Wednesday, August 27, 2008

International 3415


I have had this machine for about three years and recently I dug my first hole with it. I have used the front loader plenty of times, but had never really used the backhoe part. We are planning to build a house and needed a little perk test done. The hole turned out great, the test was less of a success. I wouldn't be surprised if next year frogs will make it their home if I don't fill it. The water was stagnant, not much good for a leech field.
But it gave a new appreciation for this machine. Though a small backhoe, it is a nice strong little machine. Well built and sturdy. I am getting a little worried by the belated maintenance. The paint starts to peel and it is in desperate need of repair of leeks. I wish I had more time.



Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Allis Chalmers C (1949)

This Allis Chalmers C was the first tractor I bought. It is a four cylinder gasoline tractor, built in 1949. I bought it on Ebay in the spring of 2003. It was located in Rochester, NY, about 250 miles north west. I picked it up with a U-haul trailer, hitched to our Jeep Grand Wagoneer.
In the days these tractors were built, few of them had three point hitches. These days three point hitches are a necessity to use attachments on a tractor so I decided to built a hitch for it. It did have hydraulics and a cylinder so it didn't seem to difficult. Done so, I thought I was all set up.
Soon however, the machine appeared to be to small for the purposes I had intended it for. After mowing an eight acre field with a 7 foot bush hog, the tractor started to groan and moan. Soon, I was on the look out for a larger one. Or perhaps, I was caught by the bug.


Friday, January 11, 2008

Case SC done

Oliver OC 46 (1956)

We bought this little machine three years ago at another local auction. I had been on the look out for a front loader and thought the tracks would come in handy in the winter. And which boy hasn't ever dreamed of driving a machine on tracks.
This is a three cylinder gasoline Oliver OC 46, built in 1956. It does need some engine work. Currently, it will only run for 15 to 20 minutes before it gets tired and gives up. This spring I will have a look at it and try to get it running properly. To see some nicely restored machine like this: http://www.olivercletrac.com/oc4.html

International 3415

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Nuffield 4/65

I acquired this tractor last summer at an equipment and farm auction. It is a Nuffield 4/65, an English built 4 cylinder diesel tractor of about 65 hp. So far it has been a adventurous tractor. The auction I bought it at was about 20 miles away so after I was told that it was a fine tractor, I decided I could drive it home. I did notice a little smoke, but did not let that discourage me. I hitched a cart, also gotten at the auction, to it and loaded it with more treasures. My companions agreed to follow in a truck to which we had hitched a large cement mixer with the result that they couldn't go faster than 10 mph as the mixer started bouncing at higher speeds. I started the Nuffield and, being a fast tractor, steamed ahead. But not for long. After about 5 miles, while climbing a hill, the smoke got worse and slowly it died. As I was driving on a state route, I luckily I made it to an intersecting dirt road. Soon my companions arrived. As it was getting late and our nine year old son possibly home alone, back from his play date, we decided to leave the tractor and other equipment and rush home. Getting everything pushed and shoved up the steep dirt road out of the way of rushing by traffic, was easier said than done. Those tractors are heavy. But luckily we had a truck and finally everything was parked neatly out of the way of oncoming traffic.
Next day early, I picked up the cart and other stuff with the Deutz and the auctioneer was so kind to load up the Nuffield on their trailer and bring it to our place.
When home, a quick investigation of the engine showed a very dirty filter in the air cleaner and the oil reservior disconnected. Clearly the reason the engine clunked out. Since then, I have fixed some coolant leaks and rebuilt the power steering cylinder as this was leaking oil which makes steering near to impossible. One day I hope to get to the core of the engine to fix the oil burning problem.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Mowing on Deutz

1949 Case SC restoration 2006/07

Last year I decided to restore the Case SC. Except for the transmission, pto gear, hydraulics and cylinder core, everything has been taken apart. I had the the cylinder head rebuilt, valves and guides replaced and seats reground.
Everything was wire brushed to the bare metal, primed and painted in the original color: flambeau red. I replaced a few minor parts as e.g. the shift boot, some ball ends, gauges, wiring, hoses and of course several bolts and nuts.
Because this project was done mainly outside under a lean to, I did not want to bother with spraying and epoxy paints. Therefor, the tractor was primed by hand brush with rustoleom and the final coats of paint were also hand painted. We will see how long the job will last.









1949 Case SC

This was the second tractor I acquired. I got it at an auction about 5 miles down the road so I was able to drive it home.
It is a Case SC built in 1949 with a factory wide front. This is relatively rare because this tractor was designed as a row crop so most of them had narrow fronts. It has a four cylinder gasoline engine and about 22 hp (American). For more information on this tractor:http://www.tractordata.com/td/td454.html