Anyone else as OCD and crazy as me to do a full wash and wax, plus tire shine on their tractor, or just me?
Wash and Wax
- Thread starter jwitty
- Start date
Keeping a machine clean does this:
As you're washing, you should be looking for leaks, or bent stuff, or whatever. Get ahead of it before it gets worse.
Tire shine? Hmmm, maybe!
Here's a guy whose business is all about cleaning heavy machinery. Man, what a great place.
The editing is a bit jumpy, but I guess that's a style. Anyway, interesting stuff and interesting products used.
As you're washing, you should be looking for leaks, or bent stuff, or whatever. Get ahead of it before it gets worse.
Tire shine? Hmmm, maybe!
Here's a guy whose business is all about cleaning heavy machinery. Man, what a great place.
The editing is a bit jumpy, but I guess that's a style. Anyway, interesting stuff and interesting products used.
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Runs With Scissors
Well-known member
Equipment
L2501 TLB , Grappel, Brush Hog, Box Blade, Ballast box, Forks, Tiller, PH digger
I was getting seasick watching that, so I skipped around a little.
Two things stand out to me in that video.
1. The electric power washer. I bought one a year or 2 ago and I love that thing. It's nice not to have to wear hearing protection while washing something, and best thing is the fact that you can spray, then put the wand down and do something else like scrub, then just pick it up and spray again.
VS. my gas powered one, where I have to shut it off every time you put the wand down, (because there is no internal bypass on the pump) so then I have to restart it.
The gas one is more powerful, but I use my electric one probably 10 to 1.
2. I also like those "foam cannons" a lot. I got a cheap one just to try out, and although it is problematic, when it works, it works great. I will probably upgrade to a better one this year.
GreensvilleJay
Well-known member
Equipment
BX23-S,57 A-C D-14,58 A-C D-14, 57 A-C D-14,tiller,cults,Millcreek 25G spreader,
Elliott in GA
Well-known member
Equipment
LX 2610SU w/535,LP RCR1860,FDR1660,SGC0554,FSP500, DD BBX60005
I washed my tractor yesterday (a quick wash with just a bucket and hose); I did it to get all of the pollen off (it had a layer of stuck on green pollen). I probably spent 20 minutes, and it looked great. The Griot's ceramic spray-on/wipe-off wax is still beading water after 6 months.
I either wisely spend 1.5 hours a year caring for an expensive piece of equipment, or I waste 1.5 hours a year - depending on your viewpoint.
I either wisely spend 1.5 hours a year caring for an expensive piece of equipment, or I waste 1.5 hours a year - depending on your viewpoint.
It brings up a question. How sensitive is a diesel engine to washing? I have a BX23S, if I was to was the engine am I doing harm?
I do it on my lawn mower periodically. I've always been a little OCD about cleanliness on equipment and cars. I learned this from working at a kubota dealer. Huh?
Try working on stuff for a living. When someone shows up with a L3430 that is totally covered in hay, mud, poo, pee, whatever else, they have to pay someone to wash it off before it comes into the shop. That costs money. At $150/hr it adds up quickly-and tractors have a ton of areas that collect "stuff" in/on them so it takes time to get em clean. Point #2 here is that over those 30 years I did it, I saw really clean tractors bring a LOT more money at trade-in time than nasty ones. Generally speaking, those who took care of their stuff were obvious in how they kept them clean. Those who didn't, didn't get as much at trade-in time (or the times they sold their equipment to the dealer and/or individuals).
I also worked out of the house shop for a while. Bought/sold a lot of equipment for a few years. If I buy a lawn mower for instance, and I plan on turning a profit on it, it HAS to be clean to sell it. Bought two T1460's once. Fixed em both up, GF was gonna have a yard sale and I wanted them both to be out front "for sale". I didn't have time to detail/clean but the one of them and set them out front in the driveway, more as "attention grabbers" than anything else-priced them both at $1000. They were worth maybe $500-$600 at the time. The clean one sold in 5 minutes. The dirty one did not sell. They were mechanically identical but one was clean. Few days later I cleaned up the one that was left and put it on marketplace, and it sold in about an hour.
People that are in the market for something generally don't want a dirty piece of equipment. It shows a lack of care in most folks' mind. That doesn't mean it's not mechanically perfect, it just means that the first impression is what sets the "mood"--and a dirty piece of equipment speaks volumes.
Try working on stuff for a living. When someone shows up with a L3430 that is totally covered in hay, mud, poo, pee, whatever else, they have to pay someone to wash it off before it comes into the shop. That costs money. At $150/hr it adds up quickly-and tractors have a ton of areas that collect "stuff" in/on them so it takes time to get em clean. Point #2 here is that over those 30 years I did it, I saw really clean tractors bring a LOT more money at trade-in time than nasty ones. Generally speaking, those who took care of their stuff were obvious in how they kept them clean. Those who didn't, didn't get as much at trade-in time (or the times they sold their equipment to the dealer and/or individuals).
I also worked out of the house shop for a while. Bought/sold a lot of equipment for a few years. If I buy a lawn mower for instance, and I plan on turning a profit on it, it HAS to be clean to sell it. Bought two T1460's once. Fixed em both up, GF was gonna have a yard sale and I wanted them both to be out front "for sale". I didn't have time to detail/clean but the one of them and set them out front in the driveway, more as "attention grabbers" than anything else-priced them both at $1000. They were worth maybe $500-$600 at the time. The clean one sold in 5 minutes. The dirty one did not sell. They were mechanically identical but one was clean. Few days later I cleaned up the one that was left and put it on marketplace, and it sold in about an hour.
People that are in the market for something generally don't want a dirty piece of equipment. It shows a lack of care in most folks' mind. That doesn't mean it's not mechanically perfect, it just means that the first impression is what sets the "mood"--and a dirty piece of equipment speaks volumes.
I powerwash and soap the engine every time. Just don't focus the water on electrical components.
In Summer the Kubota gets washed a few times. It does get an annual waxing, and it still looks like new.
For Winter I bought a little DeWalt pressure washer Little DeWalt that I pull out after driving it on the salted roads between here and the church I plow. This is mainly to get the salty junk off and I let it sit outside a day before it goes back in the shed. It may get a good washing if the temp is up.
For Winter I bought a little DeWalt pressure washer Little DeWalt that I pull out after driving it on the salted roads between here and the church I plow. This is mainly to get the salty junk off and I let it sit outside a day before it goes back in the shed. It may get a good washing if the temp is up.
Good job Witty! I go as far as Ceramic coat on the hood and fenders. lol. More so cuz it’s leftover from my cars and truck. Wife once surprised me with putting tire shine on my tractor tires after I gave it a wash.
Working hard for your money, to buy whatever possessions you acquire, somehow translates in pride of ownership.
Seems to apply in other non monetary facts of life as well
Working hard for your money, to buy whatever possessions you acquire, somehow translates in pride of ownership.
Seems to apply in other non monetary facts of life as well
This was my first wax trying out a ceramic wax. I like it a lot and seems to shine more. Will be curious how well it holds up.Good job Witty! I go as far as Ceramic coat on the hood and fenders. lol. More so cuz it’s leftover from my cars and truck. Wife once surprised me with putting tire shine on my tractor tires after I gave it a wash.
Working hard for your money, to buy whatever possessions you acquire, somehow translates in pride of ownership.
Seems to apply in other non monetary facts of life as well
I wash and wax my cars and the tractor. Only once did I run into trouble, and that was when I tried to wax my old girlfriend......... 
Got to keep them all looking like new!
Got to keep them all looking like new!