This document provides an overview of maintenance of agricultural machinery. It defines maintenance as actions taken to prevent equipment failure and keep systems running efficiently. The main points are: - Maintenance includes repair, inspection, and preventative actions to extend equipment lifespan and reduce costs. It aims to optimize value and performance. - Regular maintenance is needed to keep equipment reliable and reduce unexpected breakdowns that cause downtime. It also improves safety. - Planning maintenance ensures work is done properly with the right resources. Planning involves prioritizing tasks, estimating time, and determining needs. - Proper documentation like equipment history records helps analyze issues, improve processes, and make informed decisions about equipment selection and repairs.

1. Ambo University
Hachalu Hundessa Campus
Department of Agricultural Engineering
Maintenance of Agricultural Machinery (AEng 4153)
Instructor : Gete.B
Ambo,2016

2. Chapter One: Introduction

3. What is Maintenance Means?
• Maintenance is the actions associated with equipment repair after
it is broken.
• All activities necessary to keep a system and all of its components
in working order, i.e to maintain the capability of the system while
controlling the costs.
• Maintenance is the work of keeping something in proper
condition; upkeep.
• This would imply that maintenance should be actions taken to
prevent a device or component from failing or to repair normal
equipment degradation experienced with the operation of the
device to keep it in proper working order.
• Ideally, maintenance is performed to keep equipment and systems
running efficiently for at least design life of the component(s).

4. cont’d…
• Maintenance is a set of organized activities that are
carried out in order to keep an item in its best
operational condition with minimum cost
acquired.
Increase availability of a system
Keep system’s equipment in working order
• All actions necessary for retaining an item, or
restoring to it, a serviceable condition, include
servicing, repair, modification, overhaul, inspection
and condition verification.

5. Cont’d…
• Proper maintenance extends the life of equipment, and reduces the
expenses required to keep a farm going. It may seem expensive to someone
who does not budget for regular maintenance, but the cost is always less
than paying for catastrophic repairs.
• Maintenance is a means of achieving optimum value for equipment in
order to perform its desired and designed functions.
• Thus maintenance is protecting a machine so that it does not break down
or wear out quickly.
You must protect your machine from the following enemies;
• Wear (grease and oil are used to protect machines from wears)
• Dirt (Filters are used to catch and hold dirt before it gets inside and
damages parts)
• Heat (The cooling and lubrication systems protects the machine from heat)
• Regular maintenance is one of the prerequisites for a long living and
reliable engine performance.

6. Need of Maintenance of Machinery
• Why do we need to maintain things(machines) regularly? The answer is, To
keep things(machines) as reliable as possible.
• Machine maintenance is often thought of as the repair or replacement of
components after failure.
• The importance of an effective maintenance program cannot be overlooked
because it plays such an important role in the effectiveness of the job which
is going to be performed later.
• As in personal healthcare insurance, maintenance may be considered the
health care of our machineries and equipment.
• It is required to effectively reduce waste and run an efficient, continuous
manufacturing operation, business, or service operation.
• The cost of regular maintenance is very small when it is compared to the cost
of a major breakdown at which time there is no job.
6

7. Purpose of regular Maintenance
 The main purpose of regular maintenance is to ensure that all
equipment required for production is operating at 100%
efficiency at all times.
 Maximising production or increasing facilities availability at the
lowest cost and at the highest quality and safety standards.
 Reducing breakdowns and emergency shutdowns.
 Optimising resources utilisation.
 Reducing downtime.
 Improving spares stock control.

8. Cont’d…
 Improving equipment efficiency and reducing
scrap rate.
 Minimising energy usage.
 Optimising the useful life of equipment by
minimising wear, tear and deterioration.
 Providing reliable cost and budgetary control.
 Identifying and implementing cost reductions.

