Inflation, High gas prices, high grocery bills. There is no doubt things cost more and it looks like prices are going to keep rising.

Now, it’s important to save where you can, but it is crucial to save smartly and not cost yourself more down the road. What am I talking about? Smart savings options usually involve cutting out “wants”. This includes things like driving a little less, eating out 1 less time a week, or comparing costs at the grocery store and going with a generic brand.

Savings options that can come back and bite you are typically maintenance related. This involves things like skipping oil change intervals, not replacing worn tires on a tire, getting behind on crucial home repairs, going with a cheap phone protector, or on a more personal note, missing routine medical or dental appointments.

Trying to save on maintenance-related things can results in huge expenses down the road while saving on “wants” typically has a low long-term effect. Let’s try and simplify this concept.

Personally, I like the phrase “protect what you have.” This is a core concept taught in business courses to help businesses survive seasonality and periods of slow sales, but it makes a great motto for individuals as well.

Think about it, the highest value things people own are typically their house, car, boat, UTV, tractor, and or lawnmower. These high-value items make up a person’s wealth, net worth, credit score, and ability to get a loan. If you keep these things in great shape and running well you are maintaining your wealth, net worth, and borrowing power.

Protecting these items will help you survive an economic slowdown and when things come back around you will be in a good position, even though you may have gone through some hard times and had to give up some “wants” along the way.

As a company, we run a lot of maintenance cost analyses for major manufacturers, but instead of running through a business example let’s look at some examples closer to home.

Example 1

The cost of maintaining a compact tractor. Many of our customers own sub-compact and compact tractors so let’s run through some maintenance costs versus repair costs and maintained value vs unmaintained value. Typical tractor maintenance will include greasing, engine oil changes, and checking the hydraulic oil level.

The main grease joints on a tractor will be the loader arms, backhoe arms, quick attach couplers, steering assembly, and driveshafts. The cost of a good tube of grease is between $6.5-$20/tube and the cost of a good hand grease gun is between $55-$75. I said “good tube of grease” because quality does make a big difference in how well your machine is lubricated and a $2, $3, or $4 tube of grease will not contain high-pressure additives, high-temperature additives, and have a high stability rating.

High pressure and high-temperature additives ensure you have the protection you need, and the stability rating ensures the grease stays in the right place. If you grease every 10 hours (general recommendation) you want to know your grease is going to last the full 10 hours—cheap greases typically leak out or separate after only a few hours of operation.

Total Cost for 100 hours of operation: Grease gun $55, 1 tube of good grease $6.5 Total: $61.50

$61.50 may seem like a lot but let’s look at the cost to repair a drive shaft bearing and the cost to replace the pin and bushing in a loader arm. We reached out to a local equipment dealer and asked for the replacement cost of a U-Joint bearing in a steering assembly and the cost to replace a loader arm pin and bushing.

The Result

The result is $200-$500 to replace a steering assembly U-Joint and $300 per pin and bushing on a loader arm. Just for reference, there are 8 separate pins and bushings on each side of a tractor loader for a total of 16 (16x$300=$4800). If you did not grease in 100 hours or used poor grease the maximum cost would be $5,300 in repairs.

Total repair costs are between $300 and $5,300.

Moving on to the engine oil. Before you start the tractor, you should check the engine oil every time and change the engine oil at 50 hours of use and then every 100 hours after that initial oil change (check your owner’s manual for confirmation). The cost of an oil change and a new filter is between $150 and $300 depending on the tractor.

Now let’s say you weren’t checking the oil and the engine oil level had gotten extremely low and now the engine is making some bad sounds (sounds like two handfuls of change and a bowling ball in the dryer machine bad). It needs a new engine or a complete rebuild of the current engine.

Total repair costs are between $4,000 and $6,500

Engine oil may be the most important fluid on a tractor, but hydraulic oil level is not far behind. A lot of tractor manufacturers recommend a hydraulic oil change or at least a filter change at 100 hours to make sure any unwanted fluids left from the manufacturing or assembling process are removed. Unwanted fluids may include detergents/cleaners, cutting oils, and assemble or gasket pastes.

The total cost for a hydraulic oil and filter change is $150-$250 depending on the tractor. The cost to replace a hydraulic pump because the oil level got too low is $1400 to $2400. If the tractor has a shared reservoir for the hydraulic system and transmission the repair cost could be 2x higher.

The total repair cost is between $1,400 and $4,800

Final Calculations

So let’s put all the numbers together using our tractor example:

Cost of new compact tractor $15,000

Maintenance Possible Repair Costs Cost to Grease per 100 hours: $61.50 Repair cost from not greasing: $300-$5,300 Cost to check/change engine oil: $150-$300 Cost not to check/change engine oil: $4,000-$6,000 Cost to check/change hydraulic oil: $150-$250 Cost not to check/change hydraulic oil: $1,400-$4,800 Total Maintenance Cost: $611.50 Total Possible Repair Cost: $16,100 Value of maintained tractor $14,300 Value of unmaintained tractor: $4,000*

*This value is based on the value of remaining parts.

