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The Secrets to Better-Looking, Stronger Welds

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 20:49:47 GMT

Most farmers can lay welds that are functional, if not “beautiful.” Here are seven tips to improve both the quality and appearance of welds:

The flux on the exterior of welding electrodes absorbs moisture from the air. Even if the flux doesn’t look swollen or flaky, it can have enough moisture to corrupt welds. Degraded flux causes sputtering arcs or bubbly welds. Many farm supply stores sell round, plastic tubes with threaded, O-ring-sealed plastic caps that protect welding rods from atmospheric moisture.

The flux on arc welding electrodes absorbs moisture. Store them in sealed, moisture proof containers.
(Dan Anderson)
Spools of welding wire inside MIG welders are somewhat susceptible to corrosion due to humidity, especially if not used frequently or if stored in buildings susceptible to condensation on chilly mornings. Dirty welding wire feeds erratically and makes it difficult to maintain a steady arc. Welding supply stores sell felt “wipers” that clip over the welding wire just ahead of the welder’s wire-feed assembly to remove minor corrosion.
Always lay out the cable between a MIG welder and the welding site with as few curves or loops as possible. If the arc of a MIG welder starts stuttering, or the wire feeds from the nozzle erratically, make sure the wire-feed cable doesn’t have a tight loop that restricts wire movement.

All welders perform better when grounded to bared metal. MIG welders require it. This professional welder gets his face close to his work for improved vision; uses a welding glove to stabilize his MIG welder’s nozzle, has a small, portable light shining on his work area.
(Dan Anderson)
MIG welding requires unpainted, uncorroded, clean metal surfaces and works best if the ground clamp grips bare metal within 6' of the welding point. Difficulty initiating an arc, or a weak arc while welding, is symptomatic of a poor ground when MIG welding.
Control of the pool of molten metal at the arc is critical whether arc or MIG welding. For that reason, professional welders get up close and personal to their work, often positioning their welding mask only a 1' or 2' from the arc. It is human nature to keep the intense, superheated arc at arm’s length, but welds improve if the welder can see clearly what they’re doing.

(Darrell Smith)
Welders who wear glasses, especially with bifocal or trifocal lenses, often have trouble seeing the pool while welding. Welding supply stores sell magnifying lenses for welding helmets that can improve vision while welding. Some bifocal or trifocal wearers get better welds by removing their glasses before welding and holding their face closer to the weld to gain clearer vision.
Welding gloves not only protect hands from sparks and sunburn, but they also allow a welder to steady a welding rod or MIG nozzle with their free hand. One-handing a MIG nozzle or welding electrode creates unsteady arcs and erratic welds.

Stop the Drip: How to Diagnose and Repair Hydraulic Valve Block Leaks

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 20:19:17 GMT

Main hydraulic valve block leaks on wing-fold planters, multifold spray booms or auto-depth tillage tools can be frustrating to diagnose but are normally easy to repair.

Slow leaks can be pinpointed by thoroughly cleaning and drying the area of the leak with contact cleaner or carburetor cleaner. Then you can toss a handful of planter talc on the suspected fitting or valve. If you operate the machine’s hydraulics several times, even the smallest, slowest leak will show up as a small area of discolored talc.

It’s important to use the correct design and type of O-ring during repairs. Types and chemistries of O-rings are not interchangeable. There are two designs and multiple rubber chemistries of O-rings used with agricultural fluid fittings.

Flat-face O-rings are designed for use with O-ring face seal (ORFS) fittings, which have an O-ring groove machined into the flat end of one side of matched fittings.

Always lubricate a flat-face fitting’s O-ring during installation to prevent galling the O-ring when the fitting is tightened.
During installation, the nut on a flat-face fitting should initially tighten easily, then rapidly increase and reach final torque in one-quarter to one-half turn. A slow increase to final torque indicates a pinched or out-of-place O-ring.

Any O-ring is not the right O-ring. Here’s a flat-face O-ring (L) versus a standard O-ring (R).

(Dan Anderson)

Standard O-rings are used on straight-thread O-ring fittings, which come with a metal flat washer, hex nut and an O-ring preinstalled on the fitting.

To install a straight-thread O-ring fitting, back the nut and flat washer away from the O-ring on the fitting.
Install the male-threaded end of the fitting into the port of the hydraulic component being repaired until the fitting is hand-tight against its washer and O-ring.
If the fitting is a 45-degree or 90-degree fitting that must be aligned in a specific orientation, rotate the fitting no more than one revolution back from hand-tight to allow alignment.
Once properly oriented, tighten the fitting’s nut to press the flat washer against the O-ring to both seal the fitting and lock it into alignment.

Standard-style nitrile O-rings are made of acrylonitrile and butadiene and used in hydraulic and fuel systems. They are often marketed as NBR or Buna O-rings.

Standard-style fluorocarbon rubber O-rings, commonly labeled Viton, are often used in the wet systems on crop sprayers. They meet the same pressure and temperature standards as nitrile O-rings, but they are also designed to withstand caustic chemicals.

Colors often indicate the performance standards of O-rings:

Black can be nitrile or Viton.
Brown O-rings are Viton.
Rust-red O-rings are often used in low-pressure air systems on planters and air seeders and are not recommended for use in high-pressure systems.

Slippery Subject: What Anti-Seize Should Really Be Used For

Thu, 29 May 2025 20:31:00 GMT

Anti-seize compound is a mysterious necessity in farm shops. We know we need it for special situations but aren’t exactly sure what those situations are.

Here are some facts:

Anti-seize compound is not recommended to be used as merely a lubricant. The compound is designed to prevent parts that don’t move after installation — nuts, bolts and gears keyed on shafts — from seizing, galling or welding themselves together.
The critical components of anti-seize products are powdered or flaked copper, nickel, aluminum or other metals. They are suspended in a grease carrier. That grease carrier has lubricative qualities during the installation of nuts, bolts and components. Because of that, final torque values of nuts and bolts treated with anti-seize should be reduced by 20% to 30%.
Copper anti-seize is rated to 1,800°F. Nickel anti-seize (silver in color) withstands temperatures up to 2,600°F, making it a universal product for exhaust systems.
In years past, it was recommended to use anti-seize on the threads of steel spark plugs that had been installed in aluminum cylinder heads to prevent galvanic corrosion between the different metals. NGK, Autolite and AC Delco now specifically advise against using anti-seize on their spark plugs. They recommend installing spark plugs “dry” to specified torque values to prevent overtightening and damaging threads that could trigger galvanic corrosion.

None of the engineers interviewed for this story had an explanation for why using even a small dab of anti-seize ends up blotching the arms, clothes and even the face of anyone using it.

“We’ve never heard complaints or experienced any issues with anti-seize making messes,” was a common response.

They’ve apparently never been around a farmer who applied anti-seize during maintenance or repairs.

When Not to Use Anti-Seize

Moving Parts: Avoid using anti-seize on components that move against each other after installation, like ball bearings, shafts and bushings, as metal flakes can cause failure.

Sliding Components: Do not apply anti-seize on sliding parts such as brake caliper slide pins, as the metal content can wear down surfaces.

Oscillating Parts: For components that do not rotate fully — like planter arms, loader pivot pins or sprayer booms — use EP molybdenum grease instead. Anti-seize is intended for stationary parts.

Copper Anti-Seize on Stainless Steel: Copper anti-seize can trigger galvanic corrosion on stainless steel. Choose a compatible alternative.

Pro Mechanic's Insider Secret to Speeding Up Repairs

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 20:22:38 GMT

Farmers and professional mechanics have the same basic tools, but professionals often have more specialty tools to save them time and/or make repairs easier. Here are five you could get for a small investment:

Tire Valve Stem Extensions

Valve stems on Budd wheels, dual wheels and some equipment wheels can be in plain sight, but at just enough angle so it’s impossible to get a tire pressure gauge or air chuck on the Schrader valve. A tire valve extension kit from Seaplenn includes 45°, 90° and 135° extensions and is listed on Amazon for $13.99.

(Amazon.com, Seaplenn)

Radiator Hose Removal Tools

If hose removal tools are used only for removing radiator hoses, they’re under-used. The 45°, 90° and 135° hooks on the ends of the tools have hundreds of uses like pulling wiring harnesses from dashboards, hooking hoses or wiring inside frame tubes or retrieving a floating glove or wipe from a sprayer tank. A six-piece set with extra angles and bends lists for $60 at Harbor Freight or other specialty outlets.

(HarborFreight,com, Icon)

Ratcheting Snap Ring Pliers

These pliers make removing and installing snap rings up to 3" both safer and easier. An $84 set of Neiko Heavy-Duty 16" Snap Ring pliers have ratcheting mechanisms to maintain tension on inside or outside snap rings during removal and installation, with 16" cushioned handles for the leverage needed to conquer big snap rings.

(Amazon.com, Neiko)

Wrench Extenders

This tool doesn’t make sense until you need one, like when it’s impossible to get a socket and breaker bar onto a really stubborn bolt or nut in tight quarters. Slip a wrench extender over the handle of a standard open end/closed end wrench and gain 16" to 24" of leverage. Prices on Amazon range from $30 to $70, depending on the quality and length of the tool.

(Amazon.com)

Retractable Test Leads

Retractable test leads simplify testing of long wiring harnesses. They take minimal space in a tool box, stretch to 30' and have insulated alligator clips on the ends of the wires. Much better than digging out from under the workbench a tangled wad of leftover electrical wire and using it for testing. Get one for $25 on Amazon.

(Amazon.com, Cal-Hawk)

Your Next Read: Before You Panic: How to Fix Simple Machine Issues

Brand Name Vs. Generic: Tools By Any Other Name

Wed, 05 Feb 2025 22:29:59 GMT

There are a few tools commonly used on farms that literally aren’t made the way they used to be made, including Vise-Grips and Channellock.

Vise-Grips were invented in 1923 by blacksmith William S. Petersen in Dewitt, Neb. The tool was popular with local farmers, and by WWII it was so widely accepted the U.S. military provided Vise-Grips to its mechanics. Veterans spread the word, and Vise-Grips became a standardized tool across the U.S.

