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Story Idea?
Better Farming
December 2016
MACHINERY
AT
WORK
might need to be made. And here
again, if you do this over the winter
you will not be caught off-guard by
the time spring comes around.
Today there are many companies
that offer a contract for fluid inspec-
tions. With this contract, you send a
small sample of fluid away for testing,
taken from the various reservoirs on
the machine. By completing these
inspections once or twice a year,
depending on the number of hours
the machine is used, you get a good
indication of the internal health of
the machine.
Most companies will keep a record
of the previous samples and will warn
you if certain levels of contaminants
exceed the safe range – which
indicates a mechanical failure. Or the
companies will warn you if your oil
or coolant is not serviceable anymore
and should be changed.
This service might be to your
advantage, especially for equipment
that runs continuously. (When
equipment is run regularly, the oil
remains in a better condition than the
oil in a machine run only periodical-
ly.) Instead of using the intervals
recommended in the maintenance
schedule, you can rely on the tests to
keep you on track. This is especially
the case with the use of synthetic
fluid, which is becoming the norm.
(The recommended change intervals
are longer with synthetic fluids.)
It is your machine and your choice,
but please do not blame the equip-
ment for failing if you failed it in the
first place. Equipment prices have
risen dramatically over the last few
years and, if you are like me, it has to
serve you for several years. Use the
winter months to protect your
investments!
BF
Jaap Kroondijk is a farm boy mechanic
who lives near Woodstock.
Oil breaks down and, in the
case of engine oil, it should be
changed at least once a year.