mama said......

There'd be days like this.
Right at -5 this morning and I hadn't watched the weather all weekend. Realized this morning it may snow up to 8" today/tonight. Figured I would check out the old M since it hasn't been started in a couple months. First have to move my farmall B, hand crank only. I put the jump starting pack on the battery for the coil. Pull up the switch and it comes apart in my hand. So I just tie the wires together to get by. Starts in about 5 pulls of the crank.
While its warming up logo to the C that has to move also. Can't hardly turn it but it fires but won't start. No problem I'll just pull it with the B thinks I. Wrong! Trans on the B must have water in it and won't budge. No problem I'll just pour a little diesel in a cement pan and light it on fire under it. Wrong again. The woods mower brackets won't let me fit the pan under it. No problem since my generator is right there I'll just use an electric heater. Wrong again, the generator refuses to start even though it was winterized. After a crewing around with the generator for 20 minutes I just grab 250' of extension cords to get some power to that shed. Plug in the heater and the heater fan won't turn. Take heater apart and oil fan so it works.
At this point I have a small "tent' around the rear housing to hold the heat. I try the C again and get it to start after I block the clutch down, which means that trans is frozen too. Which is odd since it has been in a shed all year.
I finally decide to try the M. Battery is dead but I have one all charged up since I expected that. Put the battery in and it won't turn over. By now I'm starting to notice a pattern so I block the clutch and it starts up but barely runs.
Somewhere in here I thought to try my H which is setting outside but it won't even turn over. Not surprised about that since that one has never once started when I needed it anyway. What are the odds that the trans is frozen solid too?
At about 11:00 I decide to warm up (maybe with whiskey). If all goes good I may have the tractor out of the shed today.
If I had parked it in my shop which has all my tools and can be heated I would have had an easier day, however then it is in the way for everything else.

GREG...You are obviously a victim / sufferer of the "but first" syndrome. Whatever you start to do as to wait because of "but first I need to do ...??..."

I feel your plight and know you are not alone. Yeah, Mama was correct.

Hope it gets better for you ... and soon!!

Rick

Greg, you have way more determination than I have! Let them sleep, they're hibernating! LOL

I 2nd Steve at Advance. If they're not needed let them sleep. Might save you a day full of headaches too.

Haha! I'm a victim am right ! Of myself! My own worst enemy. Got so busy this fall I just made sure things ran but never checked the rear ends for water, and I know better! Strange thing is that the C and B sit inside as a rule. The M didn't surprise me.

That reminds me of a story that an old guy I worked with told.

One below zero morning he looked out to see his old colored neighbor trying to start his A John Deere. George was a good old neighbor, so Burt put on his artics and went out to help. Ended up jumping his Massey to start it, then pulling George's JD with the Massey. After it started, George was all smiles, and walked a couple laps around the JD, then reached up and shut it off. Burt said What did you shut if off for??? George said, I just wanted to see if it would start.

And she was right!

Had the old diesel PU running last nite while I jockeyed it around to match up the snowplow and crawl under to insert and pin the pins. Plugged it in this morning for a couple hours -no go. So left it plugged in for a couple more. Still no go. Ran the batteries down. Put the charger on. Plugged in the diesel tractor. Gotta give it at least an hour. Really don't want to run an open station tractor, in below zero chill. But got to move some snow for chore purposes. Driveways etc. can wait. But gotta be able to do chores.

I guess it pays to use them every day and check the weather on DTN.

So, you have straight 30 weight engine oil in them also??
Just smile; makes everyone wonder what you are up to!

i feel your pain greg. seems like whatever tractor i need is buried in the barn, nothing in front of it will start, and then the shed door is froze shut. and the torpedo heaters are all out of fuel.

What can I say?
Sometimes this is easiest.

Is dtn still a thing ?

I connect to it through United Producers website. I can get radar and the county forecast without all the celebrity hype,witty banter and doomsday crap from the TV weather guessers.
DTN through U.P.

That sounds like what I need. Don't like to listen to all the b.s. preceding the weather and not real fond of the one on my phone.

Hahahahha! That would probably be faster, and keep me warmer too!

Just put in your own zip code.

Thank you, just the type site I want

(quoted from post at 15:51:23 01/05/15) I connect to it through United Producers website. I can get radar and the county forecast without all the celebrity hype,witty banter and doomsday crap from the TV weather guessers.
DTN through U.P.

Click to expand...

Thanks for that link, I like it already.

Gene

Thanks I'd forgotten all about Dtn . And yes I hate the regular news .