Fought Me All The Way

That derned left front axle tube was stuck big time! Doubt if it has been moved since the tractor was new in '76. Soaked and fought it for three days, but she finally give in and moved out! Whew!

I think I'm finally ready fer some fall plowing now, come the rains in August or Sept.

Allan

Oh heck yeah, now it looks like it outghta. :>)

Got 'er all spread out and ready to go, but it is gonna take me a few rounds to get used to that silly spin on the plow.

All my old plows just took one throw of the cylinder to turn 'em over. On this one, it takes two strokes of the cylinder; one out and one back, and feller has to "catch" it right at the end of the cycle and reverse the auxrillary lever to make it come on around.

I might have a sore neck the first day from tryin' to watch the goofy thing. :>(

Allan

Mark

Dont' get me wrong; I'm still cussin' it. :>)

Look what I found on the right outer tie rod. Ever see anything like it in your life?

Weird stuff going on here! Poor old tractor got short changed somewhere along the line. :>)

Allan

Strange happenings. The axle tube is the correct length just the short tie rod.

Think I'd better be fer gettin' another. I just don't trust it clamped out there on the end like that.

Other fish to fry today; the combines got done in the wheat fields 'bout dark last night and now, I gotta get after the alfalfa planting.

All of a sudden, it's my turn to play in the dirt. Gonna see if that 686 has any black smoke left in 'er. :>)

Allan

While you're here ole buddy, how did you do it? Beins I have a '74 greenun that I am contemplating opening her up (to get windrows between fronts) suggestions would be appreciated.

Best,

Mark

Thanks,

Mark

This is gonna work wayyyyy better on the baler too.

With the tractor narrowed up, it didn't give me much room to "whip about" over the windrow (I don't believe in throwin' two windrows together, as it just seems a waste of time to me).

Allan

Really I have a 9' left, right and a pull bar and I usually put at least 2 together. I'm raking before baling anyway as I want the ground side to see sunshine, so I just go ahead and throw 2 together. But wider would be better. No doubt.

Mark

I tried every trick in the book short of the heat wrench. I just don't like using heat 'cause I don't like what it does to the temper of the metal.

Anyway, the answer came in the form of a little Farmall H. I finally hooked on to 'er with a log chain and gave 'er a jerk.

That moved it just enough to get it started so that I could rotate it with the 12 foot cheater bar. Keep throwin' diesel fuel at it and trying to turning it. At last, it just gave up. :>)

Allan

I agree about no heat; that was the reason for my question.

So you put the H perpindicular to the 766 or whatever it is and pulled straight out? I assume you had that wheel off, sitting on a jack and the other wheel on the ground and you backed up to it with a slack chain and let her go?

Did the steering linkage come out first or after the axle.

Thanks,

Mark

Mark

Took the tire and wheel off. Set the front end on some short 3' cut off railroad ties with the other tire on the ground. Tied the chain tight up around the upright on the tube both top and bottom.

Then, I just gave it a couple of "little jerks". The whole 966 wanted to move on me and if it wouldn't have came, I would have taken another tractor and anchored the other side grabbing the outer tube. Luckily, I didn't have to get quite that extreme because the thing had been soaking for three days.

Every few minutes I would dose it with another shot of PB Blaster. I used a whole can and ran out; so then started using plain old diesel fuel.

The diesel fuel really seemed to do a better job, I thought. You should have saw the crap that came out of that tube!

The tie rod, since it had been soaking for so long, came right out.

Allan

Thanks for the ideas.

Mark

Last week, I decided to re-build a sickle mower knife bar. It needed the head bushing for starters. (sections are a piece of cake) I got the new bushing via UPS. Time for the games to begin.

Let me just say I saved a $35 part at the expence of a $210 vice, a Snap-On impact socket, half a tank of acetelyne, 12 hours of my time, all the patience I possess, and being laughed at by my deer sweet loving wife for the past three days.

Ain't no danged piece of cast iron gonna stop me!

Real cute.

Mark

The left tie rod end is plumb normal like it should be and it didn't give me a lick of trouble ('course it has been soaking fer three days too).

I just don't like that right one being that short. Might last forever and it might put me in the ditch too. :>(

Don't know 'bout takin' time off. Never have done that, so wouldn't know how to I guess. :>)

Allan