8N almost done, well almost

Today I put the air cleaner on the tractor which was a chore just a bit easier than removing it. By greasing the pipe which goes to the carburetor it went on a tiny bit easier.

After a wonderful Memorial Day meal and a mandatory nap. ( I hope you believe it is mandatory), I decided to change the oil in the 8N. The oil drain plug used to be a one inch square fitting; however, long ago and far away someone did something to it and it was tapered and rounded. In order to get it off I used a big pipe wrench and a piece of two by four below that with a bottle jack holding it all in place so the wrench would not slip off the drain plug. With a lot of effort it began to turn and I was able to remove it. Before it came off I thought I had hit an oil well. This black, thick, evil looking stuff came from around the plug. At one time it was oil, but now looked as though it was ready to be used to oil a road. I replaced the oil drain plug with a new one and put five quarts of oil in the engine. Then… I decided to change the oil filter. The old tractor takes a NAPA 1010 filter canister. The 8N Owner's Manual hardly mentions the oil filter at all. It certainly does not say how to remove it so I experimented and found a socket just larger than ¾ inch would fit the nut. It seems the cap is compressing a spring and it removed itself soon enough. The canister has a ring to lift it out so I did – part way. It would not clear the fuel line. After studying the possibilities, I removed the bolts holding the oil filter housing to the engine and eased the filter out. Of course I had a new one to put in and it went in with only a little twisting, turning, jiggling. Another quart of oil – total of six – and the tractor is almost ready to drive. I am going to grease the fittings and check the coolant level. The battery is on a trickle charger and is ready to go.

This has been a very productive four days!

Tractor Boy

Farmall Cub Switch Replacement

It was a cold, wet, dreary day in Central Texas. Perfect weather in which to replace the light switch I replaced last week. The first replacement was blowing a 20-amp fuse in less than a second when turned to the farthest right position. Fortunately, I had added a separate fuse holder to the circuitry when the replacement did not have a fuse position. I spoke with the nice folk at Farmall Cub Forever and ordered a three position six-volt switch which arrived a few days ago. This time I took pictures so you can see what I was doing. Again, I replaced one wire at a time. The switch has a protrusion which fits in a notch in the console, and I replaced it so the two were properly aligned. I discovered it was easier to take the console off this time, and I did not need a small monkey to reach in the confined space. I did; however, forget that I placed a piece of board between the hydraulic housing and the hood/fuel tank. So, when I started up the Cub to see how well it would run, there...

Farmall Cub greasing

Replacing gear oil and greasing the ’49 Cub ought to be a straight forward task(s). Well it hasn’t been. The transmission fluid was tan, looking like tan paint. Folks on Yesterday’s Tractor Farmall forum said it meant water had got inside the transmission. I wonder whether this tractor was under water at one time. I bought a Spectricide brand insecticide pump, put kerosene in it, and flushed the transmission, then refilled with 90 weight gear oil. The gear oil looked like and had the consistency of thin honey. Pic 1300 shows the transmission filler plug. A lot easier to reach than the plug for emptying the transmission. Note it has a square head. All of these plugs are square headed. Three and a half pints later, the transmission was back together. After the transmission, I decided to check the steering gear oil. It was not tan. It was black as could be so I flushed the housing with kerosene again and refilled with ¾ pint of 90 weight gear oil and replaced the filler plug. Pic 1301 s...

8N Ford Nears Completion

The past two weeks I have been working furiously on the 1952 * N to get it ready to be a show piece (another name for Parade Queen) for the opening of Vacation Bible School. Painting is pretty complete. I bought a OEM tool box and realized it goes in the location where the solenoid has been on this old 8N since I bought it dead in a field about three years ago. Pics 004-007 show the solenoid on the brace under the hood. The hood is off the body at this time. That was a three person job both to remove it and to replace it again. I still had a quarter tank of fuel which added about 24 pounds to the weight of the hood. Pic 011 and 012 show the solenoid atop the starter where it is supposed to be. I lengthened one wire by soldering a piece in the line, and replaced another, being careful to work one at a time after studying what was supposed to happen electrically. Once the battery was in place I turned the key and pressed the starter (gear shift in neutral) and the starter turned as it...

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