some before and after pics of my m5 rebuild

carvel minne farmer · Mar 29, 2018

some before and after pics of the fender and draw bar off my m5, gave them to my friend Erick for repair, one of the best fabricator welder, blacksmiths that I have ever worked with. here is some before pics, draw bar slide bracket was bent from the draw bar being installed upside down.

now some pics of what Erick brought me back this morning, all fatigue cracks welded up and looking like new.

carvel minne farmer · Mar 29, 2018

oh and by the way Erick is over 75 and still going strong!!

RedMF40 · Mar 29, 2018

(quoted from post at 11:27:47 03/29/18) some before and after pics of the fender and draw bar off my m5, gave them to my friend Erick for repair, one of the best fabricator welder, blacksmiths that I have ever worked with. here is some before pics, draw bar slide bracket was bent from the draw bar being installed upside down.

Beautiful work, you're lucky to have Erik. Nice to see someone taking the time to do good work.

Jeff NWOH · Mar 29, 2018

Your friend does nice work. Its the little things like that drawbar that make a restoration complete.

rustred · Mar 29, 2018

good job! geez hope i can do that when im 75, lol.

Village Blacksmith · Mar 29, 2018

I showed this to my friend and asked if he thought I could do this at 75, he said "Sure".
I said "I hope so, because I sure can't do it now".

Village Blacksmith · Mar 29, 2018

I showed this to my friend and asked if he thought I could do this at 75, he said "Sure".
I said "I hope so, because I sure can't do it now".

jeffcat · Mar 29, 2018

I have done that with some of my own stuff. Takes time and patience
with a little skill thrown in. Next step is a little paint. By the
way. Who is that fuzzy old fluff sitting there.

carvel minne farmer · Mar 29, 2018

(quoted from post at 13:06:15 03/29/18) I have done that with some of my own stuff. Takes time and patience
with a little skill thrown in. Next step is a little paint. By the
way. Who is that fuzzy old fluff sitting there.

that fuzzy old fluff sitting there is "samuel p. cat" he is the shop formen, a highly trained killer attack guard cat, (when he's not having a nap!!) he supervises and critiques all shop projects, checks all employees in and out, (when he's not having a nap!) he rides on the old baker forklift moving welders around the shop. (and complains about my operating skills) has no fear of vehicales, equipment, or engines running?? he will wade right through the muck and snow that melts off trucks?? and the real funny part about him, he's not even our cat! he's the 3rd stray that has moved in ( moved in in june) in the last 15 years, I don't know what it is about us but the first 2 latched onto sue and became house queens, they would curl up in my lap after supper and in my recliner watching tv. sam for some reason likes the shop, won't come in the house, he is one strange cat for sure! sam and I have become best buds, long discussions about solving all the worlds problems :lol:

carvel minne farmer · Mar 29, 2018

(quoted from post at 12:59:47 03/29/18) I showed this to my friend and asked if he thought I could do this at 75, he said "Sure".
I said "I hope so, because I sure can't do it now".

blacksmith, i'm a welder by trade and I take pride in building things square, straight, and as close to a factory built piece as I can, BUT Erick is WAY above me in skill and knowledge, when I started taking the tracor apart and saw the draw bar had been installed upside down and had bent all the mounting brackets cracked almost right through I called Erick over, he looked everything over on the tractor and said when you get it all off give me a call, i'll come pic it up and fix that for you. if you look at the pic of the draw bar slide it was bent in an s shape with a turtle hump in the middle, he set up a gig in his 50 ton press and if you look on the left side of the draw bar you can see where he applied the heat (burnt paint) applying the heat there he shrunk the metal as he applied more and more pressure on the press, it pulled all the metal back to it's original shape?? he only applied heat on that one spot on the left? /

the fender with the 180 degree bend in it he straightened COLD using clamps and steel plates, welded up all the fatigue cracks, ground them down smooth, you can run your hand over that fender blacksmith and its as smooth and straight as the day it left Hopkins minnesota! when I asked him how he did that he just smiled and said "oh it wasn't to bad"??

carvel minne farmer · Mar 29, 2018

(quoted from post at 11:35:10 03/29/18)

(quoted from post at 11:27:47 03/29/18) some before and after pics of the fender and draw bar off my m5, gave them to my friend Erick for repair, one of the best fabricator welder, blacksmiths that I have ever worked with. here is some before pics, draw bar slide bracket was bent from the draw bar being installed upside down.

