Tips for Tractor Maintenance and Farm Safety

By John Vara
Published on January 1, 1986
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A two-bottom plow works best in heavy clay or rocky soil because it means less work for the tractor engine.
A two-bottom plow works best in heavy clay or rocky soil because it means less work for the tractor engine.
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Tractors can be valuable assets to the farm, but they can also be dangerous if not handled properly.
Tractors can be valuable assets to the farm, but they can also be dangerous if not handled properly.
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Disk harrows are used to eliminate lumps and clods left in the field after plowing.
Disk harrows are used to eliminate lumps and clods left in the field after plowing.
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Switching your disk harrows to the open position after going over the field once with them closed, allows the discs to chop up the previously loosened soil, leaving a relatively fine seedbed.
Switching your disk harrows to the open position after going over the field once with them closed, allows the discs to chop up the previously loosened soil, leaving a relatively fine seedbed.
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Spiked-tooth harrows are used after disk harrows when an even-finer seedbed is required.
Spiked-tooth harrows are used after disk harrows when an even-finer seedbed is required.
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Notched disks are more efficent for chopping up sod or stubble, but are more easily damaged when run up against a big stone.
Notched disks are more efficent for chopping up sod or stubble, but are more easily damaged when run up against a big stone.
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A free smoothing harrow can be improvised by dragging a set or two of discarded steel-framed bedsprings behind the disk harrows.
A free smoothing harrow can be improvised by dragging a set or two of discarded steel-framed bedsprings behind the disk harrows.
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Like walk-behind tillers, tractor pulled rotary tillers pulverize the soil and leave it ready for planting in a single pass.
Like walk-behind tillers, tractor pulled rotary tillers pulverize the soil and leave it ready for planting in a single pass.
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Scraper blades are most often used for plowing snow, although they also work well for scraping and smoothing gravel roads or driveways.
Scraper blades are most often used for plowing snow, although they also work well for scraping and smoothing gravel roads or driveways.
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A roll bar protects you from a potentialy fatal rollover accident.
A roll bar protects you from a potentialy fatal rollover accident.
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A logging winch is a superb tool for the woodlot owner who wants to do some selective cutting with minumum damage to the residual stand.
A logging winch is a superb tool for the woodlot owner who wants to do some selective cutting with minumum damage to the residual stand.
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A roll over can happen when the tractor pivots around the immobile wheels, this can happen in a fraction of a second.
A roll over can happen when the tractor pivots around the immobile wheels, this can happen in a fraction of a second.
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A set of front-end weights will help keep the tractor wheels down, making for a more positive steering experience and increased safety.
A set of front-end weights will help keep the tractor wheels down, making for a more positive steering experience and increased safety.
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The whirling PTO shaft can grab onto loose clothing with potentially gruesome results; wear fitted clothing to avoid this hazard.
The whirling PTO shaft can grab onto loose clothing with potentially gruesome results; wear fitted clothing to avoid this hazard.
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If the electric connection is working you should see a strong blue spark leap across the gap of the spark plug when you test it.
If the electric connection is working you should see a strong blue spark leap across the gap of the spark plug when you test it.
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Most tractor carburetors can be split into two halves, like a clamshell, by removing a few screws and bolts.
Most tractor carburetors can be split into two halves, like a clamshell, by removing a few screws and bolts.

Previously, we took a long look at farm tractors for the small landowner — at how they work, what they can do, and how to select the right one for your needs. Now it’s time to think about how you’ll use your machine, how you’ll keep it in good running condition and keep yourself in safe condition, as well. We’ll start by considering some of the implements and attachments that you’re most likely to need.

Tractor Implements

And you will need some implements, because a tractor by itself is not particularly useful. A plot of land with a bare tractor is analogous to a kitchen with a well-stocked pantry but no pots, pans, or utensils. Fortunately, though, the tractor itself is the most expensive and complicated component in the system, and if you’ve chosen a tractor — new or used — that’s common in your area, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding the right accompaniments for it. Here, without further ado, are some of the tractor implements most likely to appear on your wish list.

Plows are described in terms of the number of furrows they leave in the soil with each pass. A plow with a single cutting blade is a one-bottom plow, one with a pair of them is a two-bottom plow, and so on. The monstrous wheat-field tractors used in the wide open spaces of the Midwest can pull a 10-bottom plow without straining — but a small — farm machine, probably in the 30-horsepower range, is intended for use with a two- or possibly a three-bottom model. In heavy clay or rocky soil, the two bottom is a better bet, since it means less work for the engine.

There are many subtleties to plows and plowing, however, and I urge you to seek some advice from your neighbors, or perhaps from the county agricultural agent, before buying one. These individuals probably know more about local conditions than you do, and can help you make an informed choice. You can expect to spend around $150 for a used two-bottom plow in good condition (new ones range from $350 to $800). And if you’re using a midsize tractor like I suggested, be sure to get a plow to fit a Category 1 three-point hitch. (Category 2 implements, by contrast, are for large tractors, while Category 0 implements fit compact or lawn-and-garden machines.)

Disk Harrows 101

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