Back From The Dead
Model Year: 1979
I picked this up from a friend whose son had deserted it 5 1/2 years earlier. It was parked in an open field, covered with mildew, Douglas fir needles, and pine cones. The original front tires were flat. I didn't know if the engine was frozen with rust. The ignition switch was out of the dash as someone had attempted to jump and steal it. All they did was cross-connect and fry the wiring. So I had it pulled onto a flatbed and took it home, where it displaced my car in the garage for 3 months. I sorted through it, getting it cleaned, replacing lots of parts and fluids. Some of my knowledgeable, mechanical, co-workers advised along the way. The big day arrived when I put fuel in it, bled the fuel system, and cranked it over. When it fired up, the neighbors ran over to high-five me and share some of my celebratory brewskies. A few weeks later we loaded it into a small box truck and hauled it down to our small farm in Sonoma County, CA. It's perfect for our 9 acres. I've since added a brush hog and done some serious mowing of the overgrown property. It seems happy to be there.
Pros: Solid and well-engineered, economical to operate.
Cons: We would all like a little more power from time to time and servicing is a bear with the front end loader in the way.
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