It has been said that some farmers spend half of their workday repairing and maintaining their tractors and other farm equipment. Whether this is true or not, anyone who works in agriculture will agree that a lot of time goes into working on machinery.
It is a frustrating experience when a tractor breaks down in the middle of a workday. Many times half of the time that is "wasted" is spent going to and from the parts store. Often, local parts stores don't have the needed parts, which can lead to further downtime.
It would be great to know what parts would breakdown before they did. While this is not always possible, it definitely helps to be prepared for the most common parts repaired on tractors. If the right spare parts are handy, repair time and downtime will be kept to a minimum.
Tractor repair manuals generally have a list of the most critical inventory to keep on hand. It is suggested to be familiar with this list and keep stock of the items on it. Regardless of whether or not a tractor manual has such a list, it is important to have the five replacement parts that are mentioned here on hand.
While it is a good idea to have a stock of all filters that a tractor uses, there are two that may become necessary in the middle of a workday. The gas filter is the first one. Dirty gas can quickly infiltrate a gas filter and wreak havoc on the tractor's engine. Gas filters are not expensive, and if there is an extra one on hand, it is generally quick and easy to replace it and keep on working.
The second filter that commonly needs emergency replacement is the hydraulic filter. Many hydraulic filters are susceptible to damage, which, in addition to costing a lot of hydraulic oil, will render the hydraulic system unusable until replaced. As this is a common problem, it is wise to have hydraulic filters on hand.
The third on our list are grouped together as belts. Belts are generally inexpensive and quick to fix. However, it may be difficult to match some belts locally. This can turn a quick fix into a frustratingly long downtime. Having extra belts on hand is, therefore a very smart move.
The fourth part on this list may be surprising, a spare key. A tractor's key commonly does not leave the ignition, and therefore it is seen by many as an integral part of the tractor. But, what happens if it does get lost or damaged? Ordering a spare key can take a long time; however, having a spare key in a safe place can easily prevent such frustration.
The fifth and last part that we will mention has to do with the electrical system. Electrical problems cause most tractor breakdowns. One of the most simple electrical repairs is also the most common: a blown fuse.
It only takes seconds to replace a blown fuse. That is of course, if there is a spare fuse on hand. In order to avoid unnecessary downtime and possible damage from using the wrong fuse to keep a tractor working, it is important to keep an adequate supply of spare fuses in stock.
They say that time is money, and in the agricultural business, this is certainly the case. Having a broken down tractor can put everything into tilt and, in extreme cases, can result in damage to or loss of crops. Therefore, it would be wise to heed the advice in this brief article and keep stock of the mentioned parts.