Cold start

 We came up to see what we could do for the farm. The cold start would have made it hard for me to work on the machines so we purchased fertilizer and pruned apple trees. The fertilizer weighed almost a half ton. When I got them back, I found 2 bags that had busted open so we distributed those among the apple trees.

 Although the afternoon was warmer, the pruning job was a pretty big one so we worked for most of the afternoon. My arms finally gave out from hoisting the electric saw and horsing the limbs out of the trees. I'm not sure if I'll be able to work on the 284 carb tomorrow. I stopped by Preston's but didn't find him at home.

I also got the oil changed in the truck. It didn't get changed last year. We put so few miles on the old boy, we didn't have to. Now I am sure there is sufficient oil in there..

So this morning it is cloudy and cool. Maybe will wait for a warmer day to do the carbs. So we spent some of the time hauling up the limbs we had pruned. I had the chance to charge the batteries in the tractors and start and run some of them.

Birthday visit

 We all made it up to Cullman to be with Mawmaw on Pawpaw's birthday. David, Max, and Bev and I came. There wasn't anything to do to the big tractor. I did a little more investigation of the 284 carb and have determined it needs to be pulled off and cleaned. The batteries needed replacing so we got a new one for the old tractors and the 284. 

The battery in the Cub was dead so we charged it up and ran the engine. 

Then we tackled the apple trees next. The boys and I cut the remaining trunks up and piled them up for a burn. With some of the waste diesel, we got it going and burned it up till dark. The next day we used the FEL to push up the pile and restack the remaining limbs. The residual heat in the ashes got another blaze going that was better than the first. We delayed leaving until the main material had burned.

The 284 doesn't seem to have a problem starting now but the flooding is a problem. I've downloaded a diagram of the carburetor and plan on disassembling it with Preston Jones' help.

I'll order parts for the Craftsman Roto Tiller and fix the carburetor on it as well. Maybe we can use it to till up the garden. Trees will need pruning and pecan trees will need fertilizer.

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.