very cool read TLS...very cool. I thought Ohio was bad...went from 76 degrees Friday to 35 yesterday with flurries, so I aint complainin'...
studio pics are great too!
Thank you for your kind comments. This thread has generated quite a bit of interest so I will end the story of this event and post some pictures of what is used here at Walberswick House to clear us out of snow.
I finished up today just before noon. I was too tired to finish yesterday, and its dangerous to use this equipment when fatigued. It takes enormous concentration when using equipment like this in the conditions this last storm caused.
The main piece of equipment is the 1948 John Deere Model A tractor built at Waterloo Iowa.
It is equipped with a Farm Hand front end loader of the same vintage built in Hopkins Minnesota. This is an inner suburb of Minneapolis. Like everyplace else it is now full of endless shopping centers. I doubt there is anything of any use or value built there now.
Like all Waterloo built tractors the engine is a horizontal two cylinder, with firing 180 degrees apart and then both cylinders go through the exhaust cycle before the cylinders fire again. This gives all Waterloo tractors their unique famous and loved sound. The harder they work the better it gets. This tractor is 39 HP. However I have seen them on the Ergometer at Rolag, and in good shape the peak at around 63 HP before the engine goes into decline from excessive loading. They have unbelievable grunt even at low revs and throttle. Peak revs are 900 RPM!
I bought it at a farm auction at Oakwood ND, when Gallagher Farms sold out. The tractor was originally sold to bean farmers at Cavalier ND. They only owned it one year, as they bought is for an unsuitable application. Then Gallagher farms owned it until I bought it on a very cold early November day with snow on the ground. That snow fall caused the auction to be postponed from the week prior. Everything sold poorly until the Model A came up for auction and then collectors came out of nowhere. My final bid was $3,300. I made it clear I was not going to drop out so the others did. I wanted that tractor I had known Niel Gallagher and his father. They were good farmer mechanics and I new the tractor had been well taken care of. I have done my best to be a good mechanic to her.
The tractor has been in constant use here since. It built the new road in, has kept it graded though all seasons.
I took these pictures to show off the new seat and comfort covers my neighbor three doors down made for me. She did a fantastic job and they are a perfect copy of the originals. It is very rare now to find an old tractor that still has its winter comfort covers.
I heavily modified this 8' grader from Tractor Supply and made the floating top link and fabricated the leveling single wheel attachment.
This shows the belt pulley on the right side of the tractor. The belt pulley contains the clutch which is a hand clutch on the Waterloo tractors.
This left side view shows the flywheel cover which houses the enormous and very heavy flywheel.
I had another pleasant surprise today, as my 1981 John Deere 214 did blow the snow in the lower forecourt and around the 1000 gallon propane tank. It did not plug once like others have been round here.
This tractor I bought new in 1981. It has a single cylinder upright four cycle Kohler engine built in Wisconsin. It is a cast iron 14 HP air cooled engine.
I don't have a picture of it here, but I do have one from when we lived on Grand Forks.
That has been a great little tractor. The blower is 36" and for summer it has a 48" mowing deck.
For mowing and general utility I have lovely 1958 John Deere Dubuque built 420 vertical two cylinder engine. John Deere never built a tractor with more than two cylinders until 1960.
It is turning cold this evening. Despite that life goes on. I grilled outside 36 sausages this afternoon and my wife made 120 sausage rolls for Christmas.
I have a nice beef roast outside on the rotisserie for supper and to make cottage pies.
There is another storm in the forecast now for Tuesday.