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My dad and I were walking through the woods behind his house, where some old farm equipment has been sitting for several decades. I was talking about doing some ditching in a field and wondering on the best way to go about it. Dad said there was an old single bottom breaking plow that we should...

Our house was built by my wife's grandfather a little over 100 years ago and has been in her family the whole time. Naturally, there are old things tucked away all over the place. The biggest old appliance we still have is the old wood cook stove. It currently resides in the guest cottage...

I know it seems like an odd time to be canning venison, but we were busy right after deer season, so we had everything deboned, bagged, and frozen until we could devote the time for a proper canning job. While we were getting set up, it occurred to me we're using a somewhat unique piece if...

Feel good story of the week. Ex-NFL great leaves his career behind to take up farming for the needy. This man has a heart of gold. Why a star football player traded NFL career for a tractor - CBS News Bonus: If you look closely, you'll see an EA video playing on his computer! Joe

More progress! Now that we have the bearings, we can start assembling. The races are installed with a bearing installer and the gaskets are cut and punched. Next, we install the input and reverse gears (lower shaft). All bolts are torqued and safety wired. More later.

The old Hoffmann R325L V3 bearing is on the left. Not much left, to say the least. The new replacement FAG NU305E.M1.C3 is on the right. We'll carefully clean the galling from the shaft on the machine lathe before reassembly. Hopefully we'll resume operations this weekend. Sent from my...

Lacking a proper bearing puller, we used a Dremel with a cut-off wheel to remove the old bearing races. I was then able to cross reference the numbers stamped on the races, as well as measurements with a caliper to order a new replacement bearing. I actually found one on Amazon! Now, we...

We quickly discovered it wouldn't budge. Someone had previously worked on the transmission and put it back together using blue RTV silicone instead of a gasket. The piece sits so deep we can't get a hold of it, so we decided to build a puller. We also discovered via the manual that the PTO...

With haying all done and the loaner tractor returned, it's time to tear into the Fordson and replace the failed lower shaft bearing. I have never split a tractor before and neither has my dad, but not knowing what we're doing has never stopped us before. We gathered all our screw house jacks...

Aaarrrrgh! I've been borrowing a tractor from my uncle to finish haying (long story) while I gather parts and equipment to fix mine. He lent me his Allis Chalmers D14, which had a quick hitch attached to it. The hitch was causing issues with my haying equipment, so I removed it and set it on...

Evening mowing. Sent from my XT907 using TractorByNet

They're R1. Pretty beefy too! R3 are next to useless in high-traction applications. They'd never lock up good enough to pull a 12' disc through less than ideal conditions. Add any moisture at all and they turn into slicks. Correct to a point. Front to rear weight distribution can vary to...

Okay, here's the deal... My Fordson Major Diesel is my main (biggest) tractor for ground engaging work, such as plowing, discing, planting, etc... and as such, it's ballasted accordingly with fluid (calcium) and cast weights in the rear wheels. My plow, disc, and cultivator are all tow-behind...

Things are a bit quiet up on the hill. My wife's (Bonnie) foster brother, Elmer Dahl passed away on July 6th at the too young age of 60. This has hit my wife hard, as she was an only child, and Elmer was the only brother she had. There was a bit of an age gap (14 years) but the two of them...

The time has come to start pulling stuff off our 1946 McCormick W4, in an effort to get it back into running condition. We know the clutch needs to come out, seeing as it's stuck. We pulled off the hood, nose cone, gas tank, and various connecting rods to get at the top cover. We took great...

Today's seat time was a bit brief. I think I went 60-80 ft. Found a wet hole. I guess I'll let it rain on it some more. Joe Sent from my XT907 using TractorByNet

My daughter and I went exploring this afternoon. Sent from my XT907 using TractorByNet

It is with great joy that I announce the engagement of my oldest son, Paul, to his sweetheart, Tara. She has been an incredible calming influence on a guy who thought he was going to turn the music industry upside-down. Just a year and a half ago, Paul was playing in various bands of various...

Last batch just arrived. Three more for a total of seven kids. We can relax a little bit and get back to a schedule. Joe

Good, accurate information is long gone, but I'll do the best I can. The barn was built by my wife's grandfather, who homesteaded this farm a little over 100 years ago. This was not the actual barn, but a pig shed, which has been converted over the years to chicken coop, play house, teenage...

Two of our goats have kidded, with one more to go. The first one is a second-time mother so she handled her three kids like a pro. She had her kids on Thursday afternoon. I was loading stuff into my truck and heard some commotion in the barn. By the time I got there she was done. The second...