Beautiful work, you're lucky to have Erik. Nice to see someone taking the time to do good work.

Click to expand...

I know it red , Erick also owns a landscaping co. and I work with him in the summer and the winter plowing snow, I do all the electrical work he needs at his place, in the shop or the house. we work back and forth helping each other, I never charge him labour just my supplies or material, and when I need help I can call on him.

carvel minne farmer · Mar 29, 2018

(quoted from post at 11:47:46 03/29/18) Your friend does nice work. Its the little things like that drawbar that make a restoration complete.

he is one in a million jeff, when it comes to working metal he has the gift! I really enjoy watching him and helping, i'm like a sponge working with him trying to learn all I can.

SVcummins · Mar 29, 2018

lookin good cm

carvel minne farmer · Mar 29, 2018

(quoted from post at 18:39:32 03/29/18) lookin good cm

thanks sv. the old girl is a work in progess, hoping to have it all back together by the end of may, still have the ih-100 to get done (ordering new knife complete like you did), then some u joints to change out on the nh 56 rake, jd 336 baler is already to go except for 2 new bale tension springs, a clean up and grease. it's going to be nice rolling into the hay field with the m5 on the mower and the baler and mighty casey on the rake :lol: it has been fun and iv'e learned a lot not only on the field, but also on the forum here.

Philip d · Mar 29, 2018

Looks great !!!

carvel minne farmer · Mar 29, 2018

(quoted from post at 20:20:24 03/29/18) Looks great !!!

thanks Philip, it sure helps to have an old fiend with his skill and knowledge.

caterpillar guy · Mar 30, 2018

I know a lot of those drawbars were not heavy enough from new. I see a lot of old H's and M's with an additional piece welded, to the top or bottom of the drawbars, and the swing so they didn't bend . I thought they came that way for years as our h had that done to it. We had to do the same thing to our MD to hold the load also. Broke one that had been welded up.
Yours looks good and might still need to ad an extra piece to the swing angle to hold the baler tongue weight as well as the drawbar itself. It can still be done in a tasteful manner without detracting from the looks or restoration quality.

Ande · Mar 30, 2018

Looks like the project is coming along well, you are taking the time to make this one a beauty. Hope you keep the pictures coming. You are a craftsmen.

carvel minne farmer · Mar 30, 2018

caterpillar guy the draw bar on my other m5 is still installed properly (NOT UPSIDE DOWN) and there is no sign of any bends and cracks, it has a heavy duty roller system to hold the draw bar in place, why the original owner flipped the draw bar over I have no idea, I think it was to have it lower to hook up some of his implements, but the only problem with doing that is with it up side down all the pressure from the draw bar itself is then lifting up under the swing plate and the 2 side brackets that hold everything in place twisting them and cracking them out. with all new side brackets and the swing plate straightened, and the draw bar installed properly we should be good to go.

carvel minne farmer · Mar 30, 2018

(quoted from post at 05:33:37 03/30/18) Looks like the project is coming along well, you are taking the time to make this one a beauty. Hope you keep the pictures coming. You are a craftsmen.

we will keep the pics coming ande, when I started the electrical trade in1973 I apprenticed under a german fellow who was VERY fussy about everything being straight square and level! if I put up some conduit that was an 1/8" out of square or level he would come in and look at my work then turn his head slowly and stare at me, not saying a word! the first couple of times I said WHAT, he just put his arm out pointing to my conduit and say " that is offensive to the eye" do it again! so I quickly learned to double check every piece with a level!! every 90 degree bend had to be 90 degrees NOT 89!! he used to hound me that my work should disappear, when someone walked into a room and looked at your work, if every piece is level, every bend perfect it will disapear , IF it's crooked every person who walks in that room will notice it, he used to tell me they will pick up on that as soon as they walk in the room, "it will offend their eyes" so any work I do has to please the eye :lol: just disappear.

some before and after pics of my m5 rebuild

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