If you compare the two values it is easy to see why maintaining a home, car, tractor, etc. pays off in a huge way! Just imagine if you wanted to sell the tractor in the example. Would you want the $14,300 or the $4,000? The $14,300 will get you a car, a new roof, or a ton of groceries whereas the $4,000 will get you groceries for a couple of months. Maintenance, Maintenance, Maintenance. Protect everything you have.

At AET we understand that maintenance is not everyone’s cup of tea and that it can be very confusing to people new to the maintenance world, which, is why these blogs and videos.

We want to help you understand and help you protect your investments whether that is a home, car, UTV, or tractor. We are your maintenance partners, and we are committed to bringing you products that will protect your equipment, keep them running smoothly, and protect their value.

Now, we understand that everything is expensive so we decided to help by offering an ECO-Grease Gun Kit. No extras, just a grease gun that will do the job every time you need it and a tube of GREAT grease that will meet and exceed OEM recommendations.

The lube-shuttle® pistol grip grease gun will not leak or waste grease and the G200EP grease will hold in place and protect your equipment even in extreme working conditions. Perhaps best of all—if you have lubricant questions, call us. We’re here to help.

OIL SEAL APPLICATIONS IN FARM TRACTORS

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The John Deere Waterloo Tractor Works, as manufacturers of farm tractors, does not manufacture oil seals. We rely on the manufacturers of oil seals for design assistance. After establishing the initial design, laboratory and field tests are required for verification.

One of the seal applications is on the crankshaft which must keep crankcase and transmission lubricants separated. Reliability and long life are imperative. Alertness as to the effect of detail changes on seal life is necessary to maintain long service life.

The front wheel bearing seals may be subjected to submersion in water and mud. Packing, lip and face type seals have been tested with the face type proving the most rugged, although the most costly of the three types.

A problem of design and space which was encountered in a hydraulic pump was overcome by design changes in the seal and in the pump.

Constant vigilance on assembly methods and tool maintenance is a requirement to keep quality level high.

Power Train
The power train is formed of the tractor’s engine, which generates power and delivers it to the drivetrain.

Engines can have a variety of configurations and sealing solutions are designed to meet the unique requirements of each application. Rotary seals keep oil and grease within the system, while static seals and custom-molded parts prevent ingress of dirt and debris.

Drivetrain components perform a vital function, transferring power from the engine to the wheels. Heavy-duty rotary seals, engineered-molded parts and high-performance static seals, keep the tractor operating efficiently. They prevent contamination by mud, dirt and water, protecting components from abrasion and keeping lubricants inside the system.

Cylinders & Actuators

Within hydraulic and pneumatic systems, cylinders and actuators play a critical part. It’s important that sealing systems within them help achieve maximum performance, over a long operating cycle without leakage.

Learn more about hydraulic cylinder sealing

Valves & Pumps

Pumps are in place to generate flow in hydraulic systems, which is then directed and controlled by valves. The resulting force operates the hydraulic components within the tractor itself, as well as any cylinders on the attachments.

To maximize efficiency for the operator, valves and pumps must operate precisely. External media needs to be excluded and time between planned maintenance extended.

Central Tire Inflation Systems

Central Tire Inflation Systems (CTIS) are integrated pressure control systems that allow operators to inflate or deflate tire pressures directly from the cabin of the tractor, with a touch of a button.

The right pressure, according to machine configuration and application, boosts the performance of tires, increasing traction, reducing slippage and rolling resistance, with consequently higher productivity during daily operation, both in the field and on the road.

The Turcon® Roto L seal is engineered to extend the lifetime of Central Tire Inflation Systems by lowering friction. Uniquely, it only seals when sealing is required. This reduces friction to lower fuel consumption and there by conserves energy. As seal wear only occurs when pressure is activated, seal lifetime is four times longer than a standard seal.

Fitted successfully on a number of CTIS, Turcon® Roto L seal is also at the heart of the Trelleborg Wheel System market-leading CTIS+.

• Find out more about Turcon® Roto L
  

Implements & Attachments

The implements and attachments on tractors enable them to perform a wide range of functions, from mowing fields and lifting or moving material to sowing seeds, spreading fertilizer and digging holes.

Given the proximity these attachments have to the ground, static and mechanical face seals are vital in keeping dirt and contamination out of the system. Linear and rotary seals allow for the smooth and quiet operation of the hydraulic equipment while preventing leakage into the environment.