Mina and Freyja are now 10 months old and still growing. They have been an absolute joy so far, and have done very well with the goats. Joe

Here we are... April 1st. Spring in Minnesota. We should be tip-toeing through slush and around mud puddles. Instead, we got anywhere from 15"-20" of snow, which came in overnight amidst 20-40mph winds. Lots of drifting! Most everything is shut down, which is a very rare occasion up here...

Meanwhile, in Minnesota... Yes, this was taken today. Joe

A couple more pics. Sorry about the blurry one, but she would not sit still long enough for a proper portrait. Joe

Sunday afternoon we got a call from some friends. They had an ewe who had three lambs, but her udder collapsed and she could only nurse one. They were were keeping them in the house and bottle-feeding them, but with their dairy operation, they really didn't have the time to do full-time care...

okay, we still have plenty of snow on the ground, but it is the first day of spring, so I decided I needed a new chore coat to celebrate the occasion. I decided to get an Australian oilskin drover from Kakadu (Free Shipping), Akubra, Jacaru, Barmah and Wallaroo Australian Hats, Jackets, Shirts...

A friend of mine is selling his farm and moving closer to his kids and grand-kids. He has a couple of grain trucks I'm interested in but I can't decide. My uses will be mainly hauling manure from a beef farmer a few miles down the road, as well as other stuff mostly at the farm. No long trips...

Our girls are getting big. I can't believe I used to hold them in my arms. They're 8 months old by now and have been showing remarkable natural instincts as the livestock guardians they've been bred to be. They prance, play, and run guard perimeters around the pasture, deftly sidestepping any...

My wife's father passed away before we ever met. He had been farming with equipment bought shortly after WW2 and never had the money to upgrade past the original purchases. After he passed away, most of the equipment faded into the woods. Some pieces got sold to collectors or scrap dealers...

It was a beautiful, sunny fall day on Minnesota Hill. What does that mean? It's a good day to burn some vacation time and do some plowing. Now mind you, I've never plowed before, and the plow is an ancient Case three-bottom trip plow that I pulled out of the weeds, put some new tires on, and...

I've been passively looking for ways to add more rear ballast for doing loader intensive jobs for a while. What I mean by "passively looking" is I've been too distracted by other more important projects to make it a priority. Just the other day, while rummaging through the garage, I stepped...

Okay, it's been almost a year since we moved on the farm. Isn't it about time we get a dog? m$y wife and I have been mulling over this question for the better part of the year and finally decided to do something about it. We've decided on a Great Pyrenees. Besides being beautiful animals...

After a long summer of fencing, building pens and delays, we finally got our goats. Three little half-pygmy nannies are now grazing on our hillside and sharing the "critter cabin" with the chickens. We went to a neighboring farm five miles down the road to pick them up on Sunday. My daughter...

This is regarding my Fordson Major Diesel, so I don't know whether to post this in vintage Ford or hydraulics. I'll choose hydraulics in hopes of getting more bites. Here goes. Earlier this summer I used my FMD to disc a field. The disc (Kewanee 130) was raised via hydraulic cylinder. This...

I've been fighting with some pretty ancient sickle mowers over the course of the summer. As it happens, a friend of mine is selling his farm and he sold me his John Deere 1209 mower conditioner. I wasn't exactly looking to spend any more money, but he really gifted it to me for a mere $500! I...

Today's project: Thoroughly inspect, clean and lubricate the New Holland Hayliner 273 baler I bought last fall to see if I can get it to work. My dad and brother were present to lend their extra eyes, hands and brains to the endeavor. We could tell the previous owner had taken care to...

Okay, a little quick history first. Late last summer, I bought a '57 Fordson Major to do the bigger jobs my little Ford 1510 couldn't; specifically more ag related tasks like field work and haying. Early this spring, I bought a very used Kewanee 130 disc from a local retired farmer for $200...

It's finally spring in the north land, and that means one thing. Flooding! More to the point, the Roseau Lake, which was drained a couple generations ago, makes it's annual reappearance to remind us of once was. The only problem is, the road going to our farm, just happens to run right...

I was in a rut. No... literally and figuratively. I'll need my equipment trailer this weekend, but it's full of firewood. No problem... just unload it, right? Yeah. That's what I thought. I was pulling it across the field with my pickup, up toward the house when I sank into a rut (shallow...

Another winter storm coming. Time to bring in another load of firewood before things get icky. Fortunately, I already had a bunch of seasoned Tamarack (Larch) stacked in pole length at my dad's place from when I lived in town. Well, what used to be a short, 15 min. trip is now a 50 mile trek...

