As forage harvest season gets into full swing, it is easy to overlook some machinery basics such as maintenance. The machines we use to harvest hay and silage range from being relatively simple to vastly complex, mechanically speaking. There are a multitude of rotating shafts, bearings, belts, and other components that require seasonal maintenance, at minimum, with others needing regular maintenance during the harvest season.
Procrastinating and leaving maintenance and repair tasks until after the next harvest or until the end of the season can cause costly downtime, reduced efficiency, and shorter equipment life. Let’s review some good reminders on maintenance tasks and strive toward a culture of preventative machinery care in your hay- and forage-making operation.
Any discussion on machinery maintenance starts with safety while performing the maintenance tasks. Always wear personal protective equipment, including but not limited to eye protection, hearing protection, and gloves. Hydraulic systems are not infallible. Utilize cylinder lockouts or block the machine up before getting beneath anything supported by hydraulics. Finally, use tire chocks and jack stands anytime a machine is being lifted, even if your working surface is flat.
Know the high-wear areas
Hay and forage production requires several different types of machinery with varying levels of complexity. These machines can be ground driven, operate off a power take-off, or be self-propelled. Each different type of machine experiences a different type of interaction with the crop and the soil, which varies the types of wear patterns and maintenance required. Identifying the points on the machine that interact directly with the soil or crop will give a good indication of areas for regular inspection and maintenance.
Identifying the high-wear areas and checking them regularly will allow an operator to spot potential problems and flag them for further inspection or repair. Also consider the conditions of the environment the machine is operating in. The presence of dust with dry soil conditions or dry crop conditions during harvest can have an accelerating impact on machine wear. Dusty and dirty machines can also hide areas of concern from a maintenance standpoint. Keeping a leaf blower or air compressor near and using them to blow dust and debris from the machine regularly throughout the day can help identify areas of concern that may need attention.
Coupling a regular light cleaning of machinery with a hand-held infrared thermometer can aid in identifying areas of the machine that are becoming hot, such as bearings and belts. When a component overheats, it has the potential to ignite plant material collected on the machine, which makes for a bad day. Specifically associated with hay production, shafts and bearings being wrapped with hay can also cause overheating of components. Clearing any shafts wrapped with plant material will help ensure proper operation and avoid overheating or imbalance that can bend rotating shafts. According to Randy Clark of RCI Engineering, a nice tool for clearing shafts is a small, battery-powered reciprocating saw equipped with a wood blade. It can make quick work of clearing a wrapped shaft, will not dull as quickly as a knife, and can be considered safer than a blade in many instances. Completing these quick checks at least a few times per day will save repair time or costly repairs.
Daily fluid checks
While we are discussing maintenance generalities here, refer to the individual machine’s operator’s manual for guidance on regular and seasonal maintenance locations and intervals. There are three different maintenance intervals to consider: daily checks, seasonal maintenance, and long-term storage. Before operating a piece of equipment, do simple daily checks, including the cleaning and temperature assessments. These also include fluid-level checks and grease points. Changes in a machine’s fluid levels signify problems in the operation of the machine. These can be as simple as a hydraulic fluid leak that needs repair or something more catastrophic in the case of engine malfunction. Maintaining an understanding of the fluid levels in a machine and noticing changes in those can allow for maintenance costs to be minimized and keep the machine operating efficiently.
Greasing a machine is a relatively simple task that will also keep the performance of the machine high. Keeping high-quality grease and grease guns either with the machine or with the operator makes doing this task less burdensome. Ensure that the grease zerks are clean before connecting the grease gun to prevent contamination. Also, greasing a machine at the end of the day rather than the beginning is usually preferred since it tends to be a dirty task.
Less often but critical
Seasonal maintenance usually includes larger tasks like engine oil changes or tasks where some disassembly of the machine is required. Modern machinery tends to have indicator lights to identify when larger tasks should be performed; however, the timing of these tasks is sometimes not ideal, and the machine is needed for harvest. Keeping track of when these tasks were last done and having an idea of when the next seasonal maintenance task will need to be performed will allow you to schedule these at more convenient times during the harvest season.
Finally, consider some preventative maintenance when machines will be put in storage and not in use. Simple jobs like adding anti-gel additives to diesel tanks and running the machine to move the additive throughout the fuel system can save some headache in cold climates. Also, developing and executing a rodent prevention plan will save a lot of time, as mice enjoy the soy-based insulation on most modern wiring. Placing poisons outside of the vehicle is best as to not attract the rodents to the machine, while utilizing rodent deterrents like various oils and spices can help further discourage them from getting in the machine and causing damage. Check rodent baits and deterrents regularly and refill or refresh them while the equipment is in storage.
Write it down
Maintenance recordkeeping is essential to ensuring that the tasks are being completed at the proper intervals. Using simple paper or a notepad to document the task performed, the machine operating hours or other metrics, and the date has and will always be an effective method. With the introduction of smart devices that we carry in our pockets, other options exist such as Google Forms to create a maintenance worksheet. These can be a check list for use prior to daily operation as well as longer term maintenance tasks. In larger operations with multiple machines and operators, this documentation can quickly and easily provide forewarning to a maintenance shop that an issue is arising, and plans or parts orders can be made to solve the problem quickly and easily. Regardless of the operation’s size, develop and maintain some form of recordkeeping system to ensure the maintenance tasks are completed.
Machinery maintenance is not always the most enjoyable job, especially when a harvest window is open. However, keeping up with the regular, seasonal, and storage maintenance tasks will ensure that the machines used to harvest hay and forage are in working order, saving time, repair bills, and maintaining operating efficiency.”
This article appeared in the July 2025 issue of Hay & Forage Grower on page 14-15.
Not a subscriber? Click to get the print magazine.
