Senile Texas Aggie - comic relief for the rest of you

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Is there any way to put something like a piece of cattle panel a few feet in front of the culvert to snag those sticks?

I don't have a cattle panel but I have something that might work -- a steel grate that came with the house when we bought it. I cut off a piece of the grate to serve as a brush guard for my tractor. It worked like a champ.

This morning I went to Alma Tractor to pick up the hydraulic cylinder for the tractor. I installed it this afternoon and it worked just fine. So tomorrow I will be able to do some tractoring (although I expect to do mowing the yard instead). I am glad the tractor is back together.

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[Bruce]

 

[B&B Happy goats]

just stopping by to say hello STA

 

[rachels.haven]

Yeah! Are you staying busy?

 

[Ridgetop]

Looking forward to your next adventure!

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Thanks, all. I will post a longer one later today, but as a teaser, let's just say that the next edition of Webster's dictionary will have my picture beside the word "idiot". Stay tuned...

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

All,

OK, I wanted to assess the damage and then get an estimate to repair it before I told everyone what has happened. I have ruined my tractor engine! And here is the idiot part -- I did so all while the tractor was trying to tell me something was wrong. You see, a few days ago I was cutting down cedar trees in the overgrown southernmost area using my tree shear. It took me two days to do so. On the second day I managed to snag the oil dipstick tube, bending it, although I did not know it at the time, and causing it to leak. Yesterday morning, I noticed oil on the shop floor. While it was more than just a little drip, it wasn't a lot. I thought that I would check out the leak when I got back to the shop.

I then removed the tree shear and installed the grapple to go over and pick up the cedar trees I had cut down. On the way over to the area, I noticed a light on the console came on, and then went off. I thought, "I wonder what that light means?" While I was working, picking up the trees, it came on and went off several more times. Somehow I got it in my head that the light indicated when the tractor engine was running or not. Obviously the engine was running, so dummy me thought that I may have loosened some wires while going into the brush to cut cedar trees. I worked till around noon and then went back to the shop. As I was backing in, the engine started knocking really badly.

I went in and had lunch and then read the owner's manual to see what that light indicated. It turned out that it was the oil pressure indicator light! I mistakenly thought the oil pressure light was on the left side of the dashboard. I had been running the engine without oil pressure for almost two hours! I was physically ill, thinking that I had needlessly ruined an engine, all while the tractor was trying to tell me something was wrong. I was too ill to go back out to the shop yesterday to look it over, so I waited until this morning.

This morning, after posting the earlier post above, I went to the shop, put more oil in the engine, started it and checked for leaks. The engine was no longer knocking, no smoke came out the exhaust pipe, and there were no leaks. In fact, the engine sounded fine. I thought that perhaps the Mobil 1 I had put in the tractor had protected it from damage. (Ever since the mid-1980's I have used Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil in all of my 4 cycle engines, from cars and truck to lawn mowers.) So I decided to take out the tractor, this time to a place closer to the house. It ran fine for about 15-20 minutes, then the knocking came back, this time much worse than the day before. I limped at engine idle back almost to the house, but finally stopped the engine just a little ways from the house, as the knocking had gotten so bad. I then pulled the tractor with the truck back to the parking area.

Next, I called Alma tractor and told them the problem and asked for an estimate to repair it. At first they were reluctant to provide the estimate, asking if I could bring it in for them to look at. I didn't want to take it over there only to find out it was going to cost more that the tractor was worth. I asked them to price the most expensive option, which I figured was a new engine, plus installation. After 2 hours they called back later and shared the news with me. First, no new or rebuilt engine was available for that tractor any more. Secondly, even if it only required replacing the main bearings, rod bearings, piston rings, etc., it was going to cost 10-15K parts and labor! I said no thanks, and asked that one of their sales reps call me to discuss buying a new tractor.

I can't believe I was so bone-headed to be so ignorant to think that the oil pressure light was on the left side of the console and that I could ignore whatever that other light (the REAL oil pressure light) was indicating. Now I have the chore of trying to locate another tractor and needlessly paying a lot of money, all because I ignored the indicator light because I thought I had work to do.

A very sad and dumb Senile Texas Aggie

 

[B&B Happy goats]

Don't beat yourself up STA, we ALL mess up, you will know better next time

 

[farmerjan]

It happens. Especially since you did not grow up with family that did mechanical work, so you had no real practical knowledge of that sort of stuff. But the first thing my son said to me was if I was going to try to start the mower, was to check the oil before I did anything. Now, I grew up with a father that did alot of his own mechanical work, and have helped my son on a multitude of mechanical repair stuff, but he made sure that he reminded me to check the oil.
Yes it is going to be an expensive repair, and maybe might have to be a replacement...... but do some looking and digging around the internet for companies that deal with your brand before you just give up the ghost. We managed to find a local Mennonite farmer that does repairs here that has done wonderful work on some of our stuff, that we were about ready to just consign to the scrap metal heap. Then we found another guy up in Pa that dealt with only one brand of tractor of which we have only 1 (Deutz) and has been a godsend for getting parts off of.

Sorry for your hard luck.... but you will probably be VERY careful now to have a specific routine to check certain fluids, and to know that if a light comes on.... exactly what it is for and if it is SERIOUS.....

 

[thistlebloom]

I'm so sorry STA. I can sure relate to that sick feeling after doing something I didn't think through.