Maintaining Appearance, Large Equipment Fleet?

[Durallymax]

Hello, new guy with a different operation and task than many. We run a large dairy farming operation and have a large fleet of primarily late model equipment that gets extremely dirty on a weekly and daily basis. I oversee the maintenance of the fleet and the shop. The problem I often run into is time. Unfortunately, as much as I'd love too , I can't take the time to clean everything to perfection each week like I would like to. I have to spend most of my time doing repairs and preventative maintenance while also keeping the shop stocked and cleaned.

Cleaning is a full time job for me it seems. I'm a neat freak and get very stressed whenever there is a mess, clutter, and especially avoidable messes being made by lazy people or those who don't see cleanliness and appearance as a value. I spend 1-2 hours per day cleaning and re-organizing the shop, enough of that time is spent finding, cleaning and putting away the shops tools which I don't even use as I got fed up with the mess and abuse and bought all my own, that started my quality addiction I think and I now have a problem with never being able to buy something cheap or "good-enough", I always use the excuse of "buying it for a lifetime" haha, oh well, anyways. Most of our employees aggravate me with their "slob" characteristics, The people who grind hay with the door open on the loader because they claim its a waste of time to close the door everytime they get in and out every 5 minutes. The people who drive through the puddle instead of around it. The people who spread manure into the wind. The ones who insist on letting their pop top cans or big gulps bounce around with them, sweating and spilling everywhere then thrown on the floor behind the air ride seat to crunch around a slobber everywhere making a nice substance when mixed with their chips and other spilled items . The guy who decides to drive the freshly painted and perfectly buffed tractor through trees, the guys that uses the tractor hoods and fenders for a standing place etc etc. I could go on forever. My point is that I spend so much time keeping things nice, then just get to see them go to he'll immediately the second they're out the door. It really kills my mood and motivation. Im much more happy and motivated to keep things nice clean and well serviced when I feel others respect the work I put into them, even if it's just as simple as cleaning the trash out of the cab at the end of the day.

Now I know many detailers on here will say they know the feeling, but Id say its a little different. Many of you are getting paid to detail the vehicle. If the owner is willing to spend the money, they have at least a little respect for it. All of our operators don't have to pay for anything and enough of the detailing I end up doing off the clock anyways because most of them don't see it as real work. Same reason I try to do all of the restocking on weekends or at night because they don't see computer work as shop work. Many have the attitude that its just going to get dirty again anyways, or its a farm tractor its made to get dirty not look pretty, or were a dairy farm not a grain farm, we don't have time to sit around polishing things 50 weeks out of the year like them. (The last one is kinda true, and funny, most grain farmers do spend a lot of time washing and waxing when their done working one more day than santa claus.

My boss(dad), understands the importance of cleanliness and likes clean polished stuff, but doesn't want it to get put ahead of other repairs and doesn't want to spend too much extra on it. He really doesn't like seeing me with the pressure washer, wants one of the lower paid help to do it. This is okay with me somewhat. But my Spanish is poor, I'm not the best authorative person all the time (just want everybody to be happy) and nobody else really takes the pride in ownership of the equipment like I do, which I don't expect, but its basically non existent in everybody else's brains. They just point the wand and go, missing all of the important areas that need to be washed, not using caution where needed and thus ruining seals, decals, radiators and other coolers and getting the interiors of some cabs soaked as well as other things wet that shouldn't be. The hispanic guys aren't afraid to get dirty but the older americans working for us would rather stand outside the shop with a blow gun for an hour rather than pressure wash the thing for 30 minutes and get better results, and actually get the entire machine clean instead of blow stuff around. If they ever do wash stuff its an embarrassment, my OCD kicks in and I have to go rewash it because there is soo much left on the machine. Only half of the wheels are done usually and you can see nice pressure washer lines everywhere, not to mention every nook and cranny they skipped because they couldnt figure out how to use the pressure washer properly to clean that area without getting a face full of junk. I don't expect the others to get plastered head to toe cleaning, that takes dedication. Theres been enough days I'll be laying underneath a tractor or combine swimming and washing away at every last little bit.

