Compact Tractor Winter Maintenance: 9 must-do steps to prep your tractor for winter

rosebvassistant
Oct 2
10 min read

Updated: Oct 24

blog banner with snow theme — Are you ready to winterise your tractor and equipment this winter?

Preparing your compact tractor for winter is essential for smallholders, crofters, and estate owners across the UK. This step-by-step guide shows how to protect your Siromer or any compact tractor from cold-weather damage, frozen fuel, and costly downtime.

Whilst writing this blog at the beginning of October may appear like we are getting ahead of ourselves a bit, we cannot overstate the importance of winter preparation to help create a seamless year ahead.

It is no secret that the weather in the UK can be harsh and unforgiving… and that’s just our summer!

But in all seriousness, our winters are cold and wet.

And you know what means… frost and mold.

And this combined with periods of disuse can lead to a whole host of problems with your tractors and equipment including general wear and tear like rust and corrosion, all the way up to cracked components and seized engines.

Disrupted performance, reduced lifespan and just plain old broken machinery are undoubtably frustrating, however avoidable. So, getting your ducks in order now is not only saving yourself future hassle as we head into spring, but also potentially large expenses too.

Here at Siromer, we are not looking to make a quick buck with unnecessary return sales. Instead, we want to make sure your machinery works at its best for as long as possible. Because of this, we’ve compiled our top winter care tips below to help you winterize and protect your equipment in the coming months.

Whether you are choosing to put your tractor away in storage, or plan to still carry on as normal, this list is still for you. We will be covering everything from storage, oil changes and anti-freeze so make sure to read our full list to make sure you get the right tips for you!

So, without further ado, let’s take a gander at the first top tip in our list.

Or if you want to skip ahead take a look at our list below:

Winter Cleaning
Anti-Freeze
Keeping your Siromer safe and ready
Fuel Changes
Battery Care
Equipment Specific Advice
Warming Up
Pest Control
Reading Your Manual

1) The Big Clean - Give Your Compact Tractor a Thorough Clean Before Storing

The first and most important step on our list is incidentally one people forget about a lot!

And that is to clean your tractor.

It may sound like a no-brainer, but keeping your tractor clean is one of the best ways to ensure your machinery stays in good condition. Cleaning mud off of tyres, checking the body of your tractor, and making sure your cab is clean are all important.

Pay special attention to radiators, where remaining rubbish may cause mould and ruin the radiator, and to the undercarriage where salt picked up from the road may cause rusting.

Whilst a pressure washer may seem temping, afterall we all know that tractors are not a small task to clean, it’s vital to make sure you do not wash off the grease that helps keep your tractor healthy and lubricated. But, if you do decide to pressure wash, make sure to reapply any grease that comes off during the big clean to keep everything in working order.

During your winter clean is also a great time to give your machinery a once over to check its current condition, to see if any repairs are needed, and to reapply paint in any areas prone to rust to help protect the metal underneath.

Read more in our full Keep it Clean article

a siromer tornado and mk504 — A nice and clean Siromer Tornado and MK504 with cab pictured above

2) Don’t get left in the Frozone - Check and Replace Antifreeze Before Temperatures Drop

Speaking of radiators, make sure to check and top up the antifreeze in your tractors radiator and cooling system engine to prevent damage in cold temperatures.

Antifreeze will help bring the freezing point of the water working inside the machinery to as low as -50°c (with the exact temperature differing depending on the brand and concentration of antifreeze).

Adding antifreeze will help avoid frozen pipes and engine blocks regardless of whether the tractor is in use or not. We use a ratio of 50/50, and the filling point is your radiator cap.

However, please make sure to use appropriate PPE when using antifreeze to protect against overexposure to the chemicals inside.

3) Keeping your Siromer Safe and Ready - Storage & protection

Seating and trim get a bit of the short straw with our ever variable season weather here in the UK. Whilst extreme cold can be detrimental to the softer surfaces, so can extreme sunlight.

This means to keep your lovely Siromer seats beautiful year after year, we recommend a seat cover if left outside, or to take your tractor under cover when not in use for long periods of time. This will help prevent cracking, water damage and unnecessary wear on your tractor throughout both cold temperatures and intense sun.

We've gone more in depth on storage options and considerations here.

the siromer 304 with a seat cover on the tractor — The 2025 model Siromer 304 pictured above with a seat cover

4) Fuel Your Body - Making The Right Changes To Your Oil in Winter

Now this next step will differ depending on if the tractor is in use or not.

If you're up in the north and your tractor is still in use, as the winter months approach, we might recommend switching to winter tractor oil. The standard 15W/40 we supply will flow down to -20c but a thinner oil, such as 5W/40 will goes down to -30c so is perfect for rural Scottish winters.

As temperatures reach freezing the parrafin in normal diesel begins to stiffen and slow, which is at best ineffective, and at worst very damaging to the engine due to the level of friction caused when in use.

However, 5W/40 tractor oil is thinner with a lower viscosity that allows for a better flow in the cold weather leading to better performance and less chance of your engine seizing up. If winter-grade fuel is not available for use, adding a conditioner or stabiliser to your tank should also do the job!

However, if your tractor will not be in use we recommend to use a slightly different method.

