Tractor Stories

The lathe as you see it here (upside down) weighs 70 pounds plus a couple for the piece of wood. First step was to get it off the wood. The instructions said to fasten rubber legs to the lathe after adding the chip tray. Then a little further the instructions said it is best to anchor the lathe to a firm foundation such as a table. Since I happened to have such a table, I decided to do it that way. The instructions also said that they did not furnish bolts for this necessary fastening so I went to a couple hardware stores and bought some bolts. They were a bit too long so I used the originals. Later I can drill some T-6 aluminum or steel and cut off pieces to use for spacers beneath the table so the too long bolts go in just far enough. (pic 596 and 597) Using a good drill, a square, a fine ruler, and three sizes of drill bits, I marked off and drilled four 3/8 inch holes then mounted the lathe. By now lifting the 70 pound was beginning to feel like exercise. Once it was mounted, I fol...

Friday, 10 August 2007, five boxes arrived with the machine mini-lathe and accessories. That came from Micro-Mark in New Jersey. Another box came from Brownell's in Idaho containing some known stock for the lathe (T-6 aluminum, and two kinds of steel – all round). Brownell's also sent me Dykem for marking the work, Do-Drill for drilling and machining, and a few tools such as a thread cleaner and a scribe tool. I also got some tap guides from them. A few days earlier Little Machine Shop sent me the bulk of accessories including a dial measuring tool with magnet, boring tools, cutting tools, and a device for making round things (knobs). They also sent me a quick change tool post of good quality to replace the standard tool post which came with the 7X14 lathe. (pic 585) The first thing to do was set up the table for the lathe which I purchased from Micro-Mark along with the mini-lathe. Surprise! No instructions at all! After studying the design, I assembled the table and had one p...

I got the lathe put together. It took only 9 hours! It runs too. I found the instructions wanting. It said put on…. But had few pictures to tell me what it was supposed to look like. The least fun part was when it said to install some gears and they were in a different bag in a different box from the bag of gears I had before me. The table had no instructions at all. I took many pictures and will write a story soon for the blog. I am off to shower. Fortunately I had enough tools. J Tractor Boy

The packages all arrived today. After dinner I used a dolly to take them back to my Tractor building and took a picture. Then I opened the box with the table for the lathe – no instructions at all! Fortunately I have an eye and a brain so I assembled it and set it in place. I had a small piece of angled steel left and screws to attach it, but no certain idea where it goes. The holes pre drilled in the top to fasten it to the base were off where the holes in the frame were located so I put in a couple well and put the rest in as best I could. It is surprisingly sturdy. Supposedly the package weighed 18 kilos, but it did not feel that heavy. Tomorrow I open other boxes and assemble other stuff Tractor Boy

Today I decided to take the plunge and ordered a mini lathe from Micro-Mark, http://www.micromark.com/ and accessories from Brownell's http://www.brownells.com/ and from the Little Machine Shop. http://www.littlemachineshop.com/ The lathe is a 7X14 size and cost $535 plus shipping. I ordered a stand or table for it from the same place. From the Little Machine Shop I got the tools, and assorted machinist necessities such as a quick change tool post, steel protractor, and two steel rulers, as well as another dial measuring tool for lathe set up and adjustment. Brownell's sells an assortment of steel and aluminum round stock for making stuff and I bought some sample packs. They also had Dykem for marking, a scribing tool, and many other things I did not order this time. By next week I will be setting it all up in my Tractor Building . Tractor Boy

Little Machine Shop had a sale on the comparator so I bought one. The two inch thick by six inch square granite base is flat to .00005 inches. The gauge measures .001 inch. I may get either another one or a magnetic base with adjustable arm for the metal lathe setup I am going to buy. It is useful in making sure objects are properly aligned. I suspect it will measure run out on a cartridge just fine too. Yesterday I tackled my church friend's 9N carburetor. He purchased the kit from TS and I told him I would rebuild it. This is the second carburetor job and I hardly even looked at the instructions which I studied and used extensively before. The inside gasket was a mess, all shredded and worn out. I made a tool from a worn out Sawzall blade to remove the brass bolt within the carburetor. I simply have no screw drivers that wide. It worked perfectly. His fuel valve was so dirty I thought the glass bowl was tinted brown. It also cleaned up nicely. Here are a few pictures. Tractor Boy...

