There are a couple of old tractors in the outer yard.  My late father gave one of them to my nephew.  Today, he and my brother came over to try and get it to his place.

The first challenge: getting it out of where it had settled.

They were trying to pull it out with a tow cable, as well as a jack, and whatever they could find for traction.  Oh, and take the wasp nest out of the tire rim.  !! At one point, as they turned on the tow cable to pull on it a bit, his SUV instead started getting pulled backwards!

They were working on it when I left to visit with my mother.  When I came back, several hours later, they were still at it!

But, they did get it out.

Not too shabby, for something that has been sitting for an estimated 25 years!

The plan was to tow it back, but there was a problem with that.  It turns out it has hydraulic steering.  Which means it needs to be running, in order to steer.

So they had to drive to town to pick up various things needed and, amazingly, they got it started.  Then they had to figure out how to shut it off, because turning the key didn’t work.  Eventually, my nephew found the choke and was able to turn it off.

What they also discovered, however, was that the coolant was pouring through the manifold.  With it running, they might have been able to drive it back (which would have taken all day, because it can only go about 20 miles per hour, max!), but not with it the coolant pouring right out.  They’d have to stop and fill it every couple of miles, except they wouldn’t be able to stop, so they were talking about somehow rigging a tank and a hose up, so it could be continually filled…

!!!

Long story short, it didn’t leave today.  At some point, my nephew will come back with a trailer.  Getting a hold of one that can handle this tractor is a whole other issue!!  He just wants to get it to his place before winter sets in, at least.

So, for now, it sits in its new spot.

As for the old spot…

There is a rock pile nearby, so they used what they could find to fill the holes, along with the boards they were using for traction.  Eventually, I’ll get some dirt to fill the holes.  I wouldn’t want a cow to break its leg or something, if they get through the fence again.

The cows did hang around, watching the goings on, for quite a while! :-D

I’m still amazed they actually got it running.  It even had clean oil in it, and good oil pressure!  I think my late brother had started working on it a while back, but that would have been about 10 years ago, maybe more.

They don’t make them like this, anymore!

The Re-Farmer