tractor work (cont.)

Picture 1423 shows the last of the row of stumps. In the foreground is the sub soiler device which I was about to remove and replace with a bar and chain to try dragging the stumps from the ground. 1425 is the fence line showing grooves made by the sub soiler on the 8N tractor. I hope I did not get anything vital other than bushes. J I hosed off the mud when I switched to a bar with clevis loop for the three point hitch.

Picture 1426 is a close up of the meter on the tractor. I replaced the broken one with a new one and have put 3.4 hours on the engine since then. Most of the engine time has been the fence and bush project done recently.

1428 shows the doors on my tractor building. The actual color is tan, not gray. The doors slide. Yes, they are two different sizes!

1432 shows the bar and chain attached to the last of the stump. It was three times that size and really stopped the tractor cold when using the sub soiler. I managed to jerk the stumps free using the chain wrapped around them. As soon as the chain slipped off, I would reverse and set it more underneath the stump. In three tries, the stumps were history. The chain with clevis hooks is the best that Tractor Supply Company sells.

After the stumps came out I decided to pull out the horizontal fence which I laid on the ground up against the vertical fence some 23 years ago with the help of my son. 1433 shows why you avoid coming too close to the PTO when it is running. I managed to back up, get the wire fence snagged by the PTO and end up with a lot of steel wrapped around the PTO. Fortunately I own at least one bolt cutter (I may have two) and used it to free the PTO. Had that been a loose shirt, the arm would have been mangled. Many a farmer has been there. I am extra careful and still it happened. Guess I better be extra extra careful.

Tractor Boy

Tractor building

Here are some pictures taken late June of the progress on the tractor building.

The BIG thing I did yesterday was to use the 8N tractor to remove the fence on the East side of the back yard (pic 10). I then used the boom (pic 11) to remove the steel posts which have been in the ground since about 1983 (pic 12). All of them are bent to some extent. The hydraulic lift was unable to pull the posts straight up. I had great success putting the tractor in first gear and driving forward. The typical response was front wheels leave the ground then the pole is out of the ground. The last picture is the poles (pic 12). I suppose they can be straightened, probably best to heat them; however, they can be scrapped too.

I did notice there is no power steering! The old tractor started right off as soon as I replaced the ignition switch and added a new battery. I was able to recover the old battery power and will use it in the Ford 640 which has no battery at all right now.

Tractor Boy

tractor work

My Huskvarna chain saw is still at the small engine repair place. They could not "figure it out" whatever that means. Does not sound good.

This afternoon I bought a new battery for my 8N Ford tractor while trying to charge the old battery. It finally charged before I got the new one installed so I installed the new one anyway. I changed the ignition switch earlier in the already hot day so was ready to replace the chipper with the boom and tackle fence removal. I was thinking I could use the PTO hydraulics and lift the fence, but most of all remove the steel posts which have been in the ground since almost 23 years. The little Ford was up to removing fence. It got exciting at times as I had the front end lifting so I could not steer. I conquered that and pulled all the fence on one side of the house.

Next came post removal. I had purchased a high quality bit of chain and some clevis hooks from Tractor supply so I rigged that to the end of a boom and wrapped chain around the first post. I was unable to pull hard enough to get the post to lift from the ground. Eventually I just put it in first gear and pulled forward. The front end lifted clear from the ground. I slowed and backed a bit. Usually it took just two tries and some times just one to bend the post and pull it free. So now I have thirteen bent steel posts lying in a pile. I did manage to pull two free by lifting. The little tractor just had too little power to lift the posts free of the ground, but I am sure glad I had a tractor to use or I would still be working on about number four post and not writing this. This was the most I had used the tractor. The second most was when I used the PTO to power my chipper and cut up some trees that had been cut.

Bill, I had two flat front tires although the tires and tubes were new this past year. I added 52 pounds of air to each and they did the job. Sure is a lot easier to steer when there is air in the front tires. It doesn't tear up the ground either like it did when they were flat. Oh one other thing. The tractor started immediately with choke on. I do need to work on the throttle as I can not throttle down, just up. It works its way down to lower speed if I lower the throttle, but not any where near as well as the 640 Ford does.

The tractor building is coming along. A small outside door was hung today, but the big sliding doors have not yet been hung. I selected location (again) for windows and air conditioner. If the weather cooperates maybe another week. The steel "I" beam will not get here until Thursday and it needs to be cut and welded for the over head lift I am creating. I have a 2 tin sliding dolly for the over head and a 2 ton chain lift. I decided to go with that instead of an electric lift that could pick up 880 pounds. Maybe later I will change my mind and get an electric lift. I can store two tractors and all my scooters and mowers, chain saws, gas weed eaters in the new tractor building and will be equipped to trickle charge all batteries. It is going to be nice.

Pictures to follow when I I get them out of the Sony camera (since the Minolta Z-10 was stolen).

Tractor Boy