I never learn...

[PHPaul]

I've bought, rebuilt/fixed/overhauled and resold a couple of tractors, several motorcycles and various other gas-powered odds and ends.

Lost my shirt every time. And that's just on a cash accounting basis, to say nothing of my time. But, I enjoy the process, so I just chalk it up to "entertainment expenses". Probably cheaper than golf or bass fishing in the long run...

Been casting about for a Winter project and an internet buddy of mine made me an offer I couldn't refuse:

John Deere (duh...) 420C, a 1957 model going by the serial number. Engine should run with a tuneup, trans needs work (thought to be a bearing) and the left front idler wheel is flopping around a bit, probably a bearing or a shaft. The rest of it, tho in it's working clothes, appears to be in pretty good shape. I have all of the tin except one battery box cover.

Hauling that thing back 350 miles from Massachusetts with my 1/2 ton Tundra was fun. Pull it fine, but you needed to plan ahead for stops. Single-digit gas mileage was cringe-worthy, thank goodness gas prices are down a bit.

Now the fun begins!

 

[mickeyd]

Congrats! Please keep us updated with pics as you go along.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[ehenry]

Now thats a winter project!

I helped my next door neighbor get one just like it running and pushing again probably 15 years ago. He said it was one of his relatives and from the looks of it, it had been living the same life yours has.

Have Fun !

 

[CaveCreekRay]

No wonder John Deere went to so much plastic on their products! They wanted to get your mpg up...

Can't wait to see this baby get some TLC. Hope you or your neighbor have a sand blaster.

 

[D2Cat]

Paul, now you'll have something that will actually PUSH snow!

On those old machines, even if the sprockets, grousers, pins, bushings etc. are wore to what is considered "wore out", they'll last a homeowner for the rest of their life using them even a few hours a month.

 

[Daren Todd]

I learned how to operate a dozer on one of those Great little machine. Only issue we had with ours were the dry clutches on occasion. We used to have pull them out. Bake them for a few hours, then reinstall them. Then the steering would work again.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[js5020]

Nice project! Hope to see a build thread.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I learned how to operate a dozer on one of those Great little machine. Only issue we had with ours were the dry clutches on occasion. We used to have pull them out. Bake them for a few hours, then reinstall them. Then the steering would work again.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

Oven baked clutch, sounds like a dish.....

 

[Daren Todd]

Oven baked clutch, sounds like a dish.....

Sure doesn't smell appetizing [emoji14] Dad used the oven in the house. Took a couple days to get the smell out. Took about a week for him to get out of the dog house

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[SidecarFlip]

Sounds like me drying brass after I clean it in my wife's oven on her cookie sheets. One time was all it took and she bought me a toaster oven for the shop.

Never fool with a woman's kitchen tools.

I didn't even stink it up.....

 

[PHPaul]

Nice project! Hope to see a build thread.

I think rather than cluttering the Orange site up with all that nasty Green and Yeller , I'll provide a link to my website:Crawler Project and let folks know when there's an update.

 

[BigG]

I'm green with envy!!!!!!!!

 

[skeets]

Now this should be an interesting thread

 

[Captain Itch]

It's never to late to take up fishing .. Looks like a nice Winter project .

 

[BAP]

I always wanted a MC, 40 or 420 crawler to use around the property.

 

[PHPaul]

Ooo-oooo, that smell! Can'tcha smell that smell?

Varnished gas, dried up 60 year old grease, 90 wt and sludgy black oil...eau de garage!

Got the pans off, drained the oil outta the engine, pulled the filter canister and drained that, took the air cleaner off.

Somehow or another, a meese got into the air cleaner and drowned in the oil cup on the bottom. Ga-ROSSSSSSSSSS! Dang that stunk.

NAPA had the points, condenser and plugs on the shelf, but had to order the oil filter from the warehouse, it'll be there in the morning. I love me some NAPA, when I did the 1938 Farmall F14 they had pistons, rings, bearings and an overhaul gasket kit overnight.

Try that with the kiddies at Advance Auto sometime...

 

[CaveCreekRay]

What is it with kids at auto parts stores?

Buddy of mine goes in to get new lug nuts for a friend's trailer. The kid behind the counter looks at his computer screen and says, "MAKE AND MODEL."

My buddy says, "It's just a dual axle trailer..."

Kid says, "Well then sir, I cannot help you without a make and model!" Then, the other bogger-eating-manager-moron starts making fun of the truck he drove in. It's his wife's and it's an unusual color.

My friend drives to a better but farther away store and the older guy has them on the counter before he can get to the counter. True story.

 

[D2Cat]

I called O"Rielly Automotive yesterday to get a couple of batteries for a '95 Chev 1500, with a 6.5 diesel. I started off the conversation with, "I need to see if you have any group 34/78 batteries." He needs to know what it's for. I tell him it a '96 Chev half ton with 6.5 diesel. He says not such thing, and begins arguing with me. I told him to go over to the corner where the batteries are and just look to see if any of them had top post and side post on the same battery.

That kid was so confused, I just told him thanks and got off the phone!

 

[PHPaul]

What is it with kids at auto parts stores?

Simple. None of them know s**t from apple butter when it comes to vehicles. They think The Computer Knows All and management encourages it.

That way they can hire a bunch of drooling high school dropouts for minimum wage and as long as they can poke buttons on a computer keyboard, they're good to go.

I refuse to deal with them. Unfortunately, Advance has the cylinder exchange concession for my area so I have to get my welding gasses from them. Even that turns into a fuster cluck.

 

[Ike]

On the one I had the bolts that are where the tran and engine connect would not stay tight. I heli coiled them and then lock tightened them so they stayed put. I had a 420. I used it for several years and then traded it in on A JD 350. What a difference that was. They are fun to plow snow with. The sprockets were wore down and I replaced them from Deere. The tracks were ore out and I took them off. Got a hold of a new link to get the correct spacing and welded them all up. Just before I got id of it I found a set of good chains at an equit place and they gave them to me to get rid of them. I put my pads on them and then was all set. I made the new bushings and pins for the front idler wheel and had them hardened to the same as the old ones were. Get yourself a 3/4 inch socket set and you will be good