Other workers in the field no less important

Hello! In the last article I told you about the importance of women in our field and what has been achieved thanks to them. Today I am going to explain another point that any small farmer cannot ignore and that is that there are other jobs in the field that are no less important that we must know how to do in order to save money and that the economy at this time is not to give it so happily.

Other jobs in the field, no less important, that a farmer must know how to do in order to save money

There are other jobs that are not very mentioned and that are truly important because in the long run they have an impact on our pockets, I am referring fundamentally to the maintenance of agricultural machinery such as: motorized hoes, motorized cultivators, tractors, trailers, etc.

So that no one misinterprets what I am about to say, I am not talking in any case about disassembling an engine and putting it back together because we are not mechanics, we are farmers, but I think that we should have some basic knowledge about the maintenance and care of our work tool, at least, knowing how to do these jobs that are done very often.

Jobs that a farmer must know how to perform on his machinery

#1. Greasing: This is one of the most important jobs that must be performed on farm machinery. Greasing the parts causes them to have less friction between themselves and wear much less, in addition to facilitating the proper functioning of the part because it slides better. This maintenance must be carried out depending on the hours of work, the type of work and the type of machine being used.

#2. Cleaning the air filters: As far as I know, all the moto-hoes, the moto-cultivators that I know of, and some old tractors, use oil filters to filter the air that enters the combustion chamber, I’m talking about both engines diesel and gasoline. This maintenance is one of what I would call critical, because if we neglect this point, dirty air will enter the engine, causing significant damage to its interior.

This type of filtering system is widely used in the countryside because it is much cheaper and more effective than the system used in street cars, which is paper filtering. The time in which it is recommended to change and clean this oil will depend on the work and the season in which the machine is working. In summer, when there is more dust, you should be more attentive and also, when you are working with implements that cause it.

#3. Oil change: This job is a little more delicate, although if we talk about moto-hoes or moto-cultivators it is not that big of a deal. These types of machines have very comfortable and easy access to the place where the dirty oil is discarded and where the engine is filled with new oil to facilitate this operation for anyone. Of course, we must read the manual to know the type of oil the manufacturer recommends and how it should be changed.

As in the two previous points, the time that must pass to make the change is measured by hours, I would say that it also depends a lot on the type of work that the machine is doing, because it is not the same as a moto-hoe working with the roto-bato than with a blade or that the land is clean (almost without forage) or dirty (the machine suffers and works more).

Finally, I would like to tell you that although these jobs are very basic, if you do not have sufficient knowledge, it is better that you do not do them. The ideal would be for you to be able to learn, since the money you are going to save is not going to hurt you at all, in addition, the convenience of carrying out maintenance when it suits you is priceless. I hope these tips help you and see you next week!

By Rafael Espejo.