Tractor Time Part II - A New Experience For the Small Hold

Today's mini-Project was dedicated to working on the Massy Ferguson Dynaflow 70 sickle bar mower. When we bought this old mower last Winter we noticed someone had removed the factory category 1 attachment pin from the left side and replaced it with a category 2 pin that barely fit through the tube frame. The PTO shaft was also so rusted inside that it wouldn't move.

Removing the category 2 pin was a job let me tell you. I soaked and heated that nut up for weeks before I got it removed. Getting the PTO shaft to slide freely took even longer. I finally removed the entire shaft from the mower and soaked it in a vat of penetrating oil for a couple of months.

After the category 2 pin was out I figured out what the problem had been. The tube frame was obviously set up to take various category pins and used a special factory type pin that all had a category 2 thread size. The hole was about the exact size of the category 2 threads and overall it needed to be longer than any standard pin I could pick up at any tractor place. A simple category 1 pin was loose in the hole and no where near long enough either.

While browsing around Tractor Supply I noticed they had category 2 to 1 tube shims and some of those lock rings that are held in place with the hex screws.

So the above was my solution. I used an extra long category 1 top pin in place of a bottom pin, fitted one of the sleeve shims into the tube frame and locked it in place with two of those pressure hex pin lock ring things. I think all the parts cost me about 20 bucks.

The test swath I cut looked pretty good too.  I was actually amazed the entire thing worked to be honest. I was expecting to run into yet another issue that would keep the mower from working. The teeth surprisingly appear to still be sharp and once I got my ground speed/PTO speed worked out it cut really well.

The plan is to use this mower with the 861 diesel actually but the 861 is still trapped inside the barn due to the slowly draining lake in front of it's entrance door. Another couple of days and perhaps I will be able to get it out.

Here's the 8N in sickle mower mode. All I need now is a rake and square baler and I am in business!!!

Oh ya and for the first time that I can remember.......

Every piece of equipment on the Small-Hold actually works. Not one thing is broken or in need of some form of ethnic engineering to work right now.

At the moment I have 2 riding mowers, 3 push mowers, 2 tractors, a 3 point tiller, 2 brush hogs, a sickle mower, 2 generators and a log splitter that all work perfectly.

May not sound like much but to me that is an amazing accomplishment. I don't think I have ever had every piece of equipment all operational at one time before.

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!!!