Dad and I bought a '51 Farmall H from a coworker last summer. We got it for $1200. It's got decent paint-a little faded but very little rust. It needed a muffler and didn't run just quite right. The coworker used it to brushhog an acre once a year and otherwise it just sat in a shed.
As I used it it ran worse and worse. It would sputter and pop and hardly had the strength to pull itself up the road, much less do any work. I'm no great mechanic and I started with the basics: new spark plugs, new points and condenser, new coil, and no improvement.
This past weekend I decided to pull the sediment bowl, which was clean as far as I could tell, off and take a look at it. Here the top of the bowl (the metal part above the glass bowl) was jammed up almost solid with dirt and debris. I did clean it out but it was in pretty sad shape so I just picked up a new bowl assembly ($35) and installed it. I also pulled and flushed the gas tank while I had the tractor apart.
Now she runs like a top. I'm really excited, not only because I solved the problem and have a good tractor to work with, but also because it's a classic and will be used as it was intended for a long time yet.
In the grand scheme of things it was a small victory, but it's a small victory that I'm very proud of.
As I used it it ran worse and worse. It would sputter and pop and hardly had the strength to pull itself up the road, much less do any work. I'm no great mechanic and I started with the basics: new spark plugs, new points and condenser, new coil, and no improvement.
This past weekend I decided to pull the sediment bowl, which was clean as far as I could tell, off and take a look at it. Here the top of the bowl (the metal part above the glass bowl) was jammed up almost solid with dirt and debris. I did clean it out but it was in pretty sad shape so I just picked up a new bowl assembly ($35) and installed it. I also pulled and flushed the gas tank while I had the tractor apart.
Now she runs like a top. I'm really excited, not only because I solved the problem and have a good tractor to work with, but also because it's a classic and will be used as it was intended for a long time yet.
In the grand scheme of things it was a small victory, but it's a small victory that I'm very proud of.