Your first-day checklist

Your manufacturer's manual prevails. This sheet gives the order of the steps; every figure must be read in your own manual, as it changes from one model to the next.

1. 1

   On delivery

   • Walk around it BEFORE you sign
   • ROLL BAR undrilled, unwelded, undeformed
   • Belt in good condition, PTO guard PRESENT
   • Three-point linkage, stabilisers, safety chain
2. 2

   Unloading

   • Firm level ground, well clear of edges
   • Never correct your steering on the ramp
   • Mounted implements lowered, loader just off the ground
   • Once loaded: chock and lash down
3. 3

   Before the first start

   • All fluid levels, tractor on level ground
   • Tyre pressures — they set the stability
   • Roll bar UP and locked
   • Find the PTO control and how to stop it
4. 4

   First start

   • Seated at the controls, never from the ground
   • Parking brake on, PTO disengaged
   • Engine properly warm before working, especially in the cold
   • Move off gently: no sharp starts, no hard braking
5. 5

   Break-in

   • No full throttle for the first 50 hours
   • Moderate pace, no excessive work
   • First service per the manual, early
6. 6

   What kills

   • Rollover — roll bar folded = no protection at all
   • The PTO: guard missing, clothing caught
   • A load carried too high through a turn
   • An implement coming down on someone