Basic Tractor Maintenance Tips For Poultry Farms

Tractor maintenance is the key to keeping your operation running smoothly. As some farmers say, "If you don't make time for tractor maintenance, it will make time for you." Tractors are necessary pieces of farm equipment, and without them, you would be greatly inconvenienced. Can you imagine doing all that work by hand?

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Tractor maintenance can be difficult because there are so many different parts that need to be maintained or adjusted at different times depending on the model of tractor you own. We're going to talk about some maintenance tips to keep your tractor in top shape! We talked to poultry farmer Jason Jackson as well as tractor experts from the 2021 Sunbelt Ag Expo to gather some simple ideas for proper maintenance.

You may hear a tractor dealer say "buy once, cry once." Tractors can be expensive, but investing in exactly what you need for your operation is somewhat of a step zero for tractor maintenance.

If you have just the tractor you need, it will be more cohesive with your farm and naturally face fewer issues. This is a "fitting a square peg into a round hole" type of issue. Remember that with tractors, bigger isn't always better! Choose the tractor with the best function for you, and it will pay for itself in the long run.

According to the three people with whom we spoke about tractors, here are some things you can check on daily:

-Clear the dust out of your tractor after using it. You can use a handheld blower to blow clean air out around the the radiator cap, grills and air filter every day.
-Wash chicken litter off of moving components, including the tires, every day so it doesn't build up and inhibit the mechanics.
-Make sure air pre-cleaners and inner cleaners are clean. A dirty air filter means a dirty engine! If you put good air in, you will get good performance out.

One other thing we want to touch on here is the operator's manual. Many people just toss the owner's manual away immediately or put it in some remote corner, never to be found again. We know Google can answer most questions, but we highly recommend that you at least know where your operator's manual is in case an issue very specific to your tractor should arise.

Check your engine oil level after every tractor use and top it off as needed. Do not let the engine oil dip below the minimum line on the stick! If it does, your engine will not be well lubricated and its parts will start grinding together, and you may get an overheated engine.

Hydraulic oil is essential for maintaining lubrication in the tractor's transmission. Making sure this oil level is sufficient also protects the engine from overheating. You may as well check the hydraulic oil while you're checking the engine oil!

It's important to look for oil leaks of any sort to protect your engine from failure. If your start that tractor up with no oil, you could face some serious issues.

Be sure to grease all moving parts as needed with a light oil or lubricant. A grease gun can help here, especially when greasing hard to reach parts like grease zerks. Also be careful not to over-grease, as this can be just as harmful as not having enough grease. Greasing more often with a little is better than greasing rarely with a lot of product.

Just like an automobile, pressure of your tractor tires should be checked regularly. Lack of proper tire pressure can cause your tires to blow out!

Many diesel tractors use DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) part of the emission system. If you use this type of fluid, you need to know how to handle and store it properly. Be sure to have dedicated equipment for it, cycle through diesel exhaust fluid regularly rather than keeping it for the next year. It won't work as well when it gets too old.

Tractor maintenance can be expensive, but it won't wind up being nearly as expensive as a repair. If you take care of your equipment, it will take care of you!

If you have any questions about this video or suggestions for future Poultry Biosecurity topics, contact [email protected] or [email protected]. Check out our whole YouTube channel for more helpful videos on commercial poultry farming!