One the first things my dad did, after he completed the building of our dairy barn in 1970, was to start on a farm shop. As I have mentioned before, Dad was a factory-trained mechanic, so he routinely tackled all machinery repairs on-site. He wanted a place to be warm and dry in the winter, and cool and comfortable in the summer.

Engine oil and hydraulic fluid are literally the lifeblood of your machinery. Selecting the correct oil for your machine and application is important, but are there things that can be learned by using oil and fluid analysis? The answer is most definite: yes.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are bittersweet times around the farm. This November marks the eighth anniversary of my dad’s death in a farm shop accident. I still find myself wanting to share with him some new discovery that I have made, especially in the farm equipment category.

Winter is the season most associated with the issue of a dead car, truck or tractor battery. Indeed, even the way we purchase batteries for vehicles suggests this. Cold-cranking amps (CCAs) are listed on many, if not all, batteries as a means to suggest the battery’s ability to crank a stubborn, cold-natured piece of equipment. That said, summer heat can cause issues with batteries as well.

Before we know it, spring will be here again, begging us to get back into our crop fields. Having our equipment ready and able to handle the task requires some advanced planning and scheduling of check-ups, tune-ups and routine maintenance.