New to Me old equipment

[BIGNASTY]

I will be getting some New Old equipment from my Aunt in Nebraska in a few days. The tractors have sat for close to 40years. I would like to get them to TDC on the compression stroke # 1 as a starting point to tear down the motors turning it over by hand. My thought was that sitting for like 40 years I can only imagine what is stuck to what, Piston rings to cylinder walls comes to mind. These tractors were my Grandfathers and I remember that he didn't wait until things broke to fix them, so when he passed the family drove them into a barn and there they have sat. If the internal parts are good I want to reuse them.



I have been on other forums and have heard advice ranging from pull the plugs and fill the Cylinders with kerosene to Marvel Mystery, mineral oil and a host of other oil concoctions and let it sit to soften up any thing stuck. What ever that is used will be cleaned out im going to tear down everything and see what's what I don't want to go Half Donkey with this and regret it later.



So your thoughts would be appreciated



Thanks

BIG

 

[rscurtis]

If these were properly stored, sitting for 40 years should be no problem at all. I prepared a generator for storage on LI after Hurricane Gloria, and when needed after Sandy, it started in two pulls. Hurricane Gloria was 28 years ago. If they weren't stored properly, then it's anybody's guess.

 

[fest3er]

If the intake and exhaust weren't sealed, you may find a patina of rust coating everything inside. Put a socket to the damper and see if the crank will turn at all (or use the crank if it's old enough). If it doesn't move at all, you may have a bear's own time getting the pistons out. Pull the plugs and borrow a bore/fibre scope and see what the cylinders look like. If the cylinders are vertical, a ¼ cup of #2 in each should be enough to loosen any surface rust.

If the insides look good and you plan to use them as yard tugs (not work them hard), pull the heads, pull the pistons and scuff the guck off them. If the heads are at all iffy, send 'em to a shop to be 'freshened up'. Hone the cylinders down with a bead honer if they need it, wash out the cylinders and oil 'pan' with lots of #2. Inspect the bearings and surfaces; so long's they feel smooth, they should be good to go. Spray the head gasket with a good coating of silver paint. Reassemble with lots of oil. You might not find torque specs, in which case 'tight' for the smaller bolts and 'very tight' for the bigger bolts is about right. Fire those mothers up and burn off the excess oil. The older ones rarely turn more than 1200 RPM or so; parts can be real scary looking and still work for a long time.

If they have hydraulics, you might want to disassemble and rebuild. Those old seals mayn't tolerate long periods of disuse.

If you plan to work them hard, be more persnickety with parts' conditions.

My uncle and I did this with his early 50's Case DC a few years ago. It had a couple broken valve springs, and the rear head bolts weren't more than finger tight. Once we reassembled it and got it to fire (I mis-judged the park wire positions), it was running better than it ever did. And still does. It only moves empty hay racks and grain wagons, or does light lifting with its ancient font loader. As I said, a yard tug.

 

[BIGNASTY]

If these were properly stored, sitting for 40 years should be no problem at all. I prepared a generator for storage on LI after Hurricane Gloria, and when needed after Sandy, it started in two pulls. Hurricane Gloria was 28 years ago. If they weren't stored properly, then it's anybody's guess.

I doubt that they were done the right way, nobody that grew up in a family with a history of farmers is or wants anything to do with the farm now!! Some of the other Horse drawn equipment that's coming also is worth a bunch. My Aunt said to take it I told her that some of that horse drawn equipment is worth some money, She told me that your Grandpa and you seemed to be the only ones that cared about farming so do with it as you please, I wont sell it but horse drawn hay balers are a VERY RARE thing indeed, as are the horse drawn wheat harvest machines.

If the intake and exhaust weren't sealed, you may find a patina of rust coating everything inside. Put a socket to the damper and see if the crank will turn at all (or use the crank if it's old enough). If it doesn't move at all, you may have a bear's own time getting the pistons out. Pull the plugs and borrow a bore/fibre scope and see what the cylinders look like. If the cylinders are vertical, a ¼ cup of #2 in each should be enough to loosen any surface rust.

