The Art of Maintaining Your Tractor Attachments 

Keep your tractor working all season with well-maintained tractor attachments. Whether you’re preparing the ground with a landscape rake for tractor or digging post holes for a new length of fence, follow these steps to enjoy long-lasting equipment for your commercial and hobby needs.

Lubricate Moving Parts

Most attachments have a number of moving parts. Over time, these can wear down due to constant friction. Review the recommended lubrication and lubrication schedule for each moving part and keep up-to-date on this schedule. Typically, these high-friction areas require grease periodically.

Listen for metal-on-metal sounds and watch for reduced movement as signs your attachment lacks lubrication. Try to lubricate areas before they start to grind and scrape, because these signs can mean that your attachment is already becoming damaged through excessive wear and lack of lubricant.

Inspect Hydraulic Hoses

Buckets and other moving attachments use your tractor’s hydraulic system to power their operations. A leak in a hydraulic hose or around a fitting can spill hydraulic fluid all over your property and cause your attachment to fail to work. Look for signs of hose wear or corroded fittings and replace them before they spring a leak.

Check the hoses on your tractor or skid steer as well as your attachment. A leak anywhere in the system can slow you down or stop your work day. Preventative hydraulic maintenance allows you to continue to rake, lift, mow and perform other essential duties.

Change Hydraulic Fluid

The fluid inside your hydraulic system needs to be changed periodically. The timeline typically depends on the time of operation. Some systems can run for 1,000 hours before fluid must be replaced, but consult your owner’s manual to identify the proper timing for your tractor’s hydraulic system.

Check for Loose Nuts and Washers

Nuts can loosen around bolts through routine use. Even a small amount of movement can add additional torque and vibration, weakening bolts, nuts and blades. Check your rake, bucket or post hole digger for tractor for signs of loose hardware. Routine tightening can keep your attachment operating efficiently and reduce the risk of a maintenance issue.

Replace Damaged Teeth and Blades

A quality grapple or skeleton bucket from a leading manufacturer comes with many durable teeth. Even through normal use, these teeth can become worn or damaged. If your implement allows for individual teeth or blades to be removed, do this periodically to replace cracked or damaged components.

Keeping all the blades and teeth fully maintained can help you get more out of your implement. A fully serviced attachment can make quick work of hard stone-filed soil. Don’t let a bent blade or missing tooth slow down your operation.

Choose the Right Attachment for Long-Lasting Performance

Shop online for a leading range of attachments for your tractor or skid steer. These maintenance tasks are basic steps that you should take for any implement, but your specific drum mower, rake or bucket may have different steps for proper maintenance. Order an item today that offers a limited lifetime warranty and clear maintenance steps for peace of mind as you work.