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Show jlflPLEHEMT HELPS By A. H. Powell Assistant Professor of Farm Mechanics, Mechan-ics, Utah Agricultural College Note This is the first of a series of three or four articles on lha car of farm machinery. We are now drawing toward ths end of the farmer's busy season and he, already- weary from the l.-ng daya of constant toil, is gathering up the remnants of the last crops to be har-es'.ed har-es'.ed and looking forward to the season sea-son of the year when he will have less work and more hours of leisure. We do not wish to impose mors work upon the already overworked farmer, but we suggest that lie put forth every effort to lighten his load next spring and reduce his expensos on equipment by caring for it and giv-ini- it the proper attention in the fall. First the plows. They should be brought into the yard and carefully looked over to determine if any new Torts are needed, and If so, a list of these should he made and the parts ordered at the earliest possible date sj as to have the implement in proper prop-er working order before it is needed. The plow should be carefully checked to see that the proper horizontal and vertical suction is maintained, as this effects to a great extent the successful success-ful operation of the plow and the power pow-er required to draw it. All the points which are made of steel and not worn out should be sharpened. When all the m-aces and bolts should be tight-end, tight-end, the moul-board should be thoroughly thor-oughly cleaned and polished, then coated with a very heavy oil or grease. Bach bolt on the plow should receive a few drops of light oil thereby making mak-ing it possible to either tighten or remove re-move it without twisting it off. The plow should then be stored away in a suitable shed for the winter, and all tho other implements treated in like manner. It is very necessary that every farmer farm-er provide himself with a smail shop t'tnt can be heated in cold weather and equip it with the simple tools wiih which all of his repair work may h dono. All the implements should be Inspected and repaired with special speci-al attention given to all wearing parts, from the wheels on the plow or hay rsltt to the pitman bearing on the mower, and the cams and sprockets "i the hinder and seeding machines. All of these parts should be removed and carefully washed and cleaned with kerosene. All bearings subjected , to loads, such as the socket bearings on the disc plow, the plow wheels, and d 11 wheels that carry or guide the im-rluiDcnt, im-rluiDcnt, after careful cleaning should be filled with clean cup grease and replaced. Means should be provided for the addition of new grease at the center of the hub, so that when more grease is forced in the old grease will work out, carrying with it all foreign for-eign materials, such as sand and dust, o.it and away from the bearings. Other small bearings that are lubricated with oil should be given a very libera! qt.antity of oil after careful cleaning. By carefully observing these points tho life of the machinery will be prolonged pro-longed and much less power will be required in their operation. Special attention should be given to all gearing, gear-ing, commonly called cog wheels, to see that they engage deep enough. If they are permitted to run without be-properly be-properly engaged the life of these wheels will be very short. The question may arise as to why all this taking apart and cleaning, so in order to answer that question we first call to your attention the fact that when you sharpen an ax on the grind stone, you use water on the stone to speed up the grinding, and when you sharpen a knife on an oil stone, you use oil to speed up the cutting. cut-ting. These grinding stones, also the artificial grinding wheels, ate noth-itif noth-itif more than a large number of fine grains of hard materials cemented together, to-gether, and each grain as it protrudes from the mass presents a sharp cutting cut-ting edge, and this cutting edge will cut most rapidly when lubricated with nil or water, depending upon the character char-acter of the stone and the kind of material to be cut. Since all sands and -dusts, regardless of their fineness, constitute n grinding material, with the addition of oil it will cut and giind almost as effectively as a prepared pre-pared grinding compound. Since it is impossible to keep all the bearings of form machinery free from sand and dirt and at the same time all of these bearings must be lubricated to reduce friction and consumption con-sumption of power to operate them, it Is obvious that in all of these bearings there is brought about an Ideal condition con-dition for grinding and wearing. From this you may decided that it is better to operate machinery without with-out the use of oil, which of course is true in some cases. For an example, evposed sprockets and drive chains, also exposed gearings that cannot be protected from the 3and and dust that may be carried by the wind, should not be lubricated, as a lubricant in this case merely tends to collect the sand and dust and assist in rapidly cutting and wearing these parts. However, How-ever, the best designed equipment have 'ill such parts carefully housed in which permits of their lubrication and ixcludes all of the sand and dirt that is so Injurious to all types of farm machinery. |