Maintenance

[Everettlee]

When I grew up on the farm tractor maintenance was simple. New filters and oil before we started work in the spring and again late summer before harvest and fall tillage. Dads tractors got about 250 hours a year. Way overkill but never had any issues
My Cubs don’t get 25 hours per year and are in garage that is heated to 50 degrees in the winter

So. How often do I change oil and filters?
Thought this may be fun

 

[bjames]

For those hours ---
Air cooled engine - at least once a year
Hydro - every 3-4 years
Gear drive trans - every 5-10 years

 

[Everettlee]

For those hours ---
Air cooled engine - at least once a year
Hydro - every 3-4 years
Gear drive trans - every 5-10 years

Those are reasonable times
I think I will change all no matter how long it has been then I can easily keep track….. as long as I refrain from adding to the collection

 

[bjames]

Years ago cost and environmental factors weren't much of an issue.
The oils now are supposed to last longer between changes. It's not cheap to change your oil anymore.

 

[dschwandt]

Those are reasonable times
I think I will change all no matter how long it has been then I can easily keep track….. as long as I refrain from adding to the collection

Start a card file for maintenance on each tractor.
Then forget where you put it!!
Works for me!!

 

[Everettlee]

Start a card file for maintenance on each tractor.
Then forget where you put it!!
Works for me!!

I do the final card system with my rifles. That way I know how many rounds have been fired, I never consider doing it with garden tractors. The garden tractor obsession is only a few years old for me, or Rifle’s has been for 40 years.

 

[kzintner]

A white board and a white board marker works too also you can add reminder notes.

 

[jpaulus]

I do service for 2 lawn care people. When I service their mowers I use a SHARPIE & note the hours date and service in a convenient location on the mower. The owner then knows when & what was done. AND Hopefully when to bring it back for service again. So far it works.

 

[dfrisk]

I keep a notebook to log maintenance done. Oil changes especially. I also stick to an oil & filter change every 25 running hours. The 10 & 14 hp Kohlers only take shat, 1-1/2 quarts, the Onan & Kawasaki both have filters and take 2 or 2-1/2 quarts. On the Tank zero turn I've kept yearly rub cards, and log days I mow, and how much and which tractor, years past I'd use my #72 sometimes and the 982 sometimes. Everything except the #70 has hour meters and and the hours when serviced get logged in my oil change notebook.
Dad had a little notebook he kept in the one enclosed storage area under the gasoline storage barrel with the oil, fuel and oil filters and grease tubes. The old FARMALL M's and H's didn't have hour meters but we ball-parked the run times and serviced accordingly and it worked. When we got newer tractors like the Farmall 450 gas, we'd log the hours for oil/filter change and just grease things occasionally. The 4010 diesel was an exception, when we first got the 4010 and plowed with it first spring it was burning 4-5 quarts of oil per tank of fuel, Dad would keep mental track of my field time and run out 2 quarts of oil and a can of soda for me and we'd do a "running pit stop", add the 2 quarts of oil while idling the engine. When we did lighter work like cultivating I burned less fuel AND oil, a major engine overhaul stopped the tractors excessive oil addiction.
May of 1968 Dad traded my '39 H for a '54 Super H the Big Time Operator had had since 1955, it was traded for a brand new 756 diesel, I bought the parts needed to install a tach & hour meter on it and it was serviced by the hour meter, we put around 250 hours a year on it. Now days as my #1 snow mover it gets around 4-5 hours a year and oil & filter & greased every 3-4-5 years.

 

[Everettlee]

Thank you for the replies and ideas
Just to put a pic on this post. I spent quality time in the garden with my 782

If anyone has a guard for the tiller belt please send a pm

 

[dschwandt]

Seems they are MIA in a lot of cases.

I had to make mine.

 

[HKCooper44]

Start a card file for maintenance on each tractor.
Then forget where you put it!!
Works for me!!

I use a Sharpie and write the hobbsmeter hours on the inside of the hood.

 

[Doug Rusk]

I use a sharpie and write on the filter when it was changed, date, hours, miles whatever the case may be. Of course on machines with no filter an alternate would be needed.

 

[tkhoffman]

I have Loose Leafs for all my stuff. Dates, mileage, hours when maintenance stuff was done. I have a few sheets with NAPA or Advanced Auto part numbers of maintenance parts.

 

[user 19288]

I use a sharpie and write on the filter when it was changed, date, hours, miles whatever the case may be. Of course on machines with no filter an alternate would be needed.

Same here. I do the same even on my vehicles. I log it into the respective owners/service manual also. The vehicles get the windshield stickers too.

 

[kzintner]

I use a white and corresponding marker mounted on garage wall for Z turn, Cub, and truck

 

[tkhoffman]

Same here. I do the same even on my vehicles. I log it into the respective owners/service manual also. The vehicles get the windshield stickers too.

Ha, my owners manuals only leave a few pages of blank pages. I keep my cars and appliances way longer then the pages provided.

 

[user 19288]

Ha, my owners manuals only leave a few pages of blank pages. I keep my cars and appliances way longer then the pages provided.

I write small and orderly My current F150 I’ve had 5 years and that’s a record for me. Had the Camry 2 so there’s plenty of room for records in both manuals. Company vehicles saved a lot of miles and maintenance costs but now I’m retired for the last time