Hat Tips

Hello,

Farming and ranching has lots of challenges. And I’m not real good at challenges. Many of those challenges involve repairing equipment. This is something I’m really bad at. That is worse than being “not real good at”.

So you would think that I would take something into the implement dealer or the pickup dealer if I have a problem. You would think so. But you are wrong. You see, they charge about $10,000 per hour to work on your pickup, tractor, or baler. You have to improvise.

Shirley says that no one will ever steal our pickup. I don’t need to lock it. Because you can’t get it out of park most of the time. That’s what the screwdriver in the door is for. There is a hole under the dash that you put that screwdriver in, step on the brake, and simultaneously put it in drive. It’s pretty easy if you have two or three good hands.

And you have to be aware when driving the pickup, if you bump the key, or hit a bad hole, the pickup will shut off. Don’t panic. Quickly put it in neutral, and it will usually start up again before you run off the road, usually. Drive very carefully if you are in heavy traffic.

The tractor has a deal called a fuel solenoid or something. A mechanic showed me where this thing is located. It has a little rod that, when working, allows the fuel to go to the injector pump. Or whatever that thing is called. It goes up or down to allow the fuel to run. The mechanic says it is a very expensive deal. And it is hard to put in. And it is hard to adjust properly.

But I discovered that if you take a bungee cord, or a rubber tarp strap, attach that to the thingamajig, pull it tight, and fasten it through a hole on the exhaust, it works just fine. When you are done for the day, just shut the tractor off. It will continue to run until you walk around and unhook your tarp strap. Simple. And a bungee cord or tarp strap is a really cheap thing compared to $10,000 an hour.

No one will ever steal that tractor.

The other tractor runs very well. If you can get it started. You always hook the battery cables up before you try it. Always. Otherwise you are wasting your time. Remember, positive to positive (that’s the red one), and negative to negative (that’s the black one with the minus sign).

Be careful. Hook your cables to the dead battery first. Otherwise it can explode when you do it wrong and sparks fly. From experience, I can tell you that hurts.

The transmission is locked up on the 4020. I’ve started to take that apart. Have you ever seen anyone overhaul a transmission on a 65-year-old tractor? Using only a pink plier from Shirley’s toolbox, a rusty crescent wrench, and a fencing plier?

This is going to be a challenge. I'll need thoughts and prayers.

Later, Dean