Tractor News Tips and Ideas

We recently got two letters from two different viewers on our YouTube channel, both asking whether you can ruin your tractor’s hydraulic system by putting a foreign attachment on the tractor. In other words, if you connect a hydraulically powered attachment from somewhere else to your tractor, is there a risk of damage? The first…

 Brush hogs are known by many names; I own a Bush Hog, but the advice applies to all brands of brush hogs. Not long ago, I needed to service my Bush Hog so I thought it would be a good time of year to do a front-to-back service. You really should do it every…

  Tractor safety on hills can’t be emphasized too much. Tractor rollovers are some of the most common and most deadly tractor accidents. Now, most of us who run small tractors have to deal with hills because those of us who “homestead” in the country get the hilly ground, left over after fulltime farmers work…

Tractor Fuel Usage- A Test Lab Studies It Fuel usage matters more now than ever. Ever wonder where you can get unbiased information about tractor fuel economy or horsepower? One of the best-kept secrets in the equipment world is the existence of the Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory at the University of Nebraska Lincoln. The facility…

 Ten Tools To Enhance The Tractor Owner Experience Now that I’ve discussed ten tools that are essential for owning a tractor, here’s ten optional tools that will enhance your equipment owning experience. While it’s true that you don’t absolutely have to use these tools, I know from experience that they can make owning and working…

 Top Ten Tools You Need to Own It’s surprising how often viewers want to know what the best tools are for the new tractor owner. And it’s a really good question, too, because proper tractor maintenance requires the right tools. To get you started, I’ve worked up a list of ten items that you…

Grease: the Lifeblood of Your Tractor So you bought a new tractor or piece of equipment, brought it home and used it. And something on it broke. Of course, you took it to a dealer to get it fixed, figuring everything would be covered under warranty – but it wasn’t. In fact, the bill was…

Help!  My Tractor Won’t Start! You’ve been out using your tractor and all of a sudden it won’t start.  Or you parked your tractor, went away for a while and came back to a tractor that wouldn’t start. What’s going on? Well, there could be a problem with a safety switch. First Safety Switch is…

Folks who watch my videos often write to me with questions. Lately I’ve been getting lots of letters and emails from people looking to buy tractors and wanting shopping advice. Several  commonly asked questions were related, so I’m going to answer all of them in this blog post. People were wondering what to do if…

 Five Mistakes To Avoid When Buying a Tractor I recently got an email from a viewer shopping for a sub-compact tractor. He said he wants a cab, he’s going to be using it to brush hog and clear timber, and he also wants a 5′ cutter. He asked me what brand I’d recommend. And…

 What Tractor Options Do You Really Want? If you’re buying a tractor, there are options you need to know about so you get the ones that are exactly what you want. Many of the options are difficult or impossible to add after you buy a tractor, so it’s important to get it right the…

   Do I Need to Store My Equipment Inside? I recently got a question from Robert about storing his equipment inside.  He has a disk that’s stored in a lean-to outbuilding, and he’s noticing that it’s getting rust on the blades. He asked if he should he be doing something different with it, as…

Fall. Farm and ranch chores slow down just a bit, but when you live on the land, you know there are always things waiting for you to do. Are you growing crops as a small farmer, managing livestock, or enjoying the life of a weekend farmer? No matter your lifestyle, you know that machinery and…

I get lots of questions about tractor issues and how to fix them. Here’s three service issues that are really easy to diagnose and fix. In fact, they can be fixed in under 30 seconds! The Loader Won’t Work One of the frequent questions I get is about loaders. Folks complain that their loader just…

 Side Panel or Headlight Bezel Broken on Your Tractor? I’ve had a problem with the side panels on my tractor ever since I bought it. And that’s an expensive repair. A viewer of mine had a similar problem with broken parts, and found a great way for us all to save money with certain…

What To Check Every Time You Use Your Tractor The Four Most Important Things Seems like when I talk to a new tractor owner ,there’s often a question about what to check every time you use your tractor. Truth is, whether you have a brand new machine or an older tractor, there are some things…

How To Hook Up A Three Point Implement Learning how  to hook up a three point implement is one of the most intimidating things to do when you’ve just purchased a tractor. The good news is that generally gets easier the more you do it. (Although you can console yourself with this reminder when you’re…

Do You Pay Attention to Tractor Safety? Tractor safety. Not always the first thing that comes to mind when you’re planning the day’s outdoor chores. In fact, it’s easy to forget that agriculture is one of the most hazardous industries out there. Farm workers, and even folks with small acreages who love to manage their…

Why Are Tractor Lights Positioned So Badly? A glaring flaw (pardon the pun) that really gets me is where tractor lights are positioned. I hate design flaws, especially ones that are easily corrected. On almost all tractors without cabs, the headlights are mounted in the grill.  Most tractors sold today are equipped with front end…

It’s getting to be that time, when snow removal is no longer a summer fantasy. Think your compact tractor is ready for a long winter nap now that your summer and fall chores are finished? Actually, no. Your compact tractor can be ready handle snow all winter long. Here’s what you need to know. Best…

For those of you who are tractor geeks like I am, there was an interesting development in the last few days that you might want to know about…Bobcat is getting back in the compact tractor market! Their offerings range from a sub-compact model with 21HP to a compact utility model at 60HP. When thinking of…

Who’s Trespassing on Your Land? You’ve purchased some acreage, either as private hunting land, or as a country residence. It’s private and quiet…until hunting season comes and you discover that strangers are trespassing – wandering around your land, determined to shoot some wild game. Mostly likely they feel they have that right because at some…

One of the questions I get asked all the time is “When is the best time to buy a tractor?”  If you’re shopping for a compact or subcompact tractor, it might be time to start looking.  Generally the best time to buy a tractor under 100 hp is when there’s too much inventory, and at…

Getting Comfortable With the Brush Hog Most people buying a tractor get some form of three point cutter with it for brush hogging. And yes, they are a little intimidated the first time they use it. Usually it is called a brush hog (or Bush Hog, but that’s a brand name).  In the U.K.  it’s…

Fluid in Tractor Tires- Yes or No? January 23, 2019 / No Comments Today’s question is from Glenn in Florida. He wants to know about filling tractor tires with fluid. His local dealership salesman told him they didn’t recommend putting fluid in the tires. He said it would ruin the wheel bearings, and that wheel…

Tough Question, Fairly Simple Answer Today, we’re going to talk about my #1 most frequently asked question about tractors, and that is: “What is the best brand of compact tractors?” As you can guess, that could open up a can of worms.  What I’m going to tell you first is that there are eleven brands…

Introducing the safeLOCK Grease QUICK ATTACH When I recently introduced the Lube-Shuttle Grease Gun, I got a lot of questions about the special end tips that lock on the zerk. Let me sum up the answer for you. Now, the tips you are accustomed to using have slightly different threads than the safeLOCK tips. The…

Meet the Lube-Shuttle NO-MESS Premium Pistol Grip Grease Gun Every so often a new product comes out that just makes your life a lot easier. Let’s talk about the lube gun. If you know how to use a traditional grease gun, you know you’ll have a mess on your hands. Now, I think we all know…