Making Lemonade from Lemons

[HeadExam 1,783]

This last week has been really bad. Pain has been so that one to two hours of sleep has been average going on two weeks. On top of that University screwed up the computer system and the federal scholarship money might be delayed until December. I had to take a leave of absence and go to work (Gasp!) until the money comes in. I have a job I started yesterday remodeling a basement, but today I took a personal day. I try and take at least 2-3 personal days a week, if the week was a wee bit longer I would insist on taking up to 4 personal days. After my 2 cups of coffee and milk and a couple of over easy eggs cooked into 2 slices of Wheat bread I made my way to the driveway full of tractors. I had so many different bits and pieces to do on each machine that the morning fog just allowed me for a few hours buzzing from one tractor to another. I got the battery charger on the Massey Ferguson 1450 and drove it about and left it running to charge the dead battery (lol), The drive about loosened the old girl up nicely and she drove like a S class Mercedes. I found my ferrules and completed my lift cable for the Allis 716H and installed the rear upper and lower lift parts and also got the grader blade installed. I put the battery charger on the Simplicity 7016HK and went to work on the two Bolens 1476, but then I saw the 1256 front tire had again gone flat (only on one side), so I removed the wheel and ran the round rasp through it real good and pushed a nice plug through it and reinstalled, so far the plug has held, back to the Bolens. The 1476 with the deck was acting and sounding funny when I raised and lowered the deck and I noticed that when I really got on the gas both tires would break loose and spin like I was off the ground, I was off the ground. Apparently the lift goes to ground level and below. When I lower the the mower deck to its lowest point it will lift the rear end of the tractor completely off the ground, enough for me to change a tire. I need to watch how far I lower the deck! I need to replace a few hair pins and clevis pins with bolts to prevent some of the lift mechanisms getting hung up by hairpins hitting each other. I also had to take the torch (I just like using the torch, even though I always burn myself) to one side of the mower deck front skid as it had been bent down a wee bit; all done and onto the the Bolens 1476 with the tiller. I made a belt guide the other day and that didn't seem to help at all, then today I noticed there was a belt guide missing on the other side as well. I found a 3/16 piece of round stock and threaded an 1-1/2" on one end and cold bent the belt guide end. Well that help a lot, but the rear tines are still moving with the PTO off. These are belts from a supply house, not factory replacement belts, the size is the same, but factory replacements are a matched set of three and made with a special blend of Kevlar and reinforced cord, but those are 50.00 for three, mine were 18.00 delivered. I still think I may have a adjustment problem with the belt guides, PTO spring, or PTO rod; saving that for a another day. The neighbor came over late in the afternoon and had a load of gravel to spread on his drive that the gravel man had brought. He took the Wheel Horse with the box blade and front blade and was not gone 30 minutes and returned with a big smile and 25.00, I didn't take it. I still need to remove my hydraulic valve from the Massey 1650 and add the extra valve so I can have a hydraulic center link to adjust the box blade or plow. The battery charger did its job (90 minutes on a 50 amp charge) and the Simplicity 7016HK fired right up, and after a 10 minute stretch around the drive and yard, she took her place with the herd. I still have the Massey Ferguson MF-16 in the barn, 5 different tractors in various stages of alteration/repair in the shop and 6 more non runners in the barn. I dissembled the Cub Cadet Q40 snow blower and will offer the parts on eBay. Later in the afternoon I went to town and replaced a GFI outlet on a friends porch and I am ready for a bite to eat here at 8:15. More pictures tomorrow or Saturday after a good scrubbing, 

[expeatfarmer 591]

Sounds like a busy day !