In Europe, locking pliers are called mole grips or mole pliers because they were first manufactured by the M.K. Mole and Son Tool Company — shortly after Petersen released his Vise-Grips.

Petersen’s family-owned company was eventually bought out, and the Vise-Grip-brand is now owned by Irwin Tools. Some professional mechanics believe old Vise-Grips work better than new ones. They scour auctions and pawn shops for Vise-Grips stamped with “DeWitt, Neb.” They also covet Vise-Grips with the locking lever held in place by a roll pin instead of newer versions that attach the lever with a rivet.

Vintage Vise-Grips made in the original factory in DeWitt, Neb., are identified by “Petersen Manufacturing, DeWitt, NEBR” in the logo and by a roll pin that attaches the release handle. Newer Vise-Grips are missing the hometown logo and use a rivet rather than a roll pin to affix the release handle.

(Dan Anderson)

The Tool That Defined Jaws

Just as Vise-Grip has come to mean any locking plier, Channellock now refers to any pair of pliers that have adjustable jaws. Channellock pliers have roots in a blacksmith shop run by George DeArment, which eventually became Champion-DeArment Tool Company. Chief engineer Howard Manning developed a pair of pliers with a unique tongue-and-groove, adjustable hinge point that were patented as Channellock pliers in 1935.

The popularity of the adjustable pliers spawned knockoffs until “Channellock” became a generic term, similar to Kleenex and Chapstick. To protect the brand, Champion-DeArment changed its name to Channellock in 1963.

Channellock pliers have roots in a blacksmith shop run by George DeArment, which eventually became Champion-DeArment Tool Company. Chief engineer Howard Manning developed a pair of pliers with a unique tongue-and-groove, adjustable hinge point that were patented as Channellock pliers in 1935.

(Dan Anderson)

A similar problem occurred for the Crescent Tool Company, which was founded in Jamestown, N.Y., in 1907. Adjustable wrenches were common, but the Crescent Adjustable Wrench featured a patented screw-mechanism that eventually led to them being standard issue in many military tool boxes throughout WWII. As with Vise-Grips, WWII exposed military mechanics to the value of Crescent wrenches, and after the war they found homes in many civilian toolboxes.

There are now many types of adjustable wrenches for sale. But only adjustable wrenches from the Crescent Tool Company carry the company’s trademark that guarantees they are Crescent-brand wrenches.

Your Next Read: Why Are Some Wrenches More Expensive Than Others?

Why Are Some Wrenches More Expensive Than Others?

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 21:17:30 GMT

Is a chromed wrench with a mirror finish stronger than a satin-finish wrench? Is it necessary to have both chrome and impact sockets? Is there any benefit to a dead-blow hammer?

Those are good questions that deserve answers:

Hand wrenches come with three basic finishes:

Chrome
Satin
Industrial

They all start out with an identical chunk of steel alloyed with chrome vanadium. The only difference is the type of finish they get.

Satin
A Brand X satin-finish wrench is as strong as that brand’s chrome-finish wrench.

Industrial
Wrenches with black industrial finishes are designed for use in factories. They are more economical, but corrode more easily if used outdoors.

Chrome

“Impact sockets,” the dull black sockets recommended for use with impact wrenches, are made from chrome-molybdenum steel. Chrome-moly sockets have more give than chrome vanadium sockets, allowing them to stand up to the hammering of impact wrenches.
Chrome sockets are built with thinner walls to access tighter spaces when used with hand tools. Those thin walls, combined with the slightly brittle nature of chrome vanadium, can crack if used with an impact wrench.

Jaw design can influence the strength of open-end wrenches.

“Every so often some wrench manufacturer comes out with a V-shape in the back of the jaws on their open-end wrenches,” says Tom Clark, Wright Tools engineer. “Anywhere there’s a sharp corner in steel, it can create a stress riser, and those V-shaped wrenches can have problems with cracking at the V.”

Vintage coarse-toothed socket wrenches withstood more torque than their fine-toothed counterparts because a single, thick pawl was stronger than a single, thinner pawl. But manufacturers figured out how to have multiple, smaller teeth on the pawl mechanism to give strength nearly equal to coarse-toothed pawls. Today’s quality ratchet wrenches “purr” rather than “rattle” when twisted.

Dead-blow hammers have a cavity inside their head partially filled with lead shot. When the hammer is swung, the shot shift to the rear of the cavity. On impact, inertia drives the shot toward the striking surface, adding force to the blow a split second after the initial impact. The secondary impact also reduces rebound.

As a test, allow a dead-blow and a solid-head hammer to free-fall so their heads simultaneously hit an anvil. The dead-blow hammer consistently rebounds less.

Personal experience indicates the force; i.e., pain, from dead-blow or solid-head hammers smacking a finger is pretty much the same.

Your Next Read — Getting Snippy: Tips for Smooth Cuts in Sheet Metal

Getting Snippy: Tips for Smooth Cuts in Sheet Metal

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 20:17:11 GMT

Cutting metal flashing or sheet metal with tin snips need not be a bloody job, nor leave ragged, warped metal edges. A pair of leather gloves prevents bloodshed, and a few tips about the different types of tin snips and how to use them can produce smooth, accurate cuts.

Sheet metal snips come in multiple designs, but here are four snips commonly found in farm shops.

Tin snips, aka “bulldog snips,” are the forged, straight-jawed sheet metal cutters handed down from your grandpa. They make straight cuts well and can do limited curved cuts.

Traditional tin snips, aka “bulldog snips,” cut straight, left and right, but they might leave rougher edges than aviation snips.

Aviation snips come in three designs: left, right and straight.

Left snips have red handles, are often marked with an “L” on the side of their jaws, and work well to cut curves to the left.

Right snips have green handles along with an “R” on the side of their jaws. They’re designed to cut curves to the right.

Straight snips can have black or yellow handles, are marked with an “S,” and can cut straight as well as gentle left or right curves.

There are strategies to get the best results from aviation snips:

When making cuts with left or right snips, one side of the cut is the “waste” side and will tend to curl up and away from the cut. Even with straight snips, one side of the cut will be more distorted than the other.
Avoid cutting all the way to the tips of a snip’s jaws. The tip of a snip’s jaws overlap slightly, which causes a pucker at the end of each full cut.

Cutting to the tips of the jaws leaves a pucker in the cut edge.

Aviation snips have a small ramp built into the left or right jaw just ahead of the pivot bolt. The ramp lifts the waste side away from the cut and over the pivot bolt, making it possible to cut a curve while leaving the desired edge flat and unpuckered.

Left and right aviation snips have small ramps designed into one of their jaws to curve waste metal up and away from the cut.

When possible, cut near the edge of a piece of tin so the curled waste is narrow enough to easily manipulate away from the cut.

Cutting close to the edge of a sheet allows any tin snip — left, right

or straight — to peel up a narrow, easily managed strip of waste metal.

Before attempting complex cuts with multiple curves or angles, trim away excess metal on the waste side of the cut so the waste area is narrowed and easily bends away from the cut.

Removing large areas of waste metal inside a curve before making a final allows better control of a narrow waste strip.

The jaws of snips should always be perpendicular to the surface of the metal. There is a tendency when cutting curves to lean the snip in the direction of the curve. This encourages the snip to “gnaw” the metal rather than cleanly shear it.

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Machinery Inspections: DIY Versus A Dealership Mechanic

Wed, 11 Dec 2024 22:01:24 GMT

Many equipment dealerships offer annual inspections of tractors, combines, planters and other big-ticket machinery. For a flat fee, a dealership mechanic checks all aspects of the machine, then gives its owner a list of suggested repairs.

Some farmers value annual inspections. Others consider them a rip-off and a waste of money. Here are my experiences and opinion.

After college I spent 15 years as the equipment manager for a large corporate farm. We had a nice shop and employees who were excellent mechanics. Aside from complete engine and transmission overhauls, we did our own repairs. We were confident we could check machines for leaks, cracks and worn components and the mechanics at the local dealership could do the same. Our machinery costs were consistently below Iowa State University’s annual average estimate of machinery cost per acre.

Circumstances changed, and I’ve spent the past 30 years as a mechanic at a large farm equipment dealership. I admit, because of my on-farm experience, I did my first inspection of a combine with extreme confidence. I’d checked all the belts, found a couple loose bearings and spotted some worn sprockets. I’d checked everything I’d ever seen go wrong with a combine.

Then a veteran tech wandered past the machine, paused and asked, “Did you check the half-moon keys inside the variable-speed feederhouse sheaves?”

“Umm … half-moon keys … inside the feederhouse sheaves …?

“Yeah, and the wooden bearing block under the cab that supports the inner end of the upper tailings elevator auger?”

“Umm … not yet …”

He nodded and walked away. Message delivered, lesson learned.

An average farmer is familiar with fixing the breakdowns they’ve seen on their machines. Dealership mechanics are familiar with problems they’ve seen on dozens, maybe hundreds, of machines. Plus, the dealership gets service bulletins from the equipment manufacturer about known or developing problems on machines reported by mechanics across the country.

Prevention vs. Repair
Annual inspections are by nature nit-picky. The goal is to find every potential problem, from damaged decals to coolant in the engine oil sample.

We don’t expect the machine’s owner to have us fix everything we point out. We just want customers to be aware of things that could be fixed. It’s entirely up to the customer whether they take the machine home and fix all or some of the problems themselves, whether we fix all or some of the problems, or whether they decide, “It’ll run another year.”

The big thing is we don’t want the machine to break down in the field. Preventing breakdowns is as much a part of our job as repairing breakdowns. .

Inside AgRevolution: AGCO’s Bold Mobile Service Play Pledges ‘Farmers First’

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 19:47:34 GMT

Intent on building out a new dealer service strategy for its family of equipment brands, AGCO quietly approached equipment industry pro Stacy Anthony to see if he’d be willing to take on the reimagined dealer network’s CEO role.

