Oil & Fuel My five year quest for a (running) tractor is over!

Mike476 · Apr 1, 2012

It's going to be a nice running machne when you're done. :thumbsup:

irvingj · Apr 1, 2012

Great pics! It still amazes me to see what an old piece of iron can turn into with a little TLC... yes, the dead CAN be brought back to life!

Maybe it's just me, but I often compare what you've done to a doctor saving a patient's life. (Guess that's why I like fooling around with my old motorcycle wrecks!:laughing

Nice job.

Run it for a while, keep an eye on the blow-by, and you can tear her down later and take care of the innards. I can almost hear it purring.:thumbsup:

bsbrum · Apr 1, 2012

irvingj said:
Great pics! It still amazes me to see what an old piece of iron can turn into with a little TLC... yes, the dead CAN be brought back to life!

Maybe it's just me, but I often compare what you've done to a doctor saving a patient's life. (Guess that's why I like fooling around with my old motorcycle wrecks!:laughing Nice job.

Run it for a while, keep an eye on the blow-by, and you can tear her down later and take care of the innards. I can almost hear it purring.:thumbsup:

Mechanics are underrated. ;-)

I am really happy with how she's running - she never idled this smoothly before, and it'll go down to where it seems like it shouldn't even be running anymore, and come right back up smoothly again.

Starts great when she's warm. Struggles when she's cold. From everything I've read about the blow-by, that seems to be one of the key symptoms.

Thanks to all for the community - this helps.

irvingj · Apr 2, 2012

Here's one for ya-- The clock in the old airplane I just bought doesn't work. Now, I could slap a cheap digital clock right over it, but I'd rather tinker with a 56-year-old Longines-Wittnauer 8 day wind-up 1-7/8" analog aircraft clock than do that.... Just wouldn't seem right otherwise.

That little jewel weighs about a quarter pound, and fairly screams "quality" from a bygone era. Apparently very similar to a Navy aircraft clock used from Korean War to VietNam War.

Prognosis looks good; so far I've cleaned up the face, the lens, and dug out & replaced the o-ring under the glass that was like charcoal....

No, it's not a tractor... but I can carry it around in one hand!:laughing:

flusher · Apr 2, 2012

bsbrum said:
Mechanics are underrated. ;-)

I am really happy with how she's running - she never idled this smoothly before, and it'll go down to where it seems like it shouldn't even be running anymore, and come right back up smoothly again.

Starts great when she's warm. Struggles when she's cold. From everything I've read about the blow-by, that seems to be one of the key symptoms.

Thanks to all for the community - this helps.

Glad you found your tractor. Good luck.

bsbrum · Apr 2, 2012

irvingj said:
Here's one for ya-- The clock in the old airplane I just bought doesn't work. Now, I could slap a cheap digital clock right over it, but I'd rather tinker with a 56-year-old Longines-Wittnauer 8 day wind-up 1-7/8" analog aircraft clock than do that.... Just wouldn't seem right otherwise.

That little jewel weighs about a quarter pound, and fairly screams "quality" from a bygone era. Apparently very similar to a Navy aircraft clock used from Korean War to VietNam War.

Prognosis looks good; so far I've cleaned up the face, the lens, and dug out & replaced the o-ring under the glass that was like charcoal....

No, it's not a tractor... but I can carry it around in one hand!:laughing:

Irving - that is great. You struck a real sentimental chord with me (I love planes too - I used to work on a 1943 Lockheed C60). I am not trying to preach to the choir here, just voicing the sentiment.

What you describe, to me, all speaks to the teachings of the pre 60's generations, when things were valued for more than their function alone - when "swapping out" something just because it was malfunctioning was utter foolishness.

One of my favorite characters of the 20th century was Richard Feynman. He grew up in the depression era, and taught himself advanced mathematics, electronics (as it was), and even started a small business repairing radios when he was 13 or 14. I am no nuclear physicist, but I feel a kindred spirit with the folks here - and with the likes of Feynman.

As far as "repair vs replace" goes, I am a pragmatist in these matters. A ridiculous repair bill might throw me into the office of the salesman, but like you I opt to repair it first, and do it myself if at all possible. My previous hole-filled MF65 block notwithstanding.

My parents did not teach me self sufficiency directly, I've undertaken it out of necessity. This 1959 MF65 is a part of that. And in about a week I am borrowing a friend's 2-bottom plow, and I am going to turn some of my property for corn. Yay! It was all for this moment!

At the end of the day, if I can turn some soil, learn, help teach my kids the value of things (seen and unseen), preserve history, and have fun doing it - and not go broke in the process, geeze, that's a great package.

Any nut can whip out a checkbook .... But it takes a *real* nut to do what we do.

grainger12002 · Apr 2, 2012

Brian
Thats a great tractor, I think its a perkins diesel, they are great runners,great on fuel,thanks for the pics and keep mus posted on the improvments to it-

From CT !!

bsbrum · Apr 2, 2012

grainger12002 said:
Brian
Thats a great tractor, I think its a perkins diesel, they are great runners,great on fuel,thanks for the pics and keep mus posted on the improvments to it-

From CT !!

Thanks. Yep it's a Perkins. Just has a lot of blow-by, but it's running great otherwise.

I get a lot of seepage from the steering gear box - rusty, thick oil. The gas basket case MF65 I had did the same thing. Is this normal, and/or is there a reasonable remedy for it?

Also getting some engine oil dripping from the square plate behind the flywheel - underside, has four bolts holding it on.

Lots of little seeps and leaks.

irvingj · Apr 3, 2012

"Any nut can whip out a checkbook .... But it takes a *real* nut to do what we do.

"

Hear, hear! :thumbsup::laughing:

When I was about 13, my watch stopped. So, naturally, I took it apart.... My mother saw what I was doing, and imparted some ancient Vermont wisdom: "There are two kinds of people that take a watch apart, a jeweler and a fool."

I found that one grain of sand that was in there, removed it, put it back together, and it worked....

Yep, I showed her. No comment.:laughing: I can't help it! Guess I'll be a "tinkerer" all my life, just have to know how stuff works.:confused2:

Keep at it with your tractor! I'm a bit jealous and ashamed... I simply bought a new one a few years back, so I missed out on "saving" an antique!

bsbrum · Apr 8, 2012

Here are some of the latest pictures.

New seat pads, shifter boots, Tractormeter, reattached the hood, used oven-cleaner on the block and primed it after (with all that grime gone it wanted to rust right up), battery holder hole and slot created. That about filled my Saturday, along with everything else that I needed to do.

Not having the complete hood and left fender bothers me, but all in good time.

Getting ready to do some soil turning with her next weekend. I have a LOT to learn.