Extend the Life of Your Machinery With This Easy Maintenance Tip

While not the largest line in your budget, lubricants are critical to keeping your machinery running its best. Using the right lubricant for your equipment is an important way to protect one of the biggest investments on your farm.

“When you think about the massive investment you make in equipment, lubricants are a relatively small cost but goes a long way,” said Connor Canfield, product line analyst for Cenex Lubricants. “There are so many different types and grades and viscosities out there, with today’s tighter tolerances and more efficient equipment, you need to have high-quality lubricants that meet OEM approvals.”

Manufacturers have specific formulations that should be followed for optimal performance. Using unapproved lubricants could lead to poor functionality and may even void your warranty.

“If something goes wrong and the manufacturer takes an oil sample that doesn’t meet specifications, they could deny a warranty claim,” he said. 

Synthetic vs. Conventional

As oil is refined, molecules become more synthesized, creating synthetic and synthetic-blended oils. 

“Conventional oil is considered group one, it’s the least refined,” Canfield said. “As you go up to groups two, three, and four, they are more synthesized, with group five considered fully synthetic.”

The more synthetic oil becomes the longer it holds up and the temperature range improves. Although it comes at a premium cost, Canfield noted you may be able to save money in the long run because you don’t need to change oil as often. 

The Cenex Equipment Lookup Tool allows you to input your specific piece of equipment and receive recommendations for engine oil, transmission fluid, hydraulic fluid, and more. 

A “Blood Sample” for Equipment

Canfield suggests regular oil and fluid sampling to help diagnose issues before they become major. This test may be recommended yearly, or more frequently depending on the component being sampled.

“It’s like a blood sample for your equipment, a very unintrusive way to check the health,” Canfield said. “You can find excessive wear metals, fuel dilution, and more symptoms from this simple, inexpensive test.”

Farmers can purchase a test kit from their local Cenex cooperative. A Cenex fuel specialist can administer the test, or you can do it yourself and mail in the sample in a pre-paid envelope. After the test is complete, an email is sent with the oil analysis and explanation of any problems that may have been detected in the sample. 

As spring work begins across most of the country, Canfield reminds farmers to take a moment to make sure they are following a routine maintenance program. 

“Sometimes people don’t think a lot about their lubrication program, but hitting grease points, using quality fluids, and doing oil samples goes a long way. Being on top of that maintenance will save time and money, and in the end if you take really good care of your equipment you can get a lot of life out of it, and a well-run lubrication program is part of that.”