Before running a new tractor it should be given a careful examination to make sure that all nuts and bolts are tight, and not secured only by paint; that all grease cups are in position and filled; that all parts of the mechanism are properly lubricated; that oil holes are free from grit, and that nothing is cracked, broken or missing. It should be cleaned of cinders and mud that may have collected in shipment, and in general it should be seen to be in proper condition.

A tractor, like any other piece of machinery, requires breaking in, and for the first few days it should be run slowly and with light loads. All parts should be plentifully oiled, for there will be rough and uneven places on the bearings that must be worn smooth, and without oil these would heat and be injured.

A continual watch should be kept for loose nuts and bolts, which should be tightened without delay. Readjustments of the clutch and brake will be found necessary, for their linings when new may be lumpy; as these lumps wear down through use the clutch or brake will begin to slip and must be tightened. When the linings are worn in, this trouble will disappear, and readjustments will be necessary only at considerable intervals.

Special care should be taken to keep the filler caps of the fuel and oil tanks clean and free from dirt. If these are dirty, the dirt will be carried into the tank when filling, and will sooner or later cause trouble.

The vent holes in the filler caps should be kept clear. If they are plugged with dirt, air cannot enter the tank to take the place of the fuel that flows out, and the feed of fuel will stop.

Beginning when the tractor is new, a system of daily inspection should be started, and should be continued for the working season. Big trouble starts with small trouble, and if small trouble is cured without delay, big trouble will be avoided. Trouble usually begins with looseness, which may be due to a slack nut or bolt, or may come with wear. If the loose part is not tightened, it will begin to shift its position; it will wear, and will rapidly lead to a breakdown.

Every day, without fail, all parts of the tractor should be inspected for loose nuts, bolts, pipe and electrical connections, petcocks, drain plugs, steering connections, etc. This is also the time for wiping off the working parts, and cleaning mud and grit from rods, shafts, joints, and other places at which dirt could make its way into bearings.

The change speed gears of a tractor should not be shifted while in motion, this being one of the differences between a tractor and an automobile. In the sliding gear type of change speed mechanism, the gears slide into mesh sideways, a tooth of one being opposite a space between two teeth of the other. If the gears are not in the right position for this, one tooth will strike another, and the gears cannot be meshed. In such a case the clutch is let in for a slight touch to move one gear, not for a dozen or twenty revolutions, but enough to bring a space between two teeth of one gear opposite a tooth of the other.

If an attempt is made to shift the gears while they are in motion, the result will be that one will grind against the other, and there will be rapid wear and probable breakage. It is because gears cannot be shifted while they are moving that manufacturers instruct users not to attempt to shift on a hill without first blocking the wheels. The reason for this is that the brakes may not hold the tractor, and if the gears are pulled out of mesh, the machine may start to run down hill; as another speed cannot then be engaged because the gears are moving, there will be no control over the tractor.

Never coast down hill; always run with one of the speeds engaged. By switching off the ignition the motion of the tractor will drive the engine, and this provides the best possible brake. On low gear, the engine will turn in the neighborhood of eighty revolutions to one turn of the driving wheels, and the work required to do this will check the tractor on the steepest of practicable grades.

A tractor is not built for as accurate and delicate steering as an automobile and should always be slowed in making a turn; this is especially true when hauling plows or other loads in the field. It is difficult to control the tractor if a turn is made at high speed, and the machine is liable to tip over.

In steering and in engaging the clutch, the action should not be jerky and abrupt, but gradual and smooth. Letting in the clutch suddenly will start the tractor with a jerk that will strain it from end to end, and an abrupt swing of the steering wheel will have the same effect. Making these motions smoothly and steadily will cause the tractor to change its direction or pace with the least possible strain and effort. This, of course, increases the tractor’s life.

In much of the work done by the tractor, the varying conditions of field and soil make a continual change in the load, and the tractor must be handled accordingly. The change from an uphill to a downhill haul, and from sand or light loam to gumbo, will require the gears to be shifted in order that the engine may neither labor nor race in keeping the outfit at its work.

