a.. Do not work the tractor on full load until the engine is thoroughly broken in.
b.. Dirty oil and greases are accountable for 85% of premature wear and consequent short tractor life.
c.. Dirty oil becomes a modified form of grinding compound.
d.. Clean the air cleaner daily - oftener of tractor is operating in exceptionally dusty conditions.
e.. Check the air cleaner to carburetor connections more frequently.
f.. Renew the cartridge in the oil filter at specified intervals - more often - to keep the oil clean.
g.. Change engine oil and transmission oil as directed. Use good quality lubricants.
h.. Keep oil container or measures clean.
i.. Keep inside and outside of tractor clean.
j.. If engine temperatures run too high, clean out air passages through radiator core. Check the entire cooling system. Check fan belt tension.
k.. Check storage battery weekly. Add distilled water if needed.
l.. Check the air pressure in the tires frequently and keep caps on valve stems.
m.. Do not work the tractor or run the engine at full throttle until engine is thoroughly warmed up.
n.. Do not stop the engine immediately after working under full load. Let it idle a few minutes and then stop.
o.. Engage the clutch carefully to avoid jumping the tractor.
p.. Clean the fuel sediment bowl frequently and also the fuel line periodically.
q.. It is advisable to have a complete tune-up, including the carburetor, distributor and generator performed once each season or more frequently if necessary.

 Your tractor is coming right along. The old oil and filter has been taken to the recycler and the air filter replacement has breathed new life into our motor. Now look at the cooling system since it has to work so hard in the summer heat.

Engine rebuild kits have all the replacement parts for overhauling an engine without going to the store to get gaskets, special measuring tools, or miscellaneous parts. They come neatly packaged, clean and tidy. But it's important not to let that packaging lull you into a false sense of security. The appearance of matching sleeves, pistons, rings, and bearings can cause frustration and agony if not properly measured and installed in a workshop environment. Following certain assembly procedures will reaffirm how wonderful these engine kits are. This paper is certainly not exhaustive in the engine assembly procedure, but will, hopefully, point out a few of the pitfalls that might be bypassed under the guise of a 'rebuild kit'.

After checking out the spark plugs, it took more time to explain this than it really did to do the inspection. At any rate it was decided that a compression test was in order to verify the internal engine status. That way one doesn't have to buy any tune up parts until you are sure that the engine is in reasonable mechanical condition. If the tests show a fictional compression reading of 85, 80, 82 and 86 psi, this is well within accepted parameters of a 15 psi spread. If the spark plugs had a light gray tinge to them and the gap was not excessive, this is normal. If each one also fired with a sharp bluish white spark when you tested it with each separate tractor plug installed the secondary wire was properly grounded against the block. It was decided to clean, regap, and reinstall the plugs as the wear on them was very little.

Learn the fine art of listening to your tractor in hopes of keeping it running longer. One particularly important facet is to hear and identify the particular noises that our mechanical beast makes. Even though our attention is usually focused on the task at hand, that is, the bushogging, disking, etc., it is odd how our ears will pick up the smallest unusual noise that it hears. It's like listening to an orchestration of music and hearing the flutist make a misguided squeak on the instrument. For some reason that wrong note sticks out over everything else that is right. It's the same way with the steady hum drum of the tractor. An unusual noise will stand out like a sour note and immediately draw our attention. It is important to recognize those sour notes and make the appropriate decisions on what the problem might be.

Tuning Up Your Tractor Oil, Oil Filter and Air Breather   If the reader has been present from the beginning of this series he will recall making an inventory list before the tune up procedures began. On this list was a collection of observations of the overall engine and tractor condition. Some of the items on that list include the fluid levels and their color.

Buried somewhere beneath the sheetmetal, under the gas tank, or stuffed in front of the radiator is the battery. This elusive and neglected component of the tractor is the hardest to get to when it is dead and in need of a jump. But usually, the storage battery is a storehouse of electrical energy waiting to be released a the flick of a switch. A few maintenance tips and periodic cleaning will keep it charged for the duration of its life span.