The pressure washer we use is a 1500psi 5gpm Alkota. It is a hot water model. I try to get them to use variable guns but its a waste, they never dial it down and they just cost more to replace when they run them over. They usually have a 15* tip in the gun. We started to set up this stationary unit because I wanted to make washing as easy as the flip of a switch so there was no excuse for things to not get washed. It is centrally located in our calf barn and plumbed to all 4 bays because they use it to sterilize each bay before the next lot of newborns starts filling it up. I plumbed it to the exterior of the bays where we have mildly sloped concrete pads, I installed remote switches as well to turn the washer on and off. I plumbed everything with shutoff valves and quick couplers. Made multiple 50' hoses with quick couplers and put together a few different guns. The idea was that you simply would have to walk in, grab however many lengths of hose you needed, the gun you wanted, the nozzles you needed and with the push of a couple connectors, the turn of a couple valves and the flip of a switch, you were washing. However the project (as usual) never got fully completed or maintained and has turned into a bit more of a mess than expected but none-the-less is still far better than the old system of first finding the portable hot water pressure washer, then filling both the gas and diesel/kerosene tank but only after finding the gas and diesel cans which were always empty, meaning a trip to the pumps(located on farm), then finding a garden hose with both ends and no leaks, then turning the key only to find the battery dead and resorting to hand starting it, then usually fixing the high pressure hose, or wand which has been "fixed" with nitrile gloves and duct tape by the previous operator. Needless to say abuse and lack of care is a huge issue on our farm largely due to a lack of authority, everybody knows they wont get in trouble so who cares, but thats an issue unrelated to detailing that would make this post longer than it already is.

I realize nobody will ever clean to my expectations. But I'm trying to come up with a plan of action on how to reduce mistakes and increase quality of work. For the workers we have doing the work , this means making the task easier. We are working on a penalty plan for mistakes, but we have to implement it farm wide all at once to be fair and its taking some time to come up with the best approach.

A reward system is an idea that works very well too. We use it for our milkers and calf feeders, however giving them a couple hundred dollar bonus for not loosing the quality milk premium or not loosing a calf for a month, is very cost effective due to the fact they save us thousands of dollars per month. washing equipment well doesn't provide as dramatic of a payback. I still wouldn't mind doing something though.

In my ideal world we would have a full time worker doing the bulk of the pressure washing, hand washing, interior cleaning, and grounds maintenance. I feel those things could be easily trained into a good employee without breaking the bank. With the size of the fleet we have, and the dirtiness that is created daily, we certainly could keep a guy full time cleaning and doing grounds maintenance as well (mowing, weed eating, spraying, washing buildings, etc). I would also build a dedicated wash bay in my ideal world, with an array of tools and supplies needed to do the job right. It would also double as a regular maintenance bay because that is what I like to perform immediately after the wash. The two complement each other well. You need it clean to inspect the machine well, it also makes any repairs or maintenance much easier, neater, and faster and thus more likely to get done. In addition, extensive washing forces water into many of the greased areas and through some oil seals. Greasing after wash is vital to force any water out. I prefer to do the greasing, everybody seems to use too much or too little, and the most important part of greasing and washing to me is getting a good examination of the machine for anything out of the ordinary.

Basically as of now I'm just working on getting this guy trained to get the rough wash work done well. Ill still do all of the detail work, but I really need a good person sticking with a good wash schedule to preserve the appearance and reduce the need for finish detail. His job essentially is grounds maintenance and washing , but they still use his help when needed for cows. He's not the sharpest tool enough days, but I think with enough time and some incentives he could do pretty well at this job. So far he does the best of any of them.





anyways. What I am mainly asking for is some advice on setting up a good wash schedule and even more importantly, some tools and products I could Implement to make the job easier for everybody.

Our main battle is manure. It sticks to everything and cakes on thick. It instantly ruins paint and in short time will strip the paint off. Many people are using diesel fuel or veggie oil as a protectant against the manure. They will use a garden sprayer to apply it evenly across the piece of clean equipment before using it. This works well for those only using their manure equipment a few times per year, but we use ours much more often. Some people say,"its just a manure spreader", most are in shock when they learn that 7300 gallon tank on wheels costs over $90,000. In comparison to our other equipment, its not too expensive, but when you think about it, at its core its a tank on wheels to haul poop, its a pretty sophisticated one, but when you break it down, its still just a tank. I wouldn't want to know what it costs to paint one either, that's a lot of surface area. This tank, one of our skid steers, and our other manure spreader are the main things I am interested in coating as they will be constantly coated in manure throughout the week. I know its much easier to wash off fresh manure, but its also impractical. I am wondering if anybody out there has had any success with any form of a coating, my guess is not too many but I only need a couple opinions. Thanks.



