Maintenence tip

[rrlund]

I keep writing things down and forgetting where I wrote them,so today I looked up a whole bunch of oil,hydraulic and fuel filter numbers on the Wix filter site,then I went out in the shop and wrote them on the inside of a cabinet door with a black marker. Problem solved.

 

[Crazy Horse]

Brilliant ...... I wonder if anyone else ever thought of doing that in the last 100 years?

 

[NY 986]

The last year or so I have been writing things down in a note book with 8 X 11 pages. I just found a deal on some tractor parts for the Ford 860 because I thumbed to my last work done and the contact number was there.

 

[IowaJohn]

Wife keeps a list on the cork/bulletin board in the kitchen. There are times when she picks them up. I think Carquest knows her better than they know me.

 

[JD Seller]

One of my older customer had all the filter numbers and such wrote on his garage wall. He was up to two of the four walls covered. His went back to the early 1950s.

 

[NY 986]

I did not want to steal Randy's thunder but I remember from the 1970's guys writing on walls and cabinets and so forth. I remember one writing on the tool box of every tractor and combine as they all had toolboxes.

 

[tim s]

I have a cabinet door full of numbers too...,,you can loose a paper... the door will always be there ...

 

[rrlund]

I used to have a little leather bound note book that I carried in my bib pocket that I wrote all that stuff down in,along with addresses and phone numbers and such. My son's girlfriend did me a favor by doing my laundry one time while we were gone. She didn't clean out my pockets. That was the end of all that.

 

[CCer]

I have a pocket notebook that I keep with me. I have pages for wants, needs, and lists of the part numbers for maintenance items that I use on Car, Tractor, Truck, etc. I try to list the cross-reference numbers of everything.
When I see something for sale anywhere, I can check the number, find out if I can use it. Most packaging only has a part number on it, not an application. Many times I have bought NOS, Cheap, because others didn't know what it was, or what it would fit.

 

[Jiles]

For many years, I have done something similar.
With every car, truck, and all other equipment, I install a strip of the yellow plastic tape somewhere on the equipment.
I keep a diary --with date ---of oil change and other maintenance info written in ink.
I also have the oil filter number, the brand and quantity of motor oil and even the size wrench used to do maintenance.

 

[Fred Werring]

I keep my current filters on a spreadsheet.

When the local NAPA has their annual 50% off sale, I print it off with the quantities desired and hand it to the counter guy.

Fred

 

[Fred Werring]

And put a sticker (or use a paint marker) under the hood of each car/truck with the filter number, oil capacity, and wrench size to fit the drain plug.

Fred

 

[Brendon Warren]

That's exactly where mine are wrote down. Phone numbers also.

 

[Gambles]

Perhaps this story is more legend than fact, but there used to be a local around here about 80 or so years ago who ran a gas station. He did a lot of his record keeping and accounts receivable written on the office wall. Now it's possible that the story has gotten a lot bigger over the years amid all the laughs at the coffee shop, but supposedly he went on vacation one time and the wife came into work and painted the walls.

 

[4520BW]

That's the way eat my dad does it also. I am lucky my Deere's only have 2 different oil filters,2 different hyd filters and 2 different fuel filters, makes it nice to keep stocked up. The air filters is where they are all different.

 

[fixerupper]

I do the same thing, it's nice to have the numbers handy and I doubt if I will lose the cabinet door. LOL I also get a little more modern. I put that stuff on the smart phone so I have them when I'm in town. I know, that's too modern for a 66 year old but I buck the trend sometimes.

 

[Stephen Newell]

On my vehicles, I tear off the top of the filter box and glue it to a magnet and attach it to the vehicle. I also write down the date and mileage when the oil was changed on it.

 

[37chief]

I write the hours on the filter top, vehicles on the valve cover. I try to have an extra on hand. I go the Wix store and tell him what I want. I am a real poor record keeper. Stan

 

[K Effective]

I have a cork board next to the phone in the shop, tear the top off the filter box and sharpie the vehicle name on it. Under the hood gets oil quantity and wrench size.

I have all the tractors and major equipment on a spreadsheet- serial numbers (parts break by number), filter numbers, etc. Take a list to Deere during sale month. I am pretty sure Deere also offers a record system...

 

[IaLeo]

I write the number of oil ounces, tire pressure, blade change wrench size on the lawn tractor and keep a notebook with hours, work, and oil change/grease dates. I can't seem to read the tire pressures off the tires, so this saves me time. Lol Leo

 

[old-9]

I have a door like that, works great, I also keep the sleeves that fan belts come in. I mark what they go to and staple them to a wall over my shop sink. Saves a lot of time. joe

 

[fixerupper]

Leo writing down the wrench size is a good
idea. It might save me from grabbing a
whole hand full before I crawl under the
car or pickup.

