Bringing this old dinosaur back to life

Sounds like fun!

That should keep you busy for a while.  I was going to say it should keep you out of trouble, but it may not, once the mrs. sees the bill for parts. 

CA, SHHHH... I've already spent $80.00+ on filters, and fluids

Oh, and a $100.00+ on new logging chains... I'm sure I'll manage to get it stuck a few times

Lunker if you don't leave it where you stoped you are not stuck, just delayed for a while.

Trip, I've developed a reputation for being severely delayed over the years.

I'm never convinced that I'm stuck until the pumpkin hits the ground

Sounds like fun!!!

So Lunkerdog how is that project going? Does it run? Have you got it stuck I mean delayed yet?

TGJ, I have had it running, but still have some work to do too get it functioning.

The guy I bought it from had rebuilt the carb before it came up for auction. He didn't realize that rust had accumulated in the fuel tank, and when he poured gas in the tank it washed the rust into the rebuilt carb.

He then tried to get it running using a small auxiliary lawn mower tank, but to no avail.

When I got it home I took the carb apart, and cleaned it up. Then, as said, I did get it running using the auxiliary tank. I have to admit that I was very pleased with how well it ran.

I had talked to the owner before I had bid on it, and judged him to be of good character, so I took the chance, and bid on the machine. Having been burned before, when I got it home I still wasn't 100% sure that I hadn't just been taken again. Thus far I'm happy with my decision.

One thing I wasn't happy about was the condition of the oil. I didn't want to layout the money for a change before I knew whether or not I had a runner. When I took the filter off I had to use a screwdriver to scrape the sludge out of the base. Also the drained oil stained me like India ink. I decided to take the extra step, and pulled the oil pan. I'm glad I did, as there was a 1/4 inch of sludge on the bottom of it.

I then got called back to work, and was getting plenty of OT. Because of a huge new order, when the weather went bad they pulled us out of the field, and started the afternoon shift at the plant up again. Thus my late/early post.

At this point I still haven't put the pan back in place. When I get that done I'll have to move the machine before I flush the fuel tank. Right now it's only about 20 feet from our well. I also intend to check the points, and replace the cap, rotor, plugs, and wires. Then I'll go for the tranny, and hydraulic oils.

So it's still a work in progress. Which is probably a good thing at this point. Between the rain we've received, and the frost still coming out, chances are that if I did have it in running order I would have been stuck...err...Delayed buy now

-Lunkerdog

My project is a little smaller than yours.  I have an trencher man that is powered by an eight horse motor.  It is a little under-built for the rocky terrain we have.  I broke the weld on one of the stabilizers last May.  I torched it Monday to bend it into place.  Today I got it welded back together.

I have been delayed over the years by a torn apart bucket, broken pins, broken hoses, broken swing arms,  broken main boom, flat tires ....  It's what keeps us out of trouble.

-MD

Mark, I had watched several trenchers go through the same auction site that I bought this machine on, but they all went for over my limit. In fact several went through just 10 days ago. But they were much bigger machines than the 8 hp machine your dealing with.

Do-Bid.com

You're right about your rocky earth, that's some rugged country your in.

Here I'm dealing with clay, and the black muck of hay, and Tamarack swamps, so I hopefully won't suffer as bad from the wear and tear issues your dealing with.

CA addressed those "keeping out of trouble" issues. Thankfully we deal with a lot of similar equipment at work, and I work with several local rural guys that all do some of their own farming, so I've got a small network of support that can help me deal with many of the issues I may face with this machine.