Owner`s manual

Flooded Farm Vehicles and Equipment
TIPS ON CLEANING AND RECONDITIONING
Try to clean tractors, trucks and
farm equipment as soon as
possible. Delay will make dirt
and silt harder to remove and
may cause considerable rusting
and corrosion. If you use farm
vehicles and equipment before
proper reconditioning, you may
seriously damage them.
Have your dealer or another
expert recondition engines. They
need to be completely
disassembled for cleaning and
reconditioning. Do not try to
move or start an engine that has
been submerged until it has
been cleaned and reconditioned,
since dirt will damage bearings
and precision parts. If the tractor
was submerged only to the
platform, you will need to
service only the wheel bearings
and moving parts that were
under water.
EMERGENCY CLEANING
If you must use the tractor or engine immediately, or if you think the cost
of professional reconditioning is not worthwhile, use the following
procedure. This procedure isn't thorough enough to prevent possible
damage or need for overhaul in the future.
♦ Clean exterior thoroughly with a hose. Scrub greasy deposits with
solvent.
♦ Remove spark plugs or fuel injectors, air cleaner, intake manifold and
carburetor. Clean these parts thoroughly with solvent.
♦ Drain the crankcase. Flush the crankcase with oil and refill with clean
oil. Also disconnect fuel lines, blowing them out with compressed air.
♦ Crank the engine slowly with spark plugs or fuel injectors removed to
force water out of cylinders. Squirt light lubricating oil into each
cylinder and let it stand for about five minutes. Then crank the engine
slowly to lubricate cylinder walls and rings.
♦ Replace all filters — engine, fuel, hydraulic.
♦ Completely flush out the fuel system — tank, pump, lines — with #1
diesel fuel. Be extremely careful to avoid fire danger.
♦ Replace starter and generator. Have an expert service them.
♦ Drain and flush the transmission and final drive with solvent. Refill
with new, clean oil.
WHEEL BEARINGS, COOLING SYSTEMS AND
BATTERIES
♦ Remove and clean unsealed wheel and track bearings with solvent.
Lubricate and replace the bearings. Factory-sealed bearings should not
need cleaning if the seal is unbroken.
♦ Flush the cooling systems with fresh water, and clean the radiator
fins.
♦ Replace the battery, if necessary. If it was submerged, it will probably
need to be replaced.
University of Wisconsin-Extension • Cooperative Extension FLOOD-FARM RECOVERY
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