My next question is washing. I don't think ill ever really be able to teach this guy two properly use a two bucket system with grit gaurds and a mitt while making sure his body doesnt scratch the paint either, so what are my options here? Obviously something like the manure spreader ill just have him do with a brush, and scratches aren't much of a concern on it. But on the semis, cars, trucks and tractors I'd like to keep a somewhat nice finish. Do i just try to teach him and the scratches he makes are the scratches he makes, or do I just do it myself, which means it would get done less often, but be done better. I guess theres only so much paint to sand and buff, but where do you draw the line?



Cleaners, are there some cleaners out there he can spray on and let them "soak" to help remove the mud, manure, oil, grease and whatever else?



I am looking at trying to get things on a weekly wash schedule based on appearance and use. Some things are dirty in a day, other things may sit for a week or month. Currently the milk tanker and the Semi pulling it get the best treatment, (the milk plant provides warm wash water in various places, wash buckets and brushes to clean while you want to unload and sanitize)



Any other tips or tricks for maintaining the appearance of a large fleet?



I plan to do all of the buffing (working on learning that), and currently do the metal polishing (working on some new stuff in those areas too), been reading on here for the paint care mostly, and working to find the best products and procedures for maintaining the appearance of our stuff without breaking the bank, but without wasting too much time on the project either.



This is one of my favorite "hobbies" because you really feel like you accomplished something after it. Metal Polishing (especially aluminum of course) is by far my favorite (aside from the safety gear and health affects), something about taking the ugliest piece and turning it into a mirror gives me more satisfaction than anything. Unfortunately, I have to work on a tight budget of both time and money, and finding a balance of how far to go because I know that my work will be ruined shortly thereafter.



Thanks in advance for any help or recommendations and sorry for the rambling long post.

[Vegas Transplant]

Originally Posted by Durallymax

Hello, new guy with a different operation and task than many. We run a large dairy farming operation and have a large fleet of primarily late model equipment that gets extremely dirty on a weekly and daily basis. I oversee the maintenance of the fleet and the shop. The problem I often run into is time. Unfortunately, as much as I'd love too , I can't take the time to clean everything to perfection each week like I would like to. I have to spend most of my time doing repairs and preventative maintenance while also keeping the shop stocked and cleaned.

Cleaning is a full time job for me it seems. I'm a neat freak and get very stressed whenever there is a mess, clutter, and especially avoidable messes being made by lazy people or those who don't see cleanliness and appearance as a value. I spend 1-2 hours per day cleaning and re-organizing the shop, enough of that time is spent finding, cleaning and putting away the shops tools which I don't even use as I got fed up with the mess and abuse and bought all my own, that started my quality addiction I think and I now have a problem with never being able to buy something cheap or "good-enough", I always use the excuse of "buying it for a lifetime" haha, oh well, anyways. Most of our employees aggravate me with their "slob" characteristics, The people who grind hay with the door open on the loader because they claim its a waste of time to close the door everytime they get in and out every 5 minutes. The people who drive through the puddle instead of around it. The people who spread manure into the wind. The ones who insist on letting their pop top cans or big gulps bounce around with them, sweating and spilling everywhere then thrown on the floor behind the air ride seat to crunch around a slobber everywhere making a nice substance when mixed with their chips and other spilled items . The guy who decides to drive the freshly painted and perfectly buffed tractor through trees, the guys that uses the tractor hoods and fenders for a standing place etc etc. I could go on forever. My point is that I spend so much time keeping things nice, then just get to see them go to he'll immediately the second they're out the door. It really kills my mood and motivation. Im much more happy and motivated to keep things nice clean and well serviced when I feel others respect the work I put into them, even if it's just as simple as cleaning the trash out of the cab at the end of the day.

Don't you watch televsion, or ever get off the farm? Got a girlfriend?

I agree that you can take better care than the employees,....but, in these days and times, a good employee is a rare find. Especially one dealing with cow poop and an anal jr. boss all day long.

I'm thinking that you're relatively inexperienced. 90K is not a lot of $$$ for heavy equipment, so that's one issue under the bridge.
I don't see the American Loggers crying the blues about employee hygiene...it's more important to have someone not tearing out the rear ends or dropping drive shafts, or rolling the poop spreader over on its side.

