New Tubes
I awoke Saturday morning, and one of the first thoughts to cross my mind was “What am I going to do today ?”, which was soon followed with “Especially since I don’t have a tractor to play on”. I decided to get out of bed first, and plan my day later, so I began my morning routine, getting dressed and then feeding my parakeets and fish. Not long after I got done, but before I managed to comb my hair, I heard a thud outside, and had a look. Their was a delivery truck outside, and he was bringing me a box. Sweet!
The box contained two tire tubes for the tractor.Later in the day, I asked rob to show me how to tear apart the tire and replace the tube. It sounds like an easy task, but if you don’t have a tire machine, you better have some tricks up your sleeve.My sister Maurice had the winning idea that separated the tire from the rim using a truck and a board. The board is placed on the rubber portion of the wheel, and the weight of the truck driving on the board separates the rubber from the rim. I wouldn’t suggest you try this, it’s always better to use the right tool for the job.
By the way, I was very happy with the company that sold and shipped me the tire tubes: Stevens Ag Parts – 1-800-333-9194. They sell all kinds of parts for older tractors.
Rob Digging up the Dirt - Photo by Jessica M.
I was using the back blade on the tractor to try and level a large pile of dirt near the rock garden, but I found it wasn’t very effective. Things got a whole lot easier when Rob loosened up the dirt first.
Me Leveling the Dirt with the Back Blade - Photo by Jessica M.
Once the dirt was loose, the back blade became a whole lot more effective. The blade is good at pulling dirt along behind the tractor to be dumped later. I’ve found it’s not very good at leveling dirt when you drive forward, but it works very well when the tractor is in reverse. I dragged the soil to the approximate location where I wanted to spread it in forward, and then switched gears to level it.
Two Tractors Working Well Together - Photo by Jessica M.
The arrangement worked very well. Rob could dig the soil up faster then I could drag it away, but I had a whole lot of fun trying to keep up with him.
Found a Rear End Axle Assembly - Photo by Jessica M.
At the bottom of the pile of dirt we found an old rear end. I’m guessing it’s from a very old truck since it has leaf springs.
Maurice Showing the Pile of Metal we Dug Up - Photo by Jessica M.
Now that the second pile of dirt is leveled, I don’t have much left to do:
1. Clean up the metal and piles of wood.
2. Level the dirt where the piles were.
3. Spread grass seed and hay.
Then I can begin working on Phase II: Planting Trees, starting with pears, plums, peaches or any other fruit tree I can get to grow from seed. If that doesn’t work I guess I’ll have to save up to purchase some more fruit trees. I’ll also be planting some native trees in the area right next to the crick.
