FARM Machine Maintenance

One of the simplest ways to contribute to optimal machinery performance is to introduce a daily preventative maintenance check into your daily activities. This daily check is as simple as:

• Cleaning the machinery
• Visually inspecting all major components and joints to look for any abnormalities such as wear on moving parts outside of normal wear & tear
• Tire pressure, is it correct for the planned activity & ground type
• Fluids & Greases, ensure there are no leaks, and all are at the right levels.

These simple checks can help ensure the longevity and performance of your machinery.

However, to make a substantial impact on the maintenance and fuel usage of the equipment, most manufacturers recommend that you use high quality genuine or approved parts in your machinery. Lubricants and fluids are some of the most vital parts of any engine or machinery.

Like genuine parts, high quality approved lubricants or lubricants meeting the machinery requirements are designed and manufactured to perform to the machinery manufacturers’ approval performances. Approved products are rigorously tested to ensure they exceed these performance levels. These lubricants are formulated to ensure they help the machinery perform to its full potential. Whereas cheaper, lesser-quality lubricants do not go through these rigorous tests and are usually blended to the minimum requirements, using the least amount of additives to meet the lower end of the tolerance levels to cut costs, thus not being as reliable to ensure your machine is performing at its potential.

Higher quality lubricants designed to exceed the machinery performance levels can be more expensive upfront but thanks to the numerous benefits over the cheaper options including:

• Machine Longevity to ensure your machine components last longer, reducing breakdowns and extending the life of the machine
• Longer Drain Intervals, synthetic lubricants have a longer lifespan which depending on the machine and usage allows for the drain intervals to be extended, reducing the amount of oil and the labour required for oil changes.
• Machinery Performance, high-quality lubricants prevent the formation of deposits in the engine allowing it to run more efficiently, thus increasing reliability, boosting its performance, and enhancing productivity.
• Fuel Economy, lowering the lubricants viscosity and enhanced lubricity at lower temperatures allows for lower overall friction and easier start-up, delivering less resistance and reducing the fuel usage of the engine.

These higher-quality lubricants can significantly lower your overall costs and save you money in the long term. These products cut your maintenance costs through reduced oil usage, lower maintenance labour hours, fewer parts replacement, less waste oil disposal and minimizing costs of lost production due to machinery downtime.