20 degrees today, so I put the Reddy Heater between the tractor and snow blower, put a couple sheets of OSB on the sides and covered the top with a cheap tarp. I then plugged in the heater, did some chores and went in for lunch. About three hours later, I crawled under the tractor, cracked the...

Okay folks, I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. Today, when I went out to blow snow, I started my Ford 1510, which had been plugged in for about three hours, let it idle @1500 rpm to warm up for 30 min, got on, pulled back on the FEL lever to raise it and... nothing. I knew it was a...

Cold snap all across the nation! Up here on the Minnesota/Manitoba border we had a "brisk" -32F this morning, with more cold to follow all week. Wind chill values are estimated to be near -47! :eek: This pic was taken from inside my truck on the way to work. It was a quiet country road, so...

It's a balmy 7 degrees this morning with predictions of -20 tonight. I snapped a couple pics while I was out doing chores. We didn't quite get the 10"-12" they were calling for, but got a fair amount anyway. The path from the house to the chicken coop is buried, so I trudged through the 6"-7"...

After that unusual snow and ice storm we had late in the fall (the one that left us without power for 77 hours) it's been an unusually uneventful winter. Looks like it's finally ready to hit again. Forecast is for rain (in January???) followed by rapidly dropping temperatures, 15-25 mph wind...

Do dumbphone pictures count? Last weekend of deer season. Joe

I've been fixing up old implements on the farm to pull behind my Fordson Major Diesel (3 bottom plough, 12' field cultivator, 12' spike harrow) but I still need a disc. I have an uncle who says he knows of a 12' tandem disc with hydraulic lift that I could probably buy very cheap. My uncle is a...

After telling myself I'd never get a baler because they were too expensive and a pain-in-the-you-know-where to keep running, I caved! I saw an ad in Craig's list for a NH 273 with a Farmhand 8 pack accumulator and a Farmhand 8 pack picker (fork, grapple, whatever you want to call it), all for...

Okay, where do I start? We've been in drought conditions, along with much of the country for a couple of years. About 14" below normal rainfall at this time. Wild fires have been sprouting up, endangering forests and towns alike, with no relief in sight. Well, it's not over, but we did get...

A short while back, I had bought a vintage John Deere side delivery rake, hoping it would do a satisfactory job raking my hay field. Short answer: I works great! Now for the disclaimers: 1. This field is ROUGH! I imagine it was worked up many years ago but never planted. In other words, it...

I just bought this older John Deere rake from a local for $200. It's easy enough to set up and use, as far as lever operated equipment goes, and everything works great! I'd just like to know more about it. I can tell it's obviously an older design, but any identification has worn or faded...

Well, it's official. We've packed our bags and moved out of our house in town and made the trek across the county to make our home at my wife's family homestead. We've been preparing ourselves for this day for a long time, getting a lot of work done and we still have a lot more to do, but...

Well, I've finally done it. I bought a bigger tractor to handle some of the larger tasks, like field work, my little Ford 1510 just won't be able to do. It's a 1957 Fordson Major Diesel, which appears to have been upgraded a bit over the years. Here's what I know so far. The good: The engine...

Oh, I wouldn't say that. I have a 340lb weight on the front of my truck for just such an occasion. :laughing::stirthepot::D All joking aside, I'm a firm believer in WD hitches. I've towed enough campers across the country as well as car haulers to really notice the difference they make on...

It's that time of year when the juneberries (Saskatoons to our Canadian friends.:thumbsup:) are ripening!:cool2: While I was mowing, my wife trekked up the hill and picked enough to make a couple juneberry-rhubarb pies. What an absolute delight to come in from a hot day mowing and be served...

I've done something similar with a 32gal tank and soaker hose. I'm buying a 12v pump as soon as it comes in the local Fleet Supply. They are out at the moment, but are very good at ordering anything I need. Meanwhile, gravity works. Slow but effective. Joe

It was 84 degrees today, and while that's downright cool compared to what many of you are experiencing, it was still plenty warm to be outside and working. I was disking a portion of my hay field that's just way too bumpy. I first mowed it quite low, then hooked up the box blade, lowered the...

Well, this has nothing to do with tractors, other than the fact that we just built a new chicken tractor (yeah, I know, wrong kind of tractor) but We're just pleased as punch and thought y'all would enjoy a few photos. First, a little set up: 1. We're planning on moving from town to the farm...

Two years ago, my dad and I pulled an old Minnesota No. 4 mower out of the woods. It belonged to my wife's father and grandfather before him. It just seemed right to restore the beast, seeing as it's been in the family so long. We've spent the last couple years searching for a supplier o...

