This hands-on course is designed for aspiring and beginning farmers and has also proven valuable to seasoned professionals.
Day one will be an on-farm classroom. We’ll discuss the history and uses of tractors, review basic terminology and operating principles, and take an up-close look at levers and pedals, the three-point hitch and PTO, and the front-end loader. We’ll also review the internal combustion engine, compare gasoline and diesel engines, and discuss tractor transmissions. Newcomers will have a chance to take a supervised turn at the wheel for some introductory tractor driving practice.
Day two will be a hands-on primer lesson in do-it-yourself tractor maintenance. We’ll perform a variety of routine tractor maintenance chores that might include engine oil and filter change, coolant change, hydraulic-transmission fluid and filter change, air filter replacement, fuel filter replacement, fan belt tension adjustment, battery care, and a range of other do-it-yourself tasks that are typically performed at regularly scheduled intervals.
Shane J. LaBrake managed three different CSA organic vegetable farm operations between 1994 and 2007. He has presented variations on this two-day course over 200 times. His workshops consistently garner rave reviews, and Shane is continuously adjusting the curriculum to better serve a new generation of tractor jockeys.