[AT] And Now For Something Different - A Tractor Problem

Sun Feb 11 20:27:12 PST 2007

Charlie,

You jogged a couple memories:
My grandmother/great-grandmother kept a lot of stuff.  She had a front
page clipping of the Wallace, NC Enterprise from that week, on the front
page was a IH 504 pulling somebody out of the snow, and the most
striking picture, a JD, probably a 3010 or 3020, chained to the front of
one of the county ambulances in front of Duplin General Hospital.  What
struck me about that photo is the JD dealer in Teachey (Wallace) had a
painting of that scene hanging in his showroom.  (Tractor Content!)

The thing I remember about the 1980 snow was my mother was directing a
wedding for a former student of hers.  By then she had already taught
the bride, and the groom's sisters.  They got married March 2, my dad's
birthday.  It started snowing the night before, I remember standing in
my grandparents' living room watching them pull in to get me that night
in the '72 Bonneville and it was snowing GOOD by then.  We were out
about a week from school, (kindergarten) when we got back it was so late
in the winter that the teachers had started teaching about what to do
during a tornado drill--and there was still snow on the ground!! That
was also only one of two times I ever went to school on Saturday.
Actually the only time as a student, the second time was after hurricane
floyd in my 3rd year teaching.  The other thing I remember was, one of
my great-uncles had just bought a new tractor, a little IH 484.  It was
his "big" tractor alongside a Super A and an International (not Farmall)
404.  Years later, he said the first time he ever used the 484 was to
try and blade the snow off the driveway, and he cleared a path on the
road to the county line.

Al

-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
[mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of charlie hill
Sent: Sunday, February 11, 2007 12:20 PM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: Re: [AT] And Now For Something Different - A Tractor Problem

Al I think we got about 12 or 13 inches in '80.  The big one was March
of 
'73.  There was a strecth of the road that I lived on that had tall pine

trees on both sides for about 1/2 mile.   That prevented any drifting or

blowing and the snow was absolutely flat and level all the way through
that 
stretch.  I was in the first group of folks that walked out through it.
We 
measured 19" in the middle of the roadway.  Since the road had some
crown in 
it I suspect it would have measured deeper over on the shoulder of the
road.

Back then 4 wd vehicles were few and far between.  We walked out to US
HWY 
70 at a point about 7 miles east of New Bern.  There was one rut cut in
the 
east bound lane and folks were trying to go both ways in that rut.  Cars

were parked as far as you could see in both directions and everyone was
out 
pushing.  We helped.  We would push a car off into the snow bank, then
pull 
one coming from the other direction past it and push the first car back
into 
the roadway where he could go about 1 car length and have to repeat the 
proceedure.  It was absolutely a waste of time but what else do you do. 
Even wreckers, oil jobber trucks, etc. were stuck.  One of the guys that
was 
with us was part owner of a body shop and his wrecker couldn't get to
us.

There was not even a rut cut in the west bound lane.  I was standing in
the 
roadway and happened to look to the east.  I saw this cloud of snow
blowing 
up from the west bound lane about 2 miles down the road.  We couldn't
figure 
out what it was but it seemed to be getting closer.  After a while we
made 
it out.  It was a Chevy Blazer of the 68-72 vintage.  It was green and
light 
brown 2 tone paint and had big all terain tires.  The driver and the guy

riding shotgun were wearing bib overall and caps.  In the back seat was
a 
"gentleman" wearing a top coat and holding a brief case on his knees.
They 
were making about 40 MPH cutting their own rut over and through that 19 
inches of undisturbed snow.  I was impressed.  I knew right then I had
to 
have a 4 wd some day.  I've owned 4wd's ever since about 84 or so and
never 
had to use it in 4wd for snow but one time and that was about 6 months
after 
I bought the first one.

My impression was that the guy in the rear was wealthy and needed to get

somewhere in a hurry and that he found those guys with that Blazer and
payed 
them well to get him out.

Charlie

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Al Jones" <aljones at ncfreedom.net>
To: "'Antique tractor email discussion group'" 
<at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Sunday, February 11, 2007 9:45 AM
Subject: RE: [AT] And Now For Something Different - A Tractor Problem

> Charlie,
>
> How much did you get in March of '80?  I was 5 at the time, but it was
> the first "big" (if any) snow I remember.  Lots of chicken and turkey
> houses collapsed around here.
>
> We have pictures of the '73 snow, my folks lost a lot of hogs it got
> down so cold.  That predates me by about a year ;)
>
> Al
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
> [mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of charlie
hill
> Sent: Sunday, February 11, 2007 2:52 AM
> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
> Subject: Re: [AT] And Now For Something Different - A Tractor Problem
>
> Ralph,  I was thinking about that 8 feet of snow up in New York.
> I've lived in Craven County NC for my entire 56 years.   I believe
that
> is
> more snow than has hit the ground here TOTAL in all of that time.  We
> did
> have a 19 inch snow in 1973 and a couple in the 1 foot range but
mostly
> ours
> are 1 to 2 inches if we get any at all.  None so far this year.
>
> Charlie
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Ralph Goff" <alfg at sasktel.net>
> To: "Antique tractor email discussion group"
> <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> Sent: Sunday, February 11, 2007 12:42 AM
> Subject: Re: [AT] And Now For Something Different - A Tractor Problem
>
>
>> CEE VILL wrote:
>>> I have heard of adding isopropyl (dry gas) to transmission / rear
end
>
>>> units to bring moisture into suspension in the oil to prevent freeze
> up.
>>> Probably not a good plan for a hydraulic system. For this problem
you
>
>>> might try adding Dexron.  Dexron is a premium hydraulic oil with a
> super
>>> all season additive package that would hopefully be compatible with
> your
>>> hydraulic system.  Once warmed up to emulsify the water, it might
> keep it
>>> mixed.
>>> On the other hand, Ralph Goff might have some really good cold
> weather
>>> advise.
>> Charlie, can't say that I have any ideas for this problem as it is
one
>
>> that I have never had much trouble with. I do recall a hydraulic
> screen
>> plugging and collapsing from suction in the hydraulic system in the
>> Cockshutt 50 many years ago. That was just poor maintenance as we
> should
>> have changed oil more frequently to eliminate the condensation. With
> such
>> a small hydraulic reservoir it was not a big expense compared to the
> newer
>> tractors that take nearly a barrel of oil to change the hyd and
trans.
>> I did get caught with ice in the old (non running) DC4 Case last
> winter.
>> Noticed a leaking valve stem on it (chloride) so I thought I'd just
> jack
>> it up, rotate the wheel so the stem was at the top. Surprisingly I
> could
>> not turn the wheel over at all. Finally realized that there must have
> been
>> enough condensation in the bottom of the housing that the final
drives
>
>> were frozen in place. (oil drain and change on the list for when the
>> weather warms up) :-)
>> Today was "warmer" at +2F but still too cold for that kind of work.
>> Sure glad we're not getting the 8 feet of snow that New York is
> getting.
>>
>> Ralph in Sask.
>>
>>
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