Hi, Mike. The USMC taught us to clean & care for our equipment EVERY TIME we got back from the field BEFORE putting it away. I blow out my air filter every time I use the tractor and make sure I can see sonlight through it, which indicates when it needs to be washed (I spray a little simple green in it to cut water tension and then rinse it in the sink w/airyated water from the inside out). I also rinse the tractor off w/a water hose. That part may seem a bit much, but it keeps the garage cleaner (I park it there), but that also let's me check for branches or debris build up, or missing nuts & bolts, etc. Thanks for all your tips & tricks, Mike. I've had to learn how to use my tractors all on my own, but your channel (et, al) has helped me a lot, too. : )
Wheel bolts Mike! Never had it happen before on any tractor i had but after running my compact JD 2305 hard a few days I noticed something not right.After checking i was shocked to see only 2 left of the five holding the front wheel on one side and they were out 3/4 of the way destroying the holes in rim.Luckily the holes in axle flange were ok.Don't know how they worked loose but i will be checking the torque marks each time from here on out, it could have been a disaster because days before i was dragging smaller trees i cut, down steep hill to other parts of property.
Great info Mike. The radiator genie is a great idea , never seen them before. Hopefully someone in Australia has them. Be good if they made it connect to end of a leaf blower or pipe something up, alot of people would do that because they are convenient. In other words they don't have to unroll a water or air hose and roll back up. 90% of people would not look at oil level, radiator level, tyres, fuel in bowl and a general walk around and look at bolts, hoses , any signs of oil , water etc. Pretty easy, save downtime and peace of mind when you are driving tractor. Thanks. Good video
Great Video Mike, keep up the good work. Would also suggest checking the tires and wheel bolts. Takes 30 seconds but can save a lot of hassle by realising there is something wrong before you get out into the field
Also if tractor runs hot due to plugged radiator or loss of coolant assure that a 50/50 mix is used to top off radiator. Diesels can run hot if mix is low but radiator appears full. I had a 50/50 mix jug and always added with that to keep coolant mix accurate.
Question, I’ve got an Agco Challenger 275B. It has 700 hours on it I check engine oil before every operation out of necessity, it is run about two hours at a time lots of front loader work. It’s always about half to three quarters of a quart low. Your thoughts ?
I'm late to this picnic but here's my morning routine: Engine Lube oil - level unchanged and condition good Battery holddown - tight Battery connectors - tight Radiator Pre-screen - Clean Radiator - fins clean Radiator water recovery tank - level unchanged and free from oil scum Oil and fuel filters - clean and no drips no water in fuel filter bowl Hydraulic oil filter - no leaks or drips. Hyd oil level - at mark and condition unchanged Basically what the book says. The tractor is 20 years old with no service problems so this routine seems to want to work.
I have a 1967 Oliver that has lived outside it's whole life. The only things that actually move and turn on it are all the lubrication points. It had clean new oil when I bought it and at the end of the year the oil was still an amber (yes dirtier) color. Check the water level every few hours in an old tractor unless you know it well. Mine get used to clear brush up to 10' high and load logs. Anything that wasn't meant to be there was torn off when I was a child. Ya don't need a turn signal to pull a plow, eh? Really, I run a newer tractor at work and it's true. They don't make them like... But welding and mechanics are now part of your owners manual.
hi Mike - love your channel - I own a similar tractor to you (NH TC35D) and would love it if you would go through a fuel filter change as I just had to change mine and also had to 'bleed the engine' which, as a non-mechanical person was somewhat head-scratching. Also, do an oil change as well!!! as I have to do that in the next few months and would love a web resource on this.
Hey Mike. Local JD dealer says the manual's suggestion of changing trans/diff fluid after 1st 50 hours is a waste of time and money and they suggest changing after 3K hours. I hate to take 1 guys word for it when it says something different in my manual. Whats your take on following the books suggested maintenance schedule vs following the dealers suggestions?
They're probably right, but the thought is there might be some metal shavings from the machining process swimming in there and you want to get them out. You want that tractor to last a long time, I don't think I'd risk it. So I recommend following the manual.
I can’t believe that there exist people who are so clueless that they think that they don’t have to do these things while their machine is under warranty. But then again, I’m often wrong! 😎
For what it's worth ... it's worth while to carry a dog bone wrench with the sizes of your most common nuts and bolts. That makes it easy to check tightness every 5 or 10 hours of operation.
Hi, Mike. The USMC taught us to clean & care for our equipment EVERY TIME we got back from the field BEFORE putting it away. I blow out my air filter every time I use the tractor and make sure I can see sonlight through it, which indicates when it needs to be washed (I spray a little simple green in it to cut water tension and then rinse it in the sink w/airyated water from the inside out).
