1943 Dodge WC-51 Weapons Carrier

When will the madness stop? Ok, I know that looking on Craigslist and FB Marketplace were the downfall of my last two tractor purchases, but this new acquisition didn't happen because of my perusing the want ads. No, this deal was thanks to a fellow tractor club member. I guess I never should have joined that club. See where it's gotten me? Four tractors bought from club members, five if you count one that's been sold. And now I have me a Weapons Carrier.

What's that, you say? Weapons Carrier? Uh, is that legal to own? Yes, it is. And little did I ever think I needed or wanted one. But there's a story here. "Yes, of course there is," you say. Well, sit back and have a listen. So I have to go back four years. I joined the tractor club in 2020, right smack in the middle of Covid. I joined because I'd bought an aluminum can crusher powered by a 1917 2-1/2hp hit and miss engine. The gent I bought it from, Buck, said that the person who buys this can crusher should really be in the club, as it was kind of a mainstay of the club's shows. I told him, sure, I'll join, as I had a little Gibson tractor (yes, only one old tractor then) in the garage at home, and I was buying Buck's John Deere LA tractor also (another deal I couldn't pass up). I'd never been in a tractor club before. Should be fun. And now see where it's gotten me. But I digress.

Fast forward several years, and at one of the club shows, another member said to me he's always wanted a Gibson like mine. That planted the seed. I didn't have a real connection to the Gibson, so that thought of selling it to him began to percolate in the back of my mind. Fast forward to earlier this year (2024) and the same guy said he was going to sell his old WWII army truck. I innocently asked how much and he said, "I was thinking 35." Hmm, 35, 35... Thirty-five what? Hundred? Thousand? So I just had to ask, to which he said, "$3500". Wow, that seems cheap, I say to myself. I told him I was somewhat interested, and maybe we can work out a deal on my Gibson and cash. A little time went by and we came to an agreement. So now I'm down one Gibson and up one Weapons Carrier.

1941 Ford 9N Tractor First Start

This blog posting is an update on the Ford 9N that came home with the Farmall C recently. I worked on this tractor for a few hours and got it running. There were a couple of things going on. First, the starter didn't work when I put in a battery. Second, once I'd removed, tinkered, and reinstalled the starter a couple of times and got it going, there was no spark. I read online that the easiest way to fiddle with the points in the distributor is to pull the distributor..... What?! Ok, I kind of get it, as the distributor on the 9N, 2N, and early 8N is mounted on the front end of the engine, under the water pump. Yeah, Ford did not have a better idea that day, and they realized it and put the distributor on the side of the later 8N's engine. It's hard to see in the photo below but the distributor is in there somewhere. Super fun to get to. Yep.

You Know You Have A Problem When.....

Umm, how do I begin. After previously lamenting how many tractors I have, I go and get two more. Two, you say? Yes, two. Really though, it's not my fault. I said no. I did. But then the seller did the dastardly deed and said those magic words, "Package Deal". I won't waste anymore time in words. Here's a photo. Ain't it a sight to behold?

1955 Ferguson TO-35 Body Work - Part 2

Today I finished the second side panel on the TO-35 hood. It was almost as enjoyable as the first one... It did take less time, but then getting things all put together was a lot more difficult than I would have expected, but I'm getting ahead of myself. This first photo is the right-side panel before doing any work to it. I wonder, is it sacrilege to use a John Deere tractor as a table for a Ferguson tractor part?

1955 Ferguson TO-35 Body Work - Part 1

Oh how I love doing automotive body work. Not. Give me a wrench any day. But ya gots to do what ya gots to do if you're too cheap to pay someone to do it, and the TO-35 hood's side panels need some attention. And it's about time. This poor tractor has been relegated to the "back 40", i.e., behind the garage, for way too long. And I just looked when I posted anything about it - a year ago. Ok, I didn't need to know that. But it's actually not as bad as it sounds. It was a whole two months ago that I did start working on the hood. I got it pulled off and disassembled. Then other things came up. Like more tractors, but I digress. So, here's the problem to tackle. Someone in the distant past used a hot wrench (oxy-acetylene torch) to hack off the bottom inch or so of the hood's side panels, I presume to mount a front end loader, and I am going to attempt to rectify that blunder.

1925 Economy Hit & Miss Engine Repairs/Tune-up and 1939 Turner Hay Press Tensioner Handle

A guy in my tractor club owns this 1925 Economy 1-3/4 hp hit & miss engine. It hasn't run right for a couple years now and at the recent county fair, we started smelling gas, and I speculated it might have a tank leak. I offered to take a look at the engine, brought it home after the fair and sure enough, the soldered outlet on the gas tank had failed. I pulled the tank and re-soldered the joint. Of course, to get the tank out, the wheels and wooden base had to come off. That meant enlisting the help of the engine hoist, as the engine is probably in the 300+ pound range.