Carey, I though about doing a compression check, but I don't have any of the equipment to carry out that procedure. It seems to run fine now, and fires up fairly quickly, so I think the compression is at least acceptable. I'll look into finding the apparatus to do a compression test though.
When I started the tractor up this morning to load it onto my trailer, it was kicking out the gray smoke screen again. Puzzled, I pulled the valve cover off, and sure enough, there was the pushrod out of its socket, and the rocker arm off kilter and partway off the rocker shaft. Here is what it looked like:
Pictures by International284 - Photobucket
I checked the pushrod and it was still straight. I reassembled everything and checked the valve clearance, which was still spot-on. I tightened it up slightly and that seemed to reduce the side-to side play. (My clearance is now about 0.0045) 10 start and shutdown sequences later, everything was fine. When I started it this morning, I spun it up to build oil pressure and then released the decompression lever. I don't understand how using the decompression lever could make this happen; I don't want to mistake correlation for causation.
The ag tires from International 284 do not fit this tractor, the bolt circumference is different.
California, I had come to a similar idea as you: I tried using tow chains to make some improvised tire chains for use at the friend's flooded house. The principle would work, but, in this case, at least, what I needed was enough cross chains to connect my two circumferential towing chains. I didn't have enough other chain to keep the bands in place. In fact, I only have enough chain to do one side. It wouldn't have mattered.
The mud is so thick, and interspersed with rocks from softball to armchair size that this little tractor doesn't have a hope of cutting through it anyway. Even 4 wheel drive would have meant I could traverse the area better, not get anymore work done. I had my 6 foot box blade with added weights for ballast, so I had every chance I was going to. We got the driveway and road scraped free, but it is going to take a large tracked excavator to move enough yardage of mud. This little tractor just isn't enough, but it did what could be reasonably expected.
The turf tires, as anticipated, became totally mud-loaded and offered basically no traction. On the plus side, they also failed to dig deep enough holes to get stuck. I STRONGLY encourage anybody trying to improvise their own chains to use bolts through the chain or some other positive retention. Using tie wire around a chain hook to hold it was a necessary evil, and it worked, but one should find a better and safer way.
The inundated area is about 150 feet by 60 feet, and, near as we can tell, an average of 4 feet deep. Put another way, it's over 1300 cubic yards of material. The swimming pool is filled, and the interior of the house is starting to cave in from the pressure outside the walls.
It's really a tragedy, but we got enough of a pathway cleared that the family can go in and start collecting their possessions.
Thanks again for the assistance. Any ideas on why the pushrod keeps falling out when the clearances measure to specification?