The affable-yet-intense farm kid from Kansas was undoubtedly interested, but he wasn’t going to be an easy sell. Anthony recalls three non-negotiables he shared with AGCO executives before agreeing to put pen to paper and go all-in:

The project had to be “something different” than the traditional equipment dealer business model.
He wanted to take the repair and maintenance aspects of the dealer business “straight to the farm, and even to a farmer’s field.”
The new business model needed to embrace an “all makes mindset.”

AGCO president and CEO Eric Hansotia huddled his team of executives and eventually they agreed Anthony was the man for the job.

(Related - Planting A Flag: AGCO All-In On Mixed-Fleet Aftermarket Ag Tech)

A New Era of On-Farm Service
AgRevolution was officially launched in 2021, a time when the world was slowly but surely crawling out from underneath the soul-crushing weight of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fast forward three years and AgRevolution today features 13 dealer locations dispatching service technicians in shiny, well-appointed half ton pickups around the Ohio Valley region to diagnose and wrench on machines.

Anthony says roughly 90% of the jobs his service technicians undertake are finished either on-farm or right there in the farmer’s field. That age-old logistical nightmare of how to get this giant but currently inoperable machine several miles up the road to the nearest dealer shop, has been taken off the broad shoulders of the farmers who call on AgRevolution for repairs and service.

AgRevolution field service tech Steve Bowers uploads a firmware update to a customer’s Fendt 940 tractor on a farm just outside of Urbana, Ohio, in October.

(Matthew J. Grassi)

The concept got off to a shaky start though, not unlike most rookie campaigns. AGCO’s finance team projected the business would lose $1 million. Anthony and his team did what most farmers do in times of peril: they tightened their belts and focused on what they could do to effect positive change. It all eventually worked out and the AgRev team ended up flipping that dismal profit projection on its head, creating a surprise profit that most in the company didn’t think possible at the time.

Today, AgRevolution has invested $7-million-plus into a fleet of over 50 mobile service trucks, and the initiative just expanded into Ohio with five locations around the Buckeye State. Overall AgRevolution revenues are up 400% since year one, Anthony says, and revenues are up 49% from last year.

While it was his ideation that birthed this innovative service model, the humble Kansas native is quick to deflect credit to the guys in the AgRev hats out in the field everyday.

AgRev field service techs (above left) complete 90% of their tasks on-farm with a fleet of well-appointed mobile service trucks.

(AGCO/AgRevolution)

“Our service technicians and the relationships they have with farmers, that’s what has really helped us grow and expand,” Anthony says as we walk around AgRevolution’s newest location in Urbana, Ohio.

Even before its Nov. 1 grand opening, service technicians and sales pros out of the Urbana, Ohio, office were servicing local farmers’ machines for a couple months as they worked on getting the main office ready.

Going on a Service Call
Steve Bowers, a field service technician and Ohio farm kid, let Farm Journal tag along on a quick service call to get a feel for how it all worked. He says farmers in his community love the responsiveness and ease of doing business with AgRevolution, not to mention the fact that AgRev techs are brand agnostic: They’ll come out and fix your Fendt combine, or your Massey Ferguson tractor, and if you’ve got a broken down John Deere sprayer you can’t get to the local dealer, they’ll fix that, too.

The service call we witnessed was routine: Bowers needed to update the operating system on the farmer’s Fendt 940 tractor because the machine was having trouble maintaining connectivity. The adjustment handle on the cab air seat had also been broken off and needed replaced.

AgRevolution field service tech Steve Bowers let Farm Journal tag along as he diagnosed and repaired a couple minor issues on this Fendt 940 tractor.

(Matthew J. Grassi )

Bowers said he would order the new seat handle at the end of day, and it would show up either later that night or first thing the next morning at his house. With the part in hand, he can go straight to the customer’s farm to fix the seat before heading off on his service calls for the day. AgRevolution can also send larger parts straight to the farm so they’re waiting for Bowers when he arrives.

Hear It Straight From a Service Tech
We asked Bowers if there are repair jobs he prefers over others, as one would guess doing software updates might not rank very highly. Bowers said his favorite machines to work on are combines. Since there are so many moving parts and systems, it’s more of a brain stimulating challenge than some other jobs.

As we climbed out of the tractor cab after Bowers completed his work, Anthony didn’t mince words when asked what he thinks puts the “Rev” (think vroom vroom) behind the AgRevolution brand.

“It’s guys like Steve here, the guy wants to service a customer no matter what it takes, because he lives in this community and doesn’t want to leave a neighbor hanging,” Anthony says. “Before his service truck even arrived, I got a picture from one of the guys and it’s Steve out in a field standing on the roof of his wife’s minivan working on a combine.

“That’s the heart of what trust, commitment and resilience is, to do whatever you have to do at any cost to take care of the farmer,” he adds. “Guys like Steve help us build companies like this; you can’t do it without people like that and they’re highly, highly sought after.”

Your Next Read: New Names Surface for Trump’s Possible Pick for Secretary of Agriculture

Portable Heaters: Heat Where You Need It On the Farm

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 18:21:48 GMT

If “portable heater” brings to mind an ancient kerosene-fueled torpedo heater belching flame and acrid smoke, there’s good news. Modern portable heaters offer clean, efficient options for heating work areas on even the coldest days.

Portable heaters were previously rated only by BTUs of output, which doesn’t directly answer the question of how big of an area they can heat. Manufacturers still offer the BTU outputs of many portable heaters, but now offer more understandable rating options for laymen.

“A lot of modern portable heaters are rated by the square footage they can warm,” says Mr. Heater’s Brian Moten. “BTUs can mislead you. Square footage gives you a better idea of what the heater can heat efficiently.”

Along with more informative heat ratings, modern portable heaters offer expanded fuel and design options:

Radiant heaters heat surfaces, which then warm the surrounding air. A person immediately feels the heat from radiant heaters on their skin. Tools, workbenches and machinery within the arc of a radiant heater’s reflector warm quickly.

“The initial reach of radiant heat is about 20’ but extends as warmed objects reflect heat,” says Scott Carter with Sunfire Heaters. “Radiant heat is ideal for poorly insulated shops, pole barns or areas with high ceilings.

Radiant heaters are fueled by propane, natural gas, diesel fuel or kerosene. A 70,000 BTU Mr. Heater radiant heater with a 2.75-gal. diesel/kerosene fuel tank will heat 1,750 sq. ft. (42’x42’). A 150,000 BTU Sunfire radiant heater with a 19-gal. diesel fuel tank is rated to heat 3,600 sq. ft. (60’x60’)

(Dyna-Glo)

Forced Air Heaters

Forced air heaters similar to the old torpedo heaters use a high-velocity fan to distribute heat from a high-output burner. Modern diesel/kerosene-fueled torpedo heaters use integrated circuitry to produce clean, smoke-free heat. A hand-carried Mr. Heater torpedo heater with a 6-gal. fuel tank, rated at 80,000 BTU, will warm 2,000 sq. ft. (44’x 44’). A contractor-grade Dyna-Glo torpedo heater with a 50-gallon fuel tank, rated at 650,000 BTU will heat an area of 13,560 sq. ft. (116’x115’).

(Mr. Heater, Master)

Forced Air Radiant Heaters

Forced air radiant heaters uses a radiant heating element along with a fan that circulates
warmed air. They combine the surface-heating warmth of radiant heat with the air circulation of forced air heaters, but rarely exceed 100,000 BTU output. A hand-carried Master-brand 80,000 BTU diesel/kerosene forced air radiant heater with a 4-gallon fuel tank can warm 2,000 sq. ft. (44’x44’).

(Comfort Zone)

Electric Forced Air Heaters

Electric forced air heaters, such as the ubiquitous “milk house heater,” use an electric heating element to provide heat with a small fan to distribute the warmed air. Small, 120-volt, 1,500-watt, 5,120 BTU milk house heaters are rated to heat 125 sq. ft. (11’x11’). Portable electric forced air heaters often used on construction sites run on 240-volt circuits and are rated at up to 34,000 BTUs and heat up to 1,500 sq. ft. (38’x38’.)

Your Next Read – Farm Shop Insulation: 15 Pro Tips to Maintain a Cozy Temp

Farm Shop Insulation: 15 Pro Tips to Maintain a Cozy Temp

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 18:48:00 GMT

Talk to a farmer about building a farm shop, and you can pretty well tell what part of the country they’re from by how interested they are in insulation. Southern farmers are often indifferent to insulation, though the improved work environment provided by air-conditioned shops has made insulation increasingly popular in southern shops. Northern farmers, however, take insulation seriously when building a shop and need to be conversant about climate zones, R-factors, air/vapor barriers and other variables that dramatically influence the cost and efficiency of heating or cooling their shop.

Here are pro tips to consider when insulating a shop:

1. Optimal insulation of a building starts with its foundation. Shops with in-floor heating require sheet-foam beneath the entire concrete slab to act as a thermal break that prevents heat transfer between the slab and ground. Buildings without in-floor heat can benefit from foam sheets installed vertically around the perimeter of the slab to a depth of a couple feet to reduce heat loss into the surrounding soil. “Insulating the perimeter of a shop floor that doesn’t use floor-heat isn’t absolutely necessary, but is better than not insulating it,” says Nick Horstman, Morton buildings representative in central Iowa. “If you want to reduce heat loss over the building’s lifespan, laying insulation along the foundation is probably cost effective.”

2. R-value is a measure of how well a barrier such as a layer of insulation, a window pane or wall components resist the conductive flow of heat. Steel siding has an R-value of 0.61, ½" plywood has an R-value of 0.63, and a single-layer glass window is rated at 0.91. Higher insulation values come with fiberglass batts providing R-3 per inch of thickness, closed cell foam offering R-7 per inch, and blown cellulose yielding around R-3.85 per inch.

3. Air barriers and vapor barriers are adjuncts to some types of insulation. Air barriers control air infiltration and reduce drafts. Vapor barriers control the movement of water vapor to prevent condensation on or in walls and windows.

4. Fiberglass insulation provides economical insulation but for optimum results requires attention to detail during installation. “Fiberglass is not an air barrier,” says Dan Frisch, with Cullen Insulation, Fargo, N.D. “If you’re using fiberglass, the exterior sheeting needs to be air-sealed in some way to stop drafts and air infiltration.”

