Farm and Garden

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I resorted to going as far as I can with big saw, trying to keep tip pointed upwards, then try to finish the bottom round carefully with the small saw and a short 14" or 12" blade....maybe even the Makita.

Machine is on my wish list... selling the Fusion, mustang and some moto bikes for one. Goal is bobcat S550 size or similar...Ideally tracks if I can afford it.

My personal opinion when it comes to skid loaders, Bobcat, Gehl, and Kubota are on the top of the list for brands. New Hollands and John Deere are, IMHO, junk. Visibility and power are both lacking on those. I’ve run all of those except Kubota, but of those, Kubota is the only one that offers a door for the front of the cab that can be opened with the arms up in the air. The Bobcats I’ve run seemed pretty decent but I thought the controls were a little counterintuitive, not sure if that could be changed. Gehl has great visibility and power.

Another thought, pick yourself up a Cant Hook if you don’t have one, they’re like $100 or so, they help you move bigger sections

 

[Eddo Rogue]

My personal opinion when it comes to skid loaders, Bobcat, Gehl, and Kubota are on the top of the list for brands. New Hollands and John Deere are, IMHO, junk. Visibility and power are both lacking on those. I’ve run all of those except Kubota, but of those, Kubota is the only one that offers a door for the front of the cab that can be opened with the arms up in the air. The Bobcats I’ve run seemed pretty decent but I thought the controls were a little counterintuitive, not sure if that could be changed. Gehl has great visibility and power.

Another thought, pick yourself up a Cant Hook if you don’t have one, they’re like $100 or so, they help you move bigger sections

My buddy runs a large commercial concrete company and says pretty much the same thing. They use the smaller stuff the most and the only stuff he could sell me cheap is way too huge...he does let me borrow em during slow rainy times, which is S550 or 770... I would never buy a deere due to their lack of parts/right to repair issues.

I have a really old "casket lifter" that works sometimes. thinking of getting a newer material lift or maybe build a hoist or gantry crane...but I need a machine anyways for minor but heavy dirt work and other moving needs. My buddys when borrowed comes with bucket and forks, and I use both equally.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

In those situations, I’ll mark and sometimes even cut mostly through for my chunks and only cut through in like 4-6’ sections to minimize my risk of hitting dirt and roll the big pieces free to finish cutting out of the dirt. Helps if you have a machine, you can pull bigger sections free

I thought of starting w big sections like that to then manipulate to work on easier....but Im scrawny lol still couldn't move it solo. I figured just do longer bucks that will fit in the splitter as is or halfed....so like 18"-32" was about my moving weight limit just me and pry bars and maybe a hand truck. Oak is dense smh, might still be a lil wet even dead.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I thought of starting w big sections like that to then manipulate to work on easier....but Im scrawny lol still couldn't move it solo. I figured just do longer bucks that will fit in the splitter as is or halfed....so like 18"-32" was about my moving weight limit just me and pry bars and maybe a hand truck. Oak is dense smh, might still be a lil wet even dead.

You would be surprised at what you can move with a Cant Hook. I’m not exactly big either. All you have to do is roll it out of the hole it’s in to finish cutting to chunks. The hook gives you leverage.

48 in. Log Peavy Cant Hook Peavey Point Logging Tool Log Roller Tool

 

[Eddo Rogue]

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You would be surprised at what you can move with a Cant Hook. I’m not exactly big either. All you have to do is roll it out of the hole it’s in to finish cutting to chunks. The hook gives you leverage.

48 in. Log Peavy Cant Hook Peavey Point Logging Tool Log Roller Tool

aw yea I could totally use that...didn't know what they were called either...will add to my shopping list.

 

[Brain75]

casually hunting for a backup haynes manual (I gave up on the first order and told paypay to give me my money back).... and I found this interesting cache.

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"Large lot of manuals, 160 implement manuals covering cultivators, harvesting equipment, plows, and tillage machines. Came from a closed dealer. These are duplicate manuals that I don't need for my collection. $1 each and take them all. I can deliver them to the Northeast Missouri Thresher Grounds next week. Do not want to ship large lot, 4 boxes. "

listing location says Wellfleet NE

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Well an update on the slow motion Oliver 77 revival...

Farm and Garden

did some dirt work today, lot of work, and chains located with tillers on a tractor make quite the racket :). There's a before, after, chain and where the dirt went picture. Where the dirt went was climbable with the tractor before but not mowable with the tractor or riding mower but in theory...

www.therangerstation.com

Ripped the head off to look for carnage:

Got all the pretty red hydraulic oil out... and everything looked fine.



Nothing obviously broken/cracked. Pistons are all even with their mates so no bent/broken rods. #5 was lower on fluid so either it soaked past the rings over the winter or maybe it has an issue.

