Several years ago, after many and varied old-tractor troubles, Ian’s tractor’s injector pump got very intermittent and finally stopped working at all. It was just parked for a couple of years until July 2021, when…
There was a great disturbance in the force. The wash cut itself a major new channel and Ian lost a big chunk of his front yard. The next day another flood laid the tractor on its side and it became part of the landscape.
Two or three times since then people have showed up interested in resurrecting it but lacking the wherewithal or the skill or the ambition. I frankly didn’t think it was ever going anywhere.
And then several days ago two guys came to my porch wanting to buy it. I have always had authority from Ian to deal with that if it ever happened; he sure couldn’t fix it and neither could I. I named a price, and to my surprise they reached for their wallets and started dealing out $100 bills. I invited them in and wrote up a receipt.
Mind you, this was in the face of my loud disclaimers about the tractor’s condition; this was as is and I didn’t guarantee anything on it could ever work again. The last time I saw it move, water was breaking over it like a hundred firehoses.
So four guys went out to the wash and got it on its wheels without much difficulty but then left without towing it away. I went over to find out why, and the big wheel the tractor had been resting on had unseated its tire really seriously. It not only couldn’t start, it couldn’t roll.
Two days went by. I happened to be cutting weeds in Ian’s plaza this morning when the two guys came back in a beat-up old pickup. I told them I didn’t know about the tire, and in fairness if they wanted to call the whole thing off I still had their cash. They didn’t flinch – they had come with a plan for reseating and inflating the tire and had no intention of abandoning the project. And son of a gun…
Click for moving pictures
They not only got it rolling, they apparently had no difficulty whatsoever starting the engine, working the buckets, and driving it away under its own power. I did not charge those people enough money. On the other hand I probably shouldn’t dicker with people who clearly have superpowers. Seriously, I was impressed – and I’m going to look for an opportunity to tell them so.
Good news! I’m glad that it found a home
Well done, I’m sorry to see it leave but it was time for just that to happen.
Eric.
It’s amazing what people can do when you just let ’em have at. Some will succeed, many will fail, but stuff gets done. Good for them.
Congratulate them and cut a deal where they will come back and help level the road or do some digging for you and Ian when needed. Methinks you ran into a couple or four heavy equipment operators that know their stuff, they saw an opportunity and acted on it. I think everyone came out ahead regardless of price.
Just wish it had been me doing the deal and ending up with the machine 😉
Of course being 1700 miles north of ya does not help.
Did you give them the address of those guys who have your tow strap and ask if they might retrieve it for you?
OK, now that is really cool. I remember seeing the photos from earlier posts, and the word scrap came to mind. Who ever they are, good on them for doing this.
Folks that know what they’re doing make it look easy.
Man, those guys walk really funny-like. Are you sure they aren’t . . . ALIENS?!?
😉
They look suspiciously geezer-like…jus sayin…
Frankly that sounds like the perfect price. Ian/you got some change for something you were pretty certain had become part of the landscape and they got what felt like a good enough deal to persevere and get it done. Seems like a win-win to me.
I thought you were a mechanic?
Or one of those service-writers that stands around with a clipboard?
Did they use starting fluid to set the tire bead?
There’s videos on the technique, for anyone interested.
I was. A long time ago. Once upon a time I could fix Oldsmobiles on flat rate. I can still swap out radiators or shocks on a Jeep from time to time. Doesn’t mean I’m a master at resurrecting old heavy machines.
Watch your mouth.
They actually did. Given the distance between the tire bead and the rim I didn’t expect it to work.