{"id":8615,"date":"2022-07-27T06:18:16","date_gmt":"2022-07-27T12:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/limblecmms.com\/?p=8615"},"modified":"2025-05-30T13:04:55","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T19:04:55","slug":"farm-equipment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/limblecmms.com\/blog\/farm-equipment\/","title":{"rendered":"A quick guide to farm equipment maintenance"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row kd_background_image_position=”vc_row-bg-position-top”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Farming is a multi-million-dollar, asset-intensive business relying on heavy planning for success. Poor farm equipment maintenance wastes money due to the weather and time-sensitive nature of farming and introduces a bunch of safety risks. Yet, it is a more common occurrence than we\u2019d like to think it is.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Farm equipment breakdowns result in production loss, seed wastage, crop spoilage, and worker waiting time. Add these costs to emergency repair bills, and the total far outweighs the costs of a regular <\/span>preventative maintenance program<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this post, we\u2019ll discuss farm assets that need regular maintenance, the benefits of proactive farm maintenance, as well as how to set up an effective farm equipment maintenance schedule.\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row content_placement=”middle” kd_background_image_position=”vc_row-bg-position-center” kd_top_separator_style=”arrow-down” kd_top_separator_height=”separator-height-small” kd_bottom_separator_style=”arrow-down” kd_bottom_separator_height=”separator-height-small” kd_top_separator=”true” kd_bottom_separator=”true” css=”.vc_custom_1686010970348{margin-bottom: 40px !important;padding-top: 60px !important;padding-bottom: 40px !important;background: #dde4e8 url(https:\/\/limblecmms.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/cta-laired-hex-4.webp?id=9077) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;border-radius: 0px !important;}” css_tablet_landscape=”.vc_custom_1686010970348{padding-bottom: 80px !important;}” css_tablet_portrait=”.vc_custom_1686010970348{padding-bottom: 80px !important;}” css_mobile=”.vc_custom_1686010970348{padding-bottom: 80px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_row_inner content_placement=”middle” gap=”15″ kd_background_image_position=”vc_row-bg-position-top”][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″]

Building Maintenance Checklist<\/h2>
Use this helpful template as a starting point for your building maintenance program.<\/h6><\/header>[\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″][vc_raw_html]JTNDc2NyaXB0JTIwY2hhcnNldCUzRCUyMnV0Zi04JTIyJTIwdHlwZSUzRCUyMnRleHQlMkZqYXZhc2NyaXB0JTIyJTIwc3JjJTNEJTIyJTJGJTJGanMuaHNmb3Jtcy5uZXQlMkZmb3JtcyUyRmVtYmVkJTJGdjIuanMlMjIlM0UlM0MlMkZzY3JpcHQlM0UlMEElM0NzY3JpcHQlM0UlMEElMjAlMjBoYnNwdC5mb3Jtcy5jcmVhdGUlMjglN0IlMEElMjAlMjAlMjAlMjByZWdpb24lM0ElMjAlMjJuYTElMjIlMkMlMEElMjAlMjAlMjAlMjBwb3J0YWxJZCUzQSUyMCUyMjM5NzU2MDglMjIlMkMlMEElMjAlMjAlMjAlMjBmb3JtSWQlM0ElMjAlMjIxYWExMjM3Ni00ZjI4LTQ5ZDUtYTc0YS04MWI2NTIzM2NmZjQlMjIlMEElMjAlMjAlN0QlMjklM0IlMEElM0MlMkZzY3JpcHQlM0U=[\/vc_raw_html][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row kd_background_image_position=”vc_row-bg-position-top”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

What farm assets need regular maintenance?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Farm assets are items with an economic value used in income generation and consist of machinery, equipment, and structures. Comprehensive maintenance extends the useful life of these assets, improving the efficiency of daily operations and reducing annual operating costs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Equipment and machinery<\/span><\/h3>\n

The range of equipment used in modern farming is staggering. While tractors, harvesters, balers, spreaders, slashers, and seeders get attention due to their size and complexity, there are huge numbers of smaller machines and important tooling to consider.<\/span><\/p>\n

