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Does anyone farm with limited mechanical knowledge?
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n3gxq
Posted 12/2/2022 00:19 (#9960813 - in reply to #9960372)
Subject: RE: Does anyone farm with limited mechanical knowledge?


As a smaller Eastern Farmer, we generally purchase used equipment, because the budget says so! I can tell you, from many pieces that we have purchased, a lot of farmers are some of the poorest mechanics around! Not to say that there are not any that are good, but the vast majority that I've seen are not. The most dangerous (and costly to themselves) person is the one who has no idea but blunders into it anyway. If you don't know what/how/why it works or is fixed, find someone who does! The smartest person is the one who can say "I don't know!"
Mechanical aptitude is something that your are born with. You can learn mechanics if you have little aptitude but it will be much more difficult. Mechanical things for me come very easy, as they have for prior and post generations (I have a 4 yo grandson that is a whiz with his dad's toolbox!). Aside from mechanics, I can be dumb as a brick! I currently farm with a much younger man, and we make a great team, as he is best at operating and planning while I do the fixing.
If you are "going it alone", possibly you can find another farmer reasonably close to you that is a true mechanic. We have one about 4 miles away, and he and I often help one another. He's very reasonable and loves to help, as most farmers do. Today's machinery runs tighter tolerances and higher rotational loading than did the old stuff of years gone by. To keep it running requires proper repair procedures. Also, proper maintenance is a must. You don't have to be a certified mechanic to learn how to grease a machine, change fluids and filters, etc, but you'll add hours if not years of life to your machinery.
As others have said, downtime is costly in any business, but with narrow windows in farming, it can be devastating. Touch up & maintain your machines in the off season, allowing you extra time to find help if you need it. And if you are truly mechanically challenged, enroll in an adult ed class for auto or diesel mechanics. The principals are the same, just different stuff. There's no shame in not knowing, only in not improving!
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