Tractor Stories

The Piranha Tooth Bar is installed on my Kubota bucket. I used a 4 pound hammer to adju st the side braces of the tooth bar so it would fit inside the bucket. I used the larger clamp to snug the braces up to the inside of the bucket so I could tighten the nut on the bolt with then lock washer in place. The hammer was used to bend the brace in and then to bend it to fit better. I used an air tool attached to the air outlet I had put on the  tractor  side of the  Tractor  Building. A 15/16 th  inch socket fit the bolts and nuts of the tooth bar and an adjustable wrench held which ever was the other side ( nut or bolt). The pictures show the tooth bar and the fasteners. While I wanted to try out the new implement, there were a few other things to do before it got too hot. I got the riding mower out and mowed the rest of the front yard, including where we planted Bluebonnet seeds. Then I decided to venture into the side yard and cut trail. That lasted for ...

Recently I purchased some new implements for use with the two Ford tractors. They had been on an 18-foot trailer waiting my figuring out how to remove them. I attached a boom to the  8N Ford  three-point hitch and tying the disc to the boom with a chain, was able to lift the disc and turn it to face off the trailer and then lift and drag the disc off the trailer. Once on the ground, I replaced the boom with the disc and proceeded to start in my garden area which has not been disturbed in years. The green Coban covers the broken finger I received which chipping Hackberry limbs. In the picture is the very limb which kicked back and got me. My leather gloves looked fine, but my finger sure did not. The  8N Ford  does not steer easily on a good day and is very difficult to turn with the wounded left hand. I had to give up the disc operation until the splint comes off so I can better grip the steering wheel. As a result of this adventure, I am going to restore my 640 Ford...

When the weather was good enough to clear and haul some cedar trees, the 1949 Farmall Cub was called to action. It is the perfect size for a small acreage operation. After the trees were cut, I rigged a chain between the tree and Cub to drag the tree to a convenient location for further cutting and then running it through the woodchipper on the back of the 1952 8N Ford tractor. Also, it is very dry, and I could minimize fire danger from any sparks by working on ground which was mowed. It worked well and was fun. Tractor Boy

This afternoon (Sunday) I trimmed the Crape Myrtle trees in my circle. I decided to use my Dr Chipper attached to my 8n Ford 1952 tractor. I thought this will take about ten minutes to hook up, but I got a chance to stop and add a clutch between the tractor PTO and the chipper shaft. As soon as I started to drive forward and stepped on the brake is when I realized I had forgotten the clutch attachment on the PTO. Know what happens without that clutch? The tractor keeps moving forward. The Dr Chipper had a bird nest or two in the exhaust shaft, but it worked well as soon as I removed them. The actual amount of brush was twice or more than is in the picture. I filled a wagon about a foot deep which is about 3X5 feet in size. Hearing protection and good leather gloves are a must. Almost free mulch. Tractor Boy

Today I went to Kempner, TX and got my 18-foot trailer, 5-foot rotary cutter (“Bush Hog”) and 4-foot plow/disc which were waiting for me already on the trailer. The implements are new. The trailer is used. It has electric brakes, and my truck is equipped for that. The dealer had to find a suitable adaptor to plug the trailer wiring into the Nissan Titan towing plug and then I drove them home. Right now, they are still on the trailer in the yard while I figure out just how to remove them and place them in a convenient location. I certainly need to learn to back a long trailer. Tractor Boy

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...

Believing the original four position light and charging switch was mostly worn out, I ordered a replacement from Farmall Cub Forever. Nice folks with whom to do business. Yesterday I braved the cold here in Central Texas to enter my Tractor Building and replace the old switch. First, I placed a block of wood between the hydraulic system and the hood/fuel tank to keep the fuel tank from collapsing onto something and maybe damaging the fuel bowl. Then I proceeded to remove four screws from around the top of the console and two bolts which fastened the console to the tractor body. Much easier to write than to do. There is very little room to move, and I do not have a trained monkey to reach in there and turn a wrench while holding something in place. It turned out to be much easier to remove the part than to replace it later, but I was blissfully naïve then. The choke rod, the hydraulic rod, and the starter rod all had to be disconnected from one end or the other to allow room to move the...

Great news! The fellow who sells and makes run Nancy’s long arm quilting machine and robotics (quite a challenge) came to the house to help Nancy get the robotics working right. He asked whether I wanted help getting my Farmall Cub running and said he would look at it right after he was done with the robotics. Well, he did and began tracing through possibilities. He noted that the choke linkage was not working and the choke was one full, there was water in the carburetor bottom, there MUST be an on-off switch, and once all that was set right, the Cub started and I drove it in the yard. The light circuit fuse is blown so when I replace it, maybe I will have head lights too. Apparently I had simply been flooding the engine if I had any spark at all. I am most happy.   Emily came down and brought two rifles to hunt deer. She got a license last evening and we hope to get to the range before Friday afternoon. Going to get cold here about Thursday morning and colder still for a few days ...

