# Six "Musts" for Using a Tractor

In recent years, tractors have developed rapidly, but many drivers lack a correct understanding and proper use of them, leading to increased locomotive failures and rising repair costs. The following six common misuse practices are the main reasons: 1. Underestimating awareness leads to frequent accidents. Some people believe that tractors have a simple structure and low speed, and therefore do not require careful maintenance and operation when driving on rural roads. They often ignore faults, and phenomena such as speeding, overloading, and overcapacity are common. However, precisely because of their simple structure, the driving performance of tractors is far less sensitive, complete, and reliable than that of automobiles. This underestimating attitude is the fundamental reason for the high frequency of safety accidents. 2. Inadequate running-in greatly shortens service life. Some owners and drivers believe that running-in and trial operation are unnecessary. New machines or machines after major repairs are not run in, or are put into use after only a few hurried laps, resulting in accelerated wear of components, increased failures, and even serious consequences. 3. Failure to lubricate on time intensifies wear. Lubrication of various parts of the locomotive is not timely or thorough, and lubrication points that do not show faults in the short term are often neglected. Over time, this leads to major problems. For example, failure to add oil on time and in the required amount to parts such as the oil pan and air filter frequently causes serious mechanical accidents. 4. Using the same oil regardless of season increases failures. Some operators use the same grade of lubricating oil in both winter and summer, which is not only uneconomical but also prevents the machinery from being effectively lubricated. For example, a tractor may be difficult to start in winter but easy in spring and summer; easy to start when hot but difficult when cold. The reason is that summer oil is still used in winter, resulting in high viscosity and high resistance, which makes starting difficult. 5. Substituting waste or inferior parts for good ones brings more loss than gain. To save money, some people make do with scrapped or substandard parts. For example, adding waste engine oil to the hydraulic system causes abnormal hydraulic operation, resulting in more loss than gain. 6. Improper starting methods cause no small harm. When starting the locomotive, some do not crank the engine, or only crank it in winter; or they use incorrect methods such as pull-starting or push-starting, rolling downhill, or adding fuel to the intake pipe; or they use open flames to heat the vehicle in winter. These practices should be completely eliminated.