and, there you go for work. Sit comfortably on your driver’s seat, press the choke completely with the levers in a neutral position, place the key in the ignition and turn the key clockwise direction for the first step and, then again turn the key clockwise direction for the second time and here you will see that your tractor is coming to life and then third clockwise turn will start your engine completely and release the key, your work isn’t completely done here, you have to turn the key in ignition counterclockwise once and then after 20 seconds turn it again clockwise to finally be good to go.

Shutting off the tractor:

Now you are good to go on starting the tractor, let’s guide you on how to shut it off safely and accurately. When it is time to get home and to shut off the tractor, just press the clutch and, get all your gears to neutral, then pull out the choke as far as you can and turn the key in an anti-clockwise direction and, take it to initial point and, get the key out. On a side note, for a turbo engine, keep your engine running at the lowest speed, either before shutting off or starting your tractor. Do not just start and press the accelerator, it’s not safe.

Engine Maintenance:

Engine is the heart of a tractor. Taking care of a tractor engine is of the utmost importance because you just can’t work without a healthy heart. Most of the tractors malfunction because they are not properly maintained. To have the best performance and long life guaranteed, you need to have proper maintenance of the engine. Understand your machine and use it according to its designed speed and gear. Try not to leave the engine running if the tractor is not in use, turn off the engine rather than letting the tractor idly standing and start whenever needed.

Importance of engine oil:

We are talking about the maintenance of the engine, which means we have to talk about engine oil and, the necessity of it to be checked daily. Engine oil acts as a lubricant around moving parts. If this oil is not checked and replaced timely, there is a risk that essential engine parts will be subjected and opened to heat damage and corrosion. The tractor must be in a level plane position while examining the level and clarity of engine oil, and it must be in the range of the tank. Don’t let it go down the minimum or, above the maximum limit of dipstick. Tractor manuals have time mentioned of changing the engine oil, always keep that time in mind and keep track of it so you don’t have to make last-minute rash visits to mechanics. Always follow the manuals instructions while checking and changing the oil to avoid any mishaps.

Fan belt tension:

Anything too tight or too loose is a roadmap for disaster, the same works for the fan belt. If the tension in the belt is too low, it will cause slippage, more heat, and will wear out the pulley and belt, sooner than anticipated. Belts with too much tension will damage your tractor because the pressure on the belt, bearings, and pulley will be excessive than the usual and will result in components failure. You can check the tension of the belt by releasing the alternator and by adjusting the attachment nuts, tighten the bolts after altering the tension of the belt by pushing the alternator, with the help of a lever. After tightening the bolts, test the tension again.

Radiator & Oil Cooler:

Radiator and oil cooler is installed in the tractor to maintain the temperature and to avoid overheating. The first main step to maintain the cooling system of a tractor is to make sure that it is free of dirt and any kind of waste. Always remember to check for clogging, corrosions, cracks or, electrolytes when cleaning the radiator and oil-cooler.
Below 100 Psi pressure should be used, when cleaning with either water or air. Remember to remove the side panels so that dirt can make its way out. You can use compressed air or water or lathered water to clean the grills but water should only be used when you have enough time in your hands to get it dried up completely, otherwise it will get dirty more easily and sooner. Use the backside of the grill for blowing the air or water so that debris can move out easily.

Role of the Radiator Cap:

The radiator plays an important part in the maintenance of the temperature system. It is made in a way that it raises the boiling point by keeping the pressure on the cooling system. It secures the cooling system from getting contaminated. Once the coolant is hot and, needs to expand and increase pressure, the radiator cap allows it to move to the expansion recovering tank, and as the engine turned off and the system gets back to the normal temperature, it allows the coolant to move back to its original place from the expansion tank.
Radiator caps are specialized caps so if it becomes faulty, replace it with a new original one and never use any other common cap in its place because it won’t help it performing its job and eventually result in a malfunction of the engine.

Maintaining Water Level of the Radiator:

Water level in a radiator must be checked often and, when it’s time to open the radiator cap, make sure the tractor is turned off and have cooled down a little, because the running engine will have water heated up to function and opening a radiator cap with boiling water can hurt you bad. Check the water level after removing the cap, if it is low then just fill it with normal water but if the water needs to change than drain it by removing the drain plug, clean it and fill it up again. Anti-freeze products can also be used in a cold climate to avoid the radiator water being freeze.

Taking care of Air filter in the tractor:

Filters in tractor play an important part in increasing the engines life and smooth operations of tractor. They trap the dust or debris coming into the engine and, if not cleaned timely and properly, it becomes hard for clear air to pass and, dust can enter and mix with oil and can lead to harming the engine components, strength, and fuel consumption. Always avoid debris from mixing with the oil.

Air filter is comprised of two parts:

Pre Air-Cleaner
Air-Cleaner
Air Cleaner Assembly.

