What's the most thoughtless thing you've done to a tractor

fixerupper · Feb 3, 2014

And gotten away with it without damaging anything?

I have this SC Case that I think is about the best little yard tractor to come along since sliced bread. Anyway, over ten years ago it was getting anti-freeze in the oil from leaky sleeves so I pulled the sleeves, replaced the O rings and put it back together. I wasn't sure of the job the new O rings were doing and this was June so I put straight water in it.

Come time to store it that fall I forgot to drain the water, or at least put anti-freeze back in. You know what happened, nice long crack in the side of the block and it lost it's water on the ground.

That was mistake #1. So I can't truthfully say I didn't damage anything, but it could have been worse. Here's the rest of the story.

Mistake #2 came next spring when I fired it up and took off with it before checking the radiator. I must have been running it maybe ten minutes when I could smell the paint burning off the head. By the time I stopped to check it out the paint was really smoking. When I was looking at where the smoke was coming from I saw the cracked block. The crack didn't bother me nearly as much as the sight of the paint on the head turning black. I thought I'd wrecked a perfectly good engine.

I took it to the shop, removed the manifold and welded the crack with nickel, followed by a coat of JB. I've used that little girl quite a bit in the ten years or more since then and I haven't noticed any adverse effects. There might be some cracks in the head but they must not be leaking.

What's your story? Jim

farmerwithmutt · Feb 3, 2014

not me thankfully a guy changed oil in a 4440
always checked the oil filter this time he didnt
half way down the field with the chisel plow
she quit at least hes got her overhauled and
ready to go for next year

muleboss · Feb 3, 2014

Painted a Farmall John Deere green

Royse · Feb 3, 2014

When I was a kid I remember spinning doughnuts on the snow/ice
with a Farmall A, skidding to the left with a buddy standing on the
draw bar. Not a real bright move, but we're both still here.

I nearly rolled that same tractor raking hay. Got that left side a
bit too low on a hillside. Steering it down hill put the right hand
tires back on the ground.
Pretty crooked windrow when it was time to bale though!

old popper · Feb 3, 2014

You mean like this?

RossMN · Feb 3, 2014

At least the guy didn't paint the axles yellow then he would have been in for a sever beating! (just kidding)

Steve@Advance · Feb 3, 2014

I was probably 18-20 years old. Took in an old 8N?
9N? to do an in tractor engine overhaul. Put it
back together and had very low oil pressure. Took
the oil pan off and discovered the rods were loose
on the crank. Didn't measure anything, didn't have
anything to measure with... Took the rod caps off,
cut strips of notebook paper and stacked them
under the bearings until it felt right.

That tractor ran for probably 10 years like that.
The old man it belonged to bragged about it every
time he saw me.

It finally died a horrible death, he got stuck
down by the lake, left it/forgot it, the rains
came and completely covered it. It's probably
still there sunk in the muck at the bottom of Lake
Worth.

MarkB_MI · Feb 4, 2014

My Ford 4000 had broken bolts for the drawbar hanger around the PTO shaft. So I drilled them to use an easy-out. The first one I went clean through the bolt end and into the casting. Realized what I'd done when oil spurted out the hole. Used a abundant amount of RTV on the replacement bolt and it's been fine for 15 years.

Dr. Walt · Feb 4, 2014

So, did you end up with a Deere Farm?

LOL!

John Fulton · Feb 4, 2014

Charged a 6 volt battery on my H on 12 volt setting of the charger. My reasoning was to set charger for lower 2 amp setting rather than 6 volt setting. I wondered why battery got so hot. Someone on this board set me straight and told me how stupid I was, and that my new 6V. battery was now toast. Not so, however, since that was some time ago and battery is still charging!

