Latest News From Shops

Deciding how big and what structure type to use when building a farm shop involves decisions that echo for years to come. From ceiling clearance to door options, contractors offer tips to minimize second-guessing.

Oil and fluid testing answers both short- and long-term questions about the internal condition of engines, transmissions and hydraulic systems.

Water alone will cool engines, but “coolant” improves cooling system performance.

The first steps when building a farm shop are site selection and site preparation. Here are the necessary considerations, a few of which are sometimes overlooked.

Don’t pull the radiator until you’ve replaced the radiator cap.

Replacing worn closing wheel frame bushings on planters is a recurring expense and chore. The kits work well, and they aren’t hard to install.

7 ways to make an acetylene torch slice rather than mangle metal.

A new version of the chop saw is quickly relegating those original soot-covered noise machines to the back corners of farm shops.

Here are some tips and tricks about U-joint maintenance and repair.

Go ahead and buy the special pliers or tools to remove those annoying plastic fasteners. You might as well order a bag or box of replacement rivets, too, because trying to reuse those rivets is a waste of time. 

Inverter welders are not for welding structural steel all day long. But for repairs around the farm, their economical cost, light weight and ability to use 120-volt or 220-volt power supplies make them practical.

When should dielectric grease be used? What is dielectric grease? Why should you care? Talk to lubrication experts or specialists who work on electronic systems and you’ll get a dozen confusing answers.

That box of assorted rubber O-rings under the workbench in your shop might supply the cure to leaky hydraulic connections, or it might just interrupt the leak for a day or two.

Arc welders rarely wear out, but they can become out of date. Here’s a look at modern welding options for farm shops.

Using WD-40 or motor oil on drill bits to lubricate and cool the tip results in an oily mess. Add a drill bit lube stick to your Christmas List, rather than another pair of socks, this year.

After botching many welding jobs, Dan Anderson has established baselines for any weld he now attempts. For example, positioning his helmet closer versus further from the arc allows him to better monitor the weld puddle.

Sometimes it’s necessary to do things that aren’t by the book to get crippled machinery moving again. Here's how Dan Anderson used a penny and a dime to fix a hydraulic cylinder on a folding spray boom.

A sheet of copper or aluminum roof flashing, a couple hours in the shop and an internet pattern can allow even a fumble-fingered klutz to make a present that has the appeal of roses and the durability of sheet metal.

According to lubrication experts, some of the additives in modern lubricants might settle to the bottom of a container during long periods of storage. Does that indicate a problem?

Twist drill bits, carbide-tipped hole saws and annular cutters will do the trick when you need to make big bores.

There are many misunderstandings about grease guns. Here are several helpful tips.

After decades of making service calls and visiting farmers' shops, here are a few simple yet clever ideas I have run across.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In the case of this photo, the damage is obvious while the mind is left to wonder what the mechanic on his cell phone is saying to the person on the other end.

Every experience is a learning experience — even when a combine is stuck in a gully.

When warm, corn head grease is near liquid, which allows it to flow into all the nooks and crannies of oddly shaped gearcases. So, to live long and prosper, the answer is yes.

A new generation of portable, battery-powered air compressors fit behind the seat of a pickup.

Welding arcs aren’t as illuminating as they seem. A special light designed for welding and a good welding helmet can help.

Dan Anderson has used ethanol in all his vehicles and recently fell into information that expanded his knowledge of the flex fuel.

Big tools, such as ¾-inch impact wrenches and 1,000 lb.-ft. torque wrenches, are impressive, but many jobs are rescued or made easier by small specialized tools.

Are you pouring concrete this summer? A pro shares advice to improve the quality of the finished product.

Whether you use a vise, hammer and socket, or special tool to repair U-joints, be careful how you reassemble and install them.

Don’t do what Dan Anderson did. Learn from his mistakes when it comes to lubricants, torque and double checking your work.

My father’s rule was, “Never walk past a grease zerk without greasing it.”

I’ve had opportunities lately to talk with chemical engineers and mechanical engineers about greases and lubrication. Here are some tidbits that caught my interest.

What is the most useful tool you own? Not the most expensive tool, not the coolest tool, but the tool you couldn’t get along without?

Two service calls to malfunctioning planters 30-plus years ago remind mechanic Dan Anderson of how far pre-season preparation and maintenance has come.

A new generation of metal cutting tools span the divide between hacksaw simplicity/economy to plasma cutter precision/price.

Sometimes engine oil, transmission or fuel filters resist removal. As the frustration level rises, there is a succession of alternate tools to try.

Few would consider a brush a mechanic’s tool, but most professional mechanics have a range of brushes to help with unique cleaning needs.

I salute those fearless farmer-mechanics. They build their own splitting stands, they figure out how to diagnose hydraulic flow and pressure problems and tackle large-scale repairs.

Even if we’ve done it every year for decades, it never hurts to have a primer to jog our memories about basic planter maintenance measurements.

From positive to negative, or from negative to positive? Depending on your viewpoint, it can flow either way.

Many farm shops now function at the level of a commercial repair shop. Here are options to increase the efficiency of shops that hum with activity 12 months a year.

Not all planter problems are as they first appear. Here is a guide to those less-common culprits.

Cleaning oil and grease, baked by engine or transmission heat, can be especially challenging. Here are some options.

Picture this... a light bulb in the barn burns out. Here's how farmers in five age brackets respond.

A lot of farmers buy a voltmeter but never gain confidence in how to use it. Here are the basics.

Don’t fall for “mouse milk” salesmen with miracle lubricants. Here are facts about oils and greases.

New ring and cylinder wall metallurgy, combined with improved break-in oils, require different strategies.

Research into the origins of common shop tools produces interesting results. Let's take a look.