Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 2017)
6 CapitalPress.com October 6, 2017 Tractors, combines must be ready when it’s ‘go time’ By BRENNA WIEGAND For the Capital Press Courtesy Photos Older combines stand at the ready at Alan Shaff Farms near Hillsboro, Ore. They are proof that well-maintained equipment can enjoy a long, productive life. Farmers in the Midwest chuckle at their Western counterparts, asking how a machine used less than a month out of the year gets worn down so quickly. While tractors normally have a lengthy work season, in Oregon’s Willamette Val- ley most combines will run two, maybe three weeks out of the year. “Our harvest window is Winterize and Repair your equipment now so it’s ready to work for you next season! ccb# 185365 TRAVELER SERVICE* Annual service and inspection 10 OFF % PARTS & LABOR PANEL INSPECTIONS* Service Includes the following: • Loose connections • Noisy starters • Rusty components • Water damage • Check for signs of heat build-up 10 % OFF PARTS & LABOR VFD SERVICE* • Inspection • Change filters • Irrigation Pipe Repair • Pump Service • Big Gun Maintenance 10 % OFF PARTS & LABOR 10 % OFF PARTS & LABOR PUMP SERVICE* Great time to have bearings, packing, and seals checked out! 10 % OFF PARTS & LABOR generally pretty short,” said Eric Stritzke, general man- ager of Linn Benton Tractor in Silverton, Ore. “That ma- chine being parked, even in a building, is harder on all the seals, hoses and everything than if it were being used.” The narrow harvest win- dow and its variables mean a breakdown can be critical. “They use them hard and any time you have downtime it is extremely expensive in the grand scheme of things,” Stritzke said. “In this day and age labor for absolutely any operation is a huge expense so if you have a combine or a tractor down you may have an operator down, a truck driver that’s not being pro- ductive and it’s just a vicious cycle. Also, any of the mod- ern farm equipment can get pretty deadly pretty quickly if it’s not operating right or is not operated in a correct manner. “When I was turning wrenches I was always look- ing for what might fail,” he said. “Downtime you lose money but safety you lose lives.” While the workings of a combine can seem over- whelmingly complicated, boiled down to basics they’re pretty straightforward ma- chines. “There are a lot of great mechanics out there but very few have been taught the basic functions of how one part interacts with another,” Stritzke said. “You can’t typ- ically take a truck mechanic and throw him at a combine or tractor and vice versa.” The rapid advances in technology over the past 30 NEW D E & US Special valid for work scheduled by January 31, 2018. *Additional fees may apply for parts and repairs. www.ErnstIrrigation.com • (503) 633-1111 20179 Main St., St. Paul, OR 97137 • Open Mon-Fri 8am-5pm; Sat 8am-2pm Brothers Cole and Spencer Stritzke explore the ins and outs of large machinery at Linn Benton Tractor in Silverton, Ore. To fill the increasing need for mechanics and technicians for modern machinery, their father Eric, general manager, says it is necessary to reach out to the younger generation with encouragement and education. to 40 years is putting a mon- key wrench into maintenance and repair. “With the newest com- bines and tractors, you’ve got all the computerized electronics in addition to all the belts, chains, bearings and sheet metal and it takes much more of a technician to understand how those elec- tronics work with the base machine,” he said. “You can shut down a $200,000 com- bine because of a $2 sensor.” Electronic capabilities have created new gaps in the industry and a shortage of people to fill them. For in- stance, if a tractor operator rides the clutch for a certain period of time, in some cases Oliver & Cletrac NEW & USED Crawler Parts Our Specialty ZIMMERMAN OLIVER-CLETRAC 1450 Diamond Station Road Ephrata, PA 17522 www.olivercletrac.com 717-738-2573 Fax 717-733-3529 WSG17-1/102 the dealership gets an email informing them of the issue. They in turn are expected by the manufacturer to notify the customers. The high-tech machines also spell opportunity for the next generation of mechan- ics. “We need to start looking at our middle school and high school teenagers and groom- ing them to fill these gaps; providing them the college educations,” Stritzke said. “As we all know it’s tough- er and tougher to find people that want to do physical labor and modern young techni- cians are a rare commodi- ty because not only do they have the physical side of it but they also need to be a computer technician. “There are a number of ag mechanic programs through- out the country but it’s get- ting tougher and tougher to find individuals that are in- terested in those programs,” he added. “That’s where we need to be engaging our- selves.”
