I'm coming up on the 1 year anniversary for my BX1870. I'm at 160 hours, and have been very (ridiculously?) aggressive with maintenance to date: I did engine and HST oil and filter changes at 25 hours, then another engine oil/filter change at 75 hours. I'm sure that wasn't necessary, but I've enjoyed tinkering with my new toy.
Looking forward, I anticipate I'll be at around 100 hours/year, so I'm thinking I'll change engine oil/filter + air filter annually, and HST oil/filter every other year.
My questions:
Is there a particular season where it makes more sense to do the maintenance? Spring/summer are primarily mowing seasons, and it does get hot here in southern Indiana. Fall/winter are spent moving firewood and snow (though not much snow this past year). Is it advantageous to have clean oil mid summer when everything heats up more? Or in the cold when viscosity might be a factor?
Fuel filters: Haven't changed these yet, and have read that one of them is a real pain to get to. Manual says: "Check fuel filter, if it is clogged by debris or contaminated by water, replace it." Check interval is 100 hours, and replacement at least every 400 hours. Absent any symptoms of fuel flow issues, is checking simply a matter of visually inspecting the translucent filter to see if I can see crud in it? I'm filtering the diesel coming into the fuel tank with a Mr. Funnel. I obviously don't mind doing maintenance before it's absolutely necessary, but don't want to be stupid aggressive on these if they're a pain.
Air filter: An easy thing to change, so will do this annually. After the first year, the OEM filter looks pretty good--it's clearly trapped some dust, but it's a far cry from being clogged up. But I'm still wondering if it's a good practice to periodically blow it from the inside with low pressure (30 psi) air, as recommended in the manual, of if that's more likely to compromise the filter than help.
Chassis and linkage lubrication: I'm still surprised at how little lubrication is required on the tractor itself. The only zerk is for the HST pedal, and I think the only other areas called for are the deck linkage. I really anticipated lubricating the steering joints, at least. Is there anything I should consider that's not in the manual? Finally, just how to lubricate the deck linkage isn't clear. I've shot some spray lithium lube at the places show in the manual, but not sure how much I'm helping matters vs. attracting grit.
Any insights, tips, or even ridicule will be welcomed!
Jack
Looking forward, I anticipate I'll be at around 100 hours/year, so I'm thinking I'll change engine oil/filter + air filter annually, and HST oil/filter every other year.
My questions:
Is there a particular season where it makes more sense to do the maintenance? Spring/summer are primarily mowing seasons, and it does get hot here in southern Indiana. Fall/winter are spent moving firewood and snow (though not much snow this past year). Is it advantageous to have clean oil mid summer when everything heats up more? Or in the cold when viscosity might be a factor?
Fuel filters: Haven't changed these yet, and have read that one of them is a real pain to get to. Manual says: "Check fuel filter, if it is clogged by debris or contaminated by water, replace it." Check interval is 100 hours, and replacement at least every 400 hours. Absent any symptoms of fuel flow issues, is checking simply a matter of visually inspecting the translucent filter to see if I can see crud in it? I'm filtering the diesel coming into the fuel tank with a Mr. Funnel. I obviously don't mind doing maintenance before it's absolutely necessary, but don't want to be stupid aggressive on these if they're a pain.
Air filter: An easy thing to change, so will do this annually. After the first year, the OEM filter looks pretty good--it's clearly trapped some dust, but it's a far cry from being clogged up. But I'm still wondering if it's a good practice to periodically blow it from the inside with low pressure (30 psi) air, as recommended in the manual, of if that's more likely to compromise the filter than help.
Chassis and linkage lubrication: I'm still surprised at how little lubrication is required on the tractor itself. The only zerk is for the HST pedal, and I think the only other areas called for are the deck linkage. I really anticipated lubricating the steering joints, at least. Is there anything I should consider that's not in the manual? Finally, just how to lubricate the deck linkage isn't clear. I've shot some spray lithium lube at the places show in the manual, but not sure how much I'm helping matters vs. attracting grit.
Any insights, tips, or even ridicule will be welcomed!
Jack
