Yeah, but that’s like two hundred in tractor years.
With the exception of the key cylinder, which we’ve repaired twice, nothing on Gulchendiggensmoothen’s dashboard works or to my knowledge has ever worked. Most of this is inconsequential. The speedometer’s a joke: The tractor might terrifyingly achieve 30 MPH downhill in high/high with a tailwind, but who’d want to try? The tractor has three speeds: Too slow, just right, and nearer my god to thee – and you don’t need a meter to tell you which you’re in. There’s a button that’s allegedly for heating glowplugs, but it clearly doesn’t do anything and I’ve never detected any hint of glowplugs on the engine so who cares. Someday I may regret the lack of headlights but it hasn’t happened yet.
I do kinda wish it had a fuel gauge though because it is vitally important not to run out of fuel. The very first time I needed to know how much was in the tank I picked up a juniper stick from the ground, wiped the dirt on my pants, and that was the dipstick for years. But it’s dark wood and could be hard to read. So when I found some little dowels on a rubbish pile bound for the landfill, I decided to upgrade the tractor’s equipment.
Yeah, baby, we’re goin’ high tech now. This stick has actually had two – count’em! Two! power tools applied to it. At some point in its life.
I’m not a tractor expert – as regular readers have no doubt figured out for themselves – so I don’t know if this is typical but on a Ford 4500 the return line from the injectors is right at the very mouth of the tank. So to dip the tank, it is necessary to first turn off the engine. Probably for the best – Diesel isn’t very volatile, but the exhaust pipe is still right there. And I’ve learned from experience that it will start fires.
What’s the string for? Well, the stick is just barely long enough to poke out through the filler neck a little bit, but it could theoretically fall in and really should be a bit longer…
But then it wouldn’t fit in the tiny toolbox that’s welded to the right fender. Hence the need for an idiot cord.
Yeah, I know. Sorry. It’s a slow morning.
Please, NEVER apologize for posts such as this! Although I only speak for myself and a couple of friends who have also discovered the benefits and charm of your blog (and we have worn out a printed copy of your solar book designing and building our own systems), part of the charm is your dealing with what may seem to be minor problems, but are in reality serious concerns pertaining to everyday life living alone and away from the chaos and “conveniences” of modern society. Many of us would love to have the resolve to move out into wilderness and forage our own lives, but for a variety of reasons — some legitimate, some comfort — can’t/won’t make the commitment.
While your blog lets us city dwellers assuage our inner-hermit while capitulating to our current traditional — and supposedly, safe and secure — surroundings vicariously, it’s also a good primer on some the actual life and death, survival factors that our entire civilization may soon be facing due to our corrupt government cabal running our country into the ground.
You are a great textbook in how to recognize problems that could affect your life, and how to adapt and overcome those problems when the convenience of handing a wad of cash or a piece of plastic to someone else to make them go away is not readily available.
Keep up the excellent work!
Amen, David. And even an old lady who could never do any of that stuff both enjoys and benefits from reading about it. 🙂
Aw, that’s nice, guys. Thanks for saying that.
You reminded me of my tenure in the transportation department at my job. Years ago we has a particularly difficult driver who would daily find something to whinge about. His bus was old, and he wanted the new one he’d never have.
One morning he came out to the shop for what seemed like the hundredth time complaining that his fuel gauge didn’t work, and he was right-it didn’t. Trouble was, we couldn’t get the sender for it any more. So the head mechanic took a broomstick and put a lines on it and wrote “full”, “half”, and “empty” on the lines.
It’s been ten years and he still hasn’t forgiven us.