Tips For Using Tractor Attachments

Your tractor is a beast of a machine, capable of cutting your agricultural workload down by a significant margin. But to use your farm equipment more effectively, you’ll need to invest in a number of attachments that can focus its power to perform more precise and nuanced tasks. Whether you want your tractor to assist you with mowing lawns, tilling soil, or excavating for construction, you’ll have to seek out the right attachments for each task.

This guide to using tractor attachments comes to you courtesy of the staff here at Magnum Power in Lawson, Missouri. Come talk to us if you have any further questions when you’re done reading!

Read Before You Start

First things first: you should begin by reading your owner’s manual. Even if you’re an old hand at using implements and you know your way around your tractor, it’s advisable to brush up on where everything is and what it does. You’ll get tips from the manufacturer on efficient installation and operation, as well as advice on how to keep your equipment in the best shape possible.

Before you start to use your tools, make sure that your tractor and your implements are both in good working order. Check that all guards or shields are properly in place and work well. Check hydraulic lines for any signs of leakage and tighten up any loose connections.

Loading Implements

The hitch on your tractor is made so that the downward and rear force while pulling is below the machine’s center of gravity. Hitch everything to the drawbar to prevent your machine from turning over due to imbalance.

To hitch your equipment to the drawbar, align the hole in it with the one in your hitch, which may take a few tries as you maneuver your machine around. Park your tractor and set its brake after you stop the engine. Use the proper hitch pin and security clip for your implement to anchor it to your tractor. Lift up the implement’s jack stand to make sure that the wheels move easily. Connect your power take-off shaft, electrical wires, and hydraulic hoses as necessary.

If you have a three-point hitch, then you’ll need to move the drawbar forward and position your machine so that the pinholes and draft arms are lined up with the implement hitch points. Lower or raise your draft arms to match the hitch points and attach the left arm, then the right arm. You should be able to start up your tractor to raise the arms, then you can match the three-point hitch link to the implement’s upper hitch point. You may have to re-level your implement if you end up adjusting the machine too many times. Make sure all hitch pins and security clips are secure before you operate your tractor.

Using Your Attachments

Implements get their power via three primary ways: power take-off, hydraulics, and by simply being pulled behind your machine. With power take-off, you’ll be sending power from the tractor drivetrain right to your implement. This necessitates you taking some safety precautions like tying up loose hair and wearing snug-fitting clothing that won’t get caught in the machinery. Make sure that shields and guards are in good shape and only hitch things up while the machine is off.

Hydraulics make use of a pressurized liquid to transfer power to tools. Make sure you wear safety glasses or a face shield while working with pressurized liquid. Hydraulics require clean oil and sufficient lubrication to prevent overheating. If you see any leaks, then something is deeply amiss and you’ll want to cease your equipment operation immediately to address the issue.

Finally, ground-driven tools are pulled behind your tractor without any power supply hooked up to them. Disks, harrows, spreaders, and rakes are all common examples of these types of implements. They will generally be wider than the tractor itself so you’ll need to make sure that you have sufficient room to maneuver when you have them hitched up. If such an implement is attached, just remember to move them into “transportation position” while traveling on public roads.

We hope this guide helps you to successfully and safely operate your tractor implements! Searching for tractors for sale in Clay County? Visit our Lawson dealership to take a tour of our available selection of new and used tractors for sale. Magnum Power welcomes all our customers coming from Kansas City, Missouri.