Schirmer Farms (Batesville) Operations Manager Brandon Schirmer, assisted by farm owner and father Ernie Schirmer, puts their tractor back together, near San Antonio, TX, on August 11, 2020. They are performing needed farm equipment repairs and maintenance in preparation for the upcoming cotton harvest.When you’re in the thick of planting season the last thing you want is downtime from a disruption, be it from weather or equipment breakdown. With supply chain issues not slowing down and dealers having trouble stocking parts, having a back-up strategy for finding spares is critical to staying efficient.

Here are a few tips for finding a spare part if your local dealer doesn’t have it in stock:

>> Stock up an inventory of critical ‘wear parts’ like clips, seals, nozzles, gaskets, etc. These are often the last parts thought of but often the easiest to find.
>> Find the part number on your broken part and do an online search. A few good sources of parts include Bootheel, TVH, Sparex, RDO Equipment, or Wearparts.
>> Don’t be afraid to ask your neighbor! Chances are they might have just what you need.


Read up on more tips on equipment maintenance and parts.