Motorbikes, ATVs, posthole diggers, chainsaws, welders, brush cutters, and pumps are common equipment often taken for granted on most farms. Step down again from powered equipment, and you’ll find hydraulic jacks, fence strainers, trailers, and yard scrapers.<\/span><\/p>\n

These items’ failure, loss, or deterioration wastes capital, introduces delays, requires costly repairs, and may cause a safety issue. A comprehensive maintenance program may also prevent fines and criminal penalties following accidents due to unexpected <\/span>equipment failure<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Structural Assets<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

Farm buildings and structures are renowned for their run-down state, with artists and photographers chronicling crumbling barns, rusty and damaged silos, and weeds growing through tanks and structures. However artistic, such neglect costs money. Asset life shortens, and contents within the structure, like grain in a silo or tractors in a barn, are damaged or deteriorate more rapidly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Advantages of proactive farm maintenance<\/span><\/h2>\n

We’ve touched on some benefits, but here are six advantages to implementing a comprehensive farm maintenance program.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"proactive<\/p>\n

1. Efficient operation<\/span><\/h3>\n

Partially blocked air or fuel filters, leaking hydraulic piston wiper and rod seals, leaking pump gland packings, and loose chainsaw chains. These, and many more faults, contribute to inefficient operation by reducing equipment performance. Not to mention how they also waste precious resources and create safety hazards.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Less fuel or power consumption<\/span><\/h3>\n

When cooling fans are not operating, bearings are unlubricated, filters are blocked, tire pressures incorrect, or pump bypass valves are in partial bypass, your equipment uses more energy to meet operating requirements. For every ten psi a tire is underinflated, vehicles lose 1% of their fuel economy. You can stay on top of these routine tasks with simple heavy equipment maintenance software<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Keep to the farming schedule<\/span><\/h3>\n

Unproductive time adds to farm operating costs. You’re loading your overheads when workers are engaged in anything other than direct production tasks. Traveling back and forth to get tools and equipment, waiting for an outsourced maintenance contractor<\/a>, changing tires and repairing equipment in the field – these are all wasteful tasks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, crops need to be harvested, sowed, or cattle fed or milked. If you’ve scheduled a job for four hours and it takes six due to maintenance issues, you’re already 50% over budget on that task.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Less costly repairs<\/span><\/h3>\n

Catching and addressing equipment deterioration early costs considerably less than repairing it only once the equipment breaks down.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University <\/span>quote a study<\/span><\/a> showing that farmers <\/span>reduce maintenance costs by 25%<\/b> after improving their maintenance procedures. The 2009 study cited one $80,000 tractor undergoing average maintenance requiring $24,000 in repair costs over 5,000 hours of operation. Improving the maintenance program decreased this cost to $18,000.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Maintain asset value<\/span><\/h3>\n

Maintaining the performance and appearance of our private car achieves a better price when it comes the time to sell. The concept is no different with farm equipment. Diligently maintaining your assets keeps them looking and running better, providing a higher resale value when you upgrade or replace the item.<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Longer asset life<\/span><\/h3>\n

Assets have a useful life<\/span><\/a>, a duration you can expect the asset to function and generate income. Spend $100,000 on a machine designed to last ten years, with an expected residual value of $20,000, and you’re consuming capital at $8,000 annually.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Do minimal maintenance, and your useful life may drop to eight years with a residual value of $18,000. You’re now spending $10,250 annually, increasing your capital spending on that machine by 28%.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Carry out <\/span>proactive maintenance<\/span><\/a>, and you might extend the useful life by two years and sell the machine for $21,000. You’ve reduced your annual capital spending to $6,600, gaining an 18% saving over its design life and a whopping 36% over our worst-case maintenance scenario.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to set up an effective farm equipment maintenance schedule<\/span><\/h2>\n

Here we\u2019ll explain six steps to follow for an effective farm equipment maintenance schedule.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"steps<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0 Carry out an asset inventory<\/span><\/h3>\n

You begin by cataloging all assets that will require maintenance during their useful life. You will want to capture the following data on each asset, where it is applicable:<\/span><\/p>\n