Re: how much do we really love our tractors?

Posted by Hugh MacKay on September 19, 2005 at 03:16:49 from (216.208.58.161):

In Reply to: how much do we really love our tractors? posted by caseyc on September 18, 2005 at 19:39:05:

casey: Storage of vehicles and implements has always been a mixed bag with me. Tractors built since the mid 1960s have been engineered to withstand weather much better than the older ones. Wind, rain and snow will penetrate all of them outside, yet condensation will be much worse in a building. Then there is the building itself, if it doesn't withstand the storm the equipment will fare much better outside. If you have a complete line of tractors and equipment, it takes big dollars today to put a roof over all of it.

During my farming days the first equipment to get storage were power driven implements like balers, haybines, harvesters, combines, etc. I would include grain drills, corn planters, etc in that group as well. Tractors came second and the low priority went to plows, disks, cultivators and other tillage equipment.

Then you have the sun factor, probably does more damage to paint and tires than all other weather combined.

I never put a tractor or implement inside during heavy work load seasons. That is precisely the time for electrical shorts, hot bearings, etc. and the most likely time for a fire. I always figured if a tractor or implement was going to catch fire, you may as well loose one as the whole fleet plus the building. After your heavy work load is over you go over the equipment thouroughly, put it away and remove batteries from vehicles your not going to use. Best to store tractors your going to use in off season in a separate building from other tractors and equipment.

I will relate just a few of my experiences. Had a tractor burn once, poorest one out of fleet of 6 at the time. luckily it burned outside. Had a old barn I used for equipment storage, blow down in a heavy wind, luckily all my haying and other harvesting were out at the time. Only grain drill, corn planter and a fertilizer spreader were in there, even more lucky only one lid on drill and and adjustment crank on fert sp were damaged. Just pure luck on the way that building fell. Saw a neighbor once build a fancy building to store all equipment. One tractor caught fire, and he lost all; 5 tractors, self propelled combine, haying equipment, drill, corn planter, etc. Today he has several buildings and all tractors and tillage equipment sit outside year around. Economics of storage buildings plus insurance costs dictate this.

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