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...and don't forget Ernie!

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littletractorguy

· The Retired Admin from... Nowhere!
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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Well, he's gotten kinda short shrift, him being the first ANTIQUE tractor I have, AND the closest of the bunch to being a drive-able machine... So, with the permission of LTGal, I arranged to do a little something for Ernie to make him feel not-so-left-out... Spent the past couple days dropping the oil out of him, dropping the gear oil out, oiling him up and lubing him so he's almost ready to drive... All of that work was in preparation for THIS!

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I spent the whole late evening figuring out how to put this #42 blade on! Its a bit of a puzzler without a manual, but I figure I got it! So first, the mount...

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Initially I figured it would need a draft rod to go across the mount, so I picked up a piece of 1/2" threaded rod...

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However, turns out that was not the case... I DID however, need some 3/8" fine threaded rod to make the lift rod out of... Thanks to rhenning's post in 2011 on MTF, I was able to get the length, and figure out that I could steal two clevis' off Cranky to save myself some big bux on a lift rod...

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I'm pretty sure I got the lift link oriented right...

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and here's the frame and the mount with the top arms attached...

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I'm just not totally sure about the braces... Here's the left-hand one, which I THINK I've got mounted right...

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But the right one has that little curve in it, so that it can clear the mule drive on the tractor I'm assuming... But the only way I could get it to fit was to bolt it to the INSIDE of the mount...

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So then I threw the gosh-darned heavy blade onto my skidoo dolly and rolled it over to the mount...

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got the bottom mount points hooked up,

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then flipped the blade up and did up the top arms, and voila!

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But boy I'll tell ya, I'm sure glad Cranky gave up his helper spring, 'cuz holy cow that blade is heavy! Even WITH the helper spring! Next up is getting carriage bolts for the wheel weights, mounting them up, bashing the rust off the chains and putting them on, possibly filling the tires with windshield washer fluid, and taking Ernie for a spin... Oh, and finding a slightly smaller clevis pin and hairpin clip for the lift rod, as I have a bolt in there right now... Oh, and 2 2"x1/2" bolts for the brace mount points...

The only thing that worries me, as I practice getting on and off Ernie, wow he's a monster of a machine compared to LittleTractor! I hope I can manage him! Well, slow and careful until I get the feel of him, I guess!
 
#4 ·
Nice write up, but you didn't explain how that bicycle pump was used in the installation of the blade.

:ROF
 
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Discussion starter · #5 ·
UrbanTractor said:
Looking good, LTG!

Mine came already fully assembled, and the right hand brace was on the outside. I don't recall any clearance issues with the mule drive. Hmmm? That piece has a funny pre-bend in it -- did you try flipping it around every which way?


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So it SHOULD be outside! I did SOME jiggling but not enough I guess... I'll have to revisit that soon.

Nouveau Redneck said:
Nice write up, but you didn't explain how that bicycle pump was used in the installation of the blade.

:ROF
Click to expand...
I'ts 'cuz I'm so full of hot air! :)

(actually, I had been using Ernie as a tool stand to hold my bike tools while changing out a flat tire on my bike the night before last. All the more reason to get a blade on him and get using him this winter!).
 
#6 ·
You did it LTG :congrats: The 160 looks like it is ready to come in if Ernie quits.
100 series aren't special but usually reliable.
I love your paint work... BTW what is all the brownish stuff ?? .................... wait for it.............................. RUST. :dunno:
 
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#8 ·
LTG! Good to see your progress! I always like reading your soap opera,er posts on the tractors ;) LOL KIDDING my friend!
God bless!
Eric
 
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Discussion starter · #9 ·
KATT said:
You did it LTG :congrats: The 160 looks like it is ready to come in if Ernie quits.
100 series aren't special but usually reliable.
I love your paint work... BTW what is all the brownish stuff ?? .................... wait for it.............................. RUST. :dunno:
Click to expand...
One of these days... One of these days I'll have a NICE looking tractor! But then I'll be too afraid to use it, 'cause I'll scuff it!

Ericjr16 said:
LTG! Good to see your progress! I always like reading your soap opera,er posts on the tractors ;) LOL KIDDING my friend!
God bless!
Eric
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Eric, I won't even START on the soap opera that has been getting that blade in the first place! I'm SO lucky to have a very tolerant wife! But after the mucho dinero to ship it here (because for some reason those puppies are like hens teeth up here), I better put it to good use!
 
#10 ·
LTG, God willing the blade will work as you want and the tractor will push as good as our truck! :)
God bless my friend!
Eric
 
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#11 ·
littletractorguy said:
One of these days... One of these days I'll have a NICE looking tractor! But then I'll be too afraid to use it, 'cause I'll scuff it!
"One of these day Alice" " Oh you're gonna get it !! Oh you're gonna get it !! bam pow to the moon :howdy:
Click to expand...
 