Today I decided to remove the "bracket" which attaches the throttle rod from the governor and rebuild the bolt which holds the bracket to the throttle rod at the steering column. I saw too much slack in the operation and watched the "bracket" not move when the throttle was being adjusted. I wanted to tighten that linkage so the throttle would be more responsive and be able to maximize the distance the governor to throttle arm would move. I am still seeking to get as close to 2,000 rpm as this old tractor will go. It was not clear to me whether the ¼ inch thick carriage bolt holding the "bracket" to the throttle rod was original. It is too long and a huge challenge to get it in place and especially to remove it. I decided to shorten the length. While at it, I found a ¼ inch hex head bolt which had some of its shaft unthreaded. That could give better contact surface with the notch in the throttle shaft and help tighten the connection. In looking at the conta...

Tonight I took the throttle rod which was well painted and looked great and remounted it on the tractor. I loosened the nut which controls how far the governor to throttle rod will move so it can go as far as the shortened rod would pull it toward the rear. New challenge… the bolt which holds the right angle piece at the bottom of the throttle shaft allows that right angle piece to slip a bit. Fascinating to watch it do that, but I should like to tighten the connection. I think I need to make a new connecting bolt that is slightly greater in diameter so it fits the slot in the throttle shaft more tightly. I suppose I could get a new bolt or one just slightly larger in diameter. Of course I would need a new nut too. If you look where the throttle shaft connects to the right angle piece to which the rear end of the throttle to governor rod attaches, you will see just what I mean. I love a new challenge and there are so many with this old 8N! Tractor Boy

Today, this morning, I examined the throttle rod and saw that the threaded end was bent so I used a Dremel tool to cut off the threaded end and re-threaded 10-32 which was the original size. With the 10-32 tap I chased the threads in the end piece and the tiny nut which is used to tighten the end piece (with the spring) on the rod. Finally I primed it and later painted the rod and end piece. It has been drying for a while. Probably ought to let it dry over night. So now I have a red throttle to governor rod which is approximately straight and on which the end turns easily. It is about ¾ inch shorter than the original. My hope is that I will be able to increase engine speed. J Tractor Boy

I managed to break the rod which goes between the throttle and the governor on the 8N Ford while trying to shorten it. It was also bent, but not by me. I took it to Elija Baker, an old, old welder who is the best around. He welded it in less than ten minutes. I straightened the rod and primed it. I will also cut off the good end and re-thread it to make it a bit shorter and be able to get more speed from the engine – I hope. 477 is the clamp which holds the exhaust pipe sections together. I moved it and re-tightened it so hopefully it no longer leaks (much) at that joint. Tractor Boy

This evening I decided to see whether the 8N Ford tractor would start since I refurbished the carburetor this week end. It started right up. I needed to adjust the fuel mixture for both the idle and the main fuel. I did and it ran better. Starts like a real champ! There are still a few more adjustments to make to the fuel mixtures. Also, the idle speed screw is very close to hot engine parts and I managed to get it set much too fast. It is supposed to run at 400 rpm on lowest setting. That needs tweaking it was going at 1000 rpm because I miss-read the tachometer (called a Proof Meter by Ford). Also, I noted that part of the exhaust pipe is loose so I will remove a collar and reset it. It needs that anyway – more "chimp" work on the tractor before I got it. It is closer and closer to a like-new 55 year old tractor. I really enjoy working on it and restoring it! Lots more to do such as lights, cleaning, paint job, decals, hood name plate. Tractor Boy

Starting on Saturday morning, I removed, cleaned, refurbished, and replaced the carburetor on my 1952 8N Ford tractor. I have not started it yet since, but I saw no leaks. That must be a good sign. I took many pictures to help with reassembly. Here are a few. Tractor Boy

In the midst (who talks like this anymore?) of cleaning up stuff I carried some more ammo back to the Tractor Building, soldered a broken wire on my grand daughter's electronic fairy wand, and started the 8N . The most important event was the soldering. J The 8N was second in import to me. Anyway, to make a short story long, I was attempting to start and run it with the fuel shut off so I could drain the gas from the fuel line to the carburetor before removing the carb to refurbish it. I guess the vacuum is such that the tractor will run just a short time – measured in seconds before it quits. After a while I gave up. At least I know the old 8N will start. It is too, too muddy to drive the tractor still. I guess it will be two or three more days before enough ground water either drains off or evaporates so I can actually drive the 8N . Mean time I can remove and service the carburetor. There is an oil leak, apparently related to the governor so I wonder whether I did not get en...

