18 Story Idea? Email Paul.Nolan@Farms.com Better Farming | November/December 2023 Machinery Alley PREPARE BEFORE YOU PARK Overwintering tips to keep your machinery safe. By Leslie Stewart With harvest wrapping up soon, some producers will be putting their machinery away for the winter. Here are some tips to help you finish the 2023 season strong and start 2024 off smoothly in the spring by properly overwintering your equipment. Routine maintenance Take some time to replace any parts you may need to before you put your machine away for the winter. Check for leaks and fix anything that broke during harvest season. “The best time to change your fuel filters is in the fall when you store your machinery,” says Daryle Bezemer, service manager of Mazergroup in Brandon, Man. “There will be water and sediment in the bottom of the fuel tanks, so you will want to remove it before it freezes.” Bezemer cautions against leaving your machine with a full tank of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF). “DEF freezes and expands,” he explains. “Manufacturers recommend cleaning your DEF tanks if you don’t use your tractors in the winter. There’s a storage procedure in your operators’ manual for flushing the tanks out with warm water.” “If you will need to move your machinery over the winter, leave only one third of a tank or less in the system so that it can thaw quickly during the warm up procedure.” Keep rodents away Rodent infestations can cause huge problems to the functionality of your machine. “We’ve had several customers come in with radiators that were damaged because they had raccoons in their engine. They broke off the fan and there was quite a mess in there. “We’ve seen torn off belts, damaged radiators – damages big enough to go through insurance claims.” Fortunately, there are ways to make your equipment less attractive to pests. “Your shed is the biggest prevention you can have,” Bezemer explains. “Make sure there are no entrance points. Don’t leave bags of grain or any attractants in the area – that will be one of the easiest things to control.” Clean the machinery itself after a busy harvest season. “Any equipment needs to be clean – blow off the chaff and debris to prevent rodents from building nests and chewing on wires.” There are some other tactics to further deter rodents, including electronic noise emitters and using smells they don’t like. “There are some things rodents are repelled by – the smell of mint, and Irish Spring soap. There are after market rodent repelling scent bags – we place these in cabs of the tractors quite often to prevent them from crawling in and making a nest.” Lean on antifreeze Antifreeze can be a key support in keeping your machines safe as the temperatures plummet, but you have to make sure you’re following the directions and have the right formula for your machines. “Antifreeze prevents the block from freezing and it has lubricants for the water pump where anti-corrosion inhibitors can prevent implosions on the cylinder wall liners.” “Check your antifreeze and make sure it’s at the right freeze point. Antifreeze can deteriorate over time. Change your coolant at the recommended intervals – this is often ignored!” Bezemer also cautions that you should not be mixing different types of antifreeze, so make sure to read the labels or talk with a professional at your dealership. Protect your batteries Freezing batteries can be a big problem and can seriously delay your start time in the spring. “The biggest damage from the cold is batteries freezing because they’re not fully charged,” he explains. “Fully charge your batteries, remove them from the equipment, and put them in a dry and warm place.” Check your tires Before you park machinery for the winter, check your tire pressure. “For a lot of equipment, if the tire pressure is low, it can cause damage to the side walls of the tire. It will sag over winter and then when the rubber gets hard, it can do damage.” BF Take some time to properly overwinter your equipment. Jodie Aldred photo
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