Getting your farm ready for the winter is one of the most important things you can do for your business. By winterizing your farm equipment ahead of time, you’ll save a lot of time and money on farm equipment repair and be ready for spring.
As a farmer in the United States, chances are you deal with some form of harsh winter weather. As romantic as it can be, winter can be the most costly season for farmers.
Your farm equipment can rust and corrode when it’s exposed to snow, ice, and cold temperatures. You’ll also have less daylight to do any needed maintenance or repairs.
That’s why it’s important to stay ahead of the season by beginning to winterize your farm tools and equipment before the end of the summer. By doing so, you’ll avoid unnecessary stress and keep your repair costs down.
Five Tips to Maintain Your Equipment in Winter
As fall approaches, there are a few things you can do to prepare for winter. By following these simple steps for farm equipment service, you’ll make sure you’re ready for the next growing season.
1 – Fall Cleaning
“After harvest, you’ll want to spray and clean off any debris from equipment and grain elevators” says Adrian Fritch, Farm & Ranch Loan Officer at First Financial Bank. “Pests such as rodents will congregate in places where plant material and pieces of grain have built up, and potentially chew through your equipment’s wiring. There are mobile cleaning units that you can contact to put on a ceramic coating, wash and polish equipment and grain bins.”
Also, any buildup of dirt or plant material will keep cold moisture in, causing your equipment to rust quicker. Cleaning your farm tools and equipment before winter will prevent unnecessary damage.
2 – Make Your Repairs
After the busy harvest season, it’s time to look over your equipment. Thoroughly check each piece of equipment for broken or loose parts, plus any wear and tear.
Before the winter weather sets in, make a list of the repairs you need and schedule maintenance on your equipment to make sure it’s running at its best. By handling your repairs early, you’ll be able to rest well, knowing that your equipment is ready for spring.
3 – Prepare your Fuel and Fluids
First, check the condition of your engine coolant by using a hydrometer or test strip kit. This can tell you if you need to adjust the levels of antifreeze in your engine.
Next, consider switching from diesel #2 to diesel #1 if you live in a weather zone that stays consistently below 20 degrees. Although diesel #2 gives your equipment more energy, it contains more paraffin wax than diesel #1. This substance reacts to cold temperatures and creates a gel that plugs valves. Diesel # 1 can handle temperatures as low as -40° F without gelling.
Gasoline doesn’t have the same risk of gelling. However, it’s important to keep fuel levels topped off. Low-quality fuel can trap more moisture in your equipment. To prevent freezing, use high-quality gasoline instead of ethanol blends. If you’re storing your equipment for several months, it’s better to drain your fuel instead.
4 – Drain Your DEF
If you’re putting your diesel-powered equipment away for the winter, it’s important to drain your DEF (diesel exhaust fluid). When DEF freezes, it expands, leading to bursting pipes and damaged tanks. This usually happens at around 12° F.
Unless you’re using heating systems on your diesel-powered equipment, it’s important to prepare for winter by emptying your DEF tanks. You can do this by topping off your equipment and then running the nozzle dry. Then, let the remaining DEF in the coupler run off, so that there is only a small amount left in the tank. Make sure diesel equipment has fuel stabilizer run through the tank.
5 – Protect Your Batteries
Batteries need to stay fully charged in order to last through the extreme temperatures of winter. To do this, test their charge frequently. Consider using a ‘float’ charger to keep them charged during storage.
If you keep your batteries at a low charge for several months, it creates sulfation. This results in sulfuric acid sticking to your battery’s lead plates, which makes them harder to charge and leads to battery failure.