I got the 8N running this morning just before the next rain. I first tested each spark plug wire for spark, then again checked the coil spark. All was working so I kept trying and finally turned on the fuel flow. Then I realized I had the throttle quite low so I boosted that to about ¾ full and gave it a choke. It ran pretty well. Low speed is 500 rpm and high speed is 1500 so I will adjust the carburetor and see whether I can get the range of 400 to 2,000 rpm like the book says. I think it has been five or six months since that tractor has run! I am happy! Tractor Boy

I did the re-wiring except that I attached P1 with the diode to the side of the ignition switch opposite what is in the drawing (pinkish wire). It ties in with the ammeter now. I am still getting a weak spark, but it is better than before and I no longer have 12 volts at the coil when the switch is open. Not supposed to have any volts there when the switch is open and that is the way it is now. I do not know why P1 is supposed to be like it is shown in the picture so it was easier to wire it as I did it. Using my trusty feeler gauges, I discovered the point gap is .024 or .025 instead of .015 so that is the next thing to adjust. I put a trickle charger on the battery to bring it back to full charge. Still, I get to bump the starter until the points are at their widest opening, then using an .015 feeler gauge, I can loosen the screw on the points and set them at the proper gap. I may as well clean them too. During the wiring process, before I put the white plug to P1 and P2 on the alte...

Today I bought a diode and some of those circular end pieces (a Radio Shack sample) then got to work on the wiring of the 8N . I cleverly forgot to mark the position of the top bracket for the alternator so I could easily put it back with the correct tension on the belt. Oops. Anyway, I bought an alternator plug which goes onto P1 and P2 then soldered the diode to P1 and a ring thingy to the P2 wire which happens to be red. I then shifter wires from the ammeter to the switch ends and think I have it correct. I will go out later and put the alternator back in place then hook up the wires that go there. If the diode quits then next time I may wire further up the line. I can hardly wait to see what happens. I call it the "smoke test". If it smokes then it was connected wrong. In the instructions left by the fellow who answered my query, he said to put the resistor and P1 on the same side of the switch. I am not sure why and it was easier to put them on opposite sides so that is ...

Here is a picture from YT of the 8N terminal block. Part 8NNN14448A It appears to be two isolated posts to which wires are attached. Is that correct? Legend Parts sells it for about $14 and YT sells it for about $9. I do believe I do not have one of these gadgets. Tractor Boy

This morning I finished tracing wiring. I have been doing this sort of thing since I was fifteen so it is not a new adventure entirely. I will draw a schematic and send it to you. Meantime….. the alternator is connected to the ammeter by two wires, one from the primary (I guess) and one from a position numbered 1. When the ignition switch is off, I read 12 volts going to the coil. That seems to me a mistake. When the ignition switch is on, the big resistor wired in series with the coil begins to warm up and the voltage rises from 4.something to 6.24 volts. It seemed as though it took about 30 seconds, maybe a bit less, for the voltage to get to six volts. That would be consistent with the resistor heating up and allowing more current to pass through. At this point it tells me to wait 20-30 seconds before actually pushing the starter button so I get enough voltage to the coil to put out a decent spark. I am pretty sure the alternator should be going to the battery by itself and not to ...

I bought a six volt ignition coil at NAPA . The guy at the store said he sells very few although he used to live in a farming community in Wisconsin and sold many of those six volt coils. Before I put it on I am going to check the wiring – actually make a drawing of the wiring on the 8N . Also, I will check the voltage going to the coil to make sure it is okay. I have already cleaned the wire ends which go onto the coil as well as others and removed the switch someone put on the tractor years ago to cut off electricity to the coil which I am sure was to stop the engine and one solution to poor wiring design. I am half tempted to take the tractor back to six volts, but that would mean getting larger battery cables such as one or two gauge wire that is thicker than twelve volt cables are. For now I will take the time to trace the wires and draw what is there. I will be amazed if the tractor is properly wired now, but it will be by the time I am done with it. Later I can and will renew...

I was absolutely right! It was the starter solenoid which died. AND the 6 volt solenoid is a replacement for the one which was on the 8N. After mounting it – easier said than done, I got the key and tried it. It cranked right over just like new. J J J Tractor Boy

Today I tried an experiment. I removed the cable from the starter. It goes to the starter solenoid. Then I ran a 12 volt battery cable from the positive post of the battery and touched that post on the starter. The starter turned over just like it is supposed to. So now I know the starter is good. I took an ohm meter and checked the starter switch, starter button, and small wires from the solenoid to the ammeter. All were sound. The starter button made a connection when I pressed it down which is just what it is supposed to do. So I now know for certain the problem is the starter solenoid itself. What I do not know for sure is whether a six volt solenoid will work with a 12 volt system? That is the question. I will go out to the net and see if there is a 12 volt starter solenoid with three posts. If there is not, then I will replace the dead solenoid with the six volt new one that is in the box in picture 413. Picture 412 is the solenoid. Picture 411 is the starter showing the post I p...