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Discussion starter · #12 ·
Went out to tonight and messed about with the blade and the braces tonight... I'll be darned if I can get the right hand one to fit on the outside... It's almost like its bent in too far or something. Well, it'll just have to stay on the inside..
Got the 2" bolts in for the braces, then took almost everything off and greased all the bushings. Put the charger on, then pulled the spindle grease fittings to clean all the old grease out of them, put them back in and greased the spindles. Maybe I should drop the bottom off the carb and clean the sediment bowl.
 
Discussion starter · #14 · (Edited)
So after an afternoon of working on Wally, I figured I'd better spend some time seeing about getting Ernie running... so this morning I ran out and bought a cheap brand new utility battery so I could treat Ernie right... So, put that battery in this morning, then went and worked on Wally... Came back to Ernie shortly before supper, after I'd run Wally's battery out...

What I figured was that I should clean out Ernie's sediment bowl, because I could see a lot of varnish in the bottom of it...

BIG mistake...

NOW i know why Deere has discontinued parts on those puppies... So I pulled it off and opened it up... The gasket at the top was pretty crunchy... But I cleaned it out anyway and put it back together. Hooked everything back together, went to turn over Ernie... No start!

Oh wait! It would help if I opened the fuel shutoff valve! Reach over and open it, watch as the fuel flows in, go to turn the key - HEY! Why is there gas dripping out of the sediment bowl?!? Stupid gasket! Shut the fuel shutoff off, pull the bowl, drip gas everywhere! Notice that there is still fuel dripping out of the top of the sediment bowl - CRUD! The shutoff doesn't actually, um, shut off! The next bunch of time I spend getting covered in gas, discovering that NONE of my sediment bowls (except for the one on Wally) actually hold gas without leaking, trying to figure out how to get the rest of the gas out of the leaking sediment bowl... My bright idea was to, once I'd gotten the LEAST leaky sediment bowl onto it (the top and gasket from Bror, whose valve didn't leak, the screen from Ernie) fire up Ernie and see if I could run the gas out of the line and bowl... Hopefully keeping ahead of the SLIGHTLY dripping sediment bowl... So, choke up, throttle up, turn the key, and Ernie caught right away.... And became one great big mosquito fogger! After 30 seconds, even with the big door open, the garage was so smoky I could barely see across it! I had thought Wally smoked! Well, he ain't got NOTHING on Ernie! DOH! So I shut Ernie down, and set about taking off the sediment bowl, and trying to carefully drain all the gas out of the tank into a handy container... But while trying to maneuver the container under the loosening sediment bowl, I caught things wrong and upset the container, spilling gas all over my face.... Sudden rush inside to do major eyeball rinse!

Okay, so, that put an end to my tractoring for the evening... an hour of showering and soaping later, I still smell like gas...

Soooo.... Now I've got problems... Wally still doesn't run yet..., Ernie smokes terribly... All my fuel systems are buggered...

I figure, despite the attractive vintageness of the sediment bowl, I'm going to be purchasing at least two of the replacement shutoff valves from Deere come Monday, and plumbing in a standard fuel filter. But what to do about the not running Wally and the smoking Ernie? Perhaps I should swap Ernie's carb over on to Wally to see what happens to Wally... At least then I could get a long enough run to see if Wally's engine is alright...
 
#15 ·
Tyson, be careful my friend. Just polish up the 160 with the blade and you should be ready for mother nature to bring on the white stuff.
 
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Discussion starter · #17 ·
stoon boy said:
Tyson, be careful my friend. Just polish up the 160 with the blade and you should be ready for mother nature to bring on the white stuff.
Click to expand...
Well........... THERE'S the rub..... That poor little 160's transaxle is doing a bit of a herky-jerky kinda thing already, so its NOT well, and (as LTGal and I discussed again last night) if it fails entirely, we're hooped for snow removal... Hence she's been very tolerant of me as I struggle to get one of these old pieces of iron functional to do blade duty... Because of all the things that might cause that transaxle to fail, running the blade would be (in my mind at least) the biggie....
 
Discussion starter · #18 ·
JoeyDel said:
Great stuff. When ever I read one of your threads it makes me want to go out and buy an old JD to fix up.
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Thanx Joey.... Hey any time you want to come up here to practice, you'd be MORE than welcome! I can use all the help I can get! :)
 
Discussion starter · #20 ·
tmaynard said:
You can just get a whole new sediment bowl assembly with bowl, valve etc. http://hapcoparts.com/fuelbowlassembly.aspx sells them.
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Ya, its just that, I don't actually NEED another whole assembly... I've got at least two that work... EXCEPT for the filter screens and the rubber gasket that seals the bowl... And I can't get the screens or the gaskets any more from Mother Deere.... If Hapco sold just THOSE, or if anyone knew where I could source replacements, I'd consider keeping the sediment bowl setup... I'm guessing, however, that a modern fuel filter is going to do a better job of screening microscopic crud out of my fuel...
 
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littletractorguy
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