Ford 901 Prepare for Setting

Greetings, thank you in advance for your thoughts on the
topic.
I have made a decision that a project is going to need to
wait 3-10 years. Hopefully on the shorter end of that
spectrum but going out to the garage after bedtime for an
hour or two at a time is becoming less feasible with a 4, 2.5,
and 10 month old. Pretty exhausted and end up just staring
at my prized possession. Need the garage space to keep
plow tractor warm.
So, how would you prepare tractor for Setting? I hate to say
it, but under a deck outside.
This is a diesel. The injection pump is off the tractor and
leaks. Not rebuilding it at this time. All sheet metal is off and
painted. Gonna leave it off hanging in a corner of the
garage. The engine transmission and frame have degreaser
working off the wrong Ford blue over the original red. I put a
half cup of ATF in each injector hole in the head before
reinstalling the injectors. Was thinking of wrapping the thing
in cheap plastic, though I imagine our field mice will find a
way in. Block down clutch pedal. Put it up on blocks. Ensure
any locations water could get in the diffs or rear end are
well covered.
Anything else?

Since there is now way to keep air from going in and out of your gear cases, plan on water getting into them though condensation. Over a few months it can amount to a lot. When your 901 was working for a living it would get hot enough for long enough frequently enough to keep the moisture from accumulating. Plan on cracking each drain plug every six months and letting the accumulated water out.

Wrapping it in plastic will hold more moisture/condensation around it than tenting it under the deck. Best if the tent is clear of any contact with the tractor, setting open as it would be in a garage. I don't know if your deck is tight, but you don't want crud falling and water dripping on it from the deck. A tent will also give you access to turn it over regularly without having to unwrap and re-wrap. JMHO

Id make the tent out of pole barn tin.

If there's going to be diesel in the tank, put some diesel biocide in the tank. The lack of sulphur and biodiesel content of modern diesel fuels allow a bacteria to grow whose byproduct is a thick, gooey pile of sludge that will muck up a fuel system, and cause some major issues in injection pumps. Coloured diesel isn't as bad as stuff bought right from the pump, but it's still a concern. There've been more and more on here and other forums about this problem, which seems to be increasing a little every year. Probably because there's continually more biodiesel content and more restrictions on sulphur content in modern diesels.

It sounds like you might have the tank drained already, in which case that probably isn't a concern. Apart from that, I'd probably spray some kind of thin oil from a spray-can in the injector holes to try and cover the entire cylinder cavity, roll the engine half a revolution to make sure the previously unexposed surfaces are exposed, spray again, then do the ATF in the cylinders again.

As mentioned, if you wrap it too tight in plastic, humidity and condensation without airflow might be a concern. But ultimately as long as it's covered somewhat decently it'll probably be ok. I've been continuously surprised at how easily some tractors that had been sitting for ages came back to life - often without anywhere near the storage precautions you're talking about. One thing I might investigate is fiberglass roofing panels beneath the deck at a slight slope to let water that gets between the boards drain off. Unless a deck has interlocking boards it won't really do much to keep a heavy rain off the stuff beneath it. The rain still hast to go somewhere - it just runs to the edges of the boards and falls in greater quantities in the gaps.

I would think rust on any body panels that aren't painted in the garage would be more of a concern than any of the drivetrain concerns.

Any vehicle doesn't like sitting. If you have to do it I would put it on blocks and hook up a battery maintainer to it. Then cover with a good tarp. I would uncover it once a month and start the engine an let it run a little.

(quoted from post at 18:03:43 11/29/23) Any vehicle doesn't like sitting. If you have to do it I would put it on blocks and hook up a battery maintainer to it. Then cover with a good tarp. I would uncover it once a month and start the engine an let it run a little.

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It would be difficult for him to run it without an injection pump.

TractorDad3,Check antifreeze strength best to leave full,or drain radiator and block.

Thank you Den
They are both drained currently. Was not sure if they should
remain empty or filled with antifreeze

I was thinking of getting it put together enough to do so, though. It is so hard to find minutes to do so at this time. Thank you for your comments, I do know what happens when they sitand its not good

10-4, thank you for these comments. Tank off and drained. I like the idea of hitting the cylinder walls with spray oil and rolling it. Deck is definitely average and we saved on cost by not having them create that water-catching cover underneath. All sheet metal pretty good to go without any exposed bare metal

I like this. I was wondering about condensation being
trapped in there. I will ponder how I can best do thisone of
the later suggestions with roofing material may work. Thank
you for your comments

Great call showcrop, I will definitely add this to the calendar.
I know you have a couple beautiful examples of these and I
hope to get there someday. Thank you