[AT] TMCOTKU coming back in balance.

[Indiana Robinson]

I had thought recently that I had sold the little Yanmar 1500 diesel
but the guy (maybe his wife) backed out. It finally left about Friday
for a new home.
This afternoon I went about 30 - 40 miles north and bought a 1948 Case
VAC to go with the one I have which is missing some little stuff (like
pistons, rods, crank, and complete clutch). You know, unimportant
stuff unless you want to drive it.
This one that I just bought is not running but did 4 years ago before
it was pulled in under a carport and parked. It is totally complete
and the engine turns over by hand OK. Nothing was stuck like linkages
etc. Exhaust was capped and the seller said that his father had
puttered with it a couple of times and had pulled the plugs and oiled
it down. Both rear tires are bad but good enough to winch it on the
trailer. It comes with one brand new never mounted Goodyear rear tire
11.2 x 28. I'll probably just buy another new one to match and use
them as a pair on my TO-20 Ferguson. It after all will constantly be
carrying weight on the three point. I'll then put the old but sound
tires from the Fergie on the back of the Case VAC which will generally
only see light drawbar service. Those tires should run a long time on
it. The VAC will be a mid winter (about February) project of taking
the best of both VAC's and making one very good tractor. I'll then
sell the left-overs either on Craig's List or maybe at the Portland
spring swap-meet. I just traded some scrap for the first VAC so if I
can successfully part out the left-overs I should not have much in it
at all.
I paid him $600 for the tractor and the new Goodyear tire which he
said that his father had bought for around $175.
I'm pretty happy with it. It is all there including the belt pulley
and a bunch of implement mounting brackets.Nothing has been
"butchered" and the sheet metal looks great. It even has some paint on
it but needs painting. It just looks like it was being used last week.
Nothing apart. One possible good sign is that the seat brackets etc.
are all really tight and original looking. On the one I already had
the worn seat wobbled around like a drunken sailor on shore leave.
Diana tells me that I should be sure to get it running and painted
before Portland next fall.
I was going to post a link to his ad on Graig's List here but when I
went to it he had already deleted that ad.
-
I'm going this week also to look at a 9N (or 2N) Ford with a Sherman
Over-drive in it. 3 fairly recent tires and one old one (rear). Ad
says it drips oil at the governor and has "some" blow-by. Looks to not
be butchered up or beaten to death. Good price for a Ford N around
here.
One day soon I am going to run up (about 30 miles) to N-Complete and
buy one of their "Position Control" conversions for my TO-20 Fergie. I
could make one but theirs is only about $80 and all of the measuring
and fitting work has already been done.  :-) I have plenty of other
stuff to be doing anyway.
Lately I have been able to work a couple of hours a day and it feels
really good to be getting something done again. My #$%& knee still
hurts a lot but it is all manageable. I am thinking of having son
Scott or an older grandson move some horse stall mats into the shop to
soften up that concrete...
I'm lining up projects for winter but it will be a month before I get
all of the projects that are already in the shop done. Well, OK they
won't all get done. My Farmall 400 LP engine parts are going to a
storage building to "rest" comfortably until I have a LOT more time.
It is not a priority job. Since I retired it will just be a show
tractor. I don't really need it at all. The WC Allis project will also
probably wait a year along with the Farmal F-30. I want all of my
little tractors ready for spring.
I was going to just put the Allis C in a barn and let it wait until
spring but son Scott wants to use it in a parade on the 20th so he
pulled the old manifold while we were gone yesterday and would have
installed the new one then but couldn't find the new gasket. I put it
with the new manifold and he will mount it this week. It also needs a
new brush spring in the generator, a new cut-out and some starter work
or starter replacement. When it is charging properly it has very nice
bright lights.
Maybe I need for him to want to use some other tractors... He works a
lot faster than I do...  :-)


-- 
Have you hugged your horses today?

Francis Robinson
aka "farmer"
Central Indiana USA
robinson46176 at gmail.com