HOW TO PLAN FOR A PRODUCTIVE HARVEST SEASON

Harvest season is the most important time of the year, when even a few hours of downtime can have a massive impact on the success or failure of your crop. As would be expected for a time that’s so critical, preventive maintenance is on every farmer’s mind. 

One of the most important things to keep an eye on during the lead-up to harvest are the oils, fluids and lubricants powering your equipment. These are the life blood of your most expensive investments, and selecting the RIGHT lubricant products is the best way to keep equipment running in fluid motion. 

As we head into the season, there are several proactive steps you can take to ensure your fluids are in good shape and that your equipment keeps you working even in the toughest conditions. 

Here are three to add to your to-do list.  

CHANGE YOUR OIL BEFORE THE SEASON STARTS

Regular maintenance is a critical part of keeping your equipment functioning properly. That should extend to regularly changing the oils and fluids you use. Before you begin to harvest, be sure to work with your dealer to not only test your machines fluids and do maintenance on your equipment, but to check that all fluids are properly filled. 

It’s also the right time to pick up the right fluids for your combine and tractors in preparation for the harvest season. Knowing that your machines will be running long hours in the heat of the season, it is critical to have the correct fluids. Talk to your dealer about your needs for oil testing if applicable. They’ll be able to point you towards the correct fluids to use to keep your equipment performing during the high-demand season. 

TEST FREQUENTLY

The long hours of harvest put your equipment to the test unlike any other time of year. Long hours, extreme conditions like heat, dust and horsepower load require farm duty fluids that prevent the most common causes of malfunction. Wear of parts, oxidation, or simply using the incorrect engine or transmission hydraulic oil can all lead to breakdowns exactly when you need to avoid them. Top quality products like the newly introduced VISCOSITY OIL are intended to provide problem avoidance that gives farmers peace of mind and keep your focus on the other worries of the day. 

Changing your equipment’s oils and fluids before the season starts gives you a great baseline for success, but all of the wear and tear will gradually reduce the efficiency of those fluids. Testing fluids frequently is an insurance policy for catching issues BEFORE they cause you costly problems. 

Your local dealer has oil sampling kits that can be sent in and quickly turned around to keep you up to date with an analysis of the fluids in your machine. You should also ask about fluid sampling on the farm to have a yearly lifeblood test performed on your powertrain before the season starts. 

USE PRODUCTS YOU CAN TRUST

It sounds simple, but the easiest way to get the most out of your equipment is to use the best products available. VISCOSITY OIL has the correct farm duty line of fluids and lubricants offered by Redline that you should consider. 

If the name sounds familiar, that’s because while the new brand of fluids and lubricants just launched in 2020, VISCOSITY has actually been helping farmers to get more out of their equipment since way back in 1892. Since the 1960’s the company has served as an leading supplier for agricultural OEM, and their team of scientists are behind developing the industry’s first zinc-free Transmission Hydraulic formulation with unprecedented water tolerance: ULTRACTIONTM.

The new line from VISCOSITY has been field tested in the toughest conditions and includes every type of fluid and lubricant you could need. Out of that lineup, two that farmer’s should definitely discuss with their dealer before harvest season are UNITRACTIONTM and their line of engine oils. 

UNITRACTIONTM is a revolutionary new all-makes Transmission Hydraulic formula. Tested for over three million hours in the fields of the world’s largest farm, it’s the industry’s most effective hydraulic transmission fluid. Not only does it help increase time in the field, it also offers higher resistance against oxidation during the most extreme conditions and is specially designed viscosity improver that ensures a robust shear stability.

VISCOSITY’s line of Engine Oils are CK-4—the latest technology on the market—and formulated to meet the specific needs and challenges of all makes of agriculture and construction equipment. Available in three formulations (Semi-synthetic 10W-30 CK-4,  Semi-synthetic 10W-40 CK-4 and 15W-40 CK-4), they create a strong fluid film even under mechanical stress and to help enhance equipment performance and protect against soot, wear, sludge and oxidation. They also consistently test ahead of the API Standard for performance and have proven to reduce equipment wear by more than 50%

DON’T FORGET CUSTOMER SUPPORT

Another major benefit of VISCOSITY products is that the company has one of the industry’s best customer support teams. The VISCOSITY customer service reps have worked closely behind the scenes with Redline Equipment and other OEM dealers for years, and their high level of expertise and dedication to keeping farmers in the field guarantees that if problems do occur, you can be sure to have a quick response with hands-on guidance. 

Harvest season is make-or-break time for farmers, so why would you leave equipment success up to chance? Take steps BEFORE work starts to ensure you’re getting the most out of your equipment investment. And do regular checks along the way to catch problems before they happen. If you’re looking to upgrade your fluids and lubricants, ask your Redline Equipment parts specialist about VISCOSITY products today.