The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1908-04-10
Y ! The Care Of Farm Machinery.

~ ANA A@NAS ~ -ssAAf'zss ~ .S-S@S sA
annually over $1OO, 900, 600 worth of
farm machinery. There. is perhaps no
other source of loss so great to. them
as that produced by the way they
care for this machinery. According
to statements ,made.by different man
ufacturers, the farmer would not have
to buy over one-half Of this, amount
of machinery, providing he took the
proper care of it.
Asa general rule, the prosperity Of
farmer. may be estimated, by the
way he cares for his. machinery, Poor
care indicates shiftlessness, waste,
lack Of energy, and the buying Of
more implements. in a short. TIME.
Good care, on the other hand indi-
. Gates prosperity, Developments, bank
deposits and long-lived machinery.
One of the first essentials to- the
handling of machinery is to thorough
ly understand all parts and to be able
to adjust them for best working con-
ditions. By running a certain imple-
naent with one or more of it's parts
out of adjustment there is danger of
damaging other parts by throwing I'M
equal strain on them, besides running
the part which is not adjusted.
+. The draft of an implement is af-
fected very much by its condition. A
dull pillow requires about one-fourth
more energy to pull it than one which
is in good condition Poorly adjusted
implements sometimes pull twice as
hard as they should, and in SO doing
not only wear out the horses but at
the same time. do poor work at a
loss of time, with damaging results
to the machine. go
Another very important point in
caring for farm machinery is to prop
erly oil all working parts, It has
been wisely said by O'Brienf that coll
is the cheapest machinery we have. :"
The farmer must not only know how
and where to oil every moving part
of his machine, but he must oil it,
The fact that some parts need a great
deal more oil than others must not
be overlooked. Some parts that are
handy will receive more oil than is
necessary, while, other parts which
are not so handy are neglected almost
altogether
Sometimes oil-holes will become
clogged with dirt, and while they may
appear to be open, still do not convey
the oil to the wearing parts; this will
often result in serious damage. In
other cases, certain machines have
been condemned by operators simply
because one or two oiling places had
been entirely overlooked. :
Iron wearing on iron must be. COW
cred with film of oil to prevent
cutting. The oil then prclongs the
life of the machine, besides making
it of lighter draft
New machinery should be watched
constantly to prevent the coss of bolts
and small parts, as such parts will
work loose during the first season
use. Certain boxes or bearings may
fit too tightly, thus causing them to
heat, while Others may need tighten.
ans ACAS ID tAdJ Will
shorten the life Of farm machinery
more than the carelessness of not
keeping all nuts. screws and burrs
tight - -
A wrench should always be found
in connection with machines which
are in operation, and it should be
used when necessary.
Good reasoning tells us that there
are but two times during the year
that farm machinery needs any espe-
cial care. Z First, when. it is in use;
second, when it is not. In use.
One season without shelter. will
damage farm machinery more, than:
the wear caused by its use during the
season. The action of the weather,
which will cause rlisting of the iron
and steel, as well as the rotting of the
wood parts, will seriously interfere
with the working of the machinery
when it is again put to use. BY this
exposure, certain parts are very much
weakened, and the machine becomes
Of shorter life.
When the seasons work with a
certain machine has been finished it
should be thoroughly cleaned and all
parts carefully wiped with oiled waste
or an oiled rag. 1t is a good idea to
coat these parts with either tallow OF
good grade of axle grease.
After carefully putting away the
creased parts, the implement Should
be left in shed of some kind rather
than be left in the open. 49, :
The farmer who takes proper care
of his implements not only. houses
them and keeps them in good adjust
ment, but he paints them occasion