This afternoon was a good time to move the Super X3 mill in its crate away from the door of the Tractor building so the  8N Ford  could be put away. Once I remembered I have a perfectly good overhead lift which runs across the tractor bay, it was simply a matter of rigging a couple “straps” to lift the crate. The chains from Wal-Mart were ten feet long which was about three feet too short. Two chains and a towing strap later I was ready to give it a try. The crate lifted off the floor and was then pushed across the bay. This left room for the  8N Ford  to return to the bay. Well, almost enough room. It is quite cramped in the bay now. Soon I will have either a new worktable or a Harbor Freight mill stand #47599 to hold the Super X3 milling machine. You can see the little work room is a bit cluttered too. The X2 mill will go elsewhere, and the room will get cleaned up. I am certainly happy the 1952  8N Ford  tractor was able to lift the 420-pound crate with ...

Yesterday I managed to use my 1952 8 N Ford tractor to haul the 420-pound crate of X3 milling machine to my Tractor Building. It was a challenge because I was unsure the hydraulic lift would be strong enough to lift the crate fastened to the middle of the boom I have for the tractor. It was strong enough; however, a greater challenge was absence of appropriate lifting straps for the task. I had a towing strap about 15 or twenty feet long and used it. To make things better (maybe), I tied the strap around the top portion of the crate with rope. Then to further ensure things did not slip, I used a bit of chain with hooks to fasten to the steel straps on the crate. Well, as I started to lift, the tow strap stretched, the steel strap snapped like it was paper, the tractor groaned, I groaned, and the crate lifted off the ground. As we (crate, tractor, me) drove around the house to the back yard where the Tractor Building is located, the soggy ground showed every inch of the trip, the crate...

‘Tis a fine day in Central Texas. The air is 35 degrees, and it is sunny, with a cool North wind. It is a perfect day to go for a drive on the 1949 Farmall Cub. That is just what I did. I saw it had not leaked gasoline anywhere, so I disconnected the six-volt battery charger and connected the negative battery cable. I managed to touch the battery box while snugging the cable and threw a nice spark which told me both that the battery is charged and to be more careful. Then I climbed aboard using the clever step device dangling from the platform, pulled the choke, pulled the ignition switch, and then the starter. The old Cub started right away and soon I had figured out how to give it just enough choke to keep it going while it warmed up. We backed into the yard and went for a drive ‘round and ‘round we went in second gear, making about five laps of the back yard. I stopped it in the sun to take pictures and to “bleed” the hydraulic system. That thing howled and squealed and scared me ...

Sunday afternoon I took the plunge and added fuel to the gas tank of the Cub. Then I tightened loose connections such as the fuel filter bowl so gasoline would not be dripping. It all seems to be holding. At this time, I have perhaps a gallon of gas in the tank to find out whether it will hold properly. Later I can fill it up or at least put maybe four gallons in it. The hydraulic system needed filling, so I removed the filler plug and used the last of the five-gallon container that I bought for the 8N Ford. I thought I had another 5-gallon pail or bucket and that turned out to be 90 weight gear oil. Had I remembered that I would have used it to fill the rear end of the Cub instead of buying gallons of the stuff individually. I moved the 5-gallon container to a location where it is visible in my Tractor building so it will be available for use next time. Earlier in the week I had painted the fuel cap and radiator cap IH red color. Both were new replacements for worn original item...

Nearly Complete. It was warm this week on Monday, so I got out and put some decals on my JANUARY 1949 Cub which is now 60 years young. I also put the fuel filter in place and attached rubber fuel line between it and the carburetor. I gave up temporarily on putting the metal line on as the exhaust pipe is in the way. If the Cub is returned to the vertical stack exhaust, then the metal fuel line can go on. For now, it is rubber. It is just about time to add gasoline to the tank and see whether it leaks at the fuel filter. I used a sealer so maybe it will be good and tight. While I was adding decals I painted both the radiator cap and the fuel cap. Both are new so I sprayed them with a couple coats of IH red paint. The next to the last challenge is to cut a one-inch hole in the battery box for the proper placement of the new and very long battery cable (negative cable). The box has a large hole to the front and needs a one-inch hole to the rear side of the box. It is a work in pro...

Today, the day after Thanksgiving, I have the hood back on the Cub for the first time in months. It looks good from a distance. This is the hood for which I have the fuel tank cleaned and relined. That was done with a torch, so the entire hood needed to be repainted. The front of the hood attaches to the front uprights with a bolt on each side. The right side was easy enough, but the left side was off enough that I needed a third arm to align the bolt with the hole in the upright. My daughter started the bolt while I was using a hammer to push the upright back and at the same time holding the hood up a bit. The grill is back on too. I had painted it some weeks ago. Something did not look right still and I realized I have used hex bolts instead of the flat head screws which were used originally. I have a set of them and they can be put on tomorrow. They go on the rear of the hood and on the grill sides. One the grill was on and the hood fastened down, I tried the head lights both on low...