The Cellar / Learning new ways to use a tractor

**Posted by griff** 3/27/2023 6:41 am

We had a lot of winter truck traffic on our driveway as we granted a right of way for a nearby PSP tower. It was pretty wrecked so I get to learn how to use the float function on my loader. You have to be careful not to put pressure on the piston rods by extending them too much. The float function itself is pretty simple, you just push the lever all the way forward with the bucket at a low angle and back up. The loose material will come with you.

**Posted by griff** 3/27/2023 6:58 am

Sometimes Youtubers actually show what a bad day looks like. This guy was pretty cool while the camera was on. Props to him.

**Posted by Diaphone Jim** 3/27/2023 11:27 am

I'll give my 8N a little time today. Things have come a long way.

**Posted by griff** 3/28/2023 5:43 am

My Uncle has Grampa's 8N. After many years they finally got the gas leak fixed one less thing to worry about.

**Posted by TheNeverWas** 3/28/2023 5:48 pm

The engine on my first chipper came out of/off of an 8N. It was a great little engine. I ran that thing til the exhaust manifold glowed orange many times.

**Posted by griff** 4/08/2023 9:11 am

I love how loose tolerances were on those older tractors. They just kept running. The 8N was scary light with poor brakes so naturally we'd use it to bring in hay from our hilly fields.

**Posted by Diaphone Jim** 4/10/2023 11:41 am

You can steer with the brakes and can literally stand on them if you are serious about stopping.
I recently cleaned and adjusted them. Helped a lot.

**Posted by xoxoxoBruce** 4/12/2023 4:29 am

But an 8N was 27 hp and you only need 5 on level ground. That's a huge waste of national resources.
Hey, where's the monkey to fetch pictures?

Last edited by xoxoxoBruce (4/12/2023 4:29 am)

**Posted by TheNeverWas** 4/12/2023 1:14 pm

It's up there now. I see it anyway.

**Posted by griff** 4/11/2024 6:49 am

Next up for my Kubota is widening the wheel stance by swapping sides and flipping my rims. In its previous life the tractor sat outside so I'm going to have to hit everything with liquid wrench before we start.

**Posted by glatt** 4/11/2024 7:06 am

Why would you ever want a narrow stance, other than fitting into a tight parking spot? Seems like wide stance and its increased stability would always be the way to go.

**Posted by Diaphone Jim** 4/11/2024 11:06 am

They are very common in vineyard work to get between the rows. I think they look funny.

**Posted by Flint** 4/11/2024 12:09 pm

Anybody know what a "poppin' Johnny" is?

Last edited by Flint (4/11/2024 12:16 pm)

**Posted by griff** 4/12/2024 7:32 am

glatt wrote:
Why would you ever want a narrow stance, other than fitting into a tight parking spot? Seems like wide stance and its increased stability would always be the way to go.

It may be a shipping thing?

Poppin(g) Johnnies - My Dad's uncles had John Deere tractors. They had 2(?) big cylinders and a large flywheel. Very cool sound and good solid tractors. Hit or miss is an engine speed control not on JDs.

**Posted by TheNeverWas** 4/18/2024 8:40 pm

Around here...A 'Poppin' John is the old big single steam cylinder John Deere tractor. The rod that does things that correspond to noises from the tractor has a seriously long stroke, resulting in a pop on a fairly long interval.

Pssh, pop, pssh, pop, etc.

**Posted by Diaphone Jim** 4/19/2024 10:59 am

Single steam? New one on me.
A JD Model B two cylinder was one of the rigs we used to cut and bale hay with. Lotta poppin'.

**Posted by fargon** 4/19/2024 7:42 pm

A Poppin Johnny is a two cylinder tractor. Made by John Deere from the 1920s until 1960 ish.

**Posted by TheNeverWas** 4/20/2024 7:35 pm

Perhaps I've spoken out of my ass.

It happens...Apologies[/hattip]

**Posted by griff** 4/21/2024 12:00 pm

Who knows what regionalisms we've got. The little motor on the ice cream churn is like the milk pump motor my Grampa had.

**Posted by xoxoxoBruce** 5/05/2024 6:34 am

That guy playing with the wheels is a damn fool. Laying the nut and bolts in the grass is just asking for trouble. He'll get away with it a few times then at the worst time, getting dark, in the rain turning to hail, and late for supper on his anniversary, it'll bite him.
Bad juju.

**Posted by fargon** 5/05/2024 11:20 am

WHS^^^

**Posted by glatt** 5/06/2024 6:56 am

Will it bite him, or will it be the perfect excuse to go out and buy the fancy high end metal detector he always wanted?

**Posted by griff** 5/06/2024 6:13 pm

Ooooo... now you got me thinking.

**Posted by xoxoxoBruce** 5/09/2024 11:35 pm

Hey Griff, you want a metal detector?

**Posted by griff** 5/10/2024 6:40 am

Yeah man, if it's something you don't need.