At last count we have 8 tractors around the Country Family Homestead consisting of sub-compacts, compacts, antiques, and a brand new John Deere 2025. Not included in the number is the many riding lawn mowers and garden tractors.
We buy quite of bit of products for these tractors including parts for restorations, consumables for maintenance, accessories, and implements. Below is a list of products we use on our own tractors along with a few “wish list” items that we’ve been wanting too.
Tractor Maintenance Items
Fuel Additives are sometimes overlooked ways to keep a tractor’s engine and fuel system optimized. For cold weather I use Sno-Cat Anti-gel Additive in my Bolens diesel. Here’s a link to it on Amazon.com
For our gas tractors we use Sea Foam SF-16 Motor Treatment. This product keeps the whole fuel system clean and stabilized the gasoline in equipment that may not get used very often. Here’s a 3-pack of Sea Foam on Amazon.com
Battery cables should be kept clean with this tool then brush with this corrosion preventative to keep corrosion at bay. If new battery cables are needed check out these from Spartan Power. They come in several different gauges depending on what your needs are. Remember – the lower gauge number means thicker conductor. These links will open a new tab at Amazon.com.
Tractor Accessories
These first couple of items help with making sure your tractor is ready to go every time you need it.
Battery Tenders keep the battery fully charged by trickle charging until fully charged then float charging to keep it right where it needs to be without overcharging or damaging the battery. We have several of these Battery Tenders found on Amazon.com on the homestead.
Block heaters keep the engine warm during cold weather to make for easier starts with less wear on the engine due to cold thick oil. This Kat’s 200 Watt Magnetic Heater on Amazon.com is the one I use on my Bolens diesel.
Tractor Implements
We buy a lot of used implements locally, but one I’d like to get to leave on the back of some tractors most of the time is a 3-point hitch bar like this one on Amazon.com. One of these would also be a pretty easy project in the weld shop so I’m not sure if I’ll buy one or build one.
Tractor Restoration
For antique tractor restoration parts, we’ve mostly bought from Steiner. Here’s a link to their website. You can also find some items on Amazon.com and sometimes you might find used items on ebay. The thing about used old tractor parts though is they are usually owned by old-timers that bring them to tractor shows and swap meets to sell them.
The right color tractor paints are very important in any restoration project. Jay and Gary both repainted their Farmalls with this paint from Amazon.com. It comes in both gallons and aerosol cans.