Spring preparation on many farms includes maintenance checks, which are critical to ensuring a machine’s efficient running and preventing unscheduled downtime – which can be very costly if your machinery breaks down when you need it most.
Part of any maintenance should include checks fluid levels ensuring there is no leakage. It is also important to remember when checking these levels to consider when these fluids were last fully changed.
Some just top up fluids as opposed to a regular full change to save money and in some cases, where usage is low or good quality lubricants are being used, this might seem to suffice.
However, these perceived savings are false, as continued topping up without a full change at recommended intervals can lead to more costly issues.
Why a full change is needed
For example, once a lubricant has been through a system and returns to the sump, it will have cleaned all the parts it ran through and collected particles of dirt and/metal that can become dislodged internally. Lubricants are designed to continue to perform even with particles in it, in particular, high-quality lubricants.
Still, all lubricants will reach a point where the amount of contaminates will decrease the effectiveness of the lubricant which will lead to increased wear and tear. Consider a chip pan here; topping up does not remove the dirt from the oil it gets darker with dirt the longer its left, only a full drain will remove the dirt.
For operators using equipment that requires connection to your tractor’s backend, regularly changing is even more important as your backend oil flows from the tractor to the equipment and back again resulting in the oil mixing with any left in the equipment from the last use which carries several risks:
- The equipment may not have been used in a long time, so the oil could be old and lost its properties;
- Dirt on the connections getting into the system when linking up;
- Where mixed fleet are using the same equipment or sharing equipment with others, there is a risk of mixing with oil from another machine that used the equipment, which may have contaminations of its own or a different lower spec oil due to some manufacturers having different requirements or other operators using inferior cheap lubricants.
Grease collects dirt caused by wear and tear but where grease points are not sealed it also catches dust and dirt externally to prevent it from getting into the points it is protecting.
By continuing to top up the grease instead of changing, this dirt is kept in the system and builds up causing the grease to no longer prevent it from getting to the machine parts resulting in damage.
Coolant/Antifreeze does so much more than just prevent your engine from freezing, it cools your engine down by removing the heat generated during operation, protecting from overheating and ensure its efficient operation.
Topping up with water alone will reduce the properties of the coolant in your system and reduce its effectiveness.
Choosing a lubricant
Another easy temptation to save on the upfront maintenance costs is using cheaper brands of lubricants, especially recently as according to Eurostat, the cost of lubricants has risen by 59% since 2021.
This however, results in a short-term gain and a long-term loss, as most will fail and cause breakdown at the most important time.
These lesser-quality lubricants do not go through the rigorous tests fully approved lubricants from trusted international brands have to and are usually blended to the minimum requirements of the manufacturer’s specification, using the least amount of additives to meet the lower end of the tolerance levels of specifications to cut costs, thus not being as reliable to ensure your machine is performing at its potential.
The importance of machine longevity and performance to Irish farmers is at the heart of the reason why Finol Oils has been a trusted lubricants partner to the Irish farming community for over 40 years.
Finol provides a wide range of high-quality and approved products from trusted international brands such as TotalEnergies, Elf and Petro-Canada and their own Finol brand, all of which are designed to ensure maximum efficiency of machinery.
Tractor checks to get machinery ready
Finol has below, identified the most important parts of most tractors to check the fluids in regularly.
- Engine – Most modern engines are switching away from the common long drain 15W-40, with multiple options being recommended, Low Ash 15W-40, 10W-40 or 5W-30, so it is important to ensure you check the manufactures requirements and use the correct approved high-quality engine oils such as TotalEnergies Rubia range, Petro Canada’s Duron range or Finol’s Performance range;
- Backend/Transmission/Hydraulic – Whilst most machinery use the same backend oil commonly known as 10W-30 or 80W there are some manufacturers with different requirements such as 10W-40 or CVT transmissions so be sure to use the correct high-quality backend oil such as TotalEnergies Dynatrans range, Petro Canada’s Duratran range or Finol’s AgriworX range;
- Differential/Hubs – Keeping hubs cool under severe temperatures during operation is very important, and high-quality oils will ensure this. It’s especially important to remember the front hubs when there is a front loader being used, as oils then need to be replaced more often.
- Coolant – Using the correct coolant/Antifreeze and ensuring not to mix coolant types is important to avoid gelling in the system. TotalEnergies Coolelf range or Finol’s Coolant range offers all the different types of coolants needed;
- Grease Points – Greasing is the most forgotten maintenance check, but it is highly important to grease regularly and change the grease regularly to avoid wear and tear. Another important point to remember is to not over-grease, i.e., pumping grease till it pops out the side or the grease gun can’t pump anymore. This can damage the components just as much as not having any grease at all.
As well as providing the products needed for all these important parts, Finol also provides a comprehensive range of services which includes technical advice for those who want to gain a better understanding of how best to use their lubricants for maximum efficiency.
This ensures that you can be sure in your purchases from Finol, while also optimising their productivity levels through better knowledge about using the best fluids in your equipment to ensure minimum downtime and learning how some lubricants can help reduce fuel usage.
To learn more about one of the most trusted range of lubricants in the Irish farming community or purchase their products click here, ask your lubricants supplier for Finol products or call +353 (1) 2238532.
You can also send an email to [email protected] for any queries.