Also sounds like you're shirking your responsibilities by trying to micro-manage all the trivial stuff, and not dealing with the bigger issues of lack of authority.
I can see it now, hands doing their routine, elbow deep inside a cows rear, then when the calf is born, you crying about something being dirty.

Originally Posted by Durraymax

My boss(dad), understands the importance of cleanliness and likes clean polished stuff, but doesn't want it to get put ahead of other repairs and doesn't want to spend too much extra on it. He really doesn't like seeing me with the pressure washer, wants one of the lower paid help to do it. This is okay with me somewhat. But my Spanish is poor, I'm not the best authorative person all the time (just want everybody to be happy) and nobody else really takes the pride in ownership of the equipment like I do, which I don't expect, but its basically non existent in everybody else's brains.

Dude, you need to grow up, learn the business side of things ( oh yeah...learn spanish) and quit waxing philosophically on the thought of having an Opti-Coat'ed fleet of poop spreaders and tanks.
If you don't get a handle on things now, you might as well find another job cause it sounds like your heart is not really into the business.

SHINY POOP SPREADERS!!!
SHEEEESSSHHH!

You ought to be glad that people come to work everday and do all of the nasty tedious things that it takes to run a dairy operation, be they American or Latino - especially at the wages that prevalent in the industry.

Originally Posted by Durallymax

Thanks in advance for any help or recommendations and sorry for the rambling long post.

If you feel like ranting in the future, just come on back and post your troubles here.


Happy detailing...
.

[Durallymax]

Originally Posted by Vegas Transplant

Don't you watch televsion, or ever get off the farm? Got a girlfriend?

I agree that you can take better care than the employees,....but, in these days and times, a good employee is a rare find. Especially one dealing with cow poop and an anal jr. boss all day long.

I'm thinking that you're relatively inexperienced. 90K is not a lot of $$$ for heavy equipment, so that's one issue under the bridge.
I don't see the American Loggers crying the blues about employee hygiene...it's more important to have someone not tearing out the rear ends or dropping drive shafts, or rolling the poop spreader over on its side.

Also sounds like you're shirking your responsibilities by trying to micro-manage all the trivial stuff, and not dealing with the bigger issues of lack of authority.
I can see it now, hands doing their routine, elbow deep inside a cows rear, then when the calf is born, you crying about something being dirty.

Dude, you need to grow up, learn the business side of things ( oh yeah...learn spanish) and quit waxing philosophically on the thought of having an Opti-Coat'ed fleet of poop spreaders and tanks.
If you don't get a handle on things now, you might as well find another job cause it sounds like your heart is not really into the business.

SHINY POOP SPREADERS!!!
SHEEEESSSHHH!

You ought to be glad that people come to work everday and do all of the nasty tedious things that it takes to run a dairy operation, be they American or Latino - especially at the wages that prevalent in the industry.

If you feel like ranting in the future, just come on back and post your troubles here.

Don't watch much TV, but get off the farm enough, not as much as I used to because my heart is more in it than it used to be. I am engaged.

I really find it ironic to be called anal on an auto detailing forum where people will nearly lick their cars clean. Wanting a clean professional fleet, neat clean farm, and organized shop is not being an anal Jr. boss, its part of running a business. In this day and age (not the day your talking about), you have to have everthing inline. We are located in a highly scrutinized area, cleanliness is key. Muddy dirty equipment running up and down the road makes our image not only as a far but as an industry look bad, as does a messy farm with junk and dead animals everywhere. I dirty unorganized shop is fine for the guy who works alone, but when multiple people are in and out constantly complaining about not being able to find anything, it becomes not only a necessity, but your key words "the business side", why pay out 2-4 hours daily between all the employees having them waste time looking for stuff then just wasting more time driving to the store to buy it when I can put some order to it and keep it picked up, then everybody knows where to look first saving a lot of dollars.

As for the 90K manure spreader, and my inexperience. Please use your far advanced knowledge to thouroughly read through my post. I said that is NOT a lot of money compared to the majority of the equipment. Tractors are $200,000+, the forage harvester was $450,000 and depreciates the fastest of any piece of equipment at nearly $200/hr.

am i going to make somebody do something dangerous, unecessary or wreckless to avoid getting it dirty? you must be insane to think that. Look at the big picture. if they are hitting trees, their more damage to be done, if they are bashing through mud puddles, suspensions take a beating, tires get ruined. if these things are avoidable, then its uncalled for, if not then its understandable. We know where the majority of the hazards and such are in the fields, new ones are created everyday but theres still times where things can be perfected.