Rigid board insulation consists of solid foam boards that offer thermal and moisture resistance.

(Lori Hays)

5. Fiberglass insulation will absorb and hold moisture. Open cell foam absorbs and holds moisture. Closed cell foam is water resistant.

6. Open-cell spray foam can serve as an air barrier if applied in thicknesses greater than 3 3/4”. While open-cell foam tends to be a lower priced spray foam per inch of applied thickness, it requires thicker applications than closed-cell spray foam to achieve comparable R-values.

7. Closed-cell spray foam is a heavier, denser product that provides an R-7 value per inch of depth. “A 3" layer of closed-cell (foam) in a wall provides R-21, plus it’s a vapor barrier and air barrier,” Horstman says. “It really seals up a building. Plus, depending on the thickness after it cures, it can strengthen the exterior building envelope to some degree.”

8. Closed-cell spray foam sprayed on the inside of exterior sheet metal might make replacing damaged sheets difficult, nearly gluing them together. “If the bottom of a roof has been spray-foamed, for example, and gets significant hail damage,” Horstman says, “we’re finding it’s easier and more cost effective to just install new rows of purlins on top of the damaged roof and lay new sheet metal right over the old roof.”

9. Hybrid insulation packages combine spray foam, fiberglass batting and blown-in attic insulation for optimal economy and performance. “You can foam the walls with an inch or so of foam, fill the rest of the wall cavity with fiberglass batts, then blow insulation into the attic,” says Scott Bickett, Illinois Valley Insulation, Princeton, Ill. “The foam seals it, and the fiberglass does a good job insulating at an economical cost.”

10. Spraying an entire building with closed-cell foam is a one-and-done process, but it could also increase your heating bills when compared to a multistep insulation process. “If you just coat the inside of all the walls and the bottom of the roof with closed-cell foam, that means you’re heating the attic,” Bickett says. “In a big building, that’s a lot of space. We recommend insulating the walls, installing a ceiling on the bottom of the trusses, then blowing in fiberglass to get an R-30 value to keep from heating the attic. Compared to the cost of spray-foaming the extra square footage of the sloped bottom of the roof and the gable ends to R-21, you could put up a ceiling, spray just the walls, blow R-30 fiberglass above the ceiling rafters and avoid heating the attic, all for about the same money as spray-foaming everything.”

Spray foam may slightly buckle sheet metal thinner than 29 gauge. Foam expands as it dries, and pressure created by expanding foam between wooden poles and purlins can cause thin feet metal to buckle.

11. Spray foam could create warranty issues. “Some building manufacturers don’t want foam sprayed directly on steel siding,” Horstman says. “Especially if it’s lighter gauge sheet metal. As spray foam cures, it expands slightly, and that can create pressure between wooden framing and steel siding, causing thin siding to bow. Twenty-six gauge or thicker siding should be fine, but there could be issues in siding thinner than 29-gauge. To avoid this issue, we prep our building by putting housewrap or plywood inside the sheet metal for the foam to be sprayed on, to act as a break between the foam and exterior steel.”

12. Fiberglass insulation is fire retardant and could find favor with insurance agents for that reason. Because spray foams are not fire-retardant, most insurance companies require at least the lower 8' of foamed walls in farm shops be covered with sheet metal or plywood, or coated with a fire-retardant mastic/paint.

13. Any type of insulation, properly installed, will help keep a farm shop warm/cool. “Fiberglass is economical and does a great job if all surfaces are sealed against wind and air infiltration,” Frisch says. “Sprayed open-cell foam provides an air seal and has good R-value if applied thick enough. Closed-cell spray foam creates an air and vapor seal, and offers good R-value per inch of thickness. It’s up to the farmer to work with his building contractor and insulation installer to figure out which insulating system best fits their building, their climate zone and their budget.”

Air conditioning unit installed above a shop window.

(

Dan Anderson

)

14. Air-conditioned farm shops are gaining popularity as owners learn how much more productive they are on hot, humid days inside cooled shops. “Heating and air conditioning are pretty much the same when it comes to insulation,” Frisch says. “The only difference is where condensation develops if there’s not a vapor barrier.”

15. Money will buy R-value when it comes to your shop’s windows. “A double-pane window is more expensive,” Frisch explains, “but you won’t see as much condensation on the warm side of that window. The more separation you can get between warm and cold, the more heat you’ll hold inside the building.”

Your Next Read From Dan Anderson’s Shop Building Series:
Start Here When Building A Farm Shop

Expert Tips to Avoid Remorse When Designing A Farm Shop

Farm Shop Concrete: One Chance To Do It Right

Farm Shop Doors: Easy Access Doesn’t Come Easy

Farm Shop Lights: 9 Tips to Create a Bright Workspace

How to Use a Multimeter to Test for Voltage

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 18:28:17 GMT

While using a digital multimeter to diagnose electrical problems on customers’ equipment, I frequently hear the comment, “I’ve got one of those multimeter things, but I never learned how to use it.”

Here’s how to use a multimeter, a tool that measures electrical values, to test for voltage.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a $30 discount store special or a $1,000 Snap-on multimeter with 25 functions, a multimeter will come with two electrical leads. One is black. Plug it into the socket labeled “common” on the face of the multimeter. Plug the red electrical lead into the socket marked “VDC” in red, which translates as Direct Current (DC) voltage.

The black electrical lead is the ground wire for any testing. The red lead is used to test for 12 volts DC in powered wires or components.

The multimeter has a dial that can be turned to different settings. Identify the setting for DC voltage, often marked by a symbol of a couple dashes, indicating the unidirectional flow of direct current. A setting for testing AC voltage might be nearby, indicated by a wavy line representative of the alternating “waves” of AC voltage. Forget about the AC setting for now because mobile equipment generally runs on DC voltage.

Multimeter

(Dan Anderson)

With the multimeter turned on and the test leads plugged into their holes, find a car, truck, tractor or lawn mower with a 12-volt battery. Touch the black lead to the negative terminal and the red lead to the positive terminal. The meter’s display should read somewhere above 12 volts.

Now, with the black lead still on the negative terminal, visually follow the red positive battery cable to its first connection. Touch the red test lead to that connection and the meter should again read slightly more than 12 volts. You’ve just proved that voltage is flowing through that cable.

If an electrical system isn’t working properly — a light bulb is dead, for example — follow the same strategy: Touch the meter’s negative lead to the negative battery terminal (or bare metal on the machine’s frame, since the battery is “grounded” to the frame,) then test for 12 volts at the failed light bulb. If 12+ volts are present, replace the burned-out bulb. If voltage isn’t present, follow and test the wire that’s supposed to power that bulb back toward the battery until you find a connection where voltage reappears. Decipher why voltage doesn’t flow past that point on its way to the light, and you’re on the way to having used a multimeter to diagnose an electrical malfunction.

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Farm Shop Lights: 9 Tips to Create a Bright Workspace

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 18:25:22 GMT

What’s the first thing a person does when they walk into a farm shop? Turn on the lights. Here are considerations when designing and selecting lighting systems for farm shops to ensure the brightest, most economical results:

1. Lumens and foot-candles are linked but separate concepts. A lumen is a measure of the light output of a light source, measured at the lamp and/or light fixture. A foot-candle is one lumen per square foot of illuminated surface.

“I’ll often design a workshop to have 30 to 50 foot-candles of overall lighting, depending on what kind of work is being done in the shop,” says Todd Tiernan, with Graybar Electrical Supply, “Then add task lighting over workbenches and other areas that require additional light. The overall design considers the size of the building, ceiling height, the color of ceiling and walls, and at what height off the floor most of the work will be done.”

2. Lamps (light bulbs) and light fixtures are also rated for their “light color temperature” in degrees Kelvin (K). The lower the Kelvin temperature of a light, the more yellowish or reddish it is. The higher the Kelvin temperature rating of a lamp, the more whitish or bluish its light becomes.

“In a house, I might recommend a 2,700 K to 3,000 K light, for a warmer and more comfortable glow,” Tiernan says. “In most workshops, I’ll aim for more of a 4,000 K to 5,000 K light to achieve a more neutral light or something that approximates sunlight. A 4,000 K light would be more of a pure whitish light, while a 5,000 K light would have a slightly bluish tint. Since our eyes are more susceptible to the blue end of the light spectrum, a bluish light seems brighter to us even though they’re both producing the same number of lumens.”

3. Any type of lighting fades over time due to “lumen depreciation.” For example, incandescent lamps initially produce 18 to 20 lumens per watt, but dim by 10% to 15% during their lifetime. T-5 fluorescent lamps dim by 10% to 15% over time. Metal halide lights used in many warehouses average 100 lumens per watt but lose 35% to 40% of their illumination during their lifetime. Most LED lights for workshops can currently go up to 180 lumens per watt and maintain more than 70% of initial lumen output during their predicted lifespan, which typically lasts two times longer than a conventional incandescent or fluorescent light.

4. LED lights are directional. Incandescent and fluorescent lights splay light for almost 360° around the bulb, requiring reflectors to direct light down toward a work surface. “LEDs push light in specific directions,” says Brian Methe, lighting team leader with 3-E Electric in Des Moines. “That’s why ceiling height must be included when choosing which lights to install. With the wrong lights, you could have bright or dark strips where the lights’ patterns overlap too much or too little.”

This light location illuminates the lower two-thirds of the left side wall, reducing the need for lights on the sidewall to illuminate work benches.

5. Older shops or buildings with fluorescent lights suffering from degraded ballasts or lumen depreciation can be upgraded in most cases to LED lighting. “If there are two or more rows of T-5 fluorescents, you may be able to swap them one-for-one with LED fixtures,” Methe says. “If you’re concerned that the old lights are ‘dim,’ realize that they may have lost a lot of their illumination with age, and that new LED lights of the same lumens might get you back to where you were. Or, it may be a good time to upgrade and brighten the entire shop with more powerful LEDs.”

6. Shop offices and meeting rooms benefit from different lighting than the shop’s work area. “Ceilings in offices are lower, so the fixtures need to match that ceiling height,” Methe says. “Also, a bright white light might be nice in the working area, but seem harsh in an office. I recommend office lighting in the range of 3,500 K to 4,000 K.”