If the insides look good and you plan to use them as yard tugs (not work them hard), pull the heads, pull the pistons and scuff the guck off them. If the heads are at all iffy, send 'em to a shop to be 'freshened up'. Hone the cylinders down with a bead honer if they need it, wash out the cylinders and oil 'pan' with lots of #2. Inspect the bearings and surfaces; so long's they feel smooth, they should be good to go. Spray the head gasket with a good coating of silver paint. Reassemble with lots of oil. You might not find torque specs, in which case 'tight' for the smaller bolts and 'very tight' for the bigger bolts is about right. Fire those mothers up and burn off the excess oil. The older ones rarely turn more than 1200 RPM or so; parts can be real scary looking and still work for a long time.

If they have hydraulics, you might want to disassemble and rebuild. Those old seals mayn't tolerate long periods of disuse.

If you plan to work them hard, be more persnickety with parts' conditions.

My uncle and I did this with his early 50's Case DC a few years ago. It had a couple broken valve springs, and the rear head bolts weren't more than finger tight. Once we reassembled it and got it to fire (I mis-judged the park wire positions), it was running better than it ever did. And still does. It only moves empty hay racks and grain wagons, or does light lifting with its ancient font loader. As I said, a yard tug.

They would be just for fun I would have to modify them for me to drive (clutch problem) but would like to sit in the buggy seat on the AC and let the wife drive.

 

[fest3er]

Too bad they aren't as old as the DC; it only has a hand clutch.

Since they're only for 'fun', you hardly need worry. Get plenty of crocus cloth. So long as bearings and surfaces aren't scored, use the crocus cloth to buff the rust off and shine 'em a bit. 80-grit AlOx paper should scuff up the pistons nicely.

Remember: the additives in today's oil will probably keep those old parts running forever, even if they look like they should instantly seize.

 

[CBari]

Big I know you have a camera and like to use it but I have never seen any videos that you have produced. I would love to see a video of your team pulling the square baler and it working. I can only imagine with your attention to detail that you will have it spit shined and polished better than when it left the factory.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Big I know you have a camera and like to use it but I have never seen any videos that you have produced. I would love to see a video of your team pulling the square baler and it working. I can only imagine with your attention to detail that you will have it spit shined and polished better than when it left the factory.

Not many People call them a square baler!!!!! Have never pulled one myself but have seen it done by another team and teamster down in the flatland of MT. This will be a match for the JD sickle bar hay mower and a hay wind row rake, That I already have and am waiting for some warmer weather so I can paint them, D4L gave me the heads up on the paint it looks like the kind to use for durability the salesmen said you cant beat this stuff BUT MAKE SURE IT'S WARM WHEN YOU PAINT, if not it wont turn out right.



First time I took the gang out with the sickle mower just to see if it worked. I harnessed up the boy's and yelled step up they started to move and the noise made them nervous they went faster the more noise :-laf I don't think that the sickle bar mower was meant to cut hay at a full run. :-laf:-laf Talk about hard to get them to stop, I was getting ready to bail off when they ran out of room to run or swim.



Have been turning over the 2 acres of garden for the wife the last few evenings when the work is done. Pretty relaxing to me just to plow it up and till in some of the Mountain of Manure that has accumulated in the winter, then run the cultivator around getting ready for her garden for spring thru fall crops.



Square Baler!!!!! :-laf Good to know that im not the only one with this interest.