If you think washing equipment is not important, I urge you to look at your statement of safety earlier. Do you realize how many fires are started by lack of simple cleaning? Or how many problems could be avoided if the owner would just wash it off once and awhile.

Like I said, when your on the job, shits gonna get dirty, nothing around that obviously. But at the end of the day, cleaning it off pays off in safety, operator satisfaction and retention (most like the shiney stuff with clean cabs), and resale value. It costs thousands and thousands to paint equipment, why would you ever want to have to pay for that?

While I see your point with the calf pulling comment, we don't pull calves. Brown cows slip them right out. On a rare occasion well have to assist.

I do get caught up in micro management, but always come back to priorities, mechanical service over cleaning.

If you think having a clean manure spreader is bonkers I will invite you to our area. You will be hard pressed to find a dairy farm with a dirty one, most keep their operations spick and spam. one farmer repaints his dozer blades every 2 years. I think the things on your side of the world (whereever it may be) are much different than they are here. I will admit, people go over kill here, but you cant be looked at as the laughing stock of the area. Its not a pride or keeping up with the jones thing, its about impressing the customers. The dairy industry is entering a new era, consumers want to see and know where their products come from. they dont want to see a fat scruffy smelly farmer with a dip in his mouth and a stained t shirt holding a beer can driving his manure covered tractor across his farm with 6' weeds. They want us to look just like every other business in town. Its a lot of work, but more farmers really should realize it.

I also wouldnt quote TV shows ever, after watching harvest I really can never believe anything they ever say on those shows anymore.


All of that said, I agree that there are many different viewpoints across the nation. I respect your effort to encourage me to be okay with messes and filth, but unfortuneatley our situation is much different than yours and cleanliness is key. Thank you for your comments though.

[Vegas Transplant]

Originally Posted by Durallymax

What I am mainly asking for is some advice on setting up a good wash schedule and even more importantly, some tools and products I could Implement to make the job easier for everybody.

TBM with grit guards.
Wookie's Fists.
High lubricity soap.
Aquawax as you dry.
Plenty of Waffle weave drying towels...or maybe even a good leaf blower.
Stoner's makes a quality glass cleaner, but Megs has a concentrate that's more economical.
Optimum Tire Shine is a new favorite of mine.
Oh yeah....Stripper Scent will help with the Poop smell in the interiors.

Just a few suggestions, I'm sure that others will post theirs.

I'm sure that you have your personal favorites...I'd be willing to send samples, but I'm not spending more on postage than what the samples are worth. Judging from your word choices, I assume that you're from a former British Colony. Canada perhaps? Maybe some of the forum members close by can help with this.

Originally Posted by Durallymax

I am wondering if anybody out there has had any success with any form of a coating, my guess is not too many but I only need a couple opinions. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Durallymax

My next question is washing. I don't think ill ever really be able to teach this guy two properly use a two bucket system with grit gaurds and a mitt while making sure his body doesnt scratch the paint either, so what are my options here? Obviously something like the manure spreader ill just have him do with a brush, and scratches aren't much of a concern on it. But on the semis, cars, trucks and tractors I'd like to keep a somewhat nice finish. Do i just try to teach him and the scratches he makes are the scratches he makes, or do I just do it myself, which means it would get done less often, but be done better. I guess theres only so much paint to sand and buff, but where do you draw the line?

Learn Spanish - at least key phrases.

Originally Posted by Durallymax

Cleaners, are there some cleaners out there he can spray on and let them "soak" to help remove the mud, manure, oil, grease and whatever else?

Apc+ seems to be a forum fav.

Originally Posted by Durallymax

Any other tips or tricks for maintaining the appearance of a large fleet?

AGO is full of useful info for those willing to seek it...and forum members willingly post their advice and suggestions. Hopefully others will chime in.

Originally Posted by Durallymax

Thanks in advance for any help or recommendations and sorry for the rambling long post.

Wishing you much luck and success in your endeavors.

If you ever feel the need to ramble, the forum is only a few keystokes away...


...and we'll even leave the lights on....
.

