Our Tractor Story

Choose which month you want to read

Return to the main page

July, 2000

7-1-00:  Pat and I are in the Homer Township Parade today.  He came over about 9 and we drove his Farmall M and our model B over to the parade check-in spot.  We got under way about a half hour late, but that was OK, as I had the umbrella, and stayed in the shade.

Click here to see photos of the parade

7-2-00:  Pat, Carolyn and I meet at Burn's Woods to start cleaning the place up for the threshing show, which will be in about three weeks.  Every weekend from now to the 23rd will be busy  days here.  Pat helped with a chain saw over at the sawmill, where an old tree fell over.  Carolyn and I picked up a couple of pickups full of downed tree limbs.  Larry Marek repaired the phone and power lines, Jim Huston ran his Case tractor with a mower under the trees, Bob Satterlee ran a trimmer around the trunks, Jerry Rice moved dirt and material with his Oliver tractor, all while the parking field and the large open areas were mowed with a JD 4020 with a triple wide mower.

7-8-00:  Carolyn and I return to Burn's Woods to continue the cleanup.  We helped where we could, and helped clean up the sawmill, moved a few planks and again picked up a truck load of fallen limbs.  Bob, Jim, Jerry and Elmo continued to put the place in order.  Cal Davis finish mowed the area under the trees and Jessie began staking out the flea market area.

7-9-00:  Carolyn and I drove over to Crown Point, Indiana for the South Lake County Agricultural Historical Society show.  We met Fred Lestina, Jim Huston and Ray Mattox, all from our club while we were walking around.  Ray had his impressive display of horse drawn equipment on display.

7-15/16-00:  Carolyn and I are now on "vacation" and will be at Burn's Woods the rest of the week.  We worked with Bob, Jim, Jerry and Elmo, with thousands of jobs.  We will be setting up tents, the registration area, the "grandstand" (three flat bed 40 foot trailers with chairs and straw bales for seats) and getting the pulling track in shape.

7-17-00:  Dan and I drove down to the woods.  Bob, Dan and I loaded two wagons with bundles.  Butch Brueggert used his truck tractor to move the box trailer and the flat trailers, as well as a low-boy all day.  Denny Christiansen started bringing in the steam tractors.  We unloaded the box trailer and started setting up.  After we got home, Pat and I loaded our tractors on the trailer.

7-18-00:  I drove the truck down to the show with the tractors on the trailer.  This rig runs real well when fully loaded.  My estimate of the load is that the truck weighs about 6,400 pounds, the trailer about 4,000 pounds, Pat's M about 4,600 pounds, and our B about 3,200 pounds, for a total of 18,200 pounds.  I unloaded the tractors and set up our shelter, then continued helping set up the show area.

7-19-00:  We loaded and brought over six gravity wagons full of corn for the sheller.  Tractors are parking in the display area, and flea market vendors are starting to set up, along with the first of the food vendors.  By the end of the day, the place is about ready to go.  It sure has changed from a week ago!

7-20/23/00:  The show is on.  Carolyn is in the Association's big tent, helping sell our association shirts, hats and calendars as well as hundreds of hand-crafted items available, while I spend most of my time in the tractor registration area with Denny's wife Cheryl, trying to register the tractors as fast as we can.  We are right beside the steam tractors, and the coal smoke blows over up every so often.  The sounds of the blowers, the occasional safety valve lifting, the sound of the sawmill, trucks with trailers of tractors arriving, people asking questions, the smell of the ribs cooking - wow!  Sensory overload!  This is too much fun for kids!

Click here to see pictures from the show & parade

I drove our tractor in the first parade, and got an hour off so I could plow a few turns in the open plowing field.  The fuel system seem to be acting up a little, as the tractor misses when at full load for more than a few minutes.   adjusted the tractor's carburetor at full load while turning the club's belt driven fan, and it seems better, but still misses at full load.

As the show winds down Saturday night, the Association members have a corn-fest.  We bought a big box of sweet corn and steamed it with one of the tractors.  When it was tested and pronounced "good", we all gathered under the awnings and tore into it.  There is nothing like fresh steamed (or roasted) sweet corn.  Several of the members provided chips, dips and other treats for us to enjoy.  Afterwards, we had our spark show, where a loader bucket of sawdust is shoveled into the firebox of a steam tractor while it is working at full power turning our belt-driven fan.

Sunday afternoon is the end of the show.  After the parade, we load the tractors and head for home.  By dark, everything is back where it belongs, and our tractors are asleep in their garages again.... until next time.  Next trip with the tractor is to Pontiac in September.  We hope to see you here!

7-29/00:  I want to find out why the engine has been missing.  I suspect a plugged fuel line, as there is material in the sediment bowl.  I drained the tank, and removed it from under the hood.  I filled the tank with water and dumped it out, and I found the problem.  There was straw in the fuel tank.  Enough to make a bird's nest.  I repeated the filling and dumping until it is clean, then I rinsed it with a fuel system dryer, and will let it set for a few days to dry out.  I also took the shifter off the transmission, to see if I can adjust the high-low shifter a little better.  It never has wanted to stay in low gear, and I suspect the forks are not clicking into the detents in low range.

This thing is acting peculiar.  I adjust it so it clicks in, put the cover on and try it, and it shifts into low range, but not into any of the transmission gears.  I re-adjust the shifter the other way, and it doesn't engage low range properly, but the transmission shifts OK in all other gears.  I took the shifter off again to see why the low gear won't line up right, and I poke around the low range sliding gear.  OOPS!  I notice the main transmission input gear moves around when I press on it!  This is very bad news.  I can put my pry bar between the gear and the case and move it in and out of the case a half of an inch!  As the low range sliding gear moves to the right, some teeth on it are supposed to engage an internal gear on this shaft, and if the gear is moved outward, the sliding gear doesn't engage very much.  This must be why it pops out of gear.  Time to take the first reduction cover off and see what can be seen there.  BIG JOB AHEAD!!!!

7-30/00:  I removed the clutch without much trouble.  The linings look pretty thin, and one has several cracks.  Looks like I need new ones.  The clutch shaft is missing the upper retaining clip, so the shaft moves up and down, so I will order one of these also.  the first reduction gear outer bearing cover, and SURPRISE !!!!  NO BEARING THERE!!!  Just the inner race and a couple of retaining rings in the case!  No wonder the shaft moves so much.  The bearing is held in place with an inner and outer snap ring retainers, which locates the gear laterally, and without the bearing, it moves in and out, as well as wobbling around.  I removed the right hand brake drum and then removed the cover and found very little oil inside.  No wonder the bearing gave out.  Now the question is - why is there no oil in there?

Click here to see the destroyed bearing

I removed the nut from the end of the shaft and got the bearing and first reduction gear off with Pat's gear puller.  The threads on the end of the transmission input shaft were torn up some when I removed the nut, as I could not get the cotter pin out and had to shear it off by just turning the nut with a pipe wrench.  Don't worry about hurting the nut with the pipe wrench, as it was battered beyond belief into a blob of metal bouncing around inside the cover where the bearing was supposed to be.  I am making a parts list and will order what I need tomorrow.

7-31/00:  I sent my parts list off via email to Heritage Equipment in Clare, Michigan.  I also asked Melanie at Sharp's Tractor Parts about the parts that Deere will not have, such as the input gear, as well as the gaskets, retainers, bearings and so on, just to compare prices.

Clickhereto go to August, 2000.