First off, you need to make sure your fuel tank is completely full. Don’t worry too much about flushing out old oil, or swapping to winter fuel, rather the most important step here is to make sure there is no space at the top of the fuel tank. When there is space inside the fuel tank in cold damp weather condensation can occur causing mould and algae to grow inside. However, if your fuel is full the top this risk reduces massively as the oxygen needed for growth is no longer present.

Once you have a lovely full tank, attention now turns to adding antigel products to the fuel to prevent something called ‘gelling’.

Gelling happens when the same parrafin wax above solidifies in cold temperatures causing a gel-like substance to clog fuel filters and lines. However, if you add anti-gelling components, these help to prevent these wax crystals from forming and sticking together, and later sticking inside your pipes. So much like the winter fuel above, the anti-gel helps to keep the fuel as streamline and thin as possible in the freezing conditions.

This small bit of effort and expense will save you so much money and time down the line.

5) Power Up: Keeping Your Battery in Good Health

If you do plan to keep your compact tractor in storage this winter, it is important to not forget about the battery. The battery still needs a bit of TLC, but luckily it is very simple to keep this ticking over.

To help keep your battery healthy, disconnect your battery from your tractor and place it on a trickle charger when in storage during these winter months. By using a trickle charger, not only does this mean your battery won’t die due to severe drainage, but it also means you won't overcharge your battery and shorten its lifespan. With this small step, you can ensure your battery will remain healthy, alive, and ready to go in the spring.

Another benefit to this method is that it is actually helpful to also prevent tractor theft especially if your tractor is stored far away from you and in a solitary place. Even with the best intentions, thieves will not get very far with a compact tractor that simply won’t go when the battery is removed. So this top tip kills 2 birds with 1 stone.

6) The Devil is in the Detail: Equipment Specific Advice

Whilst we have spoken a lot about tractors in general, it is also important to think about our smaller parts and additional extras.

For example, if you have a front loader on your tractor that is being stored outside, make sure, if possible, that it is detached from the bucket and left face down to prevent rain water sitting in your bucket. Or alternatively, if you have some storage space that may not be large enough area to fit an entire tractor but does still have some space, removing certain parts of the tractor, or the equipment itself, is good idea. For example, in this scenario above, the front loader can be left inside whilst the tractor remains out in the open to save space.

This same concept applies to PTO shafts, which easily detachable, are much smaller to store and will fare much better against rust stored inside in a garage or any space you may have V.S. out in the elements. We also recommend applying some WD40 on your PTO shafts before putting them away to make sure they are not stiff as the spring rolls around.

Continue reading more here.

the siromer mk504 with front loader and cab — If you like our front loader above then check out our full product range here

Tyres are also a good example of part specific storage. If left outside, you run of the risk of weathering and damage as frequent temperature fluctuations can degrade rubber and reduce the overall lifespan of your tyres. Because of this, placing tyres inside can save you the cost and effort of early replacement.

If you do choose to do this it is important to make sure all dirt and debris has been cleaned off of the removed tyres, and that they have been inspected pre-storage for cracking and damage.

If your tyres are a little flat make sure to enflate them fully as the compressed cold air may end up deforming the tyre if the pressure is low. It is also best practice so rotate your tyres every month to prevent uneven wear.

As mentioned above, it is only worth storing your tyres if you know they will be kept in a dry place with a somewhat constant temperature to prevent the same risks as outside storage.

Alternatively, if you would like to continue using your tractor in the colder months, winter tyres are often recommended to provide better grip in icy conditions.

the back tires of a siromer mk504 — The MK504 and its heavy duty tyres

7) Whether at the gym or in the fields, a warm up is always important!

If you will continue to run your tractor this winter, one absolute essential that you must do before hopping on is making sure the engine is warmed up first.

Just like we do for our cars or our bodies at the gym, warming up your engine before use will allow time for the oil to circulate and lubricate the engine, and therefore reduce wear and tear to extend the longevity of your engine in the long run.

To warm up your engine simply give the glow-plugs chance to do their part at least once and once running leave your compact tractor at a low idle for 5-10 minutes. And once your engine is warm, you are ready to get down to business!

8) Rat Attack: Pest Control

Small animals, particularly mice, like to crawl inside machinery like tractors during the winter as it is nice and warm, and makes a nice little house for them. However, this begins to cause problems when wires are munched on as a nice evening snack instead of cheese.

Because of this, wherever you choose to store your machine, we recommend some kind of pest control and regular checks to make sure your wires are not being gnawed at.

9) Read The Manual

And last, but not least, the most important thing you can do to help care for your machinery this winter is to read your tractor manual. We know tractor manuals are often long and boring, however, your manual is your best port of call for understanding the best care for your individual tractor.

And if you don’t fancy searching through your entire manual page by page to find one small bit of information, luckily for you, here at Siromer, we have made it easier for you!

We’ve some of the key points online here for all models.

Indoor VS. Outdoor Storage

So that leads on to the big question - is it better to store your tractor indoors or outdoors?

Taking everything into account we would say that if you have the space, inside storage is nearly always going to be better. Sunlight and damp will dramatically worsen plastic, rubber, paint, sheet metal, tyres, and of course electronics quickly. Not to mention combiners and bailers famously deteriorate rapidly if left outside for just a couple of winters.

However, it is not all doom and gloom! Certain equipment like tilage equipment will be fine left outside.

It is also worth noting that inside storage is generally only beneficial if the space is fully covered, at a somewhat steady temperature, and preferably away from hay and stored forages.