New Guy on L35
I've been lurking for over a year and finally decided to register. Grew up in a small town. When I was a teenager, my dad decided I needed a taste of farm life so he and my uncle bought a few cows. My dad owned a hardware store and his brother lived out of state, so I provided the labor. Dad had an Allis Chalmers model C (no PTO overrunning clutch/brakes optional) so he bought a 66" trailer type bushhog and I started mowing pasture and hay field. After surviving a couple of years without running off in the creek, he went to an auction and came back with a '57 MF 50 gasser with a couple thousand hours on it. With 12volt system, wide front end, low exhaust and 2 stage clutch it was like a Cadillac. No power steering so I developed pretty good upper body. That served 'til I left home and the cattle business was sold. Dad used that rig to keep his treefarm trimmed until it was stolen. He bought a Ford 8N? And 3pt bushhog from a sister for odd jobs. It was a little light for a six foot cutter but he got by. A few years after he retired, he decided to splurge and buy his first new tractor - a Ford 3930 and 6' bush hog. Power steering even. Great utility tractor but 2wd, no synchronizers, no loader. So about a year ago, having a little cash from cutting some timber, I started thinking about loaders, backhoes, hydraulics etc to maintain the treefarm better. So after studying and window shopping (largely thanks to OTT), I found Katy, an '04 L35 with about 2100? hours. She's a little rough around the edges and puffs a little on startup, but her chassis/powertrain seems good. The GlideShift is miles ahead of open gear. She misplaced her 3 pt accessories somewhere, but I doubt the hoe has ever been off and we'll keep mowing with big Blue. She's required a little more maintenance than I expected, but as long as it doesn't involve engine/transmission surgery I'm good. I've even gotten pretty good at hose and cylinder repair and rewarded her with LED headlights and worklights so she can go out at night.
I've received a lot of help from you folks at OTT, and I've got some projects with some pictures to post when I can.