Washing the Tractor. Hood Open, or Hood Closed?

[Trimley]

When (if) you wash your tractor, do you wash with hood open, or hood closed?
My answer - Closed

Do you wash the engine compartment?
My answer - NO

Do you wash the dash panel?
My answer - NO

My reasoning - I only wash what touches the ground, and I never pressure wash. I always avoid putting water anywhere there are electrical connections, even though I treat all electrical connections (to include the battery posts) with electrical grease and/or spray.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

both
yes
yes

no worse than Mother Nature......

 

[jimh406]

I haven't washed mine, but in general, I try not to get water on electronics. So, I would only spot clean under the hood.

Maybe you should have made this a poll, so the totals can be easily added up.

 

[Hkb82]

I only wash what touches the ground, and I never pressure wash.

So tires and implements. That’s the only thing that touches the ground on my tractor.
I wash it all top to bottom when I get the chance. Even the odd wax from time to time. I pressure wash the outsides and take it easy on the important stuff. Great time for visual inspections on stuff and to maybe catch an issue ahead of time.
Look good work good. My kids actually say look good play good for hockey but it works for this also lol.

 

[Trimley]

Maybe you should have made this a poll, so the totals can be easily added up.

Why would we add anything up? It's not intended to be for data collection.

 

[rc51stierhoff]

Good day. I wash them with hood down until I get to the engine compartment….and then I lift it to clean in there. You’ll not convince me me that all the dust and dirt under the hood is helpful. Beyond that, like it or not the radiator fins do need rinsed off from time to time. Do I use power washer on the delicates, No. But the delicates in many cases IMO are much more sensitive to the dirt and dust than the paint on the outer surface of the tractor.

 

[Geezer3d]

You guys wash your tractors?

 

[Trimley]

You guys wash your tractors?

If I can avoid it, I won't drive across my gravel with mud or grass caked tires.

For that matter, Fall is too much to keep cleaned up, for as much as I still have to do it!

 

[rc51stierhoff]

If I can avoid it, I won't drive across my gravel with mud or grass caked tires.

For that matter, Fall is too much to keep cleaned up, for as much as I still have to do it!

I don’t blame you there…I am sort of a seasonal washer myself…I’ll try to get the dirt off before snow clearing season comes…snow dripping off and washing the crud off just makes a mess on the concrete in the barn…so I’ll usually give em a bath before the winter. A lot of times though I just spray it off and the deck in the summer and that’s good enough for me.

 

[Trimley]

So tires and implements. That’s the only thing that touches the ground on my tractor.
I wash it all top to bottom when I get the chance. Even the odd wax from time to time. I pressure wash the outsides and take it easy on the important stuff. Great time for visual inspections on stuff and to maybe catch an issue ahead of time.
Look good work good. My kids actually say look good play good for hockey but it works for this also lol.

Trust me in saying, my tractor is well taken care of. I never went into "how" I go about that.

An example: When I rode 4-Wheelers, mine was toothbrushed where a MIT or larger brush could not reach. I took them through Mud Bogs regularly.

I take care of all my possessions.

IOW, Put it back the way it was found.

 

[leveraddict]

I pressure wash my tractor maybe twice a year being careful around the dash! I use just a garden hose to rinse under the hood.

 

[jyoutz]

both
yes
yes

no worse than Mother Nature......

I do the same.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I use degreaser and a pressure washer!
About the only way to get it clean.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Closed, until I wash the engine compartment, then I obviously open it.

Yes, clean engines are much easier to work on and maintain or find leaks if/when necessary.

Yes on dash, but by hand, no pressure washer.

(I also scrub tires with "Bleach White" because the voices in my head can't stand dirty sidewalls)

 

[Orangeglow]

I open the hood, and use air pressure to get the majority of dust and dirt out of the engine compartment. I also blow out the rad, after every grass cutting session. I then close the hood, and blow off as much dust and debris as possible around the complete tractor. If it needs to be washed, I do that with the hood closed. If the engine area requires more cleaning, I use a damp soapy cloth, but not the hose. I would not spray water around any area with electrical connections.

 

[The Evil Twin]

I'm a detail clean kind of guy. I wash the engine a couple times a year. Only use the hose sprayer on "shower" setting to rinse. The rest of it gets the foam cannon/ pressure washer treatment.
I then take the leaf blower to get most of the water off. Also run it up to operating temp to dry the engine off. I don't want pockets of water sitting on the engine.

 

[Benhameen]

Hood closed. How else would I get the fuel I spill cleaned up.
I’ll spray mine off a few times a year when it gets dusty. Typically try and power wash it once a year. That’s when I throw some spray wax on her, makes the dust come off easily with just a water hose. I’ll use either a leaf blower or compressed air to remove any water sitting where I don’t want.

 

[TheMurf]

Wash it with a hose, soap and water just like a car or motorcycle. Yes the engine compartment too Use a
Leaf blower to dry it then a bath towel.. The radiator screen and fins I vacuum off removing the operators compartment shroud .I rinse it also when I wash the tractor. I also polish and wax it from time to time.. It a big investment so I keep it like new..

 

[NCL4701]

When (if) you wash your tractor, do you wash with hood open, or hood closed?
My answer - Closed

Do you wash the engine compartment?
My answer - NO

Do you wash the dash panel?
My answer - NO

My reasoning - I only wash what touches the ground, and I never pressure wash. I always avoid putting water anywhere there are electrical connections, even though I treat all electrical connections (to include the battery posts) with electrical grease and/or spray.

Pressure wash or hose off with water. Hood down. Blow dust, chaff, sawdust, dry leaves, etc. out of it with compressed air: hood open. (Seen too many equipment fires caused by flammable dust type buildup in hot areas.)

Not with a pressure washer or water hose.

Compressed air followed by a damp soft cloth followed by a dry soft cloth. If I NEVER cleaned it I couldn’t read the gauges. Sometimes we get dusty. Sometimes we get muddy. Sometimes we stay pretty clean. But yes, I’ve been in mud so bad I’ve had mud blobs on the instrument cluster.

Like you, not a fan of pressure washing electronical stuff.

 

[dirtydeed]

Hood closed! The one and only time I had water in the fuel was when I hosed the engine and fuel tank down (with the hood open). It was an easy fix (had to drain and pour the fuel out of the separator 2x while on a job).