Shops
Battery-powered cordless tools have replaced pneumatic impact wrenches and drills in many farm shops, but air-powered die grinders, air hammers and other tools that use compressed air are still common.
When taking trucks and equipment out of storage prior to harvest, assume every tire needs air.
Modern planters now offer multiple devices and options to close and firm the seed furrow. Here are some thoughts.
New tire pressure monitoring systems will add convenience adnd complications
Women have purses in which to carry all their junk; farmers have their pickup trucks. Each pickup is as individual as the farmer who drives it.
From throwing a 5-gal. bucket full of tools into the bed of the truck to a full-blown service truck, farmers can create a mobile shop. Here are a range of possibilities to consider.
Most farmers are aware of common wear and maintenance points on planters. Worn disk openers, failed closing wheel bearings and other high-wear components are annual gotta-check issues prior to planting.
As farmers continue planting day after day to get as much done as possible, it puts more wear and tear on planter parts. Specifically, check planter hydraulic hoses to make sure they’re working as expected.
Depending on the brand and model of planter it may be necessary to take the following steps this spring.
Here are tips to avoid adding to that inventory of mangled drill bits.
When should a combine or planter be replaced? Technically, the answer is “never,” if the owner is willing to replace parts as they wear out, but there are considerations.
Folding planters often use a big, hydraulic mono-block outfitted with lots of solenoids to control hydraulic functions. Oil dripping or spurting from the vicinity of that block looks disastrous, and may be.
Planters have multiple chains and drive systems that benefit from regular inspection and maintenance. Here are four tips for this spring.
You’re running your combine and hear the following sounds. Can you diagnose the cause?
There is a wide continuum of options when prepping a combine for winter storage. Here’s a pre-storage list of those various options, from “park it and forget it” to “ready for next year’s harvest.”
My only conclusion is that machines can secretly talk to each other via some sort of long-distance mechanical telepathy.
Whether you call it slugged, plugged or wadded-up, a combine jammed with weeds or damp crop is enough to make a preacher cuss. Here are tips to minimize your frustration and downtime.
Does the sequence in which a jam nut and a standard nut are installed make a difference? Definitely.
Here are some quick facts about the right ways to ensure nuts and bolts don’t come loose.
Winter is when we usually worry about batteries, but it’s frustrating how many batteries in machines turn up dead after a summer of sitting in the shed.
Under dusty conditions some operators blow out their air filters daily, while others extend the interval with the attitude that, “A dusty filter cleans air better than a clean filter.”
Ever-larger farm equipment requires ever-larger tools with ever-larger price tags.
Study the physics, do the math, and a 40-gallon compressed air tank pressurized to 100 psi has the explosive power of a stick of dynamite.
How many of you know someone who has a mangled or missing ring-finger because his wedding band snagged on a piece of equipment?
It’s not difficult to rebuild centrifugal spray pumps like the Hypro pumps used on many farms. But there are things that ease the process.
Most toolboxes in farm shops or farm trucks have one or two drawers that end up holding a variety of small tools and gadgets whose size belies their value in making repairs.
Here are a few thoughts on oils used to lubricate gasoline-fueled engines.
A seal kit to rebuild a leaky hydraulic cylinder is always cheaper than the cost of a new cylinder. But there are times when it is more economical (not necessarily cheaper) to install a new cylinder.
Few things are more annoying than being broke down in the field and knowing you have the perfect tool to make the repair … back in your shop.