[Vegas Transplant]

Honey Wagon Before:






Honey Wagon after:




Mixing poop pond:

Header Series Lagoon Pump - Agitating a Lagoon - YouTube


Favorite activity after full detail and OC 2.0 application:

Farm Fun - YouTube

Happy detailing...

[Hoytman]

Any type of coating that may assist the kind of cleanliness you seek is most likely going to be so expensive in the volume you'd need it that it will be highly cost prohibitive.

Skid steers, dozers, back-hoes, and the like take a beating just from wind driven dust constantly "sand blasting" them. Much of the older equipment, it would be useless to try and put some sort of coating on them to protect them because the paint was never really shiny to begin with.

Some of the newer tractors are getting some higher quality paint jobs compared to yester-year. That said, if you folks own newer equipment, farm tractors, road tractors, harvester's and such, then a coating like Opti-Guard (the professional version) might...key word...might be able to help keep your equipment much cleaner. It won't keep this kind of equipment swirl free nor would I assume you are looking for that (because it won't happen), but it might just aid in allowing you easier pressure washing...which may be another problem for you in itself...the heavy pressure from an industrial unit.

I can tell you from experience that if any large clumps of mud, or manure for that matter, dries on the paint you can forget any type of coating that I know of helping you. You'll have to blast and scrub it off. The clay soils around here stick like concrete when dried and some of it sticks that hard even when it's wet. Keep in mind we're talking about a working environment here, not just road dirt.

Here where I live we've also noticed a shift in how farmers want to keep their places nice and their equipment in tip-top shape. (Not that they didn't want to keep things nice in years gone by, but their ability to do so for some, is greater now. Either by having more time to focus on this, more money to do so, or both.) A farmer once told me that, "if a farmer tells you he's not making money, he's a liar. He either makes it (to what degree he didn't specify) or he sells the farm." This man was a wealthy farmer, and from that I assume a wise farmer.

It's not unusual to drive by a farm in our area after harvest season and see a farmer in his barn, along with about 5-10 helpers, washing and waxing their half million dollar John Deere combine and doing the same to gravity wagons and farm tractors. Keep in mind, the numbers of these types of farmers in our area are few, but the numbers do seem to be on a rise. Many of them keep spotless grain hauling road tractors. These are just grain farmers too, let alone dairy operators.

I don't quite see the same shift with regard to certain mobile equipment upkeep on our dairy farms. Two hours north of us, it's much different. Up there are large dairy operations and those folks seem pretty particular for farming folks. They keep their equipment in top-notch shape...all of it manure spreaders included. The equipment simply costs too much these days.

I would think anything that would be strong enough to soak and remove large clumps of dried dirt and manure would be strong to also remove the paint. So, I don't think anthing but arm and hammer will help you on those types of equipment. As for your other equipment refer to what I wrote above.

One thing is for sure, most people don't view agriculture, as a business, rather a way of life or living. I can assure it's both a way of life and living, but the business side is changing at alarming rates. Farming has become, and is becoming more and more high-tech in every aspect. Still, dirt is part of it...BUT...(my grandma used to say this)

..."It's not a sin to be dirty, it's just a sin to stay that way." So we see it more and more these days, farmers keeping well maintained equipment out of necessity. Farmers are taking more time to keep equipment clean, milk parlors more sanitary, butchering facilities having to meet certain "clean" standards and so on. This is all because technology has advanced, people are more educated now, and consumer wants has changed along with health regulations. In years gone by famers didn't have time to clean equipment to the levels they are cleaning today. I attribute this to our high-tech world and the farmer not having to do so many things manually.

I don't think this fella is wanting, or intending, to keep his equipment in the same condition as people here keep their cars, rather seeking help from people who specialize in cleanliness and details. Nothing wrong with wanting and trying to keep equipment as clean as possible. Obviously, your typical farm environment isn't conducive to a swirl free environment. However, there's nothing wrong with seeking advice from detailing experts that can provide some basics for you. Those basics are all you really need from detailing experts to keep things clean on the farm.

You could be so OCD as to use a two bucket method, but let's be realistic, a good hot power washing foam bath is about all you need for certain farm equipment.

[Mike.Phillips@Autogeek]

One of my friends in Oregon had his welding shop on a Dairy Farm in Oregon, so I've been around dairy farms at one point in my life, no a little bit about them and what goes on.

My buddy Eric invented a Manure Separator. It was fun watching him invent different "ideas" until he finally figured out how to make a really good one.

The first one worked like a cannon, it was fun to watch it work.

