If they give a prize

If there's a prize for the person who went through the most living heck getting tractors to the Blanchard show,I should at least be in the running.
I wanted to get out of here with the Super 55 and 66 by nine thirty this morning,ten o'clock at the latest. I had taken the pressure washer to them Sunday,but I didn't open the side curtains on the 66 and wash the motor. It looked pretty dingy this morning,so I took the washer to it,trying to be careful around the wiring. It didn't work. I got it wet and it wouldn't start. I ran the battery down,got the torch and dried the wires,jumped it and still had to frog around for half an hour or more.

I backed it on the trailer. My nephew was here delivering fuel and he went around kicking tires on the trailer. He said the tread was separating on one and it looked like it had a bulge. The spare was flat. I took an outside dual off the old dually to put on it. I unbolted the trailer wheel and couldn't get it off the hub. I had to heat it with the torch then beat the tar out of it with a sledge hammer to get it off.

After all that,the 55 wouldn't start. I could see a little gas on at the bottom of the tank,but not enough apparently. I had to put some in it to start it. So I get all loaded up,now by the time I clean up and change my clothes,it's five minutes to eleven. The wife was about half way between here and Blanchard looking after a guy with Parkinson's. She was supposed to be done by eleven,so I tried to call her cell phone to see if she wants to meet me somewhere in between and ride up with me. Her phone started ringing right here in the house.
I figure she should be here by 11:15,so I waited for her. And waited,and waited. She got home about twenty minutes to twelve.

We drive up there pretty uneventful,but when we go to sign them in,the woman who's signing in campers and ATVs doesn't know how to sign the tractors in. She says the woman who does know had to go to Mt Pleasant and she doesn't know when she'll be back. I unloaded anyway,but now the wife will have to run back up in the morning to get them signed in right.

I sure hope somebody appreciates me bring in two of the feature tractors this year.

Think what kind of mood you would be in if it was your job instead of your hobby! LOL

That was the big problem. I had other things to do today and didn't want to be frogging around with playthings all day.

you havent been real lucky lately,,it should change any day now,,,lol

rrlund,

This is just in fun - but your story sparked a memory from the Hee-Haw "genre" of life...

"If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all... gloom, despair and agony on me."

Glad you made it to the show OK.

I hope your luck gets a lot better for fall harvest!! Reminds me of a quote from my late father in law--when asked, how are you, he would say never so bad that it couldn't be worse and never so good that it couldn't be better. Enjoy the show, Randy.

Randy,

I had better luck than you did, at least mine started and loaded well.

But then I had to haul it over to Clarksville thru a monsoon......

Something like an inch or more per hour from around Coopersville to Grand Rapids.

I think my luck has already turned around. If it hadn't,I would have blown the other five tires off the trailer on the way up there. lol

Are you going to be up there Saturday Randy? My Grandson and I plan on going then.

I don't know. I cut some hay when I got home today. If that's ready I'd better bale it. I don't know if I'll run up later in the day if I get done soon enough or not. I'll have to go Sunday with the trailer to bring stuff home for sure.
They didn't say where they wanted the feature tractors,so I parked them right straight west of the Greasy Fingers tent. Feel free to park next to them and we'll make it the feature tractor area anyway.

I should have parked them in the tent. That would have turned the Deere guys right on wouldn't it? LOL

What is it with them there Deere guys???????

I guess that expensive green paint can't be in the sun or get wet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just a bunch of trailer queens......

LOL. The tent isn't for the tractors, it's for the folks to sit in the shade. There will be picnic tables under it.
Probably be a lot of tractors there by Saturday, but we'll find a spot.

Ah gas tractors, I have a lot more sanity since retiring most of the gas tractors.

Ouch must have been Monday where you live. We appreciate you here anyways lol

randy ,,. that goes on every day around this place ,. in my disgust at times I sumise that I am really junk farming lol ,. at least you got ready to go to a show ,.. I am still trying to get 1st cut of hay cut and baled,. the understory is thick andlush , so no big deal ,.worked on a hay rake for 3 hours doing stuff that should only take 1 hour,. broken bolts,.stubborn bearing races , ect ,. this am , I started with a helper to get my mercury marquis convertible over to a shop to figure out why the brakes are not rite ,.seemed the battery was dead , but there was enuf corrosion at every connection that they all required cleaning and polishing before the 429 would fire to life,, and then the alternator went out ,. wth! ,.no ac fan , no wipers no power to windows and the turn signals did not work ,either.. I had one brake lite ,.SHEESH ,. got the old girl over there and the guys will straighten out the problems and get her stopping real good ,..by the time I got back it was dry enuf to start raking ,,.but I wanted to fix afew things on the rake before we went 6 miles away with it ,.. did not make it up there

Least Sherry still likes you in the Oliver Heritage magazine - Hope that helps the prize count!
Yer phreind,
Jim

I sure wish I could have gotten that tractor to the show,but the parts are still sitting at the body shop. Ticks me off to no end.

Well, I failed them this year. NO OATS TO THRESH. Bad crop, RAINS AT THE WRONG TIME, WEEDS AND GRASS. We tried binding the residue, but got half an inch on it Thursday, No way they're going to have oats, unless Dave had some on a wagon in the barn. I'm heartbroken. Needless to say not having product is going to hurt too.

That's not good on your part. At least I don't have to feel guilty about not quite being up to pitching bundles this year. I had the same issue in the oats. I cut what I figured I could get through the combine without ruining it by slugging all that green stuff through. Most of what I did cut didn't want to come out of the bin worth a darned. I unloaded it in a pile in the bunker silo and I'll push it in with the silage when I start filling.
I cut the rest of the mess down with the discbine. I'm still not done baling the mess. Been waiting for things to dry off a little more this morning so I can rake the rest and hopefully bale it this afternoon. As long as this whole ordeal is dragging on,you'd think I started the job on a Friday or something.

Are you still going to the show?

I know this is a little off but I did the same thing Tuesday morning with my Fair entries with my canning. Had to quick stick some labels on a couple of jars and such. YUP I missed one and it was not judged. Blast I hate when it is something stupid.

Been there. My Farmall C is in the back row by the fence. The rusty one. Son coming up tonite will probably take his JD B in the morning. Wont be hanging around as much as usual.