How often do you powerwash your equipment

[canoetrpr]

I love putting a way a clean tractor but it is just not practical to powerwash it everytime I use it.

Today I was moving around manure and so there is a lot sticking inside the bucket and outside on the QA coupler. Working in the same thing tomorrow as well so I figure I'll wash it off once that job is done.

I've been trying to powerwash my old tractor and rotary cutter after every cutting (once every 5-7 days - I do rotational grazing and mow weeds after moving the cattle out of a paddock). That too gets tiresome.

Curious to hear how often you guys wash your equipment. How much harm am I doing leaving some manure stuck to a bucket or other organic debris stuck to a rotary cutter? Of course the rotary cutter will get washed well before storing it for the winter.

 

[skipmarcy]

Pressure wash tractor once a year on average. Use garden hose maybe 3 or 4 times a year on tractor, maybe twice a year on my tiller, rotary and finish mower. If I worked in manure or anything else that would eat metal I would rinse more often !!

 

[DK35vince]

My tractor gets pressure washed 2 to 3 times per year.
I pressure wash the attachments once per year at the end of the season before they are put away for the winter.

 

[20 20]

For some reason my machines love mud. I believe there are little dwarfs that get my machines out at night and have mud bogs:laughing:. I power wash quite a bit, IMO it is part of proper maintenance, how could I find an issue if I can't see it{??}.

 

[Monster5601]

I pressure wash as needed and just before I grease the FEL and BH.

 

[Leroy Brown]

I power wash several times a year. Usually when I have the power washer out for some other reason. Once I string all those hoses I generally just wash everything in my path.

 

[5030]

I love putting a way a clean tractor but it is just not practical to powerwash it everytime I use it.

Today I was moving around manure and so there is a lot sticking inside the bucket and outside on the QA coupler. Working in the same thing tomorrow as well so I figure I'll wash it off once that job is done.

I've been trying to powerwash my old tractor and rotary cutter after every cutting (once every 5-7 days - I do rotational grazing and mow weeds after moving the cattle out of a paddock). That too gets tiresome.

Curious to hear how often you guys wash your equipment. How much harm am I doing leaving some manure stuck to a bucket or other organic debris stuck to a rotary cutter? Of course the rotary cutter will get washed well before storing it for the winter.

Pressure washing is H E L L on any equipment, especially equipment with oil filled gearboxes and seals and bearings and all those things that moisture can destroy.

I wash with a garden hose to get the crud off, and pressure wash maybe 2 times a year. I NEVER pressure wash any haying equipment, my bailers have never seen a pressure washer, I just blow the chaff off, grease, check parts for wear and call it good.

I wash my mower decks, pull the blades and sharpen or replace prior to winter storage and coat with slip plate.

Glad I didn't buy your trade-in. It is probably heading for component failure from moisture ingress at some point in the near future.

 

[yankeerider]

i don't own a pressure washer, so none of my equipment has ever seen anything more than about 40 psi from a hose nozzle. That's the way it's been for over 30 years know. I worry more about the salt in winter, when it's too cold to wash, but just around freezing inside where the tractor and gator are stored.

 

[5030]

i don't own a pressure washer, so none of my equipment has ever seen anything more than about 40 psi from a hose nozzle. That's the way it's been for over 30 years know. I worry more about the salt in winter, when it's too cold to wash, but just around freezing inside where the tractor and gator are stored.

Let me know if and when you sell equipment, I'll consider yours.......

I actually found that out the hard (and expensive way). I used to pressure was my big round bailer to remove the chaff and I compromised the upper roll bearing (got water ingress from the pressure) and had the bearing sieze in the field. I had to rent a bailer and then replace the bearing, the cross shaft, the spacers and one roll belt to the tune of about a grand for parts plus the day rental. I could have easily set the bailer on fire if I hadn't been watching and saw the smoke from the frying bearing/slipping belt.

Manure might fade paint in a bucket but it's a bucket. The paint just keeps the rust at bay. That's it. Show me a commercial unit with paint on the bucket and I'll show you a lemon.:laughing:

Clean and purty is for the Caddilac and the motorcycles. I prefer to put away a dirty tractor/implements. I know they were working......

 

[TripleR]

We have never used our pressure washer on any of our equipment. We use compressed air or leaf blower and then maybe a garden hose.

I never used a pressure washer on my motorcycles either, just soap and elbow grease.

I may not be doing it right, but we have some pretty old stuff still running fine.

I gave up working with cows many years ago, so that may be a different thing.