7. Light fixtures have an IP, which stands for ingress protection. IP ratings have two digits. The first is protection against solid particles, and the second is protection against liquids. The higher the IP values, the more protection.

IP solid-protection ratings go from zero to 6, with IP 5 being “dust-protected” and IP 6 being “dust-sealed.” IP fluid-protection ratings go from zero to 9, with IP 3 safe for exposure to vertically-sprayed water and IP 9 protecting from high-pressure water and steam. An IP 59 light would be for a dusty environment with high-pressure water and steam.

“An IP 65-rated light fixture is a good fit for a general-purpose shop,” Methe says.“The ‘6’ means it’s dust-tight, and the ‘5’ means it’s protected against jets of water from all directions.”

Sidewall lights brighten work benches and help illuminate the sides and undersides of large equipment that are shadowed by overhead lights.

8. Incandescent and fluorescent lights are available, though 13 U.S. states, along with Canada, have announced upcoming bans on fluorescent lamps. Most new installations in farm shops use LED fixtures. While studies by the U.S. Department of Energy indicate the initial purchase price for LEDs is slightly higher than fluorescents, they are 25% to 75% more efficient. LEDs also have a longer lifespan.

9. There’s a tendency to cut corners when illuminating parts rooms and storage areas. Which is ironic, because bright lights are needed more than ever when reading small-print part numbers on parts packages or rooting for a critical part in the back corners of storage bins.

Square-grid LED lights hung from a sloped ceiling need to be suspended at equal height above the floor to ensure even illumination.

Your Next Read From Dan Anderson’s Shop Building Series:

Start Here When Building A Farm Shop

Expert Tips to Avoid Remorse When Designing A Farm Shop

Farm Shop Concrete: One Chance To Do It Right

Farm Shop Doors: Easy Access Doesn’t Come Easy

Can Static Electricity Spark A Combine Fire?

Wed, 04 Sep 2024 20:32:23 GMT

The spinning steel and plastic components of a combine, insulated from the ground by rubber tires and plastic skid shoes on small grain platforms, have been proven to create a static electric charge in machines under certain harvest conditions. Does that electrical charge create a fire risk?

Probably not.

“There is no doubt that static electricity builds up on parts of combines under some conditions, but there is no evidence to support static electricity as a prime cause [of combine fires],” wrote the late Dr. Graeme Quick, a professor at Iowa State University who did extensive research on fires in harvest equipment in his homeland of Australia as well as in the U.S., in “An Investigation into Combine Harvester Fires.”

“The static energy from a [combine] discharge ranges from about 10 millijoules (mJ) to 150 mJ in a single-discharge spark,” said Ben White, a research engineer for the Kondinin Group, an agricultural consortium in Australia. “The static electricity required to ignite a fire [in crop residue] is around 500 mJ in a continuous arc.’

White cited testing done by Chilworth Global in New Jersey, a consulting company that tests, under controlled conditions, the hazardous properties of materials during their processing. Controlled Global found that even an exceptionally large single-discharge static electric spark of 500 mJ didn’t ignite powdered crop residue because it didn’t provide the requisite continuous arc.

White acknowledged buildup of static electricity attracts fine dust on combines, especially under low-humidity conditions. Since surface temperatures of modern diesel engine exhaust systems often exceed 500 degrees, accumulations of dust near exhaust components can grow large enough to ignite without an actual static electric discharge. Dust accumulations become a fuel supply and exhaust heat a source of ignition.

Quick noted in his report a distinct bias for combine fires to be in the left rear quarter of the machines. Exhaust manifolds, turbochargers, mufflers, diesel particulate filters and other exhaust components, sitting downwind from high-volume cooling fans, are prone to collect crop debris. The fact many combine fires are on the left rear sidewall of machines suggests debris lodges near exhaust components, ignites and becomes embers easily dislodged by fan blast, which then fall onto pockets of debris lower on the machine.

Fires in other areas of combines, when investigated, were identified as caused by overheated bearings, sparks from metal components rubbing together or electrical system short circuits.

Your Next Read: Timely Claims Ensure Insurance Coverage

Timely Claims Ensure Insurance Coverage

Fri, 30 Aug 2024 19:10:23 GMT

You heard the “BANG” and “clunkety-clunk-clunk-clunk” of a rock or broken fence post going through your combine. Or maybe you smelled and extinguished a smoldering fire before flames developed. There wasn’t significant visible damage, you were able to keep going, and you made plans to check for collateral damage after the season.

At a minimum, notify your insurance company as soon as possible that damage occurred, even if repairs aren’t made at that time. Some insurance companies now require damage reports within 30 days of when the event occurred.

“Farmers traditionally parked their combine after harvest and did maintenance and repairs the following winter or summer,” says Hans Boehm, Boehm Insurance, Boone, Iowa. “Most companies now require detailed claims be filed within at least 180 days of when the damage occurred, and I’ve heard of some that have even shorter claim periods.”

It’s essential that every aspect of repairs be itemized on post-harvest damage estimates.

Rock damage can range from an obviously bent cross auger on a small grain platform to broken straw chopper knives at the rear of the machine. Hidden collateral damage might include damage to concaves, rotor elements, upper sieves and discharge beaters. Be sure to check for damage to drive belts that might have slipped while the machine was “digesting” the foreign material. Burned or smeared belt edges and “fried” slip clutches should be noted on insurance claims.

Small, smoldering combine fires often create hidden damage that manifests itself months after the embers were extinguished. Large wiring harnesses the size of a man’s wrist that can cost thousands of dollars notoriously fill with fine, powdery dust around the myriad wires inside them. Slow-moving embers can crawl via dust-filled harnesses for yards from the initial point of combustion without actually igniting into flame. They’re just hot enough to melt wiring insulation so moisture from pressure washing after harvest slowly corrodes wiring and creates weird electrical problems the following harvest.

Carefully examine all wiring harnesses in the vicinity of small fires. Heat-puckered corrugated plastic harness sheathing needs to be opened and examined for hidden damage, and included on insurance claims.

While insurance might pay to replace high-tech computer screens and processors in fires that reach a combine’s cab, there is no compensation for lost data.

“If I was a farmer and my combine was on fire, I’d be carrying monitors and computers as I was on my way down the ladder,” Boehm says. “We can replace mechanical things, but not data stored in computers in the cab.”

Your Next Read: Run It Versus Replace It: How to Assess Roller Chains, V-Belts and Augers

7 Save-the-Day Harvest Tools

Wed, 21 Aug 2024 18:25:13 GMT

A few special tools can dramatically speed in-the-field repairs to combines and harvest equipment, including:

Super-deep-well sockets can slide over extra-long belt tensioner bolts. Take a standard deep-well socket of the right size, cut it in half, then weld it back together using a 12" long, 1” i.d. piece of pipe as the center section. The result is a deep, deep-well socket. Use the mega-socket with a battery-powered impact wrench to speed de-tensioning or re-tensioning those long bolts. Use discretion when running those tensioning nuts on or off the bolt. If the bolts are dusty or corroded, full-speed on an impact wrench can strip threads faster than you can take your finger off the trigger.

A home-made deep-well socket speeds the work of tightening/loosening long belt tensioners.

(Dan Anderson)

3/8” battery-powered impact wrench cuts the time needed to replace sickle sections and rock guards on small grain platforms in half. It’s best to always use new bolts to attach sickle sections. Those bolts stretch slightly when their nuts reach proper torque, which makes them sketchy to re-use.
Ratcheting box end wrenches are another way to speed removal of belt tensioning nuts on long tensioner bolts. Just remember they’re for “speed” work, and their ratcheting mechanisms won’t stand up to breaking loose frozen or corroded nuts and bolts.

“Dog-leg”-handled and conventional-handled ratcheting wrenches make short work of nuts on long bolts.

(Dan Anderson)

Standard and metric thread files take minimal room in a toolbox and can rough-clean stripped or rusty threads on large bolts and studs.

Carrying a complete tap and die set takes space and guarantees loss of one or more dies in the field. A simple thread file renews threads on bolts or studs, and takes little space.
(Dan Anderson)
A ¼”-drive socket set, complete with ratchet, extension, screwdriver handle and screwdriver bits, is the answer to small nuts and bolts found all over big combines. Much better than using a pair of pocket pliers, plus a compact ¼”-drive socket case doesn’t take much space in a combine cab.

A compact 1/4”-drive socket set takes little space, and carries a lot of handy tools and accessories in a small space.
(Dan Anderson)
A battery-powered reciprocating saw can gnaw through the toughest stalks and stems clogging a threshing cylinder or header. It’s still not a fun job, but the saw makes it faster.

A battery-powered reciprocating saw obsoletes pocket knives, and speeds cutting through residue clogged concaves and other harvesting components.
(Dan Anderson)
Upgraded fire extinguishers. ABC-Class fire extinguishers range in size from 5 lb. to 20 lb. or more and are certified for combustible materials (Class A,) flammable liquids (Class B,) and electrical fires (Class C.)

Two-and-a-half gallon, air-pressurized, water-filled fire extinguishers are rated as Class A, and serve double-duty by pre-wetting crop residue if welding or torching needs to be done.

Never scrimp on extinguisher size. Anyone who has tried to put out a burgeoning combine fire with a succession of 5 lb. extinguishers knows it’s better to begin — and end — the battle with a 20-pounder.

Small, 5-pound ABC-class fire extinguishers are better than spitting on a fire, but a 20-pound version has a better chance of getting ahead of a combine fire. Water-filled, air-pressurized fire extinguisher: Water-filled extinguishers are easily re-filled at home, produce a long-reaching jet of water that can reach deep into combines, and work well for preventing fires by wetting crop residue before welding or torching.
(Dan Anderson)

Quick Tip: Try These Common Power Tools For Clogged Implements and Combines

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 14:30:00 GMT

A farmer recently sent us the photo above (left) as an example of what “gumbo”, a heavy clay soil type commonly found in Texas and other areas of the South, can do to a field tillage implement.

The farmer was using two pry bars and a sledge hammer to chip away at the stuck-on soil, saying that “its seriously like concrete.”