About a month ago, I was in a little fender bender with my truck. Through a little internet research, I found out that a heavy duty front end replacement was the same price as a stock Dodge bumper. With all the deer and other wildlife in this area, the chances of something going through the...

Okay, here we go. It seems lots of folks on this site are pretty hung up on the gear vs. chain drive dilemma. I've come to the conclusion that it's pretty much a wash for at least the lower horse power tractors. I do have a few other observations and questions, though. I've noticed that many...

I guess this post isn't related to anything else on this site other than this is one of the things I do. I play guitar for my church band. (Hence, my user name. If you can't play well, at least have marvelous tone!) Things can sometimes get a bit animated when you get a bunch of musicians...

After about five years or so of calling my dad to see if his 16ft lightweight (6000lbs!) car trailer is available, driving out to his place to borrow it, then making sure I get my stuff off so he can use it again, I've finally managed to get my own. I searched the used market, but up...

It's time once again for the annual Minnesota Hill Challenge snowmobile race. People, mostly locals, converge on our little corner of the world to show off and race their vintage sleds. Half the challenge with equipment this old, of course, is just getting the sleds to run long enough for...

Okay guys and gals, I'm going to make sure it never snows in my neck of the woods for the rest of the winter. My dad found a windshield wiper motor in a surplus store for $15.00 and gathered up a bunch of scrap he had laying around and decided to build a super cheap chute rotator for me. Hey...

Okay, I'm sick and tired of having to remove the FEL brace to open the hood to reach in front of the radiator to put clamps on the battery to either charge the battery or jump-start the tractor. Solution? I purchased heavy duty quick connects, inserted a pair in my jumper cables (about 1/4 to...

Last year, while while cutting firewood, we decided to leave the tractor in the swamp overnight to save on fuel and time. The weather was very nice for that time of year, as temperatures were in the mid 20's, so we felt the engine would fire up after a few tries. Luck was on our side, as it...

Just few pics of fall at our little farm on the border. It's harvest time, so the combines are bringing in the soybeans. Meanwhile, my son is having senior pictures taken around the farm and on the border. In short, a perfect day just to relax and enjoy life. Joe

My wife and I just got back from a fantastic time at our annual steam threshing bee and antique tractor show. Here is a short video clip of the tractor parade as recorded by my wife: Lake of the Woods Steam and Gas Show. - Tractor Videos - Kubota, John Deere, New Holland and More She also...

We have a Maple tree behind the outhouse we dearly love. My wife's parents planted it the spring she was born. Last time I was mowing, I noticed I was getting covered with sticky, white fluffy stuff while brushing against the tree. I took a closer look and this is what I found. The leaves...

Last fall, as maybe a few on this forum may remember, I bought an '05 Dodge Ram 2500 CTD for my various truck duties. Throughout the fall, winter and spring, I have hauled firewood and tractor and boat all over the county, and while generally impressed with the power put out by the 5.9 Cummins...

I'll put this in "Projects" even though it's a different kind of project. If the moderators feel it's better served in another forum, feel free to move it. :thumbsup: We've had a busy weekend at the farm. My new pastor, an ex-geologist, got a wild hair and wanted to try smelting taconite to...

Tonight, my oldest son, Paul, joined the ranks of diploma-carrying high school graduates. He's all excited to get out of the house and move in with some friends about an hour away. He plays bass guitar in a band that is getting a pretty good fan base in the area and they want to make a good...

Headed up to our farm (also known as "the Hill") to start the transfer from winter chores to summer... maybe do a little brush mowing to shred up the dead vegetation. I went out to the garage to start the tractor... nothing. Hmm... battery's been a little weak all winter, but usually a little...

My wife and I have recently completed our permit to carry courses and the packets are in the mail. We should get our permits in 30-45 days. Meanwhile, we have spent ample time at the local gun shop looking at pistols and revolvers. We looked at various offerings from Glock, Colt, Taurus, S&W...

I bought myself a new revolver! I've owned other guns before, but they've all been used. This is the first "virgin" firearm I've ever owned. It's a brand spanking new Taurus model 66 .357 mag, 6" barrel, stainless steel, 7 shot. Just got it home tonight and gave it a thorough cleaning to...

Another year, another heating season. Time to venture into the swamp while it's still frozen so we can gather next year's supply of Tamarack (or Hackmatack, or American Larch, depending on where you're from.) Tamarack is one of the more abundant sources of firewood up here in the frozen bogs...

After reading countless forums, messages and opinions, and after much careful deliberation, I've finally pulled the trigger on a Buhler/FarmKing 60" snow thrower. My poor little 1510 just couldn't keep up with this year's snowfall with the FEL and rear blade. Well, okay, that's not quite true...