I also rinse the tractor off w/a water hose. That part may seem a bit much, but it keeps the garage cleaner (I park it there), but that also let's me check for branches or debris build up, or missing nuts & bolts, etc.
Thanks for all your tips & tricks, Mike. I've had to learn how to use my tractors all on my own, but your channel (et, al) has helped me a lot, too. : )
Thank you for these useful videos - Perfect for a new tractor owner like me. I'm grateful
Wheel bolts Mike! Never had it happen before on any tractor i had but after running my compact JD 2305 hard a few days I noticed something not right.After checking i was shocked to see only 2 left of the five holding the front wheel on one side and they were out 3/4 of the way destroying the holes in rim.Luckily the holes in axle flange were ok.Don't know how they worked loose but i will be checking the torque marks each time from here on out, it could have been a disaster because days before i was dragging smaller trees i cut, down steep hill to other parts of property.
Great info Mike.
The radiator genie is a great idea , never seen them before.
Hopefully someone in Australia has them.
Be good if they made it connect to end of a leaf blower or pipe something up, alot of people would do that because they are convenient.
In other words they don't have to unroll a water or air hose and roll back up.
90% of people would not look at oil level, radiator level, tyres, fuel in bowl and a general walk around and look at bolts, hoses , any signs of oil , water etc.
Pretty easy, save downtime and peace of mind when you are driving tractor.
Thanks.
Good video
I check hydraulic level before n after especially on older tractors. Also check lights if I am working at night. Great vid👍
Great video, Mike. Keep em coming!
Great Video Mike, keep up the good work. Would also suggest checking the tires and wheel bolts. Takes 30 seconds but can save a lot of hassle by realising there is something wrong before you get out into the field
Also if tractor runs hot due to plugged radiator or loss of coolant assure that a 50/50 mix is used to top off radiator. Diesels can run hot if mix is low but radiator appears full. I had a 50/50 mix jug and always added with that to keep coolant mix accurate.
Good advice - thanks!
Question, I’ve got an Agco Challenger 275B. It has 700 hours on it I check engine oil before every operation out of necessity, it is run about two hours at a time lots of front loader work. It’s always about half to three quarters of a quart low. Your thoughts ?
I'm late to this picnic but here's my morning routine:
Engine Lube oil - level unchanged and condition good
Battery holddown - tight
Battery connectors - tight
Radiator Pre-screen - Clean
Radiator - fins clean
Radiator water recovery tank - level unchanged and free from oil scum
Oil and fuel filters - clean and no drips no water in fuel filter bowl
Hydraulic oil filter - no leaks or drips.
Hyd oil level - at mark and condition unchanged
Basically what the book says. The tractor is 20 years old with no service problems so this routine seems to want to work.
Good Tips
I have a 1967 Oliver that has lived outside it's whole life. The only things that actually move and turn on it are all the lubrication points. It had clean new oil when I bought it and at the end of the year the oil was still an amber (yes dirtier) color.
Check the water level every few hours in an old tractor unless you know it well. Mine get used to clear brush up to 10' high and load logs. Anything that wasn't meant to be there was torn off when I was a child. Ya don't need a turn signal to pull a plow, eh?
Really, I run a newer tractor at work and it's true. They don't make them like... But welding and mechanics are now part of your owners manual.
hi Mike - love your channel - I own a similar tractor to you (NH TC35D) and would love it if you would go through a fuel filter change as I just had to change mine and also had to 'bleed the engine' which, as a non-mechanical person was somewhat head-scratching. Also, do an oil change as well!!! as I have to do that in the next few months and would love a web resource on this.
Hey Mike. Local JD dealer says the manual's suggestion of changing trans/diff fluid after 1st 50 hours is a waste of time and money and they suggest changing after 3K hours. I hate to take 1 guys word for it when it says something different in my manual. Whats your take on following the books suggested maintenance schedule vs following the dealers suggestions?
They're probably right, but the thought is there might be some metal shavings from the machining process swimming in there and you want to get them out. You want that tractor to last a long time, I don't think I'd risk it. So I recommend following the manual.
Thats what I wanted to hear, especially since I already bought the parts to service it like the manual says.
I can’t believe that there exist people who are so clueless that they think that they don’t have to do these things while their machine is under warranty. But then again, I’m often wrong! 😎
That is why I check my tractor lubricants all the time and make sure the tires, and other equipment requirements are met.
I feel left out / short on information,OUCH!
1 liKe for miKe
For what it's worth ... it's worth while to carry a dog bone wrench with the sizes of your most common nuts and bolts. That makes it easy to check tightness every 5 or 10 hours of operation.
Nice mic tractor mike lol
Great.. I gotta pay you $10 for 4 tractor tips? Get real.