1) Pre-Air Cleaner:

It is bowl shaped filter that catches the dust, grass and etc. it stores the fragments of dust and waste in its plastic bowl.
It has to be cleaned every day.
Always keep it dry and never pour any oil or grease in it.

2) Air-Cleaner:

It consists of 3 sub-parts that are

Air-Cleaner body
Filter Element
Oil Bath

Assembly of Air Cleaner:

Fill oil in Oil bath and then put the filter element over it and finally fit it with the Air-cleaner body.

Process of Air Cleaner:

The process of the air filter is that as the air pass through the pre-air cleaner and made contact with oil, then that oil passes through the filter element and, enters the air cleaner body and grease it so that dust particles can get stuck in the oil and only fresh air could pass all the way through. That’s why an oil bath must be checked regularly to see its condition and if needed, fill her up to the max limit or change the oil in case of extreme dirt. After every 100 hours of use, clean the whole air cleaner assembly with kerosene, and change the oil.

Function and Replacement of the Diesel Filter in Tractor

The primary function of a diesel fuel filter is to shield the engine fuel system components from the contaminants. The diesel fuel filter helps in eliminating extremely small particles such as, rust, paint particles, dirt, and other waste to avoid premature failure of the fuel system components. These are installed at the left side of the tractor and, has two sets of filters, one is a primary filter which is a glass cup and, the second filter is called the secondary filter. Daily checking of diesel fuel filter is required to avoid emergencies and costly decisions. Examine the primary filter to see if any water or dirt is present and, if detected, then drain the murky diesel from the glass cup manually while keeping the fuel-valve open If you have to change the diesel filter entirely, the first thing must be done is to close the diesel tanks fuel valve which controls the flow of diesel then separate the filter by removing small bolt with the given key and also remove the ring that is around the screw and replace it with a new one that comes with a new filter and place the new filters and fit it properly and tighten the bolt. After tightening the bolt, open the diesel tank’s fuel valve to start the flow of fuel again to the filter, and to start the fuel flow back to the fuel line, you have to use a fuel lift pump to pump the fuel and the supply will be restored.

Diesel for tractor:

Fuel is responsible to give life to the engine and power to move, so always select the best quality and clean diesel for your tractor. It should be free of any water, sand particle, or any other unwanted material, because you don’t want to ruin the function of tractor components and it will only result in low performance of your tractor. Another trick is to fill your diesel tank at the end of your day of work so that that the tank will create fewer water vapors, which in turn help you save your tractor from any damage.

Diesel Storage:

If you want to store the diesel, then store them in drums. Fill the diesel in the drum, and after filling the drum, slightly tilt the drum so that it’s front is a little bit higher than the back of it, it will help in settling the undesirable particles and, the clean diesel come out front when needed.

Air Lock in the fuel system of tractor:

Airlock in the fuel system of the tractor happens if air enters the fuel system, it can stop the fuel supply to the engine, which will stop the engine eventually. Sometimes it is due to having the fuel tank empty, or maybe the fuel-valves are not opened, or filters are clogged, or it might be because of not proper fitted pipes or bolts.
If you have an air-locked fuel system, you have to remove it by tightening the pipes and bolts, then lose the upper vent plugs present in the primary fuel filter and manually pump the fuel by pumping the fuel lift pump, it will help air-free diesel to flow and then close it.
After that, loose fuel injection pump screws and keep doing it until the air-free fuel flowed out of the top of the filter and, as soon as it happens, tighten the filter first then tighten the lower screw and then the upper screw.
Now release the high-pressure pump and start the tractor, wait until the engine sounds stable, then tight the high-pressure pump and, your air-lock is gone.

Examining the Transmission and Hydraulic Oil for tractor:

If a need arises for the transmission oil to be checked immediately or for a routine inspection, the tractor must be parked at a plain surface and turned off. Take out the dipstick and clean it with a cloth and now put the dipstick in the transmission oil container and then take it out to check the level of oil.
If it’s below the minimum requirement, it’s time to change the oil. Changing the oil depends upon the use of the tractor as well. If your work revolves around only plowing or just pulling farm trolley, then the oil up to the level of XX mentioned in the dipstick will be enough, but if your tractor is supposed to work with heavy implements than you need a maximum limit of oil.
Timely change of transmission is a must to keep your operations running smoothly because rust can form and mix with oil and can harm the hydraulics so, when it’s time to change which is usually after 600 hours of use, get it changed from the right and original specialists and, do clean the filter and pump as well. Different Massey Ferguson tractors have different oil capacity and are as follows:

Taking care of battery:

To have a long-life battery and to obtain all the benefits, we must follow some simple steps to ensure the benefits:

Battery must be compatible with your tractor; it should be according to the power required by the tractor.
If you want to keep your battery for long and without damage, always use battery with brackets.
Battery clips must be tight and protected.
Always keep the top of your battery clean and dry.
If your battery has something on top of it like acid or blue substance, clean your battery by using warm water for cleaning terminals and a cloth to dry.
Examine terminals, bolts, clamps, and cables for rupture, damage, or loose ties. They should be safe, tight and free of corrosion. If you found something faulty replace it.
Check the battery case for visible signs of physical harm or warping. It normally means that the battery has been overheated or charged extra.
Batteries must be filled to their maximum capacity. To examine that if the plates immersed in the battery solution completely or not, remove the vent plugs and look into it. If the plates are not sunken properly, add distilled water until it reaches the maximum capacity.
Vent holes should never be closed as they could harm the battery If closed.
Never in any circumstance use any heavy tool to remove or put something on the battery as it can damage the battery and shorten the life as well.
Battery wires must be properly set and attached and tightened to avoid the difficulty in getting the tractor started.
Try not to leave the tractor engine running while it’s vacant as it can harm the battery.
With the already weakened battery, fuel consumption can be higher.
Tractor battery must be properly charged, not overcharged or undercharged as it can create a difficulty in starting an engine and performing everyday operations.

Changing Engine Oil and Filter in Tractor:

Ready to change the engine oil, warm your tractor first so that the oil is diluted and will take out the unwanted iron and carbon with it. Make sure your tractor is in the plane level surface.
Turn off the tractor.
Drain the engine oil from the tractor through the drain plug.
Use a filter remover to remove the oil filter.
Take the filter and clean it with a clean cloth and discard the old-ring, and replace it with a new ring that comes with a new filter.
Now fill the new filter with oil and attach with the filter body and fix it.
It’s time to put new engine oil, start filling the new oil in the oil inlet slowly, and keep on filling until the oil started coming out of drain plug, and as it comes out, instantly tightly close the drain plug but don’t stop filling the oil.
As soon as the oil touches the mark MAX on dipstick, stop pouring any more engine oil.
Engine must always be in range of MAX and MIN marks of dipstick.

The importance of tire pressure:

We all know that tire pressure is critical if the tractor is to operate at its best. Running tractor tires at inappropriate pressures may have a significant impact on tractor output, tire wear, engine power, and soil erosion. And it might have a significant financial effect on your account. If you are buying a big vehicle like a tractor, then try spending a very little amount on pressure gauge and air pump as well and keep it with you at all times.

If your tire pressure is low, the risk of tire wear increases and life of tire is shortened.
If your tire pressure is extra high, then your tractor ride will be a bumpy one and can cause soil compaction.
The right tire pressure helps the engine to perform its best and, if the pressure is not right, there will be unnecessary load on the tractor engine, which eventually be overheated.
It’s not even good for the environment because the tractor emits more smoke with the abnormal tire pressure.
Fuel consumption will be increased.
Some tasks might not be fully done due to the wrong pressure, so it will waste time as well.
Risks of accidents increase due to the imbalance.
Rear tires slip during operation, which causes more wear out.
Clean the tires only with water and nothing else to preserve their life.
Always follow the manual provided to you and try to maintain the same pressure as instructed for Massey Ferguson tractors.

Ballasting of tires:

Filling tires with liquid is known as ballasting. Ballasting is proven to increase the pulling power of a tractor, decrease the chance of slippage from rear tires, and aids in fuel saving Ballasting increases the weight of the overall tractor and improve the tractor performance economically.
With adequate ballasting, you will have the best performance not only from tractor but from its implements too and, soil will be well preserved. Liquid ballasting can be done by water, diluted anti-freeze, and calcium chloride. Water is the most economical solution, but if you are living in an area of temperature 0 degrees or below, you need to use diluted anti-freeze because water filled in the tire will freeze and, it can harm the performance.

The below-mentioned steps are to fill water in tires:

To fill the water in a tire, make sure the tire is in a vertical position.
The position of the tire valve must be facing up and if the tire is attached to the tractor, use a jack to lift the tire and have the tire move so that the valve is in the right position.
Unscrew and remove the valve cover and let the air out, and the tire will deflate.
It’s time to attach one side of the fire hose to the water source and the other to tire valve and make sure the attached sides are tight.
Open the water and fill the tire up to 75% or until it starts coming out of the valve.
Remove the tire hose, let the extra water out, and screw back the tire valve.
For the remaining 25% of the tire, fill in the air pressure according to the tire’s need.

Side Notes:

To test if the ballasting is done right, drive a tractor in a muddy or soil area and examine the tire print on it. If the tire print is not defined, it means the liquid is inadequate and, if the tire print is too profound, then the tire has more liquid than required, but if the tire design is well defined, it means ballasting is perfect.

Removing the liquid from tires:
If the need arises to remove liquid from the tire, try to choose a ground where water can flow without any problem but if the tire contains liquid other than water then you should use big buck or container.

Now the valve must be facing down to remove liquid.
Remove the tire valve cover, liquid will start spilling out.
Empty the tire and fill air pressure as required to use.