Filthy tractors versus clean ones

[michigander]

I have a Dewalt cordless leaf blower for loose dirt seat , floor board mowing deck etc.

rest of dust will get power washed this winter with snow drifts

 

[NewtoOrange]

I wash and wax mine all the time. They are expensive little pieces of equipment and everyone knows a waxed tractor is more aerodynamic and gets better mileage
lol

 

[procraftmike]

I probably wash mine good once a year, in the fall, since I don't use it much in the winter months. I am religious about keeping the radiator and screen clean of debris though. I often take the screen out and hit the radiator with some forced air.

 

[dlundblad]

My uncle has a 2005ish 33 horse JD with 150 hours on it. Looks brand new he keeps it so clean. Mine are the direct opposite.

I will say I take extra care not to scratch paint or allow implements to become sun faded though.

 

[William1]

I just washed my little guy. I do not detail it but I remove a years worth of dust and bird droppings. It is kept in a three walled 'shed' so out of the rain and sun but not the dust and bugs. I washed my garden tractor today too.

 

[cthomas]

Check fluids, use leaf blower, and gets a bath everytime it rains.

 

[Bulldog]

This has been a interesting read. We're all orange brothers but treat our orange very different to say the least.

I have always brought my son up with the attitude of "take pride in your ride" and had him washing and helping with maintenance since he was big enough to do so.
I guess after years of being a heavy equipment operator I brought some of my routine home with me. I had to do a before and after shift walk around inspection every day. Perfect time to check for leaks, something loose or out of place. Washing fits right in there. Perfect time to get under the hood, under the cab and even under the entire machine if needed to check it over. 99% of the time well maintained and filthy don't go together.

No, none of my tractors or equipment sit outside. I have been caught out in the rain but my stuff doesn't sit in the rain. Yes I wash my tractor normally before each use even if that's every day. My opinion a clean, well maintained machine will always perform better than a dirty neglected one.
And yes I wax at least once a year. I've been known to do it multiple times if I'm caught up and just need tractor time. I'm out in the hot GA sun all summer and I have no pink fade on mine, wax does help. But whether you wash or wax doesn't affect me either way.

This is part of my thoughts process though.

I had a man stop by one of my fields this spring while I was baling. He said he was looking for someone to do custom baling because the guy he'd been using was either putting him off or broke down. He commented that he stopped because I had nice new equipment.

I smiled and said thankyou but you're looking at a 19 year old rake tractor, 15 year old bale tractor and a 30 year old baler. He was shocked and thought I was shooting him a line of bs.
He may have stopped if my stuff looked like scrap metal rolling thru the field but to me having it clean made a good first impression and landed me a $5k job. Who knows, may have picked him up for years to come and it all started with a wash and wax.

 

[PaulL]

For those people who are pressure washing, are you going all round - engine, underneath etc? My BX is filthy (was when I bought it, and I've never washed it). I blow grass clippings off it sometimes (maybe couple times a year). And clean around the area I'm repairing if repairing.

I like the idea of it being clean, not so keen on actually doing the cleaning. But I could pressure wash it, that's not too hard. I'd been worried about forcing water into the seals or places it shouldn't be, and making things worse rather than better.

 

[tradosaurus]

I believe the first part in keeping a tractor clean is to keep it under cover. Before I bought my first tractor this year I had a metal shed installed that would cover the tractor and a few implements. I never understood keeping a $25k+ investment out in the weather.
I use a leaf blower to blow off the dust and debris from the tractor and implement I was using. If I have mud anywhere on the tractor I wait until tractor is cooled and pressure wash it, including the tires.
I do the same with my zero turn.
I guess having a $500/mo payment motivates me to keep it clean.

 

[rkidd]

I am the same as bulldog. They are expensive pieces of equipment and it really does not take much to keep them up. I do use mine alot also. 4 1/2 yrs old with 1100 hrs on it now. I also keep mine inside my shop, keep it washed and blown off with blower, and I do wax it a couple times of year. Also keep up on all of the plastic and rubber with turtle wax protectant. I keep it greased and maintained at all intervals.