We sent that picture to our resident handyman and columnist Dan Anderson to get his take on how a grower can get the upper hand on gumbo.

Here’s what Anderson told us:

“I suggest this farmer uses either a pneumatic hammer (example above, bottom right) with a chisel tip or an electric demolition hammer (above, top right). I often used my pneumatic hammer to remove dirt clogs because I had one in my toolbox and an air supply was handy in the shop. You can also buy or rent (most tool rental places have them) an electric demolition hammer. I used one of them to disassemble a concrete back step, and it worked pretty good.”

Additionally, Anderson offered this tool tip for farmers that encounter clogging in combines this fall as they work across the field:

“Another household power tool that can save the day is an electric or battery-powered reciprocating saw—like a Milwaukee Sawzall. If a small grain head’s auger gets wrapped with green-stem beans or weeds, or if a combine’s rotor gets slugged with crop residue, a reciprocating saw is a HUGE help in getting the mess unplugged. Much better than using a pocket knife to cut through the knotted stems.”

More from Dan Anderson:

Run It Versus Replace It: How to Assess Roller Chains, V-Belts and Augers

Farm Shop Doors: Easy Access Doesn’t Come Easy

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Farm Shop Doors: Easy Access Doesn’t Come Easy

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 21:01:06 GMT

One of the more complicated decisions that goes into the process of erecting a large, modern farm shop is how big of a door to install, what kind of door it should be, and how to incorporate it with the building’s structural design.

“It’s critical to make door size and design one of the early steps in designing a farm shop,” says Jason Myrvik, general manager, Midland Door Solutions. “Big doors need to be integrated into the design of the building itself. The worst-case scenario would be to put up a building and then go shopping for a door. That is going to waste a lot of your time and money, and probably not have a very good result.”

There are three common types of doors often used on farm shops, including overhead, bi-fold and hydraulic. Each design has attributes that need to be factored into deciding the best door for a particular shop.

Overhead doors are the familiar garage doors that roll up and sit inside of buildings. Their design requires 22" to 24" of open space above the door’s header for the door’s tracks and operating system. “We offer overhead doors up to 40' wide and 32' high,” says Chad Soderberg with Raynor Door Authority. “Thirty feet to 36' widths are now common on farms.”

Bi-fold doors have a horizontal hinge across the middle of each door. A system of cables or nylon straps raises the bottom of the door straight up, folding the door into a horizontal V. “Some bi-folds use cables for their lift system, and there can be problems with keeping the cables spooled correctly,” Myrvik explains. “Newer bi-folds have the option to use nylon straps, which reduces problems with things getting out of sync.”

Hydraulic doors are essentially wall sections, hinged across the top of their frame, that are lifted open or closed by long hydraulic cylinders mounted to each side of the door frame. They require electric-powered hydraulic pumps and controls. “Hydraulic doors have the fewest moving parts and require the least ongoing maintenance,” says Zach Campbell, engineer, PowerLift Hydraulic Doors. “They’re simple to operate and are among the fastest opening and closing door options for large openings.”

All three of these doors each have defining attributes. Consider the following:

Building designs often must be modified to accommodate the loads of bi-fold or hydraulic doors. Most building manufacturers and contractors are well-versed in adjusting their buildings’ designs to support the extra weight and loads of bi-fold and hydraulic doors. Some door manufacturers offer door frames that help support the door and reduce the need to reinforce the end wall of the building.
Some door manufacturers offer do-it-yourself kits as well as factory-installed doors.
“Our Build-Your-Own-Door (BYOD) kits are popular with customers capable of doing the work,” says Mike Schweiss, owner of Schweiss Hydraulic Doors. “BYOD kits save the cost of shipping the big awkward assembled components, and some farmers enjoy the satisfaction of building it themselves.”

Midland Door’s Myrvik encourages those considering the DIY route to define in advance who is responsible for warranty issues after installation.

“Not many farmers have the equipment and manpower to lift and hang a one-piece 50’x20' mono-frame door. Having a manufacturer’s crew deliver, assemble and install a big door costs money, but it’s a pretty seamless process,” he says.
To reduce shipping costs, some manufacturers design bi-fold or hydraulic doors, then ship the components to a subcontractor to assemble and install them on-site. “What if the subcontractor welds or assembles the components to the wrong specs?” Myrvik asks. “Who’s responsible for warranty work? We’ve had numerous calls where we had to go repair another manufacturer’s door because it wasn’t installed correctly.”
Consider long-term water intrusion. When a bi-fold door is in the raised position, its upper surface slopes away from the building. When a hydraulic door is fully open it can go slightly beyond “level” and slope toward the building. Over years of summer showers, enough water can run back toward the building to create moisture problems with frames and insulation if doors aren’t positioned to drain water away from the building every time they’re opened.
The trusses on the bottom outer edge of hydraulic doors have a nearly magnetic attraction for snow removal equipment. They protrude up to a foot or more away from the bottom of the door, are easily buried in snow, and aren’t designed to act as protective bumpers.

(Lindsey Pound)
The lower edge of hydraulic doors sweep out and up as they open. Vehicles must be parked outside the sweep zone. ATVs and light pickups parked too close to hydraulic doors have been picked up by their front bumpers.
Bi-fold and hydraulic doors in the raised position can act as a wing in strong winds.
Most large-frame doors are designed to withstand at least 35 mph winds in the open position. “Some jurisdictions require resistance to higher wind-loads,” says PowerLift’s Campbell. “We’ve designed doors to stand up to 200 mph winds. Make sure you understand the wind rating of the door you choose.”
Plan for the evolution of buildings. “You really can’t upgrade a storage building into a heated shop by just adding insulation to the existing door,” Myrvik says. “An insulated bi-fold or hydraulic door requires a heavier frame and different design to support the extra weight of the insulation and any inner sheeting or lining you put on the inside of the door. If there’s any chance you may upgrade a building to a shop in the future, install a door from the beginning designed to handle the additional weight.”
Opening and closing large doors can cause a lot of a shop’s heat to escape on a midwinter day. A single 10'-to-12'-wide overhead door on a sidewall of a building allows for quick and easy access for pickup trucks, forklifts and small machinery without having to open and close a mega-door. Some shops pair medium-size overhead doors on opposite walls to allow drive-through access for semi-trucks and trailers.
Hydraulic door safety. Some hydraulic doors use restrictors and orifices in their lift cylinders to slow the fall of doors in case of a failed hydraulic hose. They will slow the door’s descent, but they won’t stop it from landing on anything underneath it. Other designs use velocity fuses that lock hydraulic flow in case of a failure, freezing the door in position.
Traditional sliding doors make good shop doors, especially if they are power-actuated and radio-controlled. “We can automate new sliding doors or retrofit existing sliding doors as long as they slide easily on their track,” says Scott DeBoef of Scott Ag Doors. “We can work with two 30' doors for a 60' opening. Our Propel-brand operators mount so no there’s no extra header height, wall height or structural reinforcing required. They’re radio-controlled, so you can open and close them from the seat of a truck or tractor. Since the frame and sheeting of sliding doors is a lot simpler than bi-fold or hydraulic doors, the system ends up being half the cost of a bi-fold or hydraulic door. Sliding doors with a power-actuator are a functional option at a fraction of the cost.”

Start Here When Building A Farm Shop

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 21:44:26 GMT

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.

Experience matters.
“With big buildings, it’s important to hire an experienced earthmoving contractor who knows the soils in an area, or even a geo-technical engineering firm to do soil borings and create a site preparation report,” says Dave Flewelling, owner of Flewelling Earthmoving, Moville, Iowa. “Different soils require different processes, sheepsfoot rollers or vibratory rollers, to get things compacted and stabilized right.”

Start with a blank slate.
Many contractors who specialize in erecting farm buildings recommend starting fresh with a new site, accessed by a new driveway direct from the road. “Grandpa wanted his corn crib close to his hog house,” says Wayne Stubbenbeck, owner of Mi-Way Enterprises, a Wick Buildings distributor in Elmwood, Neb. “Today, we need to allow enough room to turn around a semi beside a combine with a 30' platform.”

Choose a site that’s as level as possible.
“No spot is totally flat,” Stubbenbeck says. “You’re probably going to have to either haul in dirt, or cut-and-fill to create a level spot. Cutting and filling on-site is generally cheaper than hauling dirt from somewhere else.”

Know what’s under the potential site.
“If the building will be on virgin soil like crop land, treated wood posts or laminated columns are probably the economical way to go,” Stubbenbeck says. “But if there was a feedlot in that area, the soil may be so acidic I’d recommend either a short concrete stem wall with the posts or columns mounted on top of that wall, or concrete Perma-Columns in the ground with the laminated wooden columns on top of them. Old cisterns, abandoned wells, buried building foundations, any inconsistency in the soil under a building can cause problems down the road.”

In Stubbenbeck’s area, the soil has enough clay to be compacted to a good base. But 30 miles east of him, it’s a good idea to have the soil cored to know what’s under the site. Some of the buildings can be over clay at one end and sand at the other end, he says.

Big buildings might need significant ground shaping to redirect runoff.
This is especially true if the building nudges into a hillside. “Even if the initial pad is a foot or so elevated,” Flewelling says. “It’s often necessary to construct a diversion cut or terrace to keep heavy rains away from the building.”

Earthmoving must be accurate.
If one corner of a 100' long building’s earthen pad is even a couple of inches off-grade, it could potentially influence every subsequent step of the remaining building process. “We try to keep a finished pad within plus or minus 1/10 of a foot (1.2") of the proposed grade,” Flewelling explains. “We use GPS-controlled grading equipment to keeps things within the defined tolerances.”

Compacting is critical.
“Depending on the type of soil, some soils need to be spread and compacted every 6",” says Nick Horstman, Morton Buildings sales representative in central Iowa. “Others can be compacted one foot at a time. Pushing dirt around with a tractor and three-point blade and then driving a four-wheel-drive tractor back and forth over it doesn’t mean it’s fully and evenly compacted all the way to the base.”

