I understand your frustration. You are 100% spot on with maintenance being cheap insurance. (For example, if your Gleaner throws chains, instead of just putting the chains back on year after year instead of replacing the sprockets and chains the first time and doing it right, you run the risk of bending shafts. Then you're out more money.) I'm one of those guys that goes above and beyond on maintenance and preaches proper maintenance extremely heavily. Taking the short way out by neglecting any machine (regardless of color) is like nails on a chalkboard for me. Maintenance makes the difference in a 33 year old Gleaner combine that throws chains left and right, and one that goes trouble-free all season long. (Sadly, the first one is the one I mainly deal with, although I was blessed to run the latter last season for a friend) After seeing the Gleaner this past trip to the farm, I decided I was going to say heck with getting nowhere on that machine and make sure MY combines weren't going to be giving trouble like that this harvest. I'm currently servicing my All-Crops; replacing worn shoe hangers, welding up teeth on sprockets, and replacing chains, checking questionable bearings, and going over them with a fine toothed comb. Some people wouldn't bother to do this, as it was still running fine before I did anything, but the BIG question is "How long will it run like that?" Sure, you can have worn or under-lubricated parts, and while they may run for the time being, you can't (or shouldn't) count on them lasting like that. Any kind of lack of lubrication (especially when it's lubing chains or zerks) is just downright laziness. No other excuse for it. I always lube the combines at least once a day, and usually hit some of them twice, where the book recommends it, and I always over-grease one machine after the season is over because it has to sit outside, sadly.
One of my grandpas was/is always good about proper maintenance, even if it required a little extra time spent before heading to the field. My late grandpa was the opposite. He'd do the bare minimum, and that was it. That's why all his equipment was absolute junk. You couldn't pay me to farm with that stuff, as I'd spend more time off the tractor seat than on it.
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