Okay, after many false starts and interruptions I finally got my tire chains resized and installed. A couple of hours with a ViseGrip, a ball-peen hammer, a couple chisels, a railroad iron and a retired father with nothing else to do yields perfect results! Now, with the traction issues fixed...

A seasonal memory from my wife: "Some time before Christmas, my mom would have her "Bachelor Dinner". She'd invite all the old bachelor farmers and they'd show up in their Sunday best for meatballs and gravy, lefse and romme grot. There'd be John Tweiten, The Magneson Kids (no kidding!), Ted...

Okay, I'm officially a bonehead. I drove all the way to the farm to install my new tire chains, only to find out the rear wheels need to be spaced father apart to make clearance. Problem is, my socket set was in town so I had no tools, so no chain install. :mad: Now that I'm home, I realize...

This will be the first Thanksgiving we've had since my Mother-in-Law passed away last spring. My wife, who writes from time to time, shared her thoughts on this year's upcoming festivities. I hope you like it: When you speak on the phone with your hard-of-hearing, 95-year-old uncle, you use...

We've just received our first dusting of snow, just in time for Thanksgiving. We're hosting a bunch of people, so the driveway has to be clear enough for regular cars, not just 4wd trucks. That prompted me to stop my procrastination and order a set of tire chains for my little Ford. I know...

After what seemed like an eternity since my venerable '94 GMC Suburban bit the dust, I finally found my replacement tow rig. It's a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 w/5.9l Cummins, four speed auto, crew cab, short box, 150,000 mi., originally a California vehicle. I looked underneath and I can't even find...

I just ran across this little gem and thought you'd all enjoy it. YouTube - Best Ever,Tractor Square Dance. It's short, but good! Joe

After many years of faithful service, my 1994 GMC Suburban, dubbed by my friends as "The Manburb" because of the chainsaws, logging chains, axes, splitting mauls, ham radio, GPS and other "manly" gadgets and items that serve as permanent fixures, is ready to be retired with 235,000+ miles under...

Hi all! Just got my new box blade. It's a Tarter Gates 60" HD w/hinged back. Seems real heavy duty, basically a copy of the KK HD, and a whole lot better built and stiffer than my cousin's grizzly. It fit my needs and my budget quite nicely. After a couple of days worth of dragging dirt and...

I finally got to use my new RC last week to knock down some tall grass, but had no pictures to show. This week, I came prepared. I finally got to see just what this little RC is capable of on some willows and other invasive shrubbery that have been encroaching on the old pastures. I've...

I just wish you were closer to northern Minnesota! My local implement dealers are pathetic for selection and high on pricing. The shipping on heavy implements to this remote neck of the woods would kill your otherwise great prices. Plus, finding a loading dock that does not belong to a...

After two months, my Woods HC54 finally came. I picked it up, hauled it to the farm, where my dad and brother joined me to unload, assemble, and test the long awaited implement. After about three hours of mowing, I'm happy to say that the cutter is exactly what I was hoping for and it was...

I'm not sure if this is considered customization, but it does involve welding hunks of metal to an implement, so here goes: Why is it when I loan stuff out to my dad to be abused, it usually comes back in better shape than it left? :confused: My retired father was using my tractor to blade...

Well, after about a month of busy schedules and delays, I finally got my grapple mounted and running. I ordered "the Thumb" to mount on my home made bucket, due to the combination of size, weight, and price. The bucket has odd dimensions that needed a little extra fabrication to make...

I'm starting to get irritated with Woods. I ordered an HC54 rotary cutter from my local implement dealer way back on June 17th, and it's still not here. My dealer has called Woods repeatedly, but he keeps getting told, "we're out of vendor parts". :mad: :mur: I'd gladly tell him to forget the...

When I bought my used Ford 1010, it came with a 60' rear blade, which I've used for smoothing out my gravel drive way. It's pretty lightweight, but for that use, it did an admirable enough job. Well, a couple of weeks ago, my dad borrowed my tractor to try smoothing out some trails going...

I just answered the door and it was the friendly UPS guy with three packages. It was "The Thumb" grapple I had ordered just a short time ago. Now, I just have to wait for the new control valve I ordered from fleabay to arrive. I'll look over the grapple and my loader bucket to see if I need...

Okay, I guess it's time to come out of lurking. I'll start by introducing myself. My name is Joe, I live in extreme Northern Minnesota, (Warroad, to be exact) am in my mid 40s, and have recently inherited my Mother-in-Law's farm just 35 miles away. My wife grew up on the farm and we can't...