Create and compact more than the basic building pad.
“The pad needs to be oversized 10' to 12' beyond the finished roof edge so we have room to run our machines and lift materials up onto the roof during construction,” Horstman says. “That work area needs to be level during construction, especially with tall sidewalls. Plan on final-shaping and sloping that apron for drainage after the building has been completed.”

Include aprons and driveway in the initial site plan and prep.
“A lot of people wish they had poured a bigger concrete apron in front of their main doors,” Flewelling says. “Not only do you need to shape and compact that area just like the dirt under the building, but you have to make sure there will be enough slope on the finished apron so that water doesn’t run into the shop.”

Consider the future.
“If your plan is to have a rocked parking area or turn-around for semis and equipment near the building, remember that over the next 20 years you’ll probably add more rock to those areas several times,” Flewelling says. “You need to start with the shop’s pad and apron high enough to allow for the addition of rock to the driveways and parking area over the years.”

Read more from Dan Anderson’s shop building series:

Expert Tips to Avoid Remorse When Designing A Farm Shop

Farm Shop Concrete: One Chance To Do It Right

Farm Shop Concrete: One Chance To Do It Right

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 21:35:59 GMT

Careful planning and finishing of concrete provide a shop floor you can live with for a long time. A smooth, durable concrete floor is literally the foundation for a farm shop. Here are 12 considerations to achieve the best work surface possible.

1. Final floor height is a necessary but convoluted calculation that’s part of initial site preparation.

“You need to coordinate with your grading contractor and your concrete contractor to work out the final floor height,” says Dave Flewelling, owner of Flewelling Earthmoving, Moville, Iowa. “Your earthmoving contractor needs to know in advance how much sand the concrete guy intends to use, and if you’re going to have any foam insulation sheets laid under the concrete for an in-floor heating system.”

2. A concrete floor is only as good as what’s underneath it.

Building crews often create ruts or holes in the compacted earth pad during building erection. If those ruts or irregularities are merely filled with sand or limestone fines prior to placing the floor, problems could appear in the future. It’s essential to relevel and recompact the base to optimize the concrete floor.

3. “Stiff” concrete is strong concrete.

“Some people pour concrete that’s like soup because it’s sort of self-leveling and easier to work with,” says Dave Harland, owner of Harland Concrete, Perry, Iowa. “Wet concrete isn’t as strong, and the extra moisture increases the chance of shrinkage that creates cracks during curing. I want concrete to come out of the truck stiff, so the floor is as strong as possible.”

4. General shop floors work well with a 1"-to-2"-wide slot drain in the center and the concrete’s surface sloped to that drain.

Wash bays, where there will be lots of debris washed off trucks and machinery, need drain pits. Some farmers design their pits large enough to use their backhoe or mini-excavator to remove sediment when the pits are full.

5. Sidewalk-grade concrete is usually rated at a crush strength of 3,000 psi.

Custom mixes that might require special handling and finishing can achieve ratings in excess of 6,000 psi. “Concrete in the 4,000-psi range works well for most
flat work on farm operations,” says Alan Sparkman, executive director, Tennessee Concrete Association. “In most cases, the best way to increase load-carrying capacity is to increase slab thickness. Going from a thickness of 4" to 6" increases the load-bearing capacity by 50% using the same mix.”

6. Some contractors recommend mixing tiny, high-strength synthetic fibers into the concrete mix rather than laying panels of reinforcing wire or a grid of rebar.

“All those fibers can provide the same strength and support as wire or rebar,” Harland says. “I prefer rebar to provide strong support under every cut or crack. Plus, when you put a smooth finish on fiber-reinforced concrete, the fibers stick up and give the floor a ‘hairy’ look. They’ll eventually wear off, or you can use a propane torch to singe them off.”

7. “Four inches and finished” no longer describes a durable shop floor.

“For today’s farm shops, I recommend 6" of concrete with ½" rebar every 2',” Harland says. “Six inches with rebar will easily handle loaded semis and grain carts that are parked or moving at slow speeds. If you’re pouring concrete that will handle equipment moving at higher speeds, go with 8".”

8. Be aware of regional differences in concrete.

“Sand in our area [glacial drift region of the Midwest] has a small percentage of expansive aggregates like coal and shale,” Harland says. “The light weight of those aggregates means they can float to the top of the slab during finishing. When a slab is hard-troweled for a shop floor, it traps moisture in the surface. Those lightweight aggregates can expand from the moisture and cause ‘pop-outs.’ They don’t hurt the strength of the floor, but it’s a cosmetic issue. We can use ‘import sand’ that doesn’t have those lightweight aggregates and avoid that problem, but the import sand costs about $25 extra per yard of concrete.”

9. Install bollards at the inside and outside corners of overhead doors.

The concrete-filled posts prevent damage to door frames. Consider installing bollards inside to protect supports for balconies or the office.

10. “Cutting” finished concrete will control cracks.

Concrete will crack, so cutting is an attempt to control where the cracks will occur. Harland recommends cutting 6"-thick concrete every 10'.

11. Joint sealant in cuts inside buildings is primarily cosmetic, but cuts in outdoor concrete slabs benefit from caulking.

“Joint sealant in outdoor concrete slabs keeps water and ice-melting products from getting into the cuts and causing problems,” Harland says.

12. Beware of concrete coatings that can flake and wear under traffic.

Sealants that soak into new concrete might not leave a glossy surface, but they reduce oil and chemical absorption and have other benefits.

Read more from Dan Anderson’s shop building series:

Start Here When Building A Farm Shop

Expert Tips to Avoid Remorse When Designing A Farm Shop

Expert Tips to Avoid Remorse When Designing A Farm Shop

Thu, 06 Jun 2024 21:30:18 GMT

Deciding how big and what type of structure to use when building a dream farm shop is a challenging decision with the potential to echo for years. “Buyer’s remorse can be horrible with that big of an investment,” says Jon Richardson, co-owner of Richardson Brothers Construction, a Butler Building dealer in Hutchinson, Kan. “Buildings aren’t like pickups or tractors, where you can trade out of a bad decision.” He and other agricultural building contractors offer considerations to minimize second-guessing.

Wood vs. steel frame considerations.
“As a rule of thumb, buildings wider than 50' favor steel frames, cost-wise. There are buildings 80' wide with wooden roof trusses, but the bigger the building, the better the up-front cost of steel-frame buildings looks compared to wood trusses that can span those distances,” Richardson says.

Don’t neglect clearance requirements.
Standard wood roof trusses have their bottom chord in line with the top of the sidewalls. Scissor trusses have their bottom chords angled up toward the center of the building, creating 2' to 3' of additional clearance over the middle of the floor. The “ceiling” on steel frame buildings is the bottom of the rafters. Depending on the slope of the roof, the center of steel frame buildings can be 5' or higher than the sidewalls.

Industrial-quality doors help discourage intruders.
“Traditional” pole barn walk-through doors are foam-core doors with formed sheet metal frames. A solid kick of a heavy boot, or a little work with a pry bar, quickly “unlocks” those doors. Industrial steel doors hung in steel frames might find favor with insurance agents.

Materials influence insurance costs.
“State Farm [Insurance] offers a discount in premiums if the steel siding and roofing is Underwriters Laboratories-rated,” says Wayne Stubbenbeck, owner of Mi-way Enterprises, a Wick Building contractor in Elmwood, Neb. “It may be cost efficient to pay more up front for higher-quality siding and roofing and then save money on insurance for the life of the building.”

Richardson notes steel-framed buildings might earn better fire ratings and therefore earn lower insurance premiums.

Warranties can be finicky.
“I like the insulative qualities of spray-foam insulation, but sprayed-on foam might void the warranty for some kinds of siding and roofing,” Richardson says. “Cellulose insulation can also be a warranty issue. Don’t void any warranties by decisions you make about how to insulate the building.”

Anticipate repair costs.
“Another potential issue with spray-foam insulation is if there’s damage to the exterior sheet metal or roof,” Richardson says. “Sprayed-on foam makes swapping out damaged panels more expensive.”

Plan for the future.
“Tell your contractor anything you might add to the structure in the future, like a bridge crane,” says Nick Horstman, Morton Buildings sales representative for central Iowa. “It doesn’t add that much cost to the base structure, compared to coming in and remodeling it later.”

Interior walls: Cost vs. durability.
Richardson recommends at least 26-gauge sheet metal for inner walls because, “If somebody unplugs a power cord by jerking on the cord from across the shop, there’s a good chance the electrical box will get ripped off thinner sheet metal. Plus, thinner sheet metal dents real easy.”

Minimize echoes.
Many building manufacturers offer perforated sheeting that reduces noise. Tectum, an acoustical panel made of shredded wood that comes in sheets of varying size and thickness, is often used in school gymnasiums and other large buildings. “[Tectum] can be applied to existing walls and ceilings to minimize echoes and reverberations,” says Jackson Strom, an architect in Fargo, N.D. “It’s a go-to recommendation from acoustical engineers.”

Main door options.
The pros and cons of sliding doors, overhead doors, and hydraulic bi-fold/mono-frame doors will be discussed in a subsequent story, but it’s good to make that decision as early as possible.

“Overhead doors require at least 2' above the top of the door frame for their actuators,” Horstman says. “Some types of hydraulic doors need to have the end walls of the building reinforced to support them, but others are self-supporting and don’t require any extra engineering of the building. The type of main door should always be part of the early stages of designing a building.”

Reinforce concrete for the future.
The two- or four-post vehicle lifts now popular in many farm shops can be added later but benefit from having their footings and electrical/hydraulic controls incorporated in the original building design.

Ode to an Oxygen Bottle Cap and Farmer Creativity

Fri, 19 Apr 2024 18:27:45 GMT

The other day I needed to shape a piece of sheet metal. I spent too much time searching for a metal dolly and sheet metal hammer, trying to get the perfect tools for what I was trying to do. In my annoyance I asked myself, “What did you do before you had fancy tools?”

The answer was that I created tools. I torched, heated, bent and welded things to use in place of the tools I hadn’t yet bought. The results weren’t pretty, but I was able to satisfactorily fix and maintain farm equipment.

