Back to farmwork...

 A busy work time on the farm. We picked up David's car in Decatur and it looks great. Both he and Mawmaw are pleased. When we got back to Cullman, I started with the four wheeler steering tube bushing and continued through the various blades for sharpening. That next morning I got the zero turn blades off and sharpened and we continued to do some mowing at the old house. That evening I finished off the garden with the roto tiller. Before I could do that, I had to replace the drive belt. I got the blue one from Tractor Supply and picked up a replacement battery for the zero turn. It seems those tractor batteries only last 2 years.  Next we did the bush hog work in the pastures. Wednesday morning we did a tour around the farm to see what might be needed next and laid out some fuel for Mawmaw to use easily.

Running at Wide Open Throttle

After a long wait, I got out on the water for a test today. After installing all the new parts to assure it would pump water, make spark, and run as it should, I took it out for a run. The compression tester from Harbor Freight must be crap because it said it had a pressure of 47 on each cylinder. The little engine started so easily, I thought it must not be true. After the Seafoam shock treatment, the exhaust dumped a lot of dissolved oily residue that it appears was just the nature of the treatment on the gunk in the exhaust system. I found some evidence online that this was what happened and it was suggested on a Facebook forum for these engines. The little engine spun up to full power and pushed my Jon boat up to 16 mph. I guess it couldn't be low compression. Now my next move is to clean up and paint the cowling and add the fresh decals. I didn't opt for the authentic set for that model year. I just got some that were a generic Evinrude 9.9. 

Resurrection of the 1977 Evinrude 9.9(15) Outboard

I found an Evinrude outboard and a Johnson outboard in my Facebook Marketplace and sent messages to each. The attractive part was that both were close by. The only one to respond was the Evinrude in Chelsea. I drove up and found a decent looking motor. I didn't have a compression tester but took a leap of faith and purchased it and the gas tank for $400.00. I brought it home and replaced the stop switch which had been crudely replaced. I tried to get it to start.  After about 3 pulls the recoil spring broke so I had to order a replacement. I began to watch Youtube videos to determine how to install it. Once I got the spring installed I still couldn't get it started but had ordered a variety of parts that would likely be required to fix it and some tools I'd need. The motor was producing no spark. I probed the wiring of the CDI ignition, The module would need replacement but the coils and stator were good. But after installing the new module, I still didn't get a start. The next logical place to check was the fuel pump. Rather than clean the carburetor, I installed a new fuel pump and line. I should say that between each of these steps, quite a bit of time passed since I had no full day to work on it. I had filled a barrel with water and put it in and tried to start again. The engine hit once. So with another few pulls, it fired up and ran. Yippee. This was something of a surprise because the Harbor Freight compression tester reported such low compression and I read that low compression meant hard starting. With the unit working so well, I moved on to removing the foot and replacing the impeller. These items require routine replacement so rather than take chances with them, I replaced them. The impeller looked fine but the water tube grommet was deformed and the thermostat had some corrosion. While I had the foot off, I replaced the lubricant. With the unit in the water barrel, I've run it daily for several days and have been waiting for a day when I could do the Seafoam shock treatment. Then a run on the river.

So I've gotten around to a Seafoam treatment. It didn't smoke like I thought it would. But there seemed to be some sneezing now. 45 minutes running with the Seafoam mix and now it is back on standard fuel. The unit sneezes a bit now. That probably indicates a need for carburetor cleaning. That will come after a power run on open water.

It no longer is a matter of simply having a functional outboard. This is a project of affection. These little bits I've ordered like the bushing for the stop button or the spring clip for the connector aren't necessary but continue to add toward the finished look of it. This is something like my effort on the 284 tractor. Somewhat cosmetic but with an intention toward utility.

Profound sadness

 SAD is a type of major depressive disorder, and sufferers may exhibit any of the associated symptoms, such as feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness, thoughts of suicide, loss of interest in activities, withdrawal from social interaction, sleep and appetite problems, difficulty with concentrating and making decisions, decreased libido, a lack of energy, or agitation. Symptoms of winter SAD often include falling asleep earlier or in less than 5 minutes in the evening, oversleeping or difficulty waking up in the morning, nausea, and a tendency to overeat, often with a craving for carbohydrates, which leads to weight gain. SAD is typically associated with winter depression, but springtime lethargy or other seasonal mood patterns are not uncommon. Although each individual case is different, in contrast to winter SAD, people who experience spring and summer depression may be more likely to show symptoms such as insomnia, decreased appetite and weight loss, and agitation or anxiety.

Photoperiod-related alterations of the duration of melatonin secretion may affect the seasonal mood cycles of SAD. This suggests that light therapy may be an effective treatment for SAD. Light therapy uses a lightbox which emits far more lumens than a customary incandescent lamp. Bright white "full spectrum" light at 10,000 lux, blue light at a wavelength of 480 nm at 2,500 lux or green (actually cyan or blue-green) light at a wavelength of 500 nm at 350 lux are used, with the first-mentioned historically preferred.

Work week...

 This week we finished up in the orchard. I took most of the sticks down into the field to fill an erosion ditch. Then cut the 3 trees on the bottom row. Those I carried up into the upper field and put them down in the trees above the hay shed. With the intention of eventually repairing the fence and running a few cattle, I cleaned off the row from the upper corner down to the little square field.

International 284 Project

 The culmination of several work days was realized. I got the 284 re-lit with new flashing lights, led headlamps, new switches and wiring. Since I had to pull the cowl, I repainted it and then reassembled it with stainless steel bolts and applied the IH 284 decal that Pawpaw had purchased some time ago. 

I just came back from the barn where I tested the lights for brightness. I think they will do fine for lighting the way home when dark begins to fall.

Another winter project started that afternoon. The apple orchard wasn't pruned over the last 15 years and last year we pruned some of them severely. This year we are going after them again with hopes of cleaning up some of the broken limbs and getting them manageable. That left us with a huge pile of apple wood and limbs to be broken up and burned. In the process of cutting limbs, the chain saw threw its blade and burred it so I had to take it off and use the Dremel tool to clean up the links and get it working again. 

Nut weevils

 Spray sevin or carbaryl begin August up to nut collection.

Begin in May spray casings and ground.