John Deere owners are realising the benefits of using exclusive branded transmission hydraulic and engine oils along with John Deere grease to reduce costs
As one of the leading suppliers of kumara, sweet potato, in New Zealand, Evan Paxton and his family at Riverview Farms, Dargaville NZ, are no strangers to the pressures of food production.
Each year, they crop around 60 hectares of kumara and fatten prime lambs and beef cattle on their 200-hectare farm on the North Island, two-and-a-half hours north-west of Auckland NZ.
Dargaville is built along the edge of the Northern Wairoa River, and the local Delta Co-op packs, markets, and transports the Paxton family’s crop throughout the North and South Islands, so it’s critical they keep their machines humming.
“If we do have a breakdown, especially on a key tractor like the 7230 or 7290 we use for ground work, or our molding tractor or spray tractor, it pretty much puts a halt to the whole day. Until we get that fixed, we’re under the pump,” Evan confirmed.
“Breakdowns are rare, but if you’re working towards a weather window or trying to fill orders from the packhouse, they can have a huge financial bearing on our company.”
Delivery of tractor number 13
Riverview Farms is a family business established in 2001 when Evan and his partner Tanya, who had been in business on their own, joined forces with his mother, Judy and brother-in-law Graham and his wife Twane.
Since then, the business has gone from strength-to-strength, with the Paxtons staunch fans of the green and yellow, running a fleet of 12 John Deeres ranging in power from 51 to 213kW (70 to 290hp).
In March last year, Riverview Farms took delivery of its thirteenth John Deere tractor via local dealer, Brandt Machinery in Whangarei NZ.
“The 6120M utility tractor with AutoTracTM replaced our very first John Deere, a 6400 that we bought back in 1994,” Evan added.
“A small compact tractor like the 6210M with 88kW (120hp) is ideal. We can still use it to pull a three-metre machine without any problems harvesting, and for day-to-day crop maintenance, whether it’s spraying and dry cultivating or top chopping, it’s absolutely perfect.”
Reliability is key but so to is maintenance
Evan considers lubricants a key factor in maintaining his fleet.
“The old 6400 has been amazing. It’s done over 13,000 hours, and we’ve had absolutely no issues with the engine, just a few little bits and pieces, as you would expect. It’ll probably end up being a boat tractor,” Evan explained.
“That’s what we love about John Deere, the reliability. That’s key for us.
“Over the past 10 years, we’ve exclusively used John Deere transmission and hydraulic and engine oils and grease, and we’ve noticed a big difference with the running of the machines, especially using the grease on our harvesters and tractors as well.
“If you’re spending all that money on machines, you definitely want to look after them.”
Quality pays with fewer breakdowns
Evan uses Plus-50™ II Engine Oil, Hy-Gard™ hydraulic oil and SD polyurea grease.
“It’s the lack of breakdowns that we’ve really noticed over the years, the products speak for themselves in that regard,” Evan said.
“The 500-hour service interval is also a game changer. That said, we’ve actually had some tractors go over 500 hours, when we’ve obviously been busy but with the quality John Deere products that we’re using, we’ve had no issues to date.
“I personally wouldn’t recommend using a cheap oil if you want to achieve a 500-hour service. At the end of the day, quality pays, and the upshot is when we’re out there in the paddock, the machines are working and not sitting in the shed.
“I think when times are tough, people might stop buying quality and look for a cheaper product, but for us, it’s more about peace of mind. You know your tractor is in safe hands,” Evan concludes.
