“How can you? Did it have to break just now that we’re in this hell of a mess?” It's just like that, agricultural machines always break down or stop working correctly when they are most needed: right? Yes, the purest truth. And those who are from the countryside know this a lot. It is important to highlight that the use of agricultural machinery, in most cases, is seasonal, with a downtime period. And as paradoxical as it may seem, this downtime is what accelerates the deterioration of some components, causing them to break or malfunction during subsequent use. Of course, the downtime could be used to make revisions. A fact that sometimes occurs, but not always.
The rupture of components or the malfunction of a mechanical assembly is related to several factors, but we can group the causes into two topics: maintenance and operation. When maintenance and operation go well and hand in hand, breakdowns disappear or are reduced to almost zero. Therefore, well-trained operators aware of their responsibilities, a qualified and local maintenance team with adequate tools are the solution to ensure that breakdowns do not occur at times of greatest need.
What else breaks due to lack of maintenance? Shafts, bushings and bearings, bearings, gears, crossheads and couplings, springs and rods or levers.
What stops working due to lack of maintenance? Engines, hydraulic system, fuel system, lubrication, components for temperature control, braking systems.
Permanent maintenance and planning appropriate to the local reality is the solution. Planning maintenance at the appropriate times and carrying it out correctly, this is what must be done to avoid breakdowns and malfunctions. It seems simple, but given our current reality, it is quite complex to implement on rural properties. Below we list some factors that hinder such application.
Historical and cultural aspects
With rare exceptions, there is no history in this immense Brazilian agricultural sector that shows maintenance of agricultural machinery on the properties. Everyone who lives in the countryside has heard the phrase: “this has never been done here.” And the situation passes from father to son and through generations. It is not very easy to break with this tendency to repeat the past, as well as resistance to new procedures and methods in day-to-day rural activities, therefore it is also cultural.
Rural workers still lack professional training to carry out their work effectively. In fact, this is a huge problem that affects all sectors of production. So much so that people who work in the maintenance of agricultural machinery are always in demand on rural properties. Just as there are also many complaints from owners about the quality of maintenance services, even when outsourced. This is a reality that urgently needs to be corrected, because in mid-level technical training, in some activities there is already saturation of the workforce, but what is lacking is in professional training, that is, who actually performs the maintenance services .
Clearly demonstrating: the one who goes under the tractor to remove the oil cap from the crankcase, who will remove and install the filters, who will replace the ball end of the steering arm... This is the professional that is missing, and increasingly scarce in the current reality of this virtual universe that our youth lives in.
“Does maintenance have costs? So, we leave it like this until it works. When the problem appears, then we will see what can be done.” This is still quite prevalent behavior.
Let's look at a practical example that encompasses the three factors mentioned above: in the tractor steering system there is a component identified as “axial steering arm” or also “rod with spherical terminal”, or simply “steering pivot”. It is a coupling device next to the steering bar terminal with a spherical joint housed in a corresponding cavity, whose function is to enable the mobility of the steering control next to the axle tip support.
Well, this metal spherical joint (pivot) is lubricated with grease that comes shielded from the factory and with a rubber boot to protect it from impurities. This rubber material dries out over time and presents cracks, through which dust and abrasive material penetrate, which adhere to the grease, thus forming true emery on the metal material of the joint. What to do? As soon as you notice small cracks in the hood, request its replacement. What is the value of this hood? Approximately R$ 20,00 (what? That's right). And to do the service? Now is the problem, as it is necessary to stop the machine and have tools and trained personnel available. A special puller is needed to avoid damaging the axial arm, as the “old sledgehammer style” will not work or will leave some damage, and it also requires adequate correction of the geometry convergence when reinstalling the axial arm with the new hood. . “All this? So, let's do it whenever we feel like it, we'll do it. It's working? He gets angry and doesn’t stop.” And the grinder continues to act and the play begins to appear.
