Tips from Tech: Winterizing your Ag Leader Investments!
The time has come to winterize your equipment from the fall months of harvesting, tillage, and fall application. It is important to remember to take care of your Ag Leader investments as well.
Harsh temperatures can lead to problems with your display if the necessary precautions are not taken to keep your monitor in working order. Cleaning the touch screen of your display should be the first step you take in preparing for winter. If you see dust or dirt located on the screen you can begin by blowing the screen off using non-direct air. Secondly, you can use Windex or an electronic cleaner with a soft, non-abrasive cloth to wipe down the display screen. Most importantly remember to never spray the screen directly with cleaner but instead spray the cloth used in your cleaning process. Finally, remove your display from your vehicle once it is no longer needed and place it back into sealed package in a climate-controlled environment.
{image1}
Modules and cabling should also be inspected at the end of the year to verify they will be in good working condition for next year’s operations. Start by inspecting cabling for any areas of damage due to pinch points or corners near moving parts. Take preventative measures by zip-tying loose cabling, providing extra environmental protection to cabling with corrosion or look to replace any cabling that is no longer usable. Today’s chemicals and fertilizers can also be very harmful and damaging by causing corrosion to connectors and cabling. The final step would be to apply dielectric grease to terminals and contacts as you see fit.
Additional steps must also be taken with our customers using yield monitoring systems. Begin by cleaning out your EMU (Elevator Mount Unit) on your clean grain elevator. Pull out the two retaining pins located at the bottom of the EMU and thoroughly clean out the chamber inside remembering to check for any obstructions in front of the proximity switch. In addition, we suggest removing the flow sensor mounted at the top of the clean grain elevator and placing it in a sealable container. The reason we suggest this step is due to a soft protective potting material used on the load cell of your flow sensor which can be easily damaged by rodents. You should also run through the cabling located on your combine as suggested earlier to identify any issues you may have.
{image2}
Our last bit of information pertains to customers using YM 2000 monitors; it is extremely important to remember to remove the memory card while the monitor is off so it does not lead to corruption or dead batteries over time.
Talking the time to perform the simple steps mentioned above will lead to a high performing and long lasting system with money savings in your pocket.
I would also like to mention that technical support ended weekend hours November 12 and will continue back to normal operating hours of:
Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
From everyone in technical support, we hope you have had a safe and successful fall!