So I dropped the pan which I later learned wasn't really intended to be done with the engine in the tractor. When to drop the oil and who knows what all out... and it was empty. Didn't remember doing that before but maybe I had? Major PITA. Front pan bolts are over the front axle bolster, rear two are inside the rear inspection cover in the clutch bellhousing. So remove the expansion cover... but you can't get a wrench on the nuts. I wedged a flat screwdriver in there to hold them until they got enough loose enough to get a wrench on them. Once all the bolts are out the cover is trapped between the clutch housing and frame but I could send a socket up there with a long extension to zip out the oil pan bolts. Even with the pan out the cover is still trapped in there... I don't really get the point of an inspection cover if you have to pull the engine/clutch to do any inspecting.

Anyway, I didn't get any pics but same story down below. No smoking gun. I can't see anything damaged.

I am thinking hone the cylinders to get them nice and clean and pull it around and exercise it. It is still really tight and there is some corrosion where the pistons were... maybe the "pop" was the pistons moving past that?

So I go to clean the oil pan up so I can put it back in and put some kind of lube in there.





Fudge, a rust hole.



With like 3 more on the way...





Getting tired of that thing kicking my butt I decided to replace the front tire on the WD so I may have at least one functioning tractor this spring (granted it needs brakes)

Who says you can't get a solid axle to flex like an independent?





I didn't get a finished pic but the tires look pretty much the same, looks "normal" again.

I say that because my main tractor, is having serious rear wheel problems. The new valvestem is puking fluid out:



Tire isn't new, it has some weatherchecking... and it seems to be oozing fluid out the cracks which I don't think is a very good omen.



Sooo... it spent all winter on a jackstand and I haven't quite figured out how to crack that nut. I have a better tire... also on a fluid laden rim. So breaking down two wheels full of fluid, cleaning up a rim and reassembling with a new tube. Just haven't achieved that level of free time/ambition yet.

 

[racsan]

I started to work on the 8N tonight. Got the “new” 12.4 tire ready to go on so started to remove the right side tire thats a 11.4 , someone definitely used air tools. Had to put a 3’ pipe on my 4’ breaker bar to get the lugs loose. Flipped the tire assembly around so I can get to the hardware holding the center disk in that needs to be put in the rim/tire I bought. Found the original tire has fluid in it. Very heavy, not sure if tire on other side is fluid filled or not. Soaked the nuts with wd-40 but may have to cut them off with the angle grinder/cut off wheel like I had to with the wheel I bought, it had a 2N center in it.

 

[racsan]

Got the tire swapped out, looks better with the same size on both sides. As far as I can tell the other tire wasn’t loaded. Took it out for a ride. Doesn’t look the greatest but runs & sounds quite well. Painted the “new” rim black, mostly because I dont have to mask off the tire, silver or white would really show the overspray.

 

[Sharky]

looks ok but the 2 sides dont match.................

 

[rumblecloud]

looks ok but the 2 sides dont match.................

Picky, picky, picky...

 

[racsan]

changed engine oil & put the drawbar kit on today, yesterday I put the old 11.2/28 tire up for sale & someone drove from the indiana border to buy it. Now I can order a alternator kit. The generator on it now is only acts as a idler pulley for the water pump.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

About a year ago I swapped a wheel that came with my WD onto my WD-45. It worked great all summer but after I finished chopping stalked it started leaking fluid around the valvestem. Overnight it was half flat and leaking bad so I sneaked it over to concrete, jacked it up and stuck a jackstand under it. And there it sat.

Now it is tis the season to plant and my main horse is still laid up.

The WD would do it... but currently doesn't have brakes.
The B JD could maybe do it if the hydraulics would do it. A lot of things changed in JD land between 1946 and the 1970s though.
The C doesn't have hydraulics
The Oliver is still a lawn ornament and doesn't have hydraulics.

Dad offered just borrowing a wheel off of one of his tractors just to plant with... so sure. As a side perk... no fluid so it is much easier to handle.



Before we get to commited to this... lets check if it will even run. It fired right off like I had just shut it off. Not bad for sitting outside for like 7mo.



Wheel weight is off




Back on all fours!



A closeup of that creamy goodness for @PlumCrazy



Hooked up the planter, sneaked it under a shade tree and popped the seedboxes off to swap the corn meters for the Kinze bean units to plant soybeans.









Nothing to it... got everything all greased and oiled to hopefully ward off evil spirits.



And we beat the rain and got all done.

 

[rumblecloud]

I am not a farmer, but is that what you would call "no-till?"

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I am not a farmer, but is that what you would call "no-till?"

Kind of.

I hit it with the disk once. Makes life easier on the planter, helps the ground absorb water better and kinda resets weeds to save a round of chemicals.