I think (or at least I hope) that everyone has their “thing”. You know … the “thing” that they are passionate about, that they enjoy doing no matter how challenging, and that they can really wrap their minds around. For some people it is art (music, painting, sculpting, video, etc.), for some people it could be baking/cooking, for others it may be writing, some will find communication to be their thing, and some people have the mechanical “thing” down. Of course there are many, many, many other “things” that people are passionate … knowledgeable … and skilled at, but that is a sampling at least.
Me … I think my “thing” is talking. Ever since I was a preschooler my “thing” has been talking (I had the time-outs and detentions to prove it). Now, I’m not saying that being a talker is a bad thing and it surely has a place in the type of farming and selling that I do … But, sometimes I REALLY WISH my “thing” was being mechanical! Because with the type of farming that I do and the type of money I have to invest in infrastructure it would be nice if I could do a little work for myself every now and then. There are to many times I find myself just standing and looking (trying to figure out how to do something) instead of actually doing … and too many times what I’m trying to figure out how to do is rather simple!
Case-in-point … right now my tractor is absolutely giving me fits. I understand that this is just all part of owning a 50 plus year old tractor, but at the same time I wish it was working like a charm! Currently my starting is going bad (and has been for over a year) … my PTO (which was fixed last summer … for a few months at least) is not functional … and just recently a cylinder went to pot on my loader rendering the tractor immovable until I get the loader off (which had me standing and looking last night). Eventually … hopefully … I will get it all straightened out, but in the meantime I’m standing and looking and wishing I could find a great mechanically minded person willing to barter with a guy that is very talkative …
That’s life at the Crooked Gap …
Sorry to hear your tractor is down again.
Even though I am one of those “Mechanical” guys, I dont think there is much I can do to help not living near Iowa, but one suggestion I would have is if and when you find a mechanic to watch everything they do if you can, if they take the tractor back to the shop ask if you can watch and learn from them. If you are going to maintain that thing for a few more years the more familiar you can get with its workings the less time you will spend standing and staring :).
What year, make, and model is your tractor? One thing I could help you with is finding a good online resource (forum, blog, ect.) for your specific model that will help you in your DIY diagnosis.
When my 1979 Case David Brown blew all seals in the front loader cylinders (all 4 at once!) I used an online forum to learn where to get the parts and how to replace them. It is a pretty simple process, but I dont recommend unless you have experience bleeding a hydraulic system.
Good Luck!
Was catching up on your blog after being away for a while.
The last few lines made me laugh. Talkative is a good trait, sometimes. 😉
We just got a tractor on the farm for the first time. This should make handling round bales Much Much easier. We’ve been rolling them in the gate by hand for 2-3 years. We got a Kubota L4400. It should do the job for us but it looks like we may need some weights for the back end if the bales are too large.
I’m jealous. We’re still a year away from our first tractor. I probably can’t help you fix it, but if it will make you fell better, I’ll be happy to stand around and discuss why it won’t work. 🙂