Tuesday, August 20, 2013
The forecast tells us we should expect near 90º today. People won’t like it, but the corn and soybeans will! We think it will feel like August after all.
Yesterday turned into a fix-it day. We discovered bad bearings in the big electric motor that runs the new elevator. A crane had to come in to lower it to the ground, so that it could go to a repair shop for new bearings.
Guys from Montgomery Welding use their cherry picker truck to prepare to lower the heavy motor from the top of the new elevator. That motor needs new bearings.
Ben was running the bush-hog, and when he came in for lunch, the left rear tire was very squishy. It required a service call from Best One Tire to come and repair it. We also had the fluid removed from both back tires of the 7130 tractor while the technician was here. Later, as I tried to use the Gator to go spray some Johnsongrass, I discovered that the clutches were not acting properly. They would fail to take hold then grab when the engine was accelerating… creating a pretty jerky ride. So, it had to be taken to the shop in Ireland, Indiana for some repairs.
John got back his project from Vincennes Welding. He is restoring a very old pedal tractor. It is a Farmall 400, of a mid 50s vintage. As a little boy, I put a gazillion miles on it, and it has had the tires replaced a couple times already. At one time, mom even painted it green to satisfy my John Deere-itis. But when our boys were little, their Aunt Mary did a lot of work on it to make it look original. They rode it many miles, too. The wear and tear of a two generations of farm boys took its toll.
Ben holds half the pedal tractor, you can see it’s early in the restoration process.
John is using some type of paint remover to try to get down to the bare metal.
The welding shop made some repairs to some very worn interior surfaces. Now John will use some replacement parts to rebuild the little tractor mechanically. Then he will go about a complete repainting with new decals. I guarantee it will look and perform like new when he gets done. John is preparing this big toy for the third generation of drivers, his daughter Ella. Maybe she will put a gazillion miles on it, too!
Other activities continue. Ben is back home for a few days, until he returns to Lafayette for that aerial survey job. On this hot August day, Ben will work in air-conditioned comfort as he runs the bush-hog. I have to make a courthouse visit to the assessor’s office to report (again) the removal of buildings from the Burke farm. The big farmer appreciation day at JL Farm Equipment in Princeton/Poseyville is tomorrow at noon. We are getting closer to making a deal on a new JD combine for ’14, maybe before the end of the week. It’s a fun time of year.
The corn and soybeans are getting the heat they need today. A nice inch of rain would be welcome.
