Three pronged approach to loss of power

 After getting the finish mower operational, I found the 284 didn't have the expected level of power. The little tractor must have developed a problem while in winter storage. After the work we did disking the garden, I knew I would have to address this problem. Two weeks ago I had cleaned and reinstalled the spark plugs but this apparently didn't help. I was afraid this might be a problem with the carburetor. So this morning I began a 3 point approach to diagnose the problem. First I would verify the firing sequence and checked to see that the spark plug cables were correctly installed, then replace the spark plugs with new ones and check the old ones for resistance, and finally, if those measures failed, remove the hood and pull the carburetor for cleaning. While in the process of checking the firing sequence, I found that one spark plug wire had a cut in it. I produced a replacement and still went ahead with the spark plug replacement. I also saw that the fuel line had some cracking around the end so I replaced it just in case it was allowing air to be drawn in with fuel. Those changes worked and now the little tractor pulls the bushhog as before. I look forward to trying the finish mower around the old house again soon.

The old spark plugs were checked with a multi-meter and found to be fine. With cleaning they will be ready for use in the future. 

In other news, all the work to prepare the Troybilt tiller has paid off. It performed wonderfully for tilling the garden for the green beans and corn. 

Inspection of the 55-66 didn't show any further fuel drippage so perhaps the lift pump replacement has solved that little problem.

Stopping that leak

 Although I replaced the lift pump around 3 years ago, the cheaper replacement part did not hold up. I ordered the Italian made part for the Hesston 55-66 and installed it yesterday. I got drenched in diesel and had to tolerate that smell for a day but it is good to get the leak stopped.

Several batteries had become discharged and needed some corrosion cleaned and charged so I took care of that. 

The blueberry bushes had not seen sun in several days so I put them out for a while. Today was colder than any day all winter. We only achieved a high of 39 degrees with a 7 mph breeze that kept it feeling cold all day.

I lubed the finish mower but the 284 still stalls a bit when climbing a hill. I am wondering if the spark plugs need replacement.

Hidden in plain sight...

I just "knew" that I had purchased a spark plug cleaner from Harbor Freight but I couldn't locate it for anything. Today, I walked into the shop and there it sat on the tool chest. I guess I was looking for a plain brown box instead of the full color one you see in the photo. So I was able to go ahead and pull the plugs from the 284 and clean them and then swap out the implement to the sprayer and get the chain saw blade sharpened. Our cool rainy day put a damper on much work activity.

 

Around the farm...

Today we worked around the farm. We started with putting fertilizer around the pecan trees. Yesterday we took cuttings from the Persistence Peach tree and put them in soil. Later we dug up suckers from the Blueberry bushes and potted them. We took a big walk around the pasture to check on the progress of the Privit and saw that it would need spraying soon. After lunch I got back to work on the finish mower and have it as good as I can make it. I see the old 284 needs the spark plugs cleaned. We were even able to take a rest in the hammocks for a little while before supper.