FEATURE COVER


Engine using recycled oil. SOURCE | COURTESY STOU is the preferred recommenda-


tion for people with few tractorswhodo not want to carry many types of tractor lubricants due to inventory carrying cost and the likelihood


of misapplication.


UTTO on the other hand is ideal for peo- ple with many tractors because there is a likelihood that people with many tractors have staff who would help to avoid mis- application. It would enable the operator to choose an engine oil of higher quality and therefore higher drain interval which otherwise is not available in the STOU. It is common to find four-wheel trac-


tors mainly in irrigated agriculture fitted with differentials. If the differentials are normal, it is suggested a good 80W dif- ferential oil API GL-5 or SAE 90 or SAE 85W140 is used. If the differential is lim- ited slip type, then a good differential oil API GL-5 SAE 90 with limited slip proper- ties must be used. There are many parts of the tractor


that require regular greasing. The quali- ty of grease used is normally ignored and people prefer the cheapest that money can buy. This results in frequent re-greas- ing; meaning more environmental dam- age and high chances of bearing seizure when the grease oozes out. Many cheap greases melt at low temperature and if they are used on plough bearings, they melt out and there is a risk of losing the bearings. Other greases do not resist wa- ter wash-out and during the rainy season the grease is washed out again, resulting in frequent re-greasing and the possibil- ity of bearing failure. A good multipur-


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The quality of grease used is normally ignored and people prefer the cheapest that money can buy. This results in frequent re-greasing; meaning more environmental damage and high chances of bearing seizure when the grease oozes out.


pose grease is suitable for most applica- tions and even better, using a complex grease which can last for longer intervals with reduced chances of bearing failure is recommended. The other commonly poorly main-


tained part of the tractor is the cooling system. Most of the time when I talk to tractor owners against using water in ra- diators, they get surprised and the com- mon response is: “when I was born, my grandfather used water, my father used water so I use water”. The design life of engine radiators is over 10 years and this can only be achieved if a quality coolant and not water is used. Water is not suitable for a cooling sys-


tem as it causes rusting and corrosion of the cooling system. This damages the wa- ter pump, thermostat and radiator caus- ing the tractor to overheat and disrupt operations. Continued accumulation of rust in the cylinder head will disrupt the design expansion and contraction of the cylinder head resulting in the cylinder head cracking and causing bearing knock. Rust can also attach to the water jacket on the cylinder liners causing the liners to pit and develop pin holes that makes the engine lose compression pressure,. It is clear that use of water is detrimental to the effective performance and life of the cooling system and inevitably leads to overheating and expensive repairs in- cluding complete engine overhaul. Water is cheap and as we said, “cheap is expen- sive”.


There are many coolants in the mar-


ket to choose from. There are antifreeze coolants which are ideal for heavy duty engines and could be long life carboxyl- ate technology or hybrid coolant. Again, one needs to check on the website of the manufacturer. Because of the antifreeze properties, antifreeze coolants tend to be expensive. However, there is


sum-


mer coolant that does not have anti- freeze properties that is suitable for use in most radiators and it is much cheaper than antifreeze coolants. I must caution that there are many coolants in the mar- ket that are no more than plain water to which a dye has been added to fool un- suspecting customers. Using a basic cor- rosion test which entails placing nails in the suspected coolant and checking if rust is forming , can help in identifying such fake coolants If the coolant is fake , the nails will start to rust within 3 days to one month indicating the coolant lacks corrosion inhibitor additives


that are


used in quality coolants . Most coolants are ready to use which


means water should not be added in it. It is important to ensure that during top- up, the same coolant is used all the time. If one had been using water, the radiator needs to be flushed thoroughly using a radiator flush, check for any leaks, re- pair and refill with quality coolant.. Most long-life coolants will protect the radi- ator for up to 3 years without requiring change. This makes coolant to be argu- ably the cheapest maintenance fluid used in a tractor.


. LUBEZINE MAGAZINE | March 2023


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