There should be no hesitation in coming down to low speed when the engine shows by its laboring that the effort of working on high gear is becoming too great. The engine cannot deliver its full power unless its speed is maintained, and low gear is provided for those times when the load is too great to be handled on high. Use high speed whenever it is possible, but trying to force the tractor to run on high with too great a load will lead to a breakdown.

High speed should be used for light work or for moving from place to place, but the engine should never be run at a greater number of revolutions than that specified by the manufacturers. It is very poor policy to run the tractor fast over rough roads, as the pounding will inevitably injure it.

Cold weather changes conditions in the handling and operation of a tractor; there is difficulty in starting, lubrication is likely to be faulty, and there is danger of breakage in engine, radiator, and air washer through freezing.

Difficulty in starting comes from the use of the usual medium grade of gasoline, which is satisfactory in mild weather, but will not vaporize at low temperatures. Cold gasoline will not vaporize in a cold engine; to form a mixture it is necessary to use high test gasoline, which will vaporize at low temperatures, or to warm the engine to a temperature at which medium grade gasoline will vaporize.

It is advisable to keep on hand a few gallons of high test gasoline to use in starting, or even a mixture of high test gasoline and ether, half-and-half, for extreme cold weather.

The engine may be warmed by pouring a bucket of hot water into the cooling system, cranking the engine to get it into the water jackets of the cylinders. Another plan is to wrap cloth around the intake manifold and carburetor, soaking it with hot water, being careful not to get water into the air intake.

A drop of liquid gasoline on the points of the spark plug will short-circuit them and prevent the formation of a spark; the points should be dry, and it is an advantage to heat the plugs, screwing them hot into the engine at the last moment before trying to start.

Kerosene is thicker when cold than when warm; it will not flow so freely, and the needle valve of the carburetor must be opened more in winter than in summer to obtain a proper mixture.

Lubricating oil also thickens in cold weather, and flows much more sluggishly. The lubrication adjustments that are correct for summer will therefore be incorrect for winter. This may be provided for to a great extent by using a thinner oil in winter than the oil used in summer. A cold snap is likely to result in burned bearings if the change in lubrication that it brings is not allowed for.

Grease thickens in cold weather more than oil does, and some kinds freeze solid. In winter a light, soft grease should be used, and the grease cups should be turned down several more turns than is usual when the weather is warm.

While antifreezing compounds can be used in the cooling systems of automobiles, they are not suitable for tractors because the greater and more continuous heat quickly evaporates them. The danger of freezing is very great, and must be avoided; the water in the radiator and jackets is in thin sheets, and will freeze when a bucket of water standing in the open will not show any signs of ice.

The only real protection against freezing is to drain out all the water whenever the tractor is to stand idle for a sufficient time for it to cool off. Petcocks are provided for this at the lowest points of the system, and also in the pump when forced circulation is used. The freezing of even a small pocket of water will be enough to crack a cast-iron water jacket wall, and the best assurance that the system is thoroughly drained is to open the drain cocks while the engine is still running, shutting down as the flow stops.

When putting up a tractor for the winter it should be thoroughly protected from rust and corrosion. The last time that the tanks are filled a quart of light oil should be added for every five gallons of gasoline or kerosene; as the tank empties this will leave a coating of oil on the inside walls.

Fuel tanks and water system should be drained, and particular care should be taken that all the water is out; the drain cocks should be left open. A mechanical oiler should be filled full, to protect the steel parts of the pumps from rust.

A half pint of thick oil should be put into each cylinder, and spread to the cylinder and piston walls by cranking for a few turns. Oil should be run between the valves and their seats.

All exterior parts should be protected by a coat of thick oil or by paint. The governor rod, push rods, and similar parts should be especially looked after. It is advisable to take off the magneto and store it in a safe, dry place; spark plugs should be left in position.

The tractor should be covered with a tarpaulin and stored in a tight shed.

When going over a tractor preparatory to laying it up, a list should be made of all parts that need renewal. These parts should be procured at once; they are more readily obtained during the winter than in the operating season, and will be on hand for the spring overhaul.