Maintenance of farm tools: General and Preventive Measures

 Meaning Maintenance of Farm Tools

Maintenance of farm tools refers to the measures or actions taken to protect and preserve farm tools from damage. Climatic factors such as sunlight, rainfall, relative humidity, and pests such as rats and termites can render farm tools useless when exposed.

The continuous usage of farm tools can lead to wearing and tearing. Most often as they are used on the farm, the sharpening edge may hit hard objects leading to bending and destruction of the sharpening edge. 

Additionally, nuts and bolts used to fasten the handles of some farm tools can break and pull out, due to prolonged usage, and hence, they require effective maintenance for longevity.

Examples of farm tools that require effective maintenance measures on the farm are Cutlasses, Spade/shovels, Secateurs, Shears, Watering cans, Garden forks/ hand forks, Wheelbarrow, Tapping knives, Axe Go-to-hell, Headpan, Budden knife, Sickles, Rakes, Diber, Spanner, Knapsack, Screwdriver, Measuring tape, and File.

Farm tools like any other tool, require effective maintenance to ensure durability, prevent injuries, aid effective uses, reduce drudgery, and make work faster per unit area. The maintenance of farm tools can be preventive or corrective.

Preventive Maintenance of Farm Tools

 These are measures taken to prevent or minimize farm tools from damage. Preventive measures of farm tools are a set of actions that farmers or gardeners should observe to ensure the durability of farm tools. It is an action taken to keep farm tools in a perfect state.

The preventive maintenance of farm tools are:

1. Sharpen metal blades with a file or sharpening stone before use
2. Wash and dry farm tools after use
3. Oil/grees metal parts to avoid rusting and corrosion
4.  Do not leave farm tools outside.
5. Oil/ grease moving part of farm tools
6. Store farm tools in a cool dry area/ place
7. Do not use farm tools on hard objects except for those designed for such purposes. 
8. keep wooden handles always from termites, and rats.
9. Nuts and bolts should be tightened regularly to avoid loosening.  

Corrective Maintenance of Farm Tools

 These are measures taken after the damage has occurred. The corrective measures are actions taken when farm tools have been damaged. Similarly, they are actions taken to bring damaged and destroyed farm tools back to use. Additionally, these are steps taken to put right, the farm tools that have been damaged. Some of the corrective measures are:

1. The broken handles of farm tools should replaced.
2. Bent metal blades should be Straighten.
3. Broken metal handles should welded or replaced.
4. lost nuts and bolts should be replaced. 

Specific Maintenance Measure For Different Types of Farm Tools

Some of the specific maintenance of farm tools are;

Maintenance of the Cutlass

The cutlass is made of both sharp and blunt edges, therefore the following measures should observed:

1. Sharpen the cutting edge regularly with a file.
2. Wash and clean metal parts after use.
3. Straighten the rough sharpened edge with a hammer or stone.
4. Do not use the cutlass for cutting metal objects.
5. Cutlass with wooden handle should keep always from termites
6. Oil or grease metal parts after washing and drying to avoid rusting and corrosion.

Ways of Maintaining the Spade/shovel

The specific maintenance of the spade/ shovel are;

1. The spade should be washed and sundry after use.
2. The broken handle of the spade should replaced or welded.
3. The blade should be sharpened regularly,
4. The bent metal blades of the spade should be Straighten.
5. Store the spade/shovel  in a cool dry area/place
6.  Wooden handles should be kept from termites or rats.
7. Oil or grease metal parts after washing and drying to avoid rusting or corrosion

Maintenance of the Secateurs

The following are the maintenance of the secateurs

1. Lubricate the fulcrum for efficient uses.
2. Sharpen the cutting edge regularly with a sharpening stone or file
3. Straighten bent metal blades to ensure effective usage.
4. Keep wooden handles always from termites.

Maintenance of the Shears

The maintenance measures of the shear are:

1. Replace worm-out parts
2. Sharpen the blades with a sharpening stone or file
3. Tightening of bolts and nuts regularly to loosening 
4. Straighten the blade when bent.
5. Lubricate fulcrum.
6. Oil the blade after use to prevent rusting or corrosion.

Maintenance of the Watering Can

 Measure to ensure the effective Maintenance of the Watering Can are:

1. Hang the watering can upside down after use to ants and other pests from entering.
2. Remove materials clogging and blocking the nozzle for effective usage.
3. Always dry watering can after use to prevent rusting or corrosion.
4. Do not leave the watering can outside after use.
5. Store the watering can in the area free from rain or sun.

Maintenance of the Garden Fork/ Hand Fork

The following measures should be observed when using the Garden Fork/ Hand Fork.

1. Wash and dry after use to prevent rusting.
2. Straighten bent prong.
3. Replace the damaged prong.
4. Keep wooden handles always from termites or rats.

