[AT] Progress made

[Henry Miller]

A very interesting tractor day. After church there was a pot luck. One
guy volunteers at Living History Farms (https://www.lhf.org). He gets to
see things not on exhibit. In the basement of the cabinet shop is a 1937
Ford with a flathead v8. There is no garage door, but he thinks he had
permission to tear the wall down enough to get it out. Not sure what thy
will do with it after that, but it is a shame to have it out of sight.
Also someplace back there is a machine shed packed with tractors and
other farm stuff. I'm going to have to volunteer there just to see it. I
think everyone reading this agrees they want to as well. 

After getting home I did a little mudding on my basement project.
However that didn't last long. My 4 year old asked me to go out to the
tractor house and start the big tractor, not the biggest one, but the
little big one, and pull him on the trailer he painted white. He would
let me drive this time. Which is to say he wanted a hay ride and he knew
that of my 4 tractors only one was running. (the John deere b I normally
use for that job blew a radiator hose and I don't have anything in the
radiator yet) 

A 3 horse power engine is a little light, in fact the clutch won't hold
for pulling in 3rd gear. (homemade IH titan model based on a 3 hp hit
and miss engine)  In first gear at a pace that I can easily crawl
circles around it everything was fine. Once around the yard (i have 8
acres) and I was ready to put it away when his little sister came
outside. So I did one more lap. This tractor was not made for adults to
drive, anytime I shifted in the seat the exhaust valve would hit my
knee. 

After putting everything away I stayed outside to work on the little
John deere. This is a homemade tractor based around a 1.5hp John deere
e. I was trying to fit the new gas line. The instructions said that you
can bend it by hand to fit. Well maybe you can, but I can't. Eventually
I put it in the vice with some wood Jaws and used an adjustable wrench,
but that part comes latter. While I was struggling with it my son was on
the other side playing with the chain and getting more frustrated.
Eventually he asked me to help him get it. After a little playing I had
it back in place and the master link reconnected. A job well done for
the two of us, and probably his first time productively getting his
hands greasy!

Then back to the gas line, which was not going in easy. After a lot of
fighting I got it attached to the mixer, then it was easy to get the
tank end screwed in. A little gas and turn the crank. Soon gas was
running down out of the choke... My multi meter says that the Magento is
only putting out 0.5 volts. So I guess I need someone with a magneto
recharger. (anyone know of one near des Moines?) 

I'm writing this from his bed, he just fell asleep. My turn next, good
night and may your days be as productive. 


-- 
  Henry Miller
  hank at millerfarm.com