The 2021 planting season is knocking on our door, and in addition to prepping the soil, checking seeds, and strategizing fertilizer, you should also be prepping your equipment. Just because you winterized your tractor does NOT mean you should fire it right up the day before planting season. Here are a few tips to be sure your tractor is ready to tackle the year ahead:
- Inspect and Clean your Equipment: just because you winterized your equipment before the snow, doesn’t mean it’s ready to fire up – it has been untouched for several months. Do a full walk-around of the tractor and clean any debris that might have hung on since last season.
- Clean your Engine - Don’t forget to check and clean around the engine before starting it.
- Change your Engine Oil - Replace all engine oil before the spring planting season. Even if you are not “on schedule” for an oil change, doing it now as a preventative step will set you up for optimal performance from the get-go. Plus, less down time changing oil mid-season when working hours are full.
- Drain Old Fuel – Drain out any old fuel from last season. This prevents any contaminates that may have gathered over the winter to damage the tractor.
- Tech Check - During your check, take some time to perform a safety walk-around to confirm that all lights, panels and cameras are operating correctly. You can also take this time to ensure that all electronics and technology used on their farm are updated.