9. Maintenance planning
• Planning is the determination of all necessary elements
required to perform a task in advance of performing the
job.
• It is the heart of good inspection and preventive
maintenance.
• Good planning ensures proactive maintenance strategies
to provide effective maintenance to the equipment.
• All maintenance work should be planned so that the
quality and cost effectiveness of the work is assured.

10. Cont’d…
• Planning: prioritizing activities, estimating time
required for maintenance, determining type of
equipment, and labor, providing labor
development opportunities, and measure
performance.
• To put it simply, planning is to provide an accurate
description of what is needed, e.g.
manpower,
tools,
materials, and
equipment, at the proper time before the job is
started.

11. Cont’d…
 Good planning of maintenance function should include:
• A general plan on the distribution of labor throughout the
various departments.
• Detailed planning and scheduling of major events taking place
during the year such as major overhauls or rebuilds, major PM
tasks and vacations of maintenance workforce.
• Required spare parts, tools and other supply from the
standpoint of the business organization.

12. The planning can be divided into three
basic levels, namely :

13. Long Range Planning
• Long range planning is to provide plans for future activities and can
be for a period of five years or more.
• The primary purpose is to keep the maintenance objectives,
policies, and procedures updated so as to support the objectives of
the company.
Short Range Planning
• concerned with the annual plan of operation of the maintenance
function.
• specify how the maintenance workforce will operate during the
coming year and will also provide detailed plans for major activities.
• include PM of periodic inspection, shutdown planning and general
repairs.

14. Maintenance Record and Documentation
• Maintenance recording of information in depth and detail to which
recording needs to be done can be decided.
• A large variety of farm is different formats are available, from the
simplest to the most compressive ones for use in the organization.
History record card:
• is one of the most use full and essential records in the maintenance
control.
• A periodic analysis of this document will help the maintenance in a
variety of ways:

15. 1. The frequently repeated faults, finding their cause and deciding
about the corrective action to be taken.
2. Finding out the parts and spares needing frequent replacement
and there causes. This will determine the exact cause and help take
corrective action.
3. Certain fault and break down which may occur due to
mishandling by the operating staff would need to be set right by
imparting training for the proper handling of the equipment.
4. decision regarding equipment to be selected for standardization
and for replacement for comparison b/n the d/ft makes of the
same equipment from the point of view of ownership cost,
maintenance cost, down time cost, and availability.

16. Down time analysis and performance report
Down time are categorized into two.
Non-operational down time which include:
• idle time during operators shifting,
• tea break and
• urination (getting toilet) and
Operational down time
• Machinery failure and the time taken to CM.

17. Main cause of down time: frequent failure of machineries.
• But the cause of failure is due to abuse and misuse of machinery
such as:
• Improper driving on rough road especially between farms.
• Driving with leakage lubricant and coolant as a result of damaged
instrumental panel.
• Driving with worn out components like brake linings, clutch,
joints, bushings etc.
• Improper lubrication
• Continuous operation of machineries 24 hours without rest.
• Fast driving on channel and bridge which result to tire inflation
and axle breakage.

18. Engine shop safety
• Before attempting to operate a tractor, study the operator's manual.
• It has information on general safety rules, plus specific safety
recommendations for the particular machine.
• You must be focused on the task at hand
• The shop is full of powerful machines that can kill you if misused.
• Through short daily inspections, cleaning, lubricating, and making
minor adjustments, minor problems can be detected and corrected
before they become a major problem that can shut down a
production line.
• A good maintenance program requires company-wide participation
and support by everyone ranging from the top executive to the shop
floor personnel.

19. cont’d…
• Tractors are the main cause of accidental deaths on farms.
• Over the years, many farmers, farm workers and others living on or
visiting farms, have been killed or seriously injured falling from
moving tractors, being run over by tractors, or being crushed when
a tractor rolls sideways or backwards.
• Regularly check for hazards relating to tractors, attached
implements and field conditions.
• Hazard areas could include mechanical parts, operator training,
other people, work procedures, unsafe jacking, climatic
conditions, chemicals used, uneven terrain, and any other
potential causes of an injury or a hazardous incident.
• Keep a record to ensure identified hazards are assessed and
controlled.

