Know your fuel use
| Operation | Average Fuel Use (litres/ha) 1&2 |
| Ploughing | 21 |
| Heavy cultivation | 13 |
| Rotary cultivation | 13 |
| Fodder harvesting | 12 |
| Combine harvesting | 11 |
| Rotary mower | 5 |
| Grain drilling | 4 |
| Rolling | 4 |
| Fertiliser spreading | 3 |
| Spraying | 1 |
Manage diesel fuel use
 | Remove unneeded tractor weights. It will save you at least 1 litre of diesel per hour of tractor use 3 |
| Action | Result |
| Keep records of your fuel use/invoices | If you measure it, you can improve on it |
| Turn the engine off; don’t just let it idle | Idling accounts for 6% of fuel use, the equivalent of about €186/ year!4 |
| Shift up a gear and throttle back - when doing lighter field jobs or on road travel | Higher speed, lower engine revs, lower emissions and better fuel economy |
| Consider using a quad when checking livestock | Reduced fuel use |
| When renting land – consider the fuel costs of getting to and from the land | Travel to distant land blocks can cost from €22 to €150/ha in machinery costs 5 |
| Idling accounts for 6% of fuel use, the equivalent of about €186/year! |
 | Travel to distant land blocks can cost from €22 to €150/ha/year in machinery costs |
Check tyre pressure regularly
| 20% fuel savings can be made if lower tyre pressures are used for field work 6 |
During times of heavy machine usage, check tyre pressure once a week.
When using duals, make sure that they are accurately matched with the same tyre size.
Know the correct tyre inflation pressure by seeing how many lugs of the rear tractor tyre are in contact with the ground; there should be at least 3 but not more than 4 lugs touching the ground.
Service machines at regular intervals 7
Tractor Checklist
| Task | Daily check | Weekly check | Other |
| Dipstick gearbox oil level | X | ||
| Dipstick engine oil level | X | ||
| Change the engine oil and oil filters | After 400 hours | ||
| Change the gearbox oil | After 800 hours | ||
| Ensure the handbrake is working properly | X | ||
| Check wheel nuts/bearings | X | ||
| Check/adjust tyre pressures | X | ||
| Ensure pto U-guard is intact | X | ||
| Replace fuel filters | After 400 hours | ||
| Clean mirrors and cab glass | X |
 | Dirty diesel filters should be replaced after 400 hours to keep your tractor working efficiently and prevent costly injector trouble. |
Slurry tanker checklist
| Task | Daily check | Weekly check | Other |
| Check oil level in the gearbox | X | ||
| Check the vacuum pump oil level | X | ||
| Check the oil dropper (should drop oil into pump vanes at rate of 1 drop/second) | X | ||
| Change the gearbox oil | After 300 hours | ||
| Ensure the handbrake is working properly | X | ||
| Check wheel nuts/bearings | X | ||
| Check pressure guage and replace if not working | X | ||
| Ensure pto guard is intact and fastened at both ends | X | ||
| Wash and clean the inside of your tank | Yearly | ||
| Check the rear gate valves for leakage and/or blockages | X |
| Carry out a daily check to ensure the PTO guard is intact and fastened at both ends. To help make your farm a safer place, replace worn shaft covers immediately. |
Fertilizer spreader checklist
| Component | Daily Check | Weekly Check | Other |
| Calibrate your spreader using a tray test at least once every two seasons | Every 2 seasons |
||
| Tighten the lift arm stabilisers to prevent rocking and minimise bias | X | ||
| Ensure the top link is set so the discs are slightly higher at rear than front | X | ||
| Maintain the same forward speed once you start spreading, eg 10kph | X | ||
| Always cover the spreader hopper to keep fertiliser dry and spreadable | X | ||
| Check to see that the agitator is running freely | X | ||
| Check the spreading vanes for wear, pitting and indentations | Monthly | ||
| Replace spreading vanes (typically costs €350 for a 12m machine) | After 3 seasons |
| Check the spreading vanes for wear, pitting and indentations each month. Replace the vanes once every three seasons. |
Protect your equipment against machinery theft
| €3million worth of equipment is stolen from Irish farms each year, and over 100 tractors |
| A tractor equipped with a tracking system is four times less likely to be stolen and six times more likely to be recovered if taken. Tracking device can be retrofitted for under €300. |
Footnotes
- Brian Witney. 1988. Choosing and using farm machines. Longman Scientific and technical. Essex. UK.
- EU Efficient 20 Project: Efficient 20 http://efficient20.eu
- Based on 1,000kg rear tractor weight
- Based on research carried out by John Deere, Mannheim, Germany
- Dermot Forristal. 2012. Fuel efficiency 10 ways to save on fuel. Teagasc Today’s Farm. Volume 23, No.5.
- 12 psi for rear wheels; 14psi for front
- Always follow the guidance in the machinery manual