Woes

Today, I needed to use the big tractor for something. The way I have the tractors parked, I had to get the little one started and moved out of the way first.

So I start the small (diesel) tractor. Slow revving...too cold for the battery to crank it nicely (at least I had the block heater plugged in). So I haul out the battery charger/starter and hook it up. The small tractor spins to life.

Next, I start working on the big tractor. Since it's a gasser, it takes a lot of babying the choke and throttle before it runs nicely...about 10 minutes worth of fussing around! Finally, the big tractor is running and warming up nicely. I turn around to mount up on the little tractor and pull it out of the barn when I look down on the floor, all the hydraulic oil is on the floor!

Busted hydraulic line.

I head to the workshop to grab my tools and see if I have any hydraulic oil for the tractor. All I have is a little more than a gallon...not enough. I repair the hydraulic line (just a loose fitting). By now the big tractor is nice and warmed up, so I shut it down and hop in the truck for the trip to town to get 5 gallons of hydraulic oil. 45 minutes later, I get back home and add oil to the little tractor. Luckily, the big tractor was still nice and warm and it started right up.

Start up the little tractor, and move it out of the way so that I can get the big tractor out.

Mission accomplished....only took 2 hours and 4 gallons of hydraulic oil.

I try to keep the easiest starting one parked closest to the door. That way I can drag the other one if needed. They are all slow starting in this cold. I like to let them run long enough to recharge the battery and get warmed up. My skid steer likes to be plugged in below 15 degrees. The Deutz in it starts right up if you plug it in for a few hours.

muleman said:

I try to keep the easiest starting one parked closest to the door. That way I can drag the other one if needed. They are all slow starting in this cold. I like to let them run long enough to recharge the battery and get warmed up. My skid steer likes to be plugged in below 15 degrees. The Deutz in it starts right up if you plug it in for a few hours.

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Oh, the easiest starting one is definitely by the door.

Yada, yada, yada ....................... Murph jinxed me last night. He PM'ed me asking how my heaters in the shop where working and I replied great. Wife woke me up at 5AM and said the gas was out.

Nothing wrong with the heaters as long as you have NG to run them. My methanol bottle (gas moisture collector at the well) froze. I was 3.5 hours this morning in 12F thawing, flushing, and and replenishing (with anti-freeze this time) the system. Had to crate generator and all sorts a shit to the well to git-r-done. I'm just getting over the chills watching football!

Big Dog said:

Yada, yada, yada ....................... Murph jinxed me last night. He PM'ed me asking how my heaters in the shop where working and I replied great. Wife woke me up at 5AM and said the gas was out.

Nothing wrong with the heaters as long as you have NG to run them. My methanol bottle (gas moisture collector at the well) froze. I was 3.5 hours this morning in 12F thawing, flushing, and and replenishing (with anti-freeze this time) the system. I'm just getting over the chills watching football!

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Everything is 10x more challenging when it's this damn cold.

DaveNay said:

Everything is 10x more challenging when it's this damn cold.

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and 10x,,, the older one gets

Big Dog said:

Yada, yada, yada ....................... Murph jinxed me last night. He PM'ed me asking how my heaters in the shop where working and I replied great. Wife woke me up at 5AM and said the gas was out.

Nothing wrong with the heaters as long as you have NG to run them. My methanol bottle (gas moisture collector at the well) froze. I was 3.5 hours this morning in 12F thawing, flushing, and and replenishing (with anti-freeze this time) the system. Had to crate generator and all sorts a shit to the well to git-r-done. I'm just getting over the chills watching football!

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I don't miss those days at all. Wood boiler is work but pretty reliable. Gas is usually great till extreme cold and a regulator doesn't open till you warm it. Have had it with LP as well already.

muleman said:

I don't miss those days at all. Wood boiler is work but pretty reliable. Gas is usually great till extreme cold and a regulator doesn't open till you warm it. Have had it with LP as well already.

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Well I have a geo unit for backup ..............

I was worried about the garage with fishy's ............

Big Dog said:

Yada, yada, yada ....................... Murph jinxed me last night. He PM'ed me asking how my heaters in the shop where working and I replied great. Wife woke me up at 5AM and said the gas was out.

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Well I did have another question I was going to ask but maybe not sorry about that man

Never had the wife wake me up to tell my my gas was out, but, she has complained about it before we went to sleep.

Trakternut said:

Never had the wife wake me up to tell my my gas was out, but, she has complained about it before we went to sleep.

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That it was OUT??????????????? You need to clarify .............

Doggggggggggg!