Top 7 Operational Precautions of Tractors

Operational Precautions of Tractors

Tractors such as the type shown in the image above are mainly used to drag other mechanized machines in agricultural engineering such machines are ploughing machines, digging machines, harvesting machines, etc.

Their function is mostly to provide the mechanical force needed to move these machines, for that reason a single tractor can be used with different machines by simply detaching the one fixed earlier from its back hook provided for such coupling and replacing it with a new machine meant for another purpose.

There are different sizes of tractors and their sizes determine their power output and the type of work they can do, the sample is shown above is one of the smallest sizes of tractors meant for subsistence agriculture or small scale production of commercial agriculture.

The reason is because of its power output and the quantity of work it can do per hour which may become big stress for large-scale commercial agriculture that may be having about 4 hectares of land for a single farm, such using this size of the tractor will cause stress to the operator and the engine of the tractor.

However, there are some notable things you need to observe and be conscious of when working with this type of tractor they are:

COUPLING

The coupling of the tractor is usually located at the back where it established a link with other functional machines attached to it, it had been found that when the heavier machine is attached to it, problems will develop at that coupling location, and the causes are not restricted to that.

Another cause of coupling problem could arise when the machine is carrying a heavy load or subjected to high stress while performing its function, as a result, the coupling part will experience gradual deformation which is due to the malleability nature of the metals used in the manufacturing.

In a severe situation, the spaces and gaps created by the deformation of shapes will start causing the coupling to make noise and jerking sound as the tractor is moving forward with the machine, such will also result in little lack of equilibrium in the tractor’s stability.

To ensure the durability of the coupling always apply grease when necessary and ensure proper tightening of the bolts and nuts, and consider the work output of the attached machine to be according to the standard capacity of the manufacturer of the tractor.

GROUND-LEVEL

Ground-level can cause very high instability to the tractor when moving the machine because the tyres were made to move on rough surfaces without restriction due to the high torque and momentum of the diesel engine used in the building.

Yet like every other machine, it needs a particular range of ground-level to function effectively and any level above such range may cause irregular movement and galloping and miscalculations if the machine it is moving is meant to perform any function within an interval of time.

SOIL TEXTURE

Soil texture has to do with how strong or soft a soil is, the tractor can function effectively in strong & dry soil, but if there is a heavy rainfall that made the soil become extremely slippery working with the tractor will consume more diesel with the low work output.

While still giving stress to the engine. When such a condition occurs it may be necessary to allow the soil to lose its slippery property either through sunlight or other means before proceeding with the farming operation.

THE SOIL PREVIOUS USE

Knowing the previous use of the land you are working on will help in knowing the dangers within if a residential or public place was cleared up and mapped out for farming purposes.

It is necessary to consider that some sharp objects capable of causing great injury to the tractor tyres may be located beneath the soil, so during the ploughing activity such objects may be located at the shallow level beneath the soil.

If such consciousness is not there you may just move the tractor over them and incur injury to its tyres.

DIESEL ENGINE LEVEL

One thing diesel engines hate is to operate until the whole diesel in the tank finishes. In fact, it is a bad idea to operate any diesel engine and allow it to go off as a result of finished diesel.

While this may be tolerated a few times, the bad news is that you may just wake up one day and discover that the engine will not be able to start even when there is diesel in the tank.

The major reason for this action is because diesel has a higher viscosity than petrol and it does carry impurities though these impurities are not solid-looking particles rather they may be molecule inclusion during refining, and the bottom part of diesel is where all of these impurities settle.

If you allow the diesel to finish in the tank it will drag those impurities which usually pass through the filters and enter into the diesel injector to block the injector nozzle, hence making ignition of the engine impossible until the nozzle is changed or serviced.

So keeping eyes on the diesel level in the engine will keep you away from stress resulting from engine failure.

WATER LEVEL

Water plays an essential role in any engine and one of the roles is to help in controlling the operating temperature of engines.

If you allow the tractor engine to lack water in the radiator it will lead to interval overheating and wearing of dynamic parts of the engine. Keeping the water level will prolong the engine’s lifespan.

THE JOINTS RIGIDITY

Looking at the photo you can visually see that there are lots of joints that are used in the tractor assembling, due to the nature of work that the tractor performs. It is very necessary to check the whole joints of the tractor and use torque range to tighten the loosed bolts and nuts at each joint before operating the tractor.

Conclusion

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