Hold Off On The Jap Tractor!

I bought the Fergie a few weeks ago- lacked power when I first tried using it. Did some work on it (all minor)and it was touch and go for a while. I was getting annoyed with it- I figured it should be simple and quick to fix, being such a simple machine. As my weeds were growing higher and higher, and my tractor and bushog just sat there, I was starting to really wish that I had enough money to go out and buy one of them crappy (but new) Jap tractors! (Luckily....that is not an option for me) But I kept sluggin' away with the Fergie- and now I can see the light. Used it to bushog for almost four hours today, and it ran great, and even made it up a steep hill! I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel- it's running pretty good now, and after I do a few more necessities to it (install proper rebuilt carb, adjust valves, do PTO seal) it's gonna really be a great tractor! The moral of the story: You may get disgusted always having to fix something on an old tractor- but with sturdy and simple machines like these Fergies, it doesnt take too long before your headaches pay off, and you come out with a good solid reliable tractor!

Actually, it was a combination of a bunch of half-bad things. The tractor is getting better and better with everything I fix. First, I did a full tune-up (cap, rotor, plugs, wires, condenser, points)- then, it turned out that the wire from the distributor to the coil was grounding itself out at the distributor connection(took me a while to figure that out). I replaced the coil with a really good ($45) one, and now the tractor is working so much better. Turns out my alternator was bad- I just got a new one today. Now I just have to wait for my rebuilt carb to come (not only is the carb on the tractor in bad shape.....but it's the wrong one!).....and while I'm waiting for the carb, I'm gonna adjust the valves- then the tractor will be 100% (surprisingly, my fuel line wasn't clogged!) I knew when I got the tractor that the motor was sound- and that the tractor just needed "little things"- but man....it needed EVERY little thing! This has really taught me not to overlook the simple, obvious things. I used to be in the auto salvage business- and by the time a car got to me, it was never just wires or spark plugs causing its' problem- but always a head gasket or cam bearings or blow-by- major stuff. So, I got in the habit of always discounting the little things, and always aiming right for the major things. I have to remind myself that not everything out there is junk!

Many thanks!