1942 Oliver Standard - Transmission Shifter: The Definition of Wallered-Out

"Well there's your problem. The parts are just wallered-out." This is the normal progression of fit between two tractor parts that rub against each other for decades on in a farming environment. These first two photos are the offending shift tower and shift lever. Light should not be showing through the shift tower like it does. The wear is also shown in other photos below. It's quite impressive.

1942 Oliver 60 Standard Generator Upgrade, Radiator Shroud Install, Broken Bolts, and Oil Filter Error

This morning I thought I'd try to hook up the Motorcraft alternator that is on the tractor, just to see if it makes power. There are four connections, marked Bat, Fld, Sta, and Gnd. I did some checking online and it seems that if I hook the Sta terminal to the Bat terminal, then put 12 volts to the Fld terminal, I should be able to read something around 14.5 volts from the Bat terminal. I did just that, started the tractor, and read right around 15 volts. Cool, the alternator works. The next step was to semi-permanently run wiring to the Ammeter and battery.

1931 John Deere Model E 1-1/2 HP Hit and Miss Engine

Another new addition to the clutter followed me home last night. As the title states, it's a hit-n-miss engine. Right at the moment though, it's only a "miss" engine, as the magneto is kaput. I'll tell the story of the acquisition at the end. Here are some beauty shots.

It's Amazing What A Little Paint Can Do

My John Deere BN came adorned with some primer paint on the grill and a couple other spots from someone long ago starting a restoration but then moving out of state and abandoning the project. The brown paint makes the tractor look unsightly. The lichen growing on the thing in this photo doesn't help.

Four Tractors and a Mower Leave The Roost

I can fully appreciate the fact that I have acquired too many tractors. But you know what? I can also thin the herd from time to tome. The biggest problem is that I then have to deal with Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace flakes. You know the ones. They shoot a message asking, "Is it still available?", even though I've said in my ads that I won't respond to that inquiry. One guy asked that question and I didn't respond. He then pushed the subject and said, "Why won't you answer me?".... I then had to ask him if he had any questions, and that I said in the ad that I won't respond to "is it available". He came back with a very nasty remark and nothing else. I don't know why people like that get to me but they do. I think some folks are just plain mean, but I digress.

Ok, so I need to thin the tractor herd. Which ones can I most easily live without? Part of that is pretty simple. The Ford 9N and the Farmall C. The Ferguson TO-20 and TO-35 are next in line.

April 2, 2025 I put those four on FB Marketplace. Six days later, the 9N was the first to go. I just didn't have any attachment to it, so it was easy to watch it leave.

1942 Oliver 60 Standard - Miscellaneous Little Tasks

I'm sure I've said this before, but anytime someone gets a new project tractor, there are a myriad of piddly little things that need attention. For me, I start working on one thing, then something else catches my eye and I start on that too. At some point the several little things finally get done. Today was one of those days. I started by removing the beginnings of a home-built 3-point hitch the previous owner started. A lot of work went into the project up to this point but I don't see myself finishing it, so off it came. These first two photos show the thing still attached to the tractor, and the seat bracket bolted to the top of it. That's a 3" tall block of aluminum that was used for the main body, so the seat is sitting three inches higher than it should be.

1942 Oliver 60 Standard - Zenith Carburetor Cleaning

Yesterday I delved into the carburetor. In the title, I didn't say "carburetor rebuild" because I didn't buy any new parts for the project. I reused everything except the gasket between the two main halves. Usually a carburetor rebuild has new gaskets, new needle and seat, and maybe one or two other items.

The carburetor is not what came on the tractor. Oh, no, we can't be so fortunate to have the proper Marvel Schebler TSX-49. In fact, the more I work on this tractor, the more I think it was a parts tractor for someone's other Standard refurb. The tractor has wiring for lights, but there are no lights or brackets. The belt pulley is missing. The carburetor and linkage is wrong. There's no generator and an alternator that has never been hooked up is in its place. And the biggie, the radiator, radiator shell, and side panels are all missing. But in all fairness, this tractor was in this condition 30 or more years ago, when it was "only" a 50 year old tractor and probably not so desirable. Ok, so maybe it's still not that desirable but I'm sure it is more so now that it is 83 years old.

Whatever the case may be, I work with what I have. This Zenith carburetor, from what the all-knowing interweb says, is for a Towmotor Forklift with a Continental F-140 or F-162 flathead engine. Um, ok.