Agricultural machines and attachments are designed for continuous operation and are constantly exposed to the effects of weather as well as dirt and dust in their working environment. Regularly cleaning ploughs, rotary cutters, manure and fertiliser spreaders is important to retain the machines’ value and ensure they remain operational. Cleaning attachments after being used in one field can break infection chains by ensuring pests are not taken from one field to the next.
Machines for soil cultivation, fertiliser spreaders, potato harvesters. There are many different types of equipment needed on farms. The cleaning procedures are often fairly similar, yet there are differences that need to be taken into account to get the desired results for each piece of equipment.
Soil cultivation equipment such as ploughs, rotary harrows or tillers are heavy, sturdy machines that come into contact with vast amounts of soil and dirt. Regular cleaning is necessary so that the stubborn dirt does not cause damage to the equipment.
You can also detect and repair damage hidden under dirt at an early stage. This will significantly lower your maintenance and servicing costs. Dirt on the road should when travelling between fields should also be prevented as it can endanger other road users.
When work in one field is finished, it is important to look for an overgrown area where intermediate cleaning can take place before leaving the field. If this is not possible, the attachments should be brought into the yard once a day to be cleaned of dirt.
Cold-water pressure washers used without cleaning agents are now common parts of cleaning work done in the field. Combustion engine models are well suited to this purpose. This is due to the need to run independently of the energy grid and the high cleaning performance required to remove large quantities of dirt. You will also need a water tank, such as a water barrel for a tractor with front hydraulics or an on-site water supply in the field.
You should use high-pressure instruments on soil cultivators at a distance of 20-30 centimetres to remove dirt and soil. Since ploughs, rotary harrows and other instruments are very robust, they can withstand pressure from a closer distance.
Cleaning field sprayers, fertiliser spreaders, potato harvesters and potato diggers is even more important than machines used for soil cultivation. These attachments should be kept functional and valuable for resale. You need to take special care of fertilisers, as they are particularly susceptible to corrosion from aggressive mineral fertilisers.
There is another important reason to clean attachments after every use. There are legal requirements for field spraying that vary from country to country and in Europe are based on Directive 2006/118/EC on the protection of groundwater against pollution and deterioration. Many EU laws still apply in the UK, you will need to speak to the agency to find out the applicable laws. These laws have the goal of preventing high concentrations of pesticides entering the sewage system or ground water, with potentially dangerous consequences.
On the other hand, the aim with potato harvesters and diggers is to avoid transporting pests such as the wireworm from one field to the next and breaking chains of infection.
As with tilling machines, before leaving the field, look for an overgrown area where intermediate cleaning can take place with a cold-water pressure washer without detergent. You need combustion engine- or battery-powered devices, the latter are more energy efficient, as well as a water supply.
In order to achieve a good result and remove all soil, pesticide and fertiliser residues, you need to follow a specific cleaning pattern. First, they must be thoroughly washed from top to bottom. Particularly dirty areas should be cleaned for longer and with greater attention. If the structure is complex, work from different directions.
Important: Do not forget the wheels or dirty parts of the tractor. The waste water can flow away on the overgrown area.
In order to clean the fertiliser spreader properly, it is important to wash off the residue of the aggressive mineral fertiliser. Caution is advised with sensitive components such as the weighing counter or the built-in sensors. So, reduce the pressure and increase your distance from the equipment.
The field sprayer has electronics, hydraulics and sensors, making it necessary to work with lower water pressure and at a greater distance. Operators have to wear the personal protective equipment (PPE) provided for handling pesticides.
A washing station is necessary to clean implements such as ploughs and tillers on the farm. Pesticides, fertiliser residues, oil, grease and paint are washed off during cleaning, meaning that there are precise specifications for the construction of the washing area. The floor slab must be impermeable to liquids, and the dirty water may only be discharged via a predefined drain with filter and retention device.
The wash station offers more flexibility when it comes to washing the attachments than you have in the field. A mobile cold-water pressure washer can be used but the advantage is that you can also use a stationary high-pressure system with a hot water supply. Warm water achieves results faster and shortens the drying time.
In addition, it is possible to apply a biodegradable cleaning agent with a cup foam lance at the washing station. Since cleaning foam adheres better than a normal cleaning agent, the foam cleaning agent is more effective and speeds up the cleaning process.
It is important to clean the filter system at the wash station at specified intervals. A high-pressure cleaner and a wet/dry vacuum cleaner are suitable for this purpose. The dirt removed must be disposed of properly. Another way to collect the waste water is an evaporation basin. The water evaporates and the residues are broken down by bacteria that live on a carrier substance. The remaining residues must be removed regularly, which can also be done with a high-pressure cleaner. Since evaporation basins are cleaned one after the other, the dirty water that accumulates when cleaning one basin can be collected in the next.
