USE OF TRACTORS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27040, 26 March 1949, Page 2

USE OF TRACTORS

CARE IN FIRST HANDLING EARLY LIGHT LOADING It is a pity that some of the care and understanding required to convert a raw, unbroken colt into a docile, friendly and useful draught horse is not recognised as necessary in relation to the application of mechanical farm power, points out a news bulletin of the British Ministry of Agriculture. In most cases, the graduation of the young tractor driver is by/ a process of trial and error—it is not realised that some technical instuction is needed in the first place. It is not surprising, therefore, that the average new tractor going on to a farm has a much shorter expectation of life than it should have. The maker’s instructions are simple, they are based on long experience and cannot be improved upon by the casual farm worker. Light loading for the early period is essential; though, when settled down, a tractor engine runs best and lasts longest under its maximum load. Underloads and overloads are both harmful.

Rigid adherence to the recommended time for oil changing is as necessary as the use of the proper grade of oil; to buy a barrel of nondescript lubricant just because it sounds cheap is simply asking for trouble. In the early stages it is better to change the oil more often than suggested—bits of metal do get into the sump, in spite of the manufacturer’s efforts to prevent them. There are few greasing points on a tractor, and a bit of over-greasing is cheaper and quicker in the long run than getting new parts. Most tractor tyres are pumped up too hard, and this reduces their adherence. There is not much wrong with modern tractors, and many of the troubles would never" happen if just a little more care was taken when breaking them in.