Kids (and childish grownups) will love these colouring pages. Massey Ferguson, and Fendt activity pages.

Printable Tractor Coloring Pages

The economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis have highlighted how important each and every dollar is. Even during the best of times, stretching the life of your equipment is essential to maximizing your investment. In all areas of our western way of life, a disposable culture has become the norm. We simply push things until they break, then replace them with little thought. Unfortunately, this way of thinking has crept into the way people think of the machinery they use and it is costing agricultural operations big dollars. When equipment is cared for, you save money and when it does come time to replace a piece of machinery the re-sale value is far greater. Take some time to implement the following basic maintenance tips and start getting more life out of your equipment.

Fluid Checks

Your fluid reservoirs should regularly be checked. Moving parts need lubrication and cooling or you will quickly destroy your systems. You or a member of your team needs to be keeping an eye on all fluid levels. Top them up when needed. Keep in mind that excessive dropping of these levels likely indicates a larger issue that you need to investigate. Don’t brush this clue off, find the problem before it gets any bigger.

Grease it up

Often forgotten about, the mechanical joints pf your machines need grease. These parts are under incredible strain. Grease reduces the effects of pressure and keeps bushings and bearings from breaking under all that force.Know your intervals! Too many operators have no idea what their service intervals are. You or your fleet manager need to check your operator manual or contact your dealer to determine exactly when fluids and filters need changing. Modern equipment is being designed to run for longer periods of time between service intervals and this may be leading to forgetfulness, use a decal or another reminder near your hour meter.

Tire pressure

Tractors are engineered to operate with a recommended tire pressure. It’s hard on your machine (and tires!) if you are running with excessively low tire pressure. Treadwear and fuel usage increase. By taking a couple of minutes to check the tire pressure you can avoid these extra costs.

Use OEM Filters

There remain significant differences between OEM filters and those offered by third parties. Mimicked products simply do not provide the same performance. Significant time and energy are spent by equipment manufacturers to design machines that last. Details are thought out and drilled down the most minute detail, introducing substandard filters can drastically affect the longevity of a machine.

These are just a handful of things to work into your regular maintenance of your machine. They are all easy to do, and yet they are often neglected. Your operation may be busy or maybe it’s not clear whose responsibility they fall under. If you don’t want to worry about equipment neglect costing you money then consider a service agreement.
Avenue Machinery offers 1,2,and 3 year agreements that include the cost of filters, oils, labour, proper disposal, and travel fees. The Avenue Advantage to you as a business is that you know your maintenance costs ahead of time. They also protect your capital assets from deteriorating quickly. You’ll also find the equipment’s resale value is greater when service records can be proven.

Be mindful of your equipment needs and it will serve you for many years, paying for itself over and over. Contact Avenue Machinery location to learn about how they can help you maintain your equipment in a consistent and cost-effective way.

We have put together a list of tips to help you navigate buying a used skid steer. Avenue Machinery has a wide selection of used skid steers for sale, but these tips can be used when you are looking elsewhere as well.

1. Don’t be scared to get dirty!

   Get in the skid steer! Work every button, drive it every which way. Take your time and use the equipment.

2. Check the cylinders

   look for nicks and scaring. These don’t just serve as clues to the type of use the skid steer has been through. Damaged cylinders point to future maintenance costs you won’t want to face.

3. Avoid smiling buckets

   If the bucket is bowed towards the ground the machine has seen hard use. You want nice square buckets.

4. Look at the skid steer’s tires

   Tires are not cheap! A “great deal” may end up costing you once you factor in new tires. Check the tread and sidewalls at each wheel on the skid steer.

5. Shake that thing!

   Lift the boom of the machine, and shake. You are looking to see how much sloppy movement there is. Too much shake and rattle mean there is likely pin and bushing wear.

6. Look inside

   Take a look inside the engine compartment. Check when the filters were changed, look for corroded wires, and evidence of leaks.

7. Look under

   Get down on the ground and take a peek under the skid steer. You are looking for obvious damage to the belly pan.

8. Bring a buddy

   It is always a good idea to have a second set of eyes.

   Take these tips with you when you look at a skid steer. An efficient way of shopping for a skid steer is to visit one of our locations and look at a few machines in one go. You’ll appreciate the peace of mind buying through a dealer brings. Avenue Machinery is also able to offer financing options on used skid steers. Often a monthly payment is helpful to a business watching their cash flow.

1.  Plate Compactor/Hoe-pack
   Soil compaction is essential on any job where ground settling is necessary. A hydraulic plate compactor will allow you to speed up the process of compaction. Imagine; after digging a trench, running pipping and doing the back-fill there is no reason to bring a different compaction machine on site. Easily switch your bucket over to a plate compactor. In addition to the simplicity provided by a one machine option, compaction tests have shown hoe-packs to be more efficient than roller compactors.
2. Hammer/Breaker
   Excavators are extremely useful to contractors with demolition work. Breaking through concrete and pavement is child’s play with a hammer.
   
3.  Screen bucket
   Soil preparation and green space reclamation are just two tasks that a screen bucket excavator attachment can help you tackle. An environmental project manager can fit a screen bucket to an excavator and sift through dirt and easily remove items like big rocks or industrial metals.
   
4.  Grapple
   It shouldn’t be too difficult to grasp why anyone doing materials handling would find adding a grapple to their excavator useful. Grab lumber, debris, rocks and much more. A grapple extends the usefulness of you excavator immensely.
5. Rototilt
   Titlarotators are standard fare across Europe, but their popularity is just now beginning to grow in Canada. Rototilt is the leader in this charge. When you add a Rototilt to an excavator, you remove the need for at least one laborer on your job site.  In today’s tough hiring environment this is music to both construction foremen and landscaping supervisors. The advanced piece of equipment can be used with Trimble integration making it a favorite for grading work. A hydraulic coupler makes switching from a Rototilt bucket to a Rototilt grapple a breeze. Go from dirt work to materials handling quickly.
   

Avenue Machinery has become the leader in compact equipment in British Columbia and the trusted source for excavator users. If you have any questions about excavators please don’t hesitate to ask.

Click here for a great case study at a Vancouver demolition site