The Shepherds' Journey

Last night and this morning I was able to get back on the tractor and do more clearing. It's very nice to be able to see things out on the property again. It had really started to become overgrown and things appear to close in on you as that happens.


A view from the tractor looking over some of the area I've cut in the last couple of days.


I ran into a small tree that speared the front of the tractor. Thankfully, it didn't puncture anything and after fighting with it a bit, Kyle and I were able to work it free.


Our tractor has been through a lot, but a lot of what you see here is really not new damage. We bought a used tractor and the lights have always been disconnected like this.
Notice how the tree found where the radiator comes out of the hood!

Labels: Clearing, Tractor

Today I was out trying to disc up some of the ground and get some grass seed planted when I noticed some hydraulic fluid dripping onto my favorite boots :(

I decided to try and finish, but then one of the hydraulic hoses burst and started spraying me and the tractor with hydraulic fluid. I barely made it back to the house so that I could start looking into what had gone wrong.

It looks like I will now get to learn a lot about hydraulics!

Labels: Tractor

I'm still struggling with my fuel problem with the tractor. It started to rain today, but I must keep going, so Kyle and I constructed a little shelter for me to work beneath.

Labels: Tractor

This is a quick picture of part of the tractor fuel filter thing that I broke recently. I'm not sure this is a major problem, but I'm still researching it.


The filter fits up around this piece

Labels: Tractor

After finally getting the tractor all put back together, I cranked it up and took it our for a drive. I was really able to get a lot done in just a few hours. I think I cleared about an acre.

However, I hit a stump along the way (not unusual, for they are everywhere) and damaged a fuel filter.

Looks like I'm down again until I can find some replacement parts.


This is the fuel filter I will need to find and replace.

Labels: Tractor

Kyle and I have been working hard on the tractor. Today I received the replacement hoses, but one of them looks like it will be a tough fit.

We still need to attach the radiator, and get everything re-attached and then put some coolant in so that we can crank it up. We are probably still a few days away from being able to finish.


This hose will be a tough fit.

Labels: Tractor

Part of the tractor repair is to try and get the radiator tested and sealed back up. I've never had to do this before, so I asked my local tractor store for a reference and they told me about an older man nearby who does radiator repair in a garage next to his house. I headed over to his place and I was pleasantly surprised that he could work on it right away while I waited! In the end, it was all fixed and he only charged me $25. He also gave me a few tips for caring for it and keeping it clean.



This is the tank where he pressurizes the radiator and can easily find leaks.


Soldering the holes that are found

Labels: Tractor

Throughout the week I have gotten more parts for the tractor and ordered new radiator hoses. Kyle and I have been working throughout the week to disassemble what we need and get the right parts ordered.


Me atop the beast

Labels: Tractor

Yesterday I went and visited the local tractor shop and they had a stump jumper righ there in stock! I bought it and brought it home to try it out.


As you can see, it's too small. I did not measure before I went ahead with the purchase, but they assured me I could return it.

I really need to get going on the clearing. Fall is approaching, and I need every bit of it to clear as much as possible. With that in mind, I decided to go ahead and purchase a new (but used) bushhog from another tractor dealer so that I can keep going. I hope to still be able to repair this one so that I can have a backup, or sell it.


I didn't get a picture of the new bushhog, but here is Jay-El near a nice shiny new tractor.


When we arrived home, I hooked up the bushhog but then noticed that the tractor was slinging fluid from around the fan belt area. After further inspection, realized that I should not use the tractor before this is fixed.

It turns out that there appears to be a problem with the water pump, so I decided to try and replace it. I've never done this type of maintenance before, but it's worth doing so that I can save money and learn along the way.

The plan is to replace the water pump with and hoses and repair some (what appear to be) superficial leaks in the radiator. With Kyle's help, maybe we can get this done in the next week.

Labels: Tractor

I have made a lot of progress cutting on the land recently, but something happened and I noticed that the bushhog stopped cutting. It's pretty dangerous to work on it while it is on the tractor so I decided to tip it up against a tree to figure out what is wrong.


Taking off the stump jumper


Small shards of metal that I pulled out of the connection to the gearbox shaft

I eventually learned that the "splines" were stripped and that it would be best to get a new stump jumper. This one is pretty warped and beat up as well. It's now time to visit my (somewhat) local tractor shop.

Labels: Tractor

I've really been struggling with Tractor issues over the last week and I've got about 4 problems to fix:

1) Can't keep the front tires from going flat because we have these weird trees with 3 inch spikes in them and I can't tell where they are until I'm running over them. Needless to say, my tires don't like that!

2) I have a fuel leak. I still have a lot to learn about engines and how they work, and I don't really want to learn about them right now. Anyway, I've been trying to track down why I'm leaking fuel.



3) The bushhog is really getting a workout with the things I'm cutting. It's lost some bolts and needs a little TLC.

4) The fan belt came off again, but I found some loose parts around the alternator which is what is used to keep tension on the belt.

Soooo... that's been keeping me busy. Hopefully I can get these issues resolved soon and get back out there.

Labels: Farming, Tractor

This year we are trying to have a larger (and more successful) garden. We have a disc with the tractor, but it's got a few issues. It does work mostly, so I hooked it up and broke ground in our new garden area.


Running the disc through the soil


Coming back the other way


Our garden area from above. You can see our Square Foot Garden there on the left.

Labels: Farming, Gardening, Tractor