Anonymous-0 · Feb 4, 2014

forgot to cover the exhaust to keep rainwater out ,,. btw ,,jerry hall had a 706 ihc painted up to resemble the era style of 630 jd ,, it looked really good,,.he claimed phillip Jacobi walked by it and did a double take and nearly had a heartattak ,,told jerry he would give him the paint to change it rite,, Wonder What ever happened to that tractor ????

dpendzic · Feb 4, 2014

dropped a tree on it

Nick m · Feb 4, 2014

I was 10-12 years old raking hay with my grandpas
jd 430 and new idea rake. It was the first time he
left me in the field by myself. I turned a corner a
little short and heard the tire tread popping. The
rake came up on the wheel a little before I got it
stopped. I jockeyed it around and got it off
somehow. I don't think I told him about it yet. That
was the one thing he stressed I be careful about
before he went to get lunch. This is a little off topic
from what you're getting at, but triggered my
memory.

Anonymous-0 · Feb 4, 2014

I let a d-14 Allis freeze, back in '83. IIRR. Dealer didn't put AF in it,
just straight water, after a rebuild. THought it was a goner, but I
put a perfection kerosene burner under it, and drained out the
thawed water. 3 freeze plugs and a thermostat housing and
$14.50 later, and she was up and running...

J.Wondergem · Feb 4, 2014

I dropped my 540 Cockshutt through the ice into the pond trying to clean the snow off, so I could try out some studded up tires on the motorcycle. Took the rest of the day to get it out. Never tried that again.

Blackhole49 · Feb 4, 2014

I did the pond thing with my 8N clearing a rink for
the kids. Luckily, it was in a new subdivision and
a contractor had a 450 JD dozer parked on boards
for the winter. I just happened to have keys for
various equipment and my JD key worked. It took 2
days with a tarp and salamander to dry things out.
On a side note, 2 days later, the dozer was gone.

rd 2N in mo · Feb 4, 2014

Had my FIL 8n out in the field crossing a little dry creek in the far pasture, crossed the creek and managed to get it buried up to the belly. Had to go get my BIL and the Ford truck and have him pull me and the N out. FIL was not fond of me before or after

Anonymous-0 · Feb 4, 2014

There is a 706 or 806 in Norfolk Nebraska like that, though it has been a couple years since I've seen it. chris

David G · Feb 4, 2014

Hooked cable to axle and had front end 3ft in air pulling stump.

JerryS · Feb 4, 2014

Tried to snatch out a stump with my 8N. Didn't do it without damage, though---it shook the oil pickup loose. Oh, well, like Mutt said, it needed an overhaul anyway.

MARK ROBKE · Feb 4, 2014

I hate to admit it, but I left my charger on my 140 on 'boost start' once and blew the battery up. I had tried to start it after charging too short of a period of time and finally left it, but forgot to put charger back on 2 amp trickle setting. I found it 2 days later blown up and it was in the barn also, charger still plugged in. Luckily the battery cover caught most of the explosion and there was no fire(that caught anyway)! I felt as dumb as anything over that, too much rushing around , but no good excuse for it. Oh well it did need a battery anyway! Mark

Anonymous-0 · Feb 4, 2014

Drive it into my creek.

John_PA · Feb 4, 2014

I let my brother in law drive it.

There is no excuse for that kind of thoughtlessness.

barnE · Feb 5, 2014

First tractor. Cub. Tried to install new belt without loosening slot adjustment. New belt was too short. Cracked casting on front. Now no place to mount gen. Kept it like that for 10 years. Charge batt as needed. Dave

muleboss · Feb 5, 2014

More like this

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[img:665133e1fd]http://forums.yesterdaystractors.com/photos/mvphoto3346.jpg

johndeerefan · Feb 6, 2014

We got our JD 45 combine stuck pretty bad one time. Buddy had his IH 615 there helping me thrash beans. He pulled the 615 up behind me. I wasn't watching, but he hooked the chain around the rear axle pivot. Needless to say when he started pulling, the rear axle broke loose and the rear of the 45 hit the ground. I had to go buy a junk 45 to get a new rear axle.

What's the most thoughtless thing you've done to a tractor

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