[sproketser]

Only pressure washer , you ll be fine , this isn t a fleet of Over The Roads Trucks you deal with , you ll be just fine with it .

[Durallymax]

Originally Posted by Vegas Transplant

Judging from your word choices, I assume that you're from a former British Colony. Canada perhaps?

No, WI.

Originally Posted by Vegas Transplant

Learn Spanish - at least key phrases.

Already on that job, learning some here and there plan to go back to learning in class. Problem is that they are learning english faster and we have a few bi-lingual workers now so I've gotten lazy.

Originally Posted by Vegas Transplant

Honey Wagon Before



Honey Wagon after

Here's a couple pictures of a few pieces of our fleet thats been extensively upgraded the past year due to putting it off too long when prices were low.

New (To Us) 07 T600 KW



3 New CAT Skid Steers (262C, 242B3, 242B3)



New Massey 8680 Blade Tractor, switching shades of red.



New Houle 7300





Old (Traded) Balzer 6350



620-16 Roto-Mix on T800B KW



940 Claas Jaguar



Its Hungry



Opening up Corn Fields Is a Major Battle with cleanliness. Getting plastered with chopped corn leaves permanent etching in the clear coat and requires lots of window cleaning. Stoner's cleaner is nice, but we started using spray away from sam's club/walmart. Much cheaper, but works good.





Our Very rusty/faded L60E Volvo. Only 7 years old. Didn't get washed much ever. Things like this are why i want to make sure we do better from here on out. This will cost us a lot at trade in.



New paint on the old tractor.

Originally Posted by Hoytman

Any type of coating that may assist the kind of cleanliness you seek is most likely going to be so expensive in the volume you'd need it that it will be highly cost prohibitive.

Skid steers, dozers, back-hoes, and the like take a beating just from wind driven dust constantly "sand blasting" them. Much of the older equipment, it would be useless to try and put some sort of coating on them to protect them because the paint was never really shiny to begin with.

Some of the newer tractors are getting some higher quality paint jobs compared to yester-year. That said, if you folks own newer equipment, farm tractors, road tractors, harvester's and such, then a coating like Opti-Guard (the professional version) might...key word...might be able to help keep your equipment much cleaner. It won't keep this kind of equipment swirl free nor would I assume you are looking for that (because it won't happen), but it might just aid in allowing you easier pressure washing...

Not looking for swirl free on the farm equipment, wouldn't mind it on the road semi's but that's about it.

Originally Posted by Hoytman

which may be another problem for you in itself...the heavy pressure from an industrial unit.

Its only a 1500psi unit. Low pressure high volume. more what we were after for our needs. I dk maybe thats high compared to what others are used to? In my experience its one of the lowest ratings with the others being 2,000-5,000psi and up.

Originally Posted by Hoytman

I can tell you from experience that if any large clumps of mud, or manure for that matter, dries on the paint you can forget any type of coating that I know of helping you. You'll have to blast and scrub it off. The clay soils around here stick like concrete when dried and some of it sticks that hard even when it's wet. Keep in mind we're talking about a working environment here, not just road dirt.

Our soils are are silty loam so they come off nicely and are not very abrasive, but the manure is an issue. These things will stay caked on for a week or so to be practical most likely. Sounds like the coating idea is scrapped.

Originally Posted by Hoytman

Here where I live we've also noticed a shift in how farmers want to keep their places nice and their equipment in tip-top shape. (Not that they didn't want to keep things nice in years gone by, but their ability to do so for some, is greater now. Either by having more time to focus on this, more money to do so, or both.) A farmer once told me that, "if a farmer tells you he's not making money, he's a liar. He either makes it (to what degree he didn't specify) or he sells the farm." This man was a wealthy farmer, and from that I assume a wise farmer.

It's not unusual to drive by a farm in our area after harvest season and see a farmer in his barn, along with about 5-10 helpers, washing and waxing their half million dollar John Deere combine and doing the same to gravity wagons and farm tractors. Keep in mind, the numbers of these types of farmers in our area are few, but the numbers do seem to be on a rise. Many of them keep spotless grain hauling road tractors. These are just grain farmers too, let alone dairy operators.

There's plenty of farmers that don't make any money and should be shut down, but they keep getting nursed along.

Most good ones do make money, just doesn't always show. It takes a lot more work than many want to do is the issue.

