Breaking in my new toys... from Yeehaw! to Uh oh!

[Spiveyman]

Ha! That is great! And thanks for the idea of how to mount it. I was thinking fender, but I like that idea even better. Did you get that holster somewhere local or on the internet? Looks like a nice one. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to find one like that where I could use a rifle with a scope. That's a pretty sweet rig with all the stuff you have mounted to your tractor.

On another subject I finally got to play around with the top link and my BB. All the work I did spreading out the mounds of clay from my pond I never really messed around with it. I was too anxious to use the thing to take the time to "play" with it. So, with the mess I made the other day, digging out a water tank, scalping the ground trying to scoop up some dirt with the FEL to fill in the holes, and ripping out a portion of fence, there was some ugly ground right there. I didn't get pictures as it was pretty much dark by the time I got to the BB work, but I finally saw how the top link affects everthing. I lengthened it quite a bit and used the rear blade to do some dozer work. I had it at quite an angle and that thing would really bite in and dig down. Then I shortened the top link as far as I could and got the scarifers diging really deep to break up the clay that had gotten so muddy from the leaking water and had since turned into concrete. Then I lengthened it again and drug the front blade to smooth out the whole deal. I'd prefer to have a real dozer, but in the mean time I love that BB.

One of these days I'll look into hydraulics for all that, but for now I'll be cranking on that top link by hand. One thing I really did not like though was my lift arm adjustment handle. I presume this is factory, but it is a bear to use. Are there better manual adjust handles that can be changed out? Here's what I have:

Anyone had luck changing one of those to something better?

 

[3RRL]

Tim,
This is where I got mine. There are plenty on eBay too.

RIFLE SCABBARDS

I see you have a crank to adjust your side links. A young guy like you should have no problem with that.
Mine were turnbuckles that needed vise like grip to turn and two huge lock nuts to keep it in place, one below and one above the turnbuckle. Both the side links were adjustable like that though. I used the crow bar and an adjustable wrench every time I needed to unlock and re-adjust it. What a pain.

 

[Spiveyman]

Great! Thanks for the link. I'll have to add that to my Chrismas list!

Yeah, at least I do have a crank. That set-up you described sounds nuts. The crank isn't too bad, but I bet there's a better crank. It seems like my papaw's crank is easier to use than mine, but I never paid much attention. I'm going to his farm tomorrow night, so I'll check it out. I can certainly see your motivation to automate all of that on your rig. Mabye I should get an adjustment that is worse than what I have now.... hmmmmmm

 

[Grrrr]

I think that the crank that you have got on the levelling arm is pretty much standard for Fords of that era. I have never seen anything much different to that.

You might be able to find something different at a farm shop but it probably wouldn't be much better.

I never really find I have to adjust that apart from when ploughing or somtimes when hooking up an immovable implement.

 

[sandman2234]

If you decide to go hydraulic with your adjuster, and decide you don't need to store the old one, try to remember us poor people down here in jax that still need that part (and a few others) to replace the 3pt on my 7710.
David from jax

 

[Spiveyman]

I think that the crank that you have got on the levelling arm is pretty much standard for Fords of that era. I have never seen anything much different to that.

Well... here ya' go. Here's my papaw's crank on his 3910. He said he had the people at the shop put this on his when he bought it because the kind that came on it was too hard to turn. His on the left, mine on the right:


With mine you have to turn the shaft directly. On his, the crank arm is at a 90° angle to the shaft. There's some kind of gear reduction in there that makes it extremely easy to turn. I stood on the carry all and was able to turn it very easily. And I suspect it hasn't been greased since the 80's when he bought it, but still is smooth as can be. That's the same shop that had to mine the ore to make my bucket teeth , so I'm a bit leary asking them to find this part for me, but I'll give it a shot. Although, looking at the pictures we have two very different designs, so I'm not sure they will even have something like that for a 6610.

I never really find I have to adjust that apart from when ploughing or somtimes when hooking up an immovable implement.

Yeah, I shouldn't have to move it all the time, but it would be nice to be able to on those occasions when I want to.

...try to remember us poor people down here in jax that still need that part (and a few others) to replace the 3pt on my 7710.

No problem, is there anything else you'd like off my tractor? How are your tires? Need a muffler?

 

[sandman2234]

No problem, is there anything else you'd like off my tractor? How are your tires? Need a muffler?


Four of the six tires are new, and if I ever get the 3pt parts, I will probably remove the duals when the boom mower comes off, so I can pass on the tires. Mine is front wheel assist, so the fronts wouldn't work anyway. Muffler is still ok, and I am not against waking the neighbors, so that I can do without. Plus you will probably mess it up, cutting it off with your hacksaw(LOL).However, if you get tired of the FEL, I will come out and remove it for you at no cost. Can't beat a deal like that, can you?
David from jax

 

[Spiveyman]

...Plus you will probably mess it up, cutting it off with your hacksaw(LOL).However, if you get tired of the FEL, I will come out and remove it for you at no cost. Can't beat a deal like that, can you?

Wow, thanks man. You can't buy friends like that! TBN is such a great place, you find altruism around every corner.

 

[Spiveyman]

There's always a ton of stuff to do on a farm, the trick is trying to figure out how to use your tractor while doing them. Like many farms, mine seems to have its fair share of garbage lying around. Tires... batteries... refrigerators... etc. I've found the cary all to be very helpful in hauling old stuff from around the farm back up to my truck where I can take it to the dump.

I also have a collection of old tires, which the city will take if they are off the rim. I have many tires with no rim, but 2 with rims. The tires are old, dry rotting enough to shrink into the rim real well. Tried like crazy to get the tire off by hand with no luck. So I decided to use the tractor. Hee hee. I really had no idea what to do, but I figured those new bucket teeth could come in handy. I then proceded to smash, crush, roll, scoot, grind, and generally pulverize that tire/rim in every way I could to basically just rip the tire off the rim. I made a mess of the path where I usually drive, but that dang tire is still on the rim. I managed to puncture the tire with two of the teeth, but couldn't get it to release. Aaarg.

It was kind of fun messing around with the FEL like that, but now I'm getting kind of serious. Anyone know a trick to get a tire off a rim? (with or without a tractor )

 

[srossman]

When my father and had to do this, we pressed down on the tire with the edge of the bucket and then curled the bucket all the time keeping downforce on the tire. We were basically trying to break the seal of the tire to the rim. I think that if you can just the seal broke, the rim should come off easily. The other thought I had was maybe a crowbar to pop the edge of the tire over the rim. Hope this helps.

-Scot