 

[SidecarFlip]

All I know is, when I bought the used open station M9, it was so caked with old grease (least the previous owner greased it) and mud up under the undercarriage (in places I have to wonder how it got there), it took me 4 pressure washings to get it all and that's with all the tin off the tractor too.

When I pressure wash, I use a wider fan nozzle so as not to drive the water into places it shouldn't be and I use purple ZEP or Purple Power degreaser (straight ) to help with the grease and grime removal and I always re grease after washing.

I really don't like touching any part on equipment of any kind and coming away with filthy hands because the filth gets transferred to other things that don't need it transferred to like a steering wheel for an example, or a seat (I have a rather expensive Grammer cloth, air ride seat in my cab tractor,) don't need grease on it....

One thing I never pressure wash my hay tools, especially the round and square baler. I wash the outside sheet metal with the wide spay maybe once a year before I pout it away but they always get blown off with high pressure air. hay chaff don't turn to grime like grime dies anyway, Way too many bearings and chains on balers that can get compromised with pressurized water. I know, been there with a bearing on a round baler and it was an expensive fix, live and learn I guess.

Far as I'm concerned, there is no plausible excuse for not keeping equipment clean and grime free other than being lazy. JMO.

 

[totitan]

It doesnt take much effort to keep a tractor clean plus a clean one is much nicer to work on.

 

[B737]

and whatever you do... dont look under the foot deck!!!!

 

[SidecarFlip]

That footboard looked like the used open station M9 when I pulled off the old worn floor mat. It was nasty and rusty. Didn't matter though as I stripped every piece of tin off (including the footbards (there are 2 on the M) and redid all the tin and replaced the floormat to the tune of 139 bucks. That is one expensive floormat.

Took 5 cans of Kubota ROPS grey to redo the running gear and a quart of Kubota Orange 2 but it's good now except for the hood which has a dent in it. That will have to wait until this winter when I can remove it and take it to a body shop. removing dents and getting a quality finish is a bit beyond my capabilities.

Everytime I use the tractor I can look directly at the dent. It has to go. New hood (just the top it's a 3 piece hood) is $750 bucks from Coleman's and used is non-existent and with my luck a used one would be buggered up anyway.

 

[SidecarFlip]

It doesnt take much effort to keep a tractor clean plus a clean one is much nicer to work on.

That is true and if you keep after it (like taking a shower every day), keeping it clean takes a minimal effort. Let it go (like the one I bought used) and it takes a lot of time and effort to get it clean again.

Still don't have all the dried and caked on grease off the loader. I have the loader off, it's been off since I had it delivered. I didn't need another loader (have the identical one on my cab tractor) but it came with and the price was good (18 grand) so I have 2 identical loaders now. It does need new bucket pins, another wintertime lathe job, added to my list.

 

[memtb]

SidecarFlip, I have a “slightly” different perspective! I treat my tractor much like our automobiles.....a “good, thick layer” of dirt will protect the finish (paint and plastics) from the “harmful” effects of UV’s! Also, being the consummate proponent of “saving the planet”......I’m saving water!

I hope that everyone understands that this post was meant as a feeble attempt at humor! memtb

 

[ad356]

things i do after EVERY mowing. clean the mower deck top and bottom. i drive the tractor up on ramps and hose the grass off. if you do this on a regular basis you will have no build up what so ever. the grass will literally fall off of it. i also hose the topside off. i leave almost no grass on the mower. i feel a clean mower will last longer, grass will literally rot out an expensive deck over time..... the water that's used to hose it off dries fairly quickly, if the underside is left bare the grass hitting the bottom of the deck while mowing will actually almost have a sand blasting effect, so long as you dont allow buildup stuck on the deck. a heavy buildup contains moisture, as the grass rots it generates heat. this process will destroy the steel.

the next thing i do is take the screen out of the radiator, hose the screen off and hose the radiator fins off.

i dont really "wash" tractor i just keep the important parts clean, and hose any mud from the tires.