Your manual will tell you everything you need to know about the maintenance and operation of your tractor. Research shows that a badly maintained tractor wastes up to 25 % of precious diesel.

Check your tractor daily. A leak of one drop per second can cost you 2000 liters of diesel per year.

An idling tractor wastes more than 1 liter of diesel every hour.

Remember
Keep your battery, alternator and self-starter in top running condition. If they are faulty they can force you to idle.

If your tractor struggles to pull a load with the throttle at maximum, shift to a lower gear. If it accelerates, shift to a higher gear. Wrong gear selection can increase fuel consumption by 30% and reduce field output by 50%.

A tractor that smokes excessively wastes precious diesel. Oversized implements or using the wrong gear, cause tractor smoke. If your tractor continues to smoke, have it overhauled at a reputable garage. Test nozzles and recalibrate the fuel injection pump. Faulty fuel injection can increase fuel consumption by 25 %.

Remember
Never use oversized implements.
Service the engine regularly.

Good air filtration is important since tractors often operate in dusty condition. Research has proved that unfiltered air wears out cylinder bores 45 times faster and piston rings 115 times faster than normal. Good fuel filtration is important. Dirty fuel will endanger the engine. Use quality fuel filters and replace them as recommended.

Keep tractor wheels from slipping by adding water ballast's and/or cast iron weights. Add just the right amount of weight to keep wheel slippage to the minimum.

Replug your tyres on time. While refitting tyres, make sure the ‘V’ treads point downwards when viewed from the front.

Choose implement size and tractor operating speed to match your engine’s full horsepower Run in the highest gear possible at which your tractor doesn’t smoke. If your tractor on full throttle accelerates even in the top gear, your implement is too small. A bigger implement or a multiple arrangement of implements may help you get the maximum benefit out of the tractor power and avoid diesel waste. You may consume up to 30% more fuel if you use undersized implements or operator at low speeds.

Remember
Consult an expert when selecting implements.

Plough according to a planned layout that reduces idle running, backtracking and awkward turn. You will save diesel if you plough long furrows instead of short ones.

Remember
Your first openings must be straight and parallel.
Side lands and headlands should be ploughed around the field continuously without reploughing the field.