Over the ensuing years, I’ve done my best to acquire specialized tools for specific jobs. For the most part, it’s made things easier and been worth the investment. There’s great satisfaction in knowing I have the exact tool or tools needed for a particular job.

But there came a moment of clarity the other day when I needed to bend that sheet metal, when I realized that creativity and innovation had taken backseat to specialized tools. Where I once took pride in doing the most with the least, I had reached the point where I had tunnel vision and mistakenly thought I had to have the perfect tools for a specific job before I could begin work. I’d lost my sense of adventure and misplaced my creativity.

So I returned to my roots, grabbed the steel cap off an oxygen bottle, clamped it in my vise, and used its curved surface and a 24-ounce ball peen hammer to satisfactorily shape the piece of sheet metal. I came, I saw, I cobbled — and it felt wonderful.

Read more from Dan Anderson

Oil Testing Offers Value: Like a Blood Test for Tractors and Combines

A Potential Simple Fix for Overheating Engines

An End to Raggedy Torch Cuts

Oil Testing Offers Value: Like a Blood Test for Tractors and Combines

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 20:34:50 GMT

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

A one-time sample of engine or transmission oil gives a “snapshot” look at what’s going on inside. The presence of water or high levels of silica, bronze or other metals suggests there might be problems with a leaky head gasket, a damaged engine air filter or problems with internal bushings. Identifying potential problems allows preventative repairs rather than waiting for actual breakdowns.

Ongoing oil sampling allows predictive maintenance and repairs. Most companies that analyze oil samples can create a database for customers that tracks the levels of various contaminants and worn particles over time. If a semi-annual or annual oil test indicates rising levels of silicates, then dust might be getting into the intake air system. Increasing levels of bronze suggest bushing problems somewhere inside the machine. Rising levels of chromium might indicate excessive ring or cylinder wear. Monitoring oil condition over time allows predictive repairs rather than repairs as a result of a breakdown.

Another benefit of regular oil sampling comes when it’s time to trade or sell the machine. Showing prospective buyers a long-term report indicating no unusual changes in engine oil samples builds confidence that can lead to higher sale prices.

Here are a few more stories to make sure your equipment is running in tip-top shape:

4 Cool Things About Engine Coolant

A Potential Simple Fix for Overheating Engines

The Usual Suspects: 5 Planter Parts to Inspect Now

4 Cool Things About Engine Coolant

Mon, 18 Mar 2024 17:08:48 GMT

Here are 4 random facts and experiences about cooling systems:

1.) To optimize radiator life and performance, use distilled or deionized water mixed with good antifreeze. Well water, and even water from public water systems, contains minerals that can react over time with the metal of the radiator to cause corrosion and block passages.

2.) Pure (distilled or deionized) water is the most efficient coolant, but engine water pumps require lubrication provided by antifreeze. Even a 25/75 mix of antifreeze/water provides adequate lubrication for water pumps.

3.) Your gut feeling about using “stop leak”-type products is probably true. Those products use ceramic fibers/particles, sodium silicate, or particles of aluminum, copper or iron to block small leaks in radiators or heater cores. That means they have the potential to clog small, necessary passageways in the cooling system, plus, they can coat surfaces and reduce metal-to-coolant transfer of heat. Bottom line: Read the fine print on most of those products, and they are designed for use as, “temporary repairs.”

4.) While it is sometimes possible to plug a leaky radiator tank by draining the system, sanding the area around the pinhole, and then smearing an epoxy like JB Weld over the area, it might later complicate permanent repairs. Radiator repair experts note that some epoxies change the metallurgy of the area where they are applied, and make it difficult to solder the spot for permanent repairs.

Are you in the shop working on equipment? Maybe these stories will be helpful:

A Potential Simple Fix for Overheating Engines

5 Facts to Wipe Away Some Confusion About Dielectric Grease

Planter Maintenance Tip: Now Is the Time to Replace Closing Wheel Frame Bushings With Bearing Kits

A Potential Simple Fix for Overheating Engines

Thu, 07 Mar 2024 22:05:42 GMT

Symptom: An engine’s cooling system is overheating. The coolant level is low, but there are no visible leaks and no water in the engine crankcase to hint of water jacket or cylinder head problems.

Often overlooked cause: The radiator cap is not maintaining proper pressure. If the pressure relief spring in the cap becomes weak from age or exposure to extreme heat, or if the cap’s sealing gasket leaks, the cooling system cannot maintain adequate pressure.

Plain water boils at around 212 degrees F. Pressurizing the system increases the coolant’s boiling point 2 degrees to 3 degrees for each additional pound of pressure in the system.

If the radiator cap fails to maintain the prescribed pressure, the coolant boils at a lower temperature, and fluid is vented into the coolant recovery system.

There are rumors of stand-alone radiator cap pressure testers, but the only cap testers I’ve ever found were part of radiator pressure test kits, which cost from $40 to $200. A simple test for a faulty radiator cap is to simply replace the cap and see if that solves the problem.

Planter Maintenance Tip: Now Is the Time to Replace Closing Wheel Frame Bushings With Bearing Kits

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 21:13:20 GMT

Replacing worn closing wheel frame bushings on planters is a recurring expense and chore. There are kits to replace those bushings with bearings to eliminate that semi-annual maintenance project.

Those kits work well, and they aren’t hard to install. At first glance the concept of welding the mild steel bearing mount to the cast frames suggests frustrating results to anyone who ever tried to weld cast iron, but those frames are actually cast steel and not hard to weld. The first few frames might have bubblegum welds as you adjust welder settings and get a feel for how to make the welds, but it’s not long before each weld isn’t an embarrassment. A few farmers and mechanics, once they get good at welding those bearing mounts, have been known to go back and grind out their initial bubblegum welds and re-weld them with “pretty” welds.

RK Products came out with the original bushing-to-bearing replacement kits. Copperhead Ag bought out RK so now Copperhead Ag, or their distributors, are the place to go for closing wheel frame bearing kits.

While working around the closing wheel frames, be sure to check the mounting points for the horizontal spring that provides down pressure to the closing wheel frame. Over time the constant flexing wears the hooked end of the spring into the front cast steel hole where that spring attaches. The resulting notches can be filled with weld, or there are repair kits from various ag parts suppliers.

An End to Raggedy Torch Cuts

Tue, 27 Feb 2024 18:27:51 GMT

Many of us are comfortable using an oxy-acetylene torch, but sometimes we’re dissatisfied with our cuts. Here are things to check, and tips to improve torch performance:

1. Generic regulator setting for acetylene pressure is 5 to 7 psi. Never set acetylene pressure over 15 psi — acetylene can become unstable and explode at more than 15 psi.

2. For cutting steel, recommended initial pressure for the oxygen regulator is 25 psi, with the cutting trigger tripped. More pressure helps blow through thicker metal, but it can lead to ragged edges on thinner metal.

3. More or less heat for cutting thicker or thinner metal can be obtained by adjusting oxygen and acetylene pressures only to a point. Using a tip of the correct size plays a big role in clean cuts. There are charts on the internet that recommend what tip to use when cutting steel of different thicknesses. For example:

• a #00 tip is recommended for ¼” steel

• a #0 tip is matched to cutting 3/8” to ½” steel

• a #1 tip is preferred for ¾-inch steel

4. Tinted goggles or sunglasses allow precise control of metal temperature and the cutting jet. A tinted face shield not only improves flame control, but protects the entire face from blow-back sparks.

5. Once a cut is initiated, keep the torch tipped slightly — 10- to 15-degrees — toward the direction of motion so the flame preheats the metal before the cutting jet arrives.

6. Keep the tips of the blue heating flames just above the surface of the steel. Those tips are the area of maximum heating.

7. Use a piece of angle iron as a “fence” to create straight cuts. When making circular cuts, a short piece of 3" to 10" pipe can act as a circular guide.

Here are a handful of other stories from ace mechanic Dan Anderson to help you tackle your shop to-do list:

5 Facts to Wipe Away Some Confusion About Dielectric Grease

Not All O-Rings Are Created Equal

3 Special Tools to Drill Large-Diameter Holes in Thick Steel

4 Ways to Deal With Electrical Gremlins

Shops

The Secrets to Better-Looking, Stronger Welds

Stop the Drip: How to Diagnose and Repair Hydraulic Valve Block Leaks

Slippery Subject: What Anti-Seize Should Really Be Used For

Pro Mechanic's Insider Secret to Speeding Up Repairs

Tire Valve Stem Extensions

Radiator Hose Removal Tools

Ratcheting Snap Ring Pliers

Wrench Extenders

Retractable Test Leads

Brand Name Vs. Generic: Tools By Any Other Name

Why Are Some Wrenches More Expensive Than Others?

Getting Snippy: Tips for Smooth Cuts in Sheet Metal

Machinery Inspections: DIY Versus A Dealership Mechanic

Inside AgRevolution: AGCO’s Bold Mobile Service Play Pledges ‘Farmers First’

Portable Heaters: Heat Where You Need It On the Farm

Farm Shop Insulation: 15 Pro Tips to Maintain a Cozy Temp

How to Use a Multimeter to Test for Voltage

Farm Shop Lights: 9 Tips to Create a Bright Workspace

Your Next Read From Dan Anderson’s Shop Building Series:

Can Static Electricity Spark A Combine Fire?

Timely Claims Ensure Insurance Coverage

7 Save-the-Day Harvest Tools

Quick Tip: Try These Common Power Tools For Clogged Implements and Combines

Farm Shop Doors: Easy Access Doesn’t Come Easy

Read more from Dan’s shop building series:

Start Here When Building A Farm Shop

Farm Shop Concrete: One Chance To Do It Right

Expert Tips to Avoid Remorse When Designing A Farm Shop

Read more from Dan’s shop building series:

Ode to an Oxygen Bottle Cap and Farmer Creativity

Oil Testing Offers Value: Like a Blood Test for Tractors and Combines

4 Cool Things About Engine Coolant

A Potential Simple Fix for Overheating Engines

Planter Maintenance Tip: Now Is the Time to Replace Closing Wheel Frame Bushings With Bearing Kits

An End to Raggedy Torch Cuts