Your description sounds just like a CBM farmer (Corn Beans Miami). Gotta get the combine waxed before heading to florida for the winter. Plenty of extra time on their hands.

Originally Posted by Hoytman

I don't quite see the same shift with regard to certain mobile equipment upkeep on our dairy farms. Two hours north of us, it's much different. Up there are large dairy operations and those folks seem pretty particular for farming folks. They keep their equipment in top-notch shape...all of it manure spreaders included. The equipment simply costs too much these days.

I would think anything that would be strong enough to soak and remove large clumps of dried dirt and manure would be strong to also remove the paint. So, I don't think anthing but arm and hammer will help you on those types of equipment. As for your other equipment refer to what I wrote above.

It is very expensive when you look at the grand scheme, its no different than any other machine needing to be washed. Its tougher on a dairy farm because we actually get our equipment dirty, but it can be done.

Originally Posted by Hoytman

One thing is for sure, most people don't view agriculture, as a business, rather a way of life or living. I can assure it's both a way of life and living, but the business side is changing at alarming rates. Farming has become, and is becoming more and more high-tech in every aspect. Still, dirt is part of it...BUT...(my grandma used to say this)

..."It's not a sin to be dirty, it's just a sin to stay that way." So we see it more and more these days, farmers keeping well maintained equipment out of necessity. Farmers are taking more time to keep equipment clean, milk parlors more sanitary, butchering facilities having to meet certain "clean" standards and so on. This is all because technology has advanced, people are more educated now, and consumer wants has changed along with health regulations. In years gone by famers didn't have time to clean equipment to the levels they are cleaning today. I attribute this to our high-tech world and the farmer not having to do so many things manually.

Too many farmers focus on the lifestyle/heritage instead of the business end. They are the ones contributing to the issues, costing everybody else a lot of money, yet still being nurtured on by society because they are often viewed as the "natural, homegrown" farm.

Originally Posted by Hoytman

I don't think this fella is wanting, or intending, to keep his equipment in the same condition as people here keep their cars, rather seeking help from people who specialize in cleanliness and details. Nothing wrong with wanting and trying to keep equipment as clean as possible. Obviously, your typical farm environment isn't conducive to a swirl free environment. However, there's nothing wrong with seeking advice from detailing experts that can provide some basics for you. Those basics are all you really need from detailing experts to keep things clean on the farm.

You could be so OCD as to use a two bucket method, but let's be realistic, a good hot power washing foam bath is about all you need for certain farm equipment.

Yep thats all I am looking for, the most economical effective way to keep things in nice shape. My standards may be higher than others, but Im not out waxing the manure pump yet. I know a few truckers who was the insides of their frame rails. I am telling you, the competition in this area is immense. Our 2007 T600 pictured above is "junk" when compared to the rest of the trucks at the milk plant.

Originally Posted by Mike.Phillips@Autogeek

One of my friends in Oregon had his welding shop on a Dairy Farm in Oregon, so I've been around dairy farms at one point in my life, no a little bit about them and what goes on.

My buddy Eric invented a Manure Separator. It was fun watching him invent different "ideas" until he finally figured out how to make a really good one.

The first one worked like a cannon, it was fun to watch it work.

What style seperator did he invent, any brands he went to work for/started or just a fun project? Seperators are big business, most are screens or screws now.

Originally Posted by sproketser

Only pressure washer , you ll be fine , this isn t a fleet of Over The Roads Trucks you deal with , you ll be just fine with it .

There are some OTR trucks in the mix as well. The equipment also costs much more than an OTR truck and replacement panels/paint jobs are much more expensive as well.

[Durallymax]

What about interiors, I as well as a couple others have dust allergies. There's also a few of us who hate dirty windows, and a few that just appreciate not sitting in filth all day.

From my amatuer tractor detailing days at the dealer I just followed what those before me did and used simple green and tuff stuff.

I still use Tuff Stuff and really like it. Ill vacuum everything, then work small areas with the tuff stuff and vacuum since it lifts the dirt off in the foam. Caked on areas can be cleaned very easy with a rag. The problem with tuff stuff is that its a little too tough for the white paint that fills the cabs of everything it seems, for labeling switches, knobs, levers etc etc. It strips that paint right off.

Is there something else that works well for lifting the dirt? Otherwise I go through a million rags it seems.

I don't need a show car finish, just a clean finish. Thats what I prefer anyways.