 

[CBari]

Big I like the old Iron and to watch it work, but as for me and my operation I am more fond of newer equipment that requires less dependence on my four legged friends. I can only image what some of our barrel horses would do when hooked up to a sickle bar mower. I sure as they say it won't be pretty. The baler nomenclature from me comes from youth and we put up both Big Round Bales and Little Square Bales. I have a new to me Square Baler backed in the shop now trying to repair someone else's botched repair job.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Some of the older Men in town, stop along side the road and watch the gang work. I have seen them at the store and said why don't you stop by? after a few times of inviting them over they do stop and look at the old equipment that I have in the barn, I can see the spark in their eye as they remember days gone by when they were working with this when it was either NEW or wasn't that old. They start with the stories and continue on about how this and that works. I know what the equipment is and how it works, but it makes them feel good when they relive their time. I REALLY enjoy talking to the older folks I learn from them and they feel like they contribute something its all a win win. One of the guys wife is a friend of my MIL I take my MIL into town a couple of times a month so all the OLD BITTIES as they call themselves can make quilts. She thanked me for putting up with her husband he's just looking for something to do and someone to talk to. I told her that he is welcomed anytime, he stops by ever so often I asked him if he wanted to drive the team his eyes started to tear up he couldn't speak. Jumped up in the seat I told him the commands (he knew most of them) and away he went. I have a good time with the gang and people they just love the Mules!!!

 

[BIGNASTY]

Equipment pulled in last night late drives are asleep so cant go wake them up THIS EARLY, fest3er got me a bore scope for use when I can, took the day off from projects around here just to look at the new toys, and have some time with people that we haven't seen in a lot of years. The wife is over here laughing at me she said I MARRIED A BIG KID :-laf its just like Christmas day for the little ones only my little one is 60 years old and 6ft 6in tall :-laf

 

[B.G. Smith]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvdQpA6hfko Be nice if you could get one of these since you already have the livestock to operate it. I was fortunate to have seen one of these in operation about 1942, only difference was the man who pushes the hay down into the bailer was standing on top pushing it down with his foot, the plunger was pretty slow so I guess it wasn't too dangerous. The crew had two different rakes, a buck rake and a bull rake. The buck was used to rake the hay into rows and the buck was used to move the hay near the baler. bg

 

[JLeake]

If the engines, etc are frozen the best stuff for attacking the internal rust, etc is KROIL. Not cheap by any means, from Kano Labs. That stuff was used by a group in Arizona to get an old radial to rotate after 50 years.

A home grown concoction that I read of and tried works nearly as well, and is cheaper. Take ATF, cheap stuff works well, and equal parts acetone, mix (agitate since it those two really do not mix) and immerse the object in it, or pour it in.

 

[BIGNASTY]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvdQpA6hfko Be nice if you could get one of these since you already have the livestock to operate it. I was fortunate to have seen one of these in operation about 1942, only difference was the man who pushes the hay down into the bailer was standing on top pushing it down with his foot, the plunger was pretty slow so I guess it wasn't too dangerous. The crew had two different rakes, a buck rake and a bull rake. The buck was used to rake the hay into rows and the buck was used to move the hay near the baler. bg

I have seen one of those in operation didn't like the idea that you had to bring the hay to the bale maker, but still a very interesting look back at the way it was done. Have a picture of the hay wagon that they brought the hay to the machine quite an operation in its self.

 

[BIGNASTY]

If the engines, etc are frozen the best stuff for attacking the internal rust, etc is KROIL. Not cheap by any means, from Kano Labs. That stuff was used by a group in Arizona to get an old radial to rotate after 50 years.

A home grown concoction that I read of and tried works nearly as well, and is cheaper. Take ATF, cheap stuff works well, and equal parts acetone, mix (agitate since it those two really do not mix) and immerse the object in it, or pour it in.

BIL who is a long time fan of fixing old things told me of this the other day will have to find where I can get Kroil around here.

 

[CBari]

I am a big fan of the ATF and Acetone mix. It is amazing what it can do.

 

[BIGNASTY]

I am a big fan of the ATF and Acetone mix. It is amazing what it can do.

Might have to give this a try first I have a 55 gal drum of ATF and acetone by the gal. cant hurt, if it works great!!!