Productive work days...

 The parts I ordered prior to Christmas have been installed on the 55-66 and the 284. It took a little more to get it on than I had hoped to get them done quickly but the Fuel Lift Pump was reluctant to go on. The spark plugs on the 284 looked good. I don't see a problem in the distributor. I put on the new plug wires just because I ordered them. Tomorrow I put new battery connectors on and see if we can get it to start and run effectively.

The 284 didn't run smoothly. Now I'm thinking the carburetor is the problem. Preston is the carb man but I don't know if he knows much about this kind. I'll ask him next visit. I'm thinking the float valve is the problem.

The 55-66 is running good and the fuel lift pump shows no leakage. But when we tried to operate the front loader, the bucket wouldn't tilt. I watched some videos about hydraulic problems and went out to attempt to diagnose the problem the next morning. The old Bush Hog loader wasn't anything like the ones I saw in the videos. I pulled the rubber cover off the controller and fiddled with the valves there. I noticed that one of the little control pieces was loose. Further inspection found that all the connectors had worked loose and the one controlling the bucket tilt was undone. At first I thought a bolt had come off the end but it had no threads. All we had to do was to tighten all the connectors and it was working as good as new. From there, I put the bucket on and we went over into the field and scooped a load of dirt. That dirt filled the wash around the drain by the pond.

We found that one of the circuit breakers in the shop didn't trip when you hit the gfi test button. The replacement I got at Lowes was the wrong one. Darn. 

We also got 3 apple trees down and cut into pieces that MawMaw can pile on her fire. We'd like to have got it better stacked but just ran out of energy and time. We still need to trim the limbs above the shop. Then we need to spot paint the rusty spots. Maybe apply some naval jelly to stop the rust. Then at some point, paint that roof.

The little things...

 Our quick trip to Cullman this week let me discover some problems that had developed. The repair to the 55-66 tractor was good but the fuel lift pump had developed a leak. If it isn't one thing it is another. Additionally, 3 tractor batteries had died. The battery in the zero turn appears to have gone kaput as well. In the house, the battery in the Chromebook had died as well. It was a battery death kind of week. I moved the sprayer and got it working properly but the 284 had developed a miss and so I ordered new plug wires and will install the wires, plugs, and the distributor kit when I'm there next time. Always something to do.

Bringing the 6 wheeler home

 We endured a week without power due to Hurricane Zeta. Once the power was restored, we made the run to Cullman to pick up the Big Country from the shop. It turns out we had correctly diagnosed what was wrong but our aftermarket part was defective. Expensive error. We were able to get the big tractor down to the shop to fix the leak in the coolant system. Apart from that, we didn't have much to do. I got some batteries charged up and used the John Deere mower a little bit, but mostly things are at a good place.

Last cutting before rehab for the old tractor

 After having spent last week waiting to come down with Covid 19, I remain uninfected and did another work week. Now we are in Cullman doing what may be the last grass cutting of the season. It remains very warm but the days are getting much shorter. We need overnight temps down below 55 to stop grass growth. With great effort, we loaded the Big Country and hauled it to the Cub Cadet repair shop. I met the mechanic there named Jason Tyler who said they could repair the water pump I liked they way the little guy presented himself. I think we will trust them to get it done.

We called 157 Hardware about the tractor. They will contact us about picking it up to repair. They already have the 6 wheeler. I was hoping they would get it repaired by today. Perhaps tomorrow before we go.

Rainy days...

 Bev and I took a 2 day trip up to Cullman. We doubted we'd be able to accomplish much because the remnant of a tropical storm was putting down a lot of rain there. My plan to replace the fuel pump on the Cub Cadet was successful but didn't solve the problem with the engine dying. Next trip we will take it to a shop to get it sussed out.

Maw Maw had run over something in the yard with the new John Deere mower so we raised it to check the blades. No harm done. So I sharpened them while it was up there.

My vacuum pump idea for the brake lines didn't do what I hoped but I was able to bleed them both. The left brake works again but the right brake was negative function. That helped when I was able to pull a big limb off the Galen property to the burn pile with the 284.

In the prior week, I had my heart tested for an episode of heart attack like symptoms. I came through with a clean bill of health. Since I actually went to the Doctor for a Meloxicam prescription. I got some from the local pharmacy and since I've started taking it, I am doing better with my hip, neck, and joints.

Change

After 2 years and 5 months of attempting to survive my job at Citizens, my old shift opened up at Coosa. They contacted me and I'm returning starting 9/14. While I've used the opportunity to learn a lot about clinical pharmacy, there is limited opportunity to use it here at Coosa. But that's not the most important consideration. The shift allows me to sleep late if needed which will be a blessing when I only get 5 hours of sleep in a night. I've been practicing my sleep habits and find I don't have to get up to go to the bathroom. I think once I've adapted to the old sleep schedule, I'll feel better and get more exercise.

In Cullman this week, I donated 2 days to get some brush-hogging done. With such a short window, I didn't focus on any of the other work. I did get all the fields near the house done and also was able to brush-hog the fields behind the old house. I am finally comfortable on the tractor most of the time. The addition of a safety belt helped. I have now mown almost all the areas so I know what I can get away with.

The 6 wheeler is having a little problem with a fuel pump. I ordered the replacement and will install it when I am there next.

Reversing direction

 

Another work week in Cullman. This time no brush-hogging needed. The hot, dry weather has slowed the growth of the grass. It was my chance to get the bolts out of the brush-hog. I finally got the last nut off. The penetrating fluids finally did their job. But the bolt would not come out. Preston heated them with the acetylene torch and they never budged despite whacking them over and over with a hammer. I returned it to Sonya with apologies. 

The new brake cylinder went on but I'll need to do some more work. The other brake locked up and I had to take the lines loose to get it moving again. I'll attack it next trip.

So my work days consisted mostly in changing oil in the lawn mowers. I sharpened blades on the Old John Deere and lubed the mower deck. I used the blue vacuum device. It worked very well. Despite the report the nuts were left loose on the Old Zero Turn mower, I could not budge them. Not sure they were taken off at all.

We took the tomb stones I bought for the folks up and installed them over their graves. It was something asked of us a long time ago and now they are in place and finished.

Friday was my day to paint the trim on the workshop but Cullman finally got some much needed rain.

The 19th was the Williamson's anniversary. It could have been a sad time but Maw Maw seemed to have a better time of it. While I'm sure she is lonely, perhaps she is coping a little better.

On the home front, I was contacted by Coosa Valley about returning to my old pharmacy job. It was something I had wished for. I've really missed the extra time I had for outdoor activity. My current job is burning me down. So I've tentatively agreed to return. Still haven't heard what my pay rate will be, but I think it will be commensurate.