Maintenance of the Wheelbarrow

Measure to ensure Effective Maintenance of the Wheelbarrow

1. Inspect the tire pressure and add when necessary.
2. Wash and dry the Wheelbarrow after use to avoid rusting.
3. Always tighten loose bolts and nuts.
4. Paint mental parts to prevent rusting. 
5. Weld broken or replaced damaged parts.
6. Store the wheelbarrow in a cool dry area /place
7. Oil/ grease Lubricate moving parts to prevent stiffness.

Maintain the Tapping knife

The maintenance practices for the tapping knife are:

1. Sharpen the tapping edge with a sharpened stone or circular file.
2. Do not leave the tapping knife outside to prevent rusting.
3. Wipe and clean the tapping knife after use.
4. Do not wash the tapping knife, if necessary, then it must oil or grease after drying.
5. Disinfect the tapping knife regularly

Maintenance of the Axe

The following maintenance practice should be observed when using the axe.

1. Sharpen cutting edges regularly.
2. The wooden handles should kept always from fire and termites.
3. Wash and dry the axe after use.
4. Do not leave the axe outside of the farmstead or on the farm.
5. Oil/grease metal parts to avoid rusting or corrosion
6. Store the axe in a cool dry area/place

Maintenance of the Hand Trowel

Some of the maintenance of the hand trowel are:

1. Clean and wipe after use.
2. Keep wooden handles always from termites or rats.
3. Straighten the bent blade for effective usage.
4. Weld broken and damaged parts

Maintenance of the Go-to-hell

The following are the ways of maintaining the Go-to-hell (long handle sickle)

1. Always sharpen metal blades for efficient cutting.
2. keep wooden handles always from termites to avoid breakage.
3. Oil/ grease metal parts to avoid rusting.

Maintenance of the Budding knife

The following are the maintenance of the Budding knife

1. Sharpen cutting-edge regularly
2. Wipe and clean metal after use
3. Replace damaged metal handles.
4. Do not use the budding for cutting hard objects other than the bud and little buds.

Maintenance of the Sickle

The following are the measures taken to maintain the Sickle

1. Sharpen the cutting-edge regularly
2. Straighten the bent edge.
3. oil/ grease metal blades.
4. keep wooden handle always from termites and rats

Maintenance of the Rake

The following are the ways of Maintenance of the Rake

1. Straighten bent prong.
2. Replace the damaged prong.
3. Keep wooden handles always from termites or rats.
4. Weld broken metal parts.

Maintenance of the Dibber

The Maintenance of the Dibber are:

1. Wash the tip of the dibble and sundry after use
2. Store the dibber in a cool dry area/place
3. Always keep wooden parts from termites

Maintenance of the Spanner

The following are the ways of Maintaining the Spanner

1. Do not leave the spanner outside
2. Always put the spanner on the toolbox
3. Use the spanner to loosen the specific nuts and bolts to avoid washing.

 Maintenance the Knapsack

The following are maintenance practices of the knapsack

1. the knapsack tanks should be washed and rinsed after use
2. the tank should be turned upside down after washing to allow water to drain out  properly
3. detached the filters, and nozzles, and removed the foreign materials 
4. The strap buckles and strap adjustment clips should be checked properly.
5. Replace the worn-out parts such as the filter, washers, and nozzles.
6. Do not leave the sprayer on the farm, and outside
7. Do not expose the knapsack to sunlight as this will weaken the plastic tank
8. Broken parts such as the handle, and pump lever arm, should replaced

Maintenance of the Hoe

Precautionary measure of the hoe

1. Sharpen metal blades
2. Wash and dry metal blades after use

Maintenance of the Measuring Tape

The following are the Maintenance of the measuring tape:

1. Roll back into the case after uses
2. Wipe steel tape with oil before storage
3. Plastic and clothes tape should be handled with care.

Maintenance of  the File

Some of the maintenance of the file are

1. Do not leave the file outside
2. Always put the file on the sheath
3. Do not use the file to sharpen dirty farm tools.
4. Do not use the file on wet farm tools.
5. Do not use the file on rust or corrosive farm tools

Maintenance of the Pliers

The following are the maintenance practices to be observed when using the plier.

1. Lubricate the moving parts
2. Store the plier in a dry place
3. Store pliers in the toolsbox

General Maintenance of Farm Tools

The following are the general maintenance measures to be observed for all the farm tools

1. Wash and dry farm tools after use.
2. Replace worn-out parts for efficient uses.
3. Sharpen the metal blades for easy cutting
4. Straighten the bent metal blades for proper use.
5. Store farm tools in a cool dry area/place
6. always keep wooden handles from termites and rats.
7. Oil or grease metal parts to avoid rusting and corrosion.

In conclusion.

The maintenance of farm tools in the agricultural industries is crucial for their durability.  Rough handling of farm tools will lead to rusting and corrosion which will eventually lead to damages.

In summary, some of the maintenance measures for farm tools as stated in this article, are corrective, preventive, and general measures to enable the farmer safe guide these tools to increase durability.