Small Tractor hours

[Hugh136]

Hi everyone, I am a newby to the tractor world and the recent owner to a Lovol 304, which is a cheapo for those who dont know, Its a 30hp tractor and i was just wondering about the hours, i'v had it for two weeks and done about 28 hours, but work will slow down now for it because the main yearly jobs are done, I was wondering what should i check regularly, about how often should i get it serviced, and also do you guys have any rough idea about how long one of these will last? its a manual stick change so there's no cheapo hydro-static transmission to go horribly wrong in there, but i'm still curious, Thanks-Hugh

 

[Fawken]

:welcome: to TBN. Change oil and filter at 50. Change hydro and clean filter at 150. Thereafter you can do oil at a 100 or every spring whichever comes first and the hydraulic fluid every 500. No idea how long it will last, but you have to assume that there are farmers in China too. All people get hungry so they might build farm machinery with the idea in mind it is better to have machinery helping feed the billions of Chinese that might get antsy when they're starving instead of building junk that defeats the purpose.

 

[Hugh136]

:welcome: to TBN. Change oil and filter at 50. Change hydro and clean filter at 150. Thereafter you can do oil at a 100 or every spring whichever comes first and the hydraulic fluid every 500. No idea how long it will last, but you have to assume that there are farmers in China too. All people get hungry so they might build farm machinery with the idea in mind it is better to have machinery helping feed the billions of Chinese that might get antsy when they're starving instead of building junk that defeats the purpose.

Cheers Mate

 

[Wagtail]

G'day Mate and welcome to TBN from Tassie.

Enjoy the site... are you up there in Victoria?

 

[Hugh136]

G'day Mate and welcome to TBN from Tassie.

Enjoy the site... are you up there in Victoria?[/QUOTE

Thanks mate, Yeh i'm in victoria

 

[dave1949]

Welcome!

If it has a loader that needs to be greased daily when in use. Grease is important on tractors; steering linkage, clutch & brake linkage. I hope you have an owner's manual that shows all the lubrication points. Fluids to check: usually includes power steering, coolant, engine oil, front axle differential and maybe front final drive gears if 4x4, transmission and rear axle.

It's a good idea to check wheel lug nuts, actually check all the nuts and bolts on new machines after some use. Tire pressure. If the tires are loaded with fluid check the air pressure with the valve at 12 o'clock.

Keep the radiator clean by blowing dust, plant material, etc. out from back to front.

 

[Hugh136]

Welcome!

If it has a loader that needs to be greased daily when in use. Grease is important on tractors; steering linkage, clutch & brake linkage. I hope you have an owner's manual that shows all the lubrication points. Fluids to check: usually includes power steering, coolant, engine oil, front axle differential and maybe front final drive gears if 4x4, transmission and rear axle.

It's a good idea to check wheel lug nuts, actually check all the nuts and bolts on new machines after some use. Tire pressure. If the tires are loaded with fluid check the air pressure with the valve at 12 o'clock.

Keep the radiator clean by blowing dust, plant material, etc. out from back to front.

Thanks i better getting greasing then, didn't realize how frequently you had to do it!

 

[Wagtail]

Thanks i better getting greasing then, didn't realize how frequently you had to do it!

Yep, greasing the nipples is important. If you're using the Front End Loader (FEL) a lot, I'd grease daily... just a squirt. Your owners manual will hopefully point out where all of the rest of them are. I say 'hopefully' because when a manufacturer updates their product they don't necessarily update the manual.

In fact, take the time to actually read your owners manual. It'll tell you at what 'hours' to do particular maintenance routines & how to do them if you can.

One other trick for young players is to check the torque on all of your wheel nuts. There have been horror stories, here on TBN, of tractors being delivered and the wheels falling off before the first 50hrs! Piece of mind to check them and any other implement you have as the whole rig is subject to constant vibration from the donk.

Oh, and have fun!

 

[MortOz]

Welcome along - this is a good, and international place, for we farm types.
The greasing is frequent because the bearings on things like the front end loader get worked pretty hard, and the regular greasing also helps push dirt out of the bearings before it gets a chance to cause excessive wear. I found a good quality grease gun to be a worthwhile investment once I bought a skid steer with the amazing number of grease nipples they come with. Look for something like a McNaught K7 Mini Lube (shop around, should be under $300) and you can save by getting the grease in a bigger tin as well. I have added a flexible nozzle with a LocknLube coupler and it makes life very easy - can get the LocknLube in Aus from places like Blackwoods (or at least you can in sunny Qld).
Happy tractoring!