20. Cont’d…
• People have been killed and seriously injured doing maintenance and
repairs to farm tractors.
• Major hazards can occur when tractors are jacked and wheels are
removed without safe working procedures.
• These risks are magnified on soil.
• Regular workshop maintenance of farm tractors and trailed
implements can prevent hazardous incidents in the field.

21. Cont’d…
• When planning tractor maintenance, check the right equipment is
available for safe jacking, removal of wheels and other tasks.
• People doing the job should be experienced, and there should be
agreed safe procedures.
• Heavy lifting and carrying can cause strain injuries.
• Children should be kept away from tractor workshops.
• Field repairs present specific injury risks.

22. • There are countless safety measures that employees working in a
machine shop must take. depending up on the various machines in
use and the materials involved, these safety measures could change.
• However, there are some standard safety practices all machine shops
and shop workers must follow to avoid injuries
Train all employees extensively:-
• Every person working in a machine shop must be trained on the
equipment present, even if they may not use it frequently.
• Never work alone:- working in a machine shop alone is dangerous,
as there is no one to help you if a machine backfires or something
goes wrong. always work with a team of trained professionals.

23. Engine shop safety
Eye protection
• Eye protection includes Goggles, Face shield and safety glasses.
• Safety glasses with side shields must be worn at all times.
• Wearing goggles while operating machinery protects eyes from flying
debris and sparks.
Eye protection must be worn:-
 Whenever working around moving parts and machinery
 When blowing of parts with compressed air
 When working on air conditioning

24. Back safety
You can hurt your back by:-
• Lifting too much
• Not getting help to lift or move something heavy
• Bending over too far and lifting with the back instead of squatting
and lifting with the legs.
• Lifting while off balance
• Twisting with a load

25. Back safety(cont’d…)
• Protect your back when lifting.
Following safe lifting procedures will prevent most back injuries.
• If an item is too heavy to lift, use the appropriate equipment.
• Lift slowly
• Do not jerk or twist your back. Shift your feet instead
• Bend your knees and lift with your legs, not back. Also, keep your
lower back straight when lifting.

26. Ear Protection
• When loud air tools are used, ear protection should be worn.
Clothing and Hair protection
• Clothing or hair that hangs out can get caught in
moving machinery or under a creeper.
• Keep long hair tide back or tucked under a cup.
• Shirt tails should be tucked in, or coveralls can be worn over the
shirt.
NEVER work alone (there should always be at least 1 other person
there)
Good: Bad:

27. Shoes or boots
• Leather shoes or boots offer much better protection than tennis
shoes or sandals. Some soles are resistant to damage from
petroleum products, the tread can be designed to resist slipping and
some shoes have toe reinforced with steel.
• Always wear closed‐toe shoes in the shop to protect feet and toes.

28. Housing keeping
• Each user is expected to clean up after themselves.
• Clean up any mess. Wipe up any spilled liquids. Pick up materials. Sweep up
dust and debris. Keep the work area clean. Keep the floor free of scraps and
oil.
• All machines and surroundings must be cleaned after use. Keep the floor
around machines clean, dry and free from trip hazards. Do not allow chips
to accumulate.
• Before you leave the shop each day all tools must be returned to the toolbox,
the machine cleaned and wiped down and the floor swept. Leave 10‐15
minutes for cleanup.
• Make sure the machine work surface is clean, unobstructed and ready for
use.
• Storage: Return tools to their correct storage place. Don't store tools,
supplies or spare parts in the aisle or on the floor where they become
tripping hazards. Keep other flammable materials away from heaters and
welding areas to prevent fire. Grease, oil, paint and solvents should be stored
in a closed metal container.

29. Cont’d…
Exercise
• The picture shows two
persons troubleshooting a
station, what safety rule
that is not followed in this
picture?

30. The end
Thank you for your attention
30