When the operator is competent and observes, he must report in the daily inspection. Then the service is no longer just the rubber hood; Now it is necessary to replace the complete axial arm, at a much higher cost. As the tractor cannot stop, it continues for a while longer. How much? Until you no longer remember. He stopped during the off-season, the humidity came in, and then he started working again. The time off is now longer, it becomes a vacation, in workshop language. What comes next: clearance in bushings and bearings of the stub axle support, and from there to the wheel bearings is one step. And if it's with front axle drive, even the crossarms come into play. Slack, wear and tear, until on the day of greatest need everything breaks: crosshead, bearings, pins and axial arm. Machine stopped, work to be done, run over in the workshop and the owner or foreman is desperate. Let's go back to the beginning, what was the cost of the rubber hood? “All the butiás will fall out of your pocket”, as the gaucho says. In other words, you cannot believe that this has reached the point it has reached.
Just one example, but there are so many others. Maintenance! Who does maintenance? Maybe some will, maybe someday everyone will. So we hope and aim for this future as quickly as possible, because everyone wins.
And the operation? Could it be the cause of breakage or malfunction? In operational language: “the little piece behind the steering” could be one of the contributing factors. The operator is the main agent for machine care, and at the same time he can also be the main destroyer of the machine. The operator's behavior and handling of the controls are crucial to keeping the machine in full working order. It will be? An unprepared or malicious operator could break an axle stub or a gearbox or differential when starting a tractor's movement, regardless of the safety and protection mechanisms there are. As well as the use of various implements during the execution of services. When pulling implements, if the operator does not maintain constant attention, there may be violent jolts that can lead to ruptures and breakage of components.
We repeat what we have already highlighted on other occasions: every operator must have knowledge of how the machine and its various mechanical assemblies work, as well as the implement that is coupled to the tractor, as it is from this knowledge that it is possible to rationalize the appropriate use of the machine. Otherwise, the operator will only memorize some procedures and will not know how to act and decide in different situations. Constantly train and qualify operation teams and reinforce daily the importance of correct and safe ethical behavior in operations.
Some operational attitudes that can be adopted by operators and that will certainly cause damage are related to commands that are executed abruptly or jerks. When operating a machine with a large force capacity, the controls also enable changes in the distribution and application of these forces, and if some care is not taken, breakdowns and malfunctions will soon appear. For example, raising the engine speed excessively when releasing the clutch will cause a violent impact on the entire transmission, which could even break a gear or axle. Or, when performing a hydraulic command, if it is executed repetitively and abruptly, throwing the command in a purposeful back and forth to shake the entire equipment, thus pins, bearings and hydraulic piston rods will be exposed to ruptures. Furthermore, on machines with automatic transmission, force sudden stops with abusive use of safety devices, and keep the engine speed above the recommended speed. Here are some operational procedures that can still be observed by some operators and which lead to breakdowns and malfunctions.
Investing in maintenance and operation is the path to a long life of the machinery and without surprises of breakdowns and mishaps when performing the much-needed services that the machine makes possible, and thus enjoying the essential profits for agribusiness. We live in a time of prodigious technological development, but, at the same time, we still lack qualified human resources to cope with new technologies. The virtual world and IoT (internet of things) are having a strong presence in agricultural machinery, but it is not enough to just master the virtual, as the rural universe is a very complex reality that requires operational technical knowledge far beyond the virtual.
Agricultural machines work with large force capacities, many HPs of power and torsional efforts to transmit these forces, which requires a lot of attention and full control from the operator. Permanent vigilance must be maintained, as any virtual carelessness will cause violent damage. The distance between the virtual and the real, although tenuous, in this case, can have a dangerous meaning. A simple inappropriate touch on the touchscreen monitor or an exaggerated movement of the joystick is enough to trigger significant disruptions.
Joel Sebastião Alves, Operation and Maintenance Instructor of Agricultural and Road Machinery and Implements
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