 

[rrlund]

I keep bearing boxes that way and write down what that number fits.

 

[rossow (mn)]

I have always kept a small spiral-bound note pad in a cabinet drawer to record parts numbers, quantities, oil-change info, etc. Several years ago my faithful 103-pound rat-killing dog Jake developed cancer and had to be put to sleep in winter. By spring, rats had moved in from the stable across the road, and before I could wipe them out with traps and poison they had gotten into my cabinet and used my record book for nesting material. I lost years of records -- nothing vital but still annoying. I now keep my note pad out in the open, just in case.

 

[Elmo]

(quoted from post at 19:53:30 01/21/18) Brilliant ...... I wonder if anyone else ever thought of doing that in the last 100 years?

The guy that I bought a 2002 Ford 150 from this year did that. I took a photo and printed it out.
Elmo

 

[Mike(NEOhio)]

I used to use little notebooks but ended up with three, all with different and never had the right one when I was shopping or at a show. I use the notes app on my phone now. Part numbers, filters, etc. It's always with me.

 

[showcrop]

(quoted from post at 15:52:27 01/21/18) Leo writing down the wrench size is a good
idea. It might save me from grabbing a
whole hand full before I crawl under the
car or pickup.

I like the idea of wrench size too. A couple weeks ago I crawled under with three wrenches. They were all too small. I was thinking of another rig I guess.

 

[DoubleR]

I have spiral notebooks in the shop I label as Important Facts. I take a picture of the model of all my equipment and store it in my phone to show the parts guy what I need a part for or to refer to when ordering on line. I use to always carry a spiral pad in my shirt pocket but now I text myself with things I need to remember and store it in my phone. Before I chase a part I take a picture of whatever to show the person what I need.

 

[J.Wondergem]

I put all my filters on a spread sheet on a old desk top from years ago, in my shop. Parts and other stuff, I look for all over the place.

 

[jeffcat]

Something under many of my hoods. Magic marker. Oil,air,spark plugs, etc.

 

[donjr]

I gots a whole bunch of them little books. Bout 30 or more. Many are in tha desk drawer or on tha dresser. Caint remember whatz in onne book or anuther. But it's in thar......

 

[Dave Sherburne, NY]

On the inside of one of the cabinet doors in my shop is written the filter No all the tools I need before I crawl under the vehicle. And the fact that the oil squirts out 2 ft. from the drain plug on the truck when removed.

 

[rdp58]

I have a free app on my phone that I put everything on it is called Evernote. Numbers, dates, whatever I need to remember goes in that app.

 

[SVcummins]

That?s a great idea my luck though I?d still manage to misplace the cabinet door or the marker I used would be invisible ink

 

[Jim PA]

I like to use a white board hung on the wall. When I change oil in a vehicle I write down any maintenance done and what filters and wrench sizes I need to do the job for that vehicle as well as tire rotation etc. I always write down when an oil changes are due and since I walk by it every day there is never a memory lapse.
I keep a running maintenance log on the white board for every vehicle I own including tractors and ATV.

 

[rrlund]

Now you know how I felt when years worth of my notes were all over the inside of the washer and dryer. lol

 

[Bret4207]

Use dry erase white boards. The tractors and other "permanent" vehicles I substitute a permanent marker instead of the dry erase marker.

 

[onefarmer]

Since I have my smart phone on me all the time, I started keeping info I need in a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet gets backed up to my google account and can be retrieved when I change phones.

 

[K Effective]

I usually use one of those label makers to make a little label that has date, mileage, LOF, rotation, etc. Stick it to the driver's door jamb. I don't like the sticker on the windshield and my handwriting has gotten terrible.

Sharpie on the painted door jamb will USUALLY come off with a little car wax on a rag if you want to just use the painted area like a semi-permanent white board.

I find if I write the mileage on the air filter itself rather than a sticker on the outside of the filter box I am more likely to open it up and check, then knock the leaves/bugs out of it. Forces me not to cut corners.

 

[muleboss]

(quoted from post at 14:47:04 01/21/18) I keep writing things down and forgetting where I wrote them,so today I looked up a whole bunch of oil,hydraulic and fuel filter numbers on the Wix filter site,then I went out in the shop and wrote them on the inside of a cabinet door with a black marker. Problem solved.

Now all you have to do is remember which cabinet door it was. LOL