I Should Have Fixed That!

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

A summertime checklist to keep things rolling on your farm.

By Ron Settler

I’m sure we have all had breakdowns that were preventable if only we had looked a bit closer and taken more time on our maintenance. Here are a few forgotten items we should always check but are often neglected.

Hoist hinge pins

In the old days, a truck hoist was only a dream, and you would empty the truck with a shovel. Now, we take hoists on trucks for granted. What about the hinge pins on the hoist? Years ago, my father-in-law told us about a tandem truck that went into the grain elevator to unload. Unfortunately, one of the hoist hinge pins had fallen out. As the box was lifted, it slid sideways and the box with 500 bushels of grain in it destroyed the scale and several other items. Luckily no one was hurt.

Make sure to check those pins. Some of them have grease fittings. Make sure the cotter pins or bolts that hold the pins in place are in good condition. Check the hinges for signs of cracking. While you’re at it, check the other parts under there and service as needed. Lube up the control cables, too, so they keep working well.

Air cleaner ducting

One of our 4690 Case tractors was really getting a bit wimpy. Everything was in good shape and it was only 35 years old. It should run fine! The air filter was clean, and the air filter indicator showed no problems. Our son Dan was checking things one morning and found that the air cleaner duct was three-quarters full of straw and miscellaneous debris. Once it was cleaned out, it started running as it should.

Make sure your air cleaner ducts are clean. Our other 4690 has a screen over the intake for the duct so it didn’t have that problem, but you still have to check that screen.

Differential and gearbox levels

We bought an SUV (new to us) and as I was reading about the issues this particular model had (after we bought it, of course), I learned that the transfer case was problematic. In my mind, part of the reason was the design. It only held three-quarters of a litre of automatic transmission fluid (ATF) and it sat right next to the exhaust system.

The big problem, though, was that nowhere in the owner’s manual did it mention a transfer case or the fact that at some point it might be a good idea to see if it had any oil in it. Luckily, our guys in the shop managed to suck out the old ATF (there is no drain plug) and fill it with fresh oil. And it is working well … so far.

Make sure to check all the differential and gearbox levels on your vehicles and equipment. We have changed numerous parts over the years for customers just because the part ran out of oil and nobody was paying attention. Make sure to use the correct oil. Not everything takes the old, skunky-smelling 80W90 gear oil. Many gearboxes will run ATF or some synthetic gear oil. And some of ’em ain’t cheap. We stock one synthetic oil for the Allison automatics and it costs us $21.67 per litre.

Once you’ve checked all the stuff they tell you about in the owner’s manual, have a look around for the stuff they forgot to tell you about. Not all manuals tell you all the things that need oil or grease.

Canvas roller bearings

Speaking of things that get forgotten, we seem to always forget to take off our swather and header canvases and check the canvas roller bearings before harvest. We have been stopped numerous times because of this problem. And often we don’t have a bearing on hand so it’s a long trip somewhere to get parts. Maybe this year we will get smart and check them all before we get to the field.

Once you have the canvas off, make sure they roll free and they are not loose. If you want to get fancy, you can get a mechanic’s stethoscope and listen to them. It sometimes will pick out a noisy bearing before it gets loose or seizes up. And don’t just change one bearing if you have the roller off. Do them both. As well, check and lube up the canvas tighteners. They love to seize up.

Fire extinguishers

Sure, you have a fire extinguisher on your machine, but does it work? Nothing is more frustrating than trying to put out a fire with a fire extinguisher that does not work. Not only that, but do you know how to use it?

There are two common fire extinguishers on the farm. One type is the pressurized water extinguisher. This is only for use on Class A fires – straw, wood, paper, and stuff like that. The other type is the ABC dry chemical extinguisher. This can be used on straw, wood, paper, as well as oil, fuel, and electrical fires.

The water-type extinguisher is easy to fill. Just add water and fill it with compressed air. But they don’t last forever. Blow them off once a year at least. The valves inside can get rusty and stick. You can buy these valves, but you might have to get them online. The gauges don’t last forever either, but they are easier to find.

The ABC extinguishers come in various sizes and are filled with dry powder. This powder will settle and compact until it gets hard and won’t spray out properly. It’s worse when they are on a vehicle because the vibrations make it settle more quickly. Every month you should pick them up and tip them back and forth. On the first tip, you should feel the powder move around inside. Just tip it back and forth a few times and put it back. If it’s not moving, take a rubber hammer and pound on it a bit to loosen it up. These ABC extinguishers need to be recertified every five years. It’s not too expensive and they should be kept in working order.

One extinguisher you don’t often see or need is a Class D extinguisher. This is for magnesium fires. It’s a dry powder that is the only thing that will put out magnesium when it is on fire. We see a bit of magnesium in newer vehicles, but it is not common elsewhere.

Do you know how to use a fire extinguisher? Make sure to spray at the base of the fire and move the hose from side to side to extinguish the fire. And always leave yourself a way out.

That hard-to-reach grease fitting

I’m guilty. Sometimes I don’t grease all the grease fittings. There’s the one way under the table on the combine that I sometimes don’t do. Someday, it will fly apart and I will be to blame. Who is servicing your equipment, and are they greasing and checking everything? Are there things that need a bit of grease that aren’t on the service list?

Years ago, we ran a Massey Ferguson Super 92 combine, and I made a service list for it. Every time you serviced it, you had to initial the box for each part that was serviced. It was time-consuming, but that machine lasted us for over 20 years and good maintenance was probably one of the reasons why.

Check out your machines and see what must be done. Check if it’s getting done. Make it easy to service. If you don’t have a chart or list of grease fittings and levels, make one. It might be easy for you to remember, but what about the new guy?

Make sure you have all the tools needed to service the machine. Disposable gloves, lots of paper towels, a good battery grease gun, a step ladder, a chunk of cardboard to lay on if you have to get underneath something, safety blocks, and things like that make servicing a bit easier.

Well, there you have it: A few things to check to keep things rolling. As my Uncle Irvin often told me, “Oil is cheaper than repairs.” Servicing and maintaining your equipment can save you thousands of dollars.

Have a great summer and take some time off to enjoy yourself. BF