what about the M?

Howdy,
I have one day to do whatever to my 1950 M. She is a pretty tired old gal, but I do have plans to fix her up and use her. It runs and I have been using it as long as I can keep fluids in it. My problem is that my shed is leaning over and I didn't get it fixed yet, so the old gal is going to have to sit out in the weather. I'm going into the hospital Tue morning for heart surgery and the doctor says recovery may take up to 12 weeks. So the M might be sitting out in the snow as well. I'm going to drain the radiator as it is water, and she has a fresh oil and filter. What else should I do with so little time to tie up my loose ends and put the M to bed, maybe for the whole winter. A big concern is the rear tires, a nice matched set of Goodyears. Can I protect them from weathering? Any advice will be appreciated, thanks.
Bob S.

Pull the plugs and squirt a little oil in the cylinders, then crank it before putting the plugs back in, to coat the walls and rings good. Prevent water from getting down the exhaust. If you want to cover it put a tarp over it, and a coffee can on the stack under the tarp wouldn't hurt. Don't seal the tarp to the ground. Put something like Sta-bil in the gas. I found mixing chain saw gas (24:1) and dumping a gallon in the SM when it's about empty will help keep the gas in the carb from going bad over the winter.

My SM sat out in the weather all summer and winter for years, on the spreader, after we put the new firestones on it and the tires don't show any weathering. I'm sure there is something that will help seal them up but I don't know what it would be.

If you drain the radiator there will still be water in the block that can freeze and crack her.

Can you get some one to put antifreeze threw the system.

How about lets find some help and get the lean out of the shed ! Come on folks didn't people used to help each other in time of need.

I'm in the south east part of Michigan and will help if you not real far.

Good luck with your surgery. Put 50-50 antifreeze in it and cover the exhaust. For one winter you will not know the difference. Tires will not be noticeably affected in that situation, it takes years.

I will help in SE Wisconsin. If you needed a place to store it I have a ton of room on my farm.
To store it:
- PUT ANTIFREEZE IN IT!!!!!!!!! I know everybody has said it, but I have to beat the dead horse. It is not just the antifreeze effects that will help you out. Like they said you have to pull all the plugs on the motor (3?) and drain the radiator to PROBABLY get all the water out of the system. If it were me and you insist on doing it that way I would leave the ignition off and crank it a bit to push the water out of the water pump and voids. Just a thought, I never heard it anywhere else.
- Oiling cylinders either with actual oil or when I was at the marina we had FOGGING OIL that did this. You would spray it in the plug holes and crank it with the plugs out for a bit. This would oil the cylinders to keep them from freezing up on you.
- Sta-Bil (Possibly SeaFoam) in gas to stabalize it and protect you from water problems. Be sure to run the tractor after you do this.
- Cover exhaust
IMHO these things should be done EVERY WINTER, INSIDE OR OUTSIDE!
It is never going to hurt to cover it with a tarp, but (as said) don't attatch to ground. This will lock in moisture and create even more rusting and problems. You should smell how rotton a boat smells when it is shrinkwrapped wet!!!

Howdy,
Thanks for offers/sentiments guys, but I will be OK. This just came up too fast and caught me unprepared, just found out last Thur, that I was going in on Tue. Had a heart attack Apr'08 and been doctoring ever since, able to work, but slow. I should be 100% by next year, no restrictions according to surgeon. Having quadruple by-pass and doctor says that I will be good to go after rehab, I'm 72 and with encouragement like that , I'm looking forward to fixing the shed, saving the M, and dozens of other things. I'm a workhorse and can't sit still for very long.
If I should need help, I will be sure to holler.
THANK YOU
Bob S.

So where are you!?! We will still fix the shed this fall if you are close! I love doing that kind of stuff. If you have the money, I have the time! I have some RR ties if you need them. My uncle used those to shore up his dairy barn.
I would rather see your tractor sit in my shed all winter than out in the elements. If I have room I might as well use it!

I suppose -- I'm a shut them off, shut off the gas and walk away person. No gas stabilizer, no seafoam, no oil in cylinders, no problems (7 tractors). They are inside, but some were outside before I had a building. All I do is add a couple of gallons of fresh gas -- they will start on the old gas, though.

Sta-bil is cheap insurance... I started using it when I had a boat and still use it for engines that sit a lot... my generator, garden tractor, etc. if the tractor is runable now, by all means add anti-freeze and run it a little while to circulate... it not only prevents freezing, but lubes the pump and prevents rust.
Had triple by-pass myself December 19th, luckily it was [u:381411cb29]before[/u:381411cb29] a heart attack... the re-hab is a huge help. Hope everything works out for you.

I do not disagree. I don't fog mine, but know it is "the proper" way to do things. I do add StaBil because I HATE fuel related problems. It is way too cheap to screw with! (That and I have my SMTA kicking butt in the tractor pulls and don't want to take ANYTHING apart)

I forgot, when you say shut the gas off and walk away...do you let it run the fuel out of the carb or do you leave the carb full of fuel? I generally run them out of fuel if I don't run StaBil. If I run StaBil I do it either way.

South East Wisconsin here. Have tools will travel. Always can make time to help a good person in a bad spot.

I shut it off and turn the gas off. I don't worry about leaving anything for a few months. I have an H that needs about everything, should sell it for half what I paid. I start it maybe once a year, or whenever it is in the way and don't use it at all. It always starts and runs. Old gas, new gas, it does not matter. It may well matter if I tried to store it for 2 or 3 years, 1 year, no.

I dumped a couple gallons of chainsaw gas in the SM one day and didn't run it enough to clear it out, and haven't had any gas problems. Maybe it's our blend in PA but it goes bad in my carb, it and the 400 had to be drained after sitting through winter a couple times. The SM didn't this spring with the mixed chainsaw gas in it.

I don't fog the cylinders but I like to go out and fire her up now and again too. Never know when it might need to be a backhoe anchor trying to pull the dozer or dumptruck or something out.

Or transportation to the gravel pit that can stay there when dad doesn't have someone to take him back after his car.