1952 Ferguson TO30

[n8in8or]

I got the second electrical line hooked back up, so now I have internet in the barn again. After that I spent some time smoothing the slope out. Then I started focusing on the walnut stump next to the garage. First I just started pulling on the stump with the black truck. It didn’t budge at all. This shocked me. It’s been dead for a long time and any roots I’ve encountered have broken easily. I didn’t get any video of that, but the struggle was real.

Oh, before that, I managed to get myself stuck while trying to smooth the slope. Good thing my yow strap is long.



After the initial failure with the stump, I then used the tractor to dig more dirt from around the stump. I was able to expose the taproot so I decided to try yanking on that.

When that didn’t work, I decided to to cut the taproot near the stump.

With the taproot out of the way, I decided to try yanking on the stump again.

That thing was much more of a bear than I expected it to be, but I prevailed in the end. I also made some nice burnout marks in the driveway

Now I can start moving the dirt around where that stump was. I should be making some good progress now, but I’m going to take tomorrow off.



Sent from my iPhone, which is to blame for all errors.

 

[Will L.]

Glad you got it. But would offer a suggestion for the future.
If you have to use a chain, attach it to the truck and use the strap after the chain.
The reason is the chain close to the truck, if something snaps, wont have the momentum to do damage. And the strap which will have momentum, won’t have the weight to do damage hitting the truck or you.

 

[n8in8or]

Glad you got it. But would offer a suggestion for the future.
If you have to use a chain, attach it to the truck and use the strap after the chain.
The reason is the chain close to the truck, if something snaps, wont have the momentum to do damage. And the strap which will have momentum, won’t have the weight to do damage hitting the truck or you.

That’s a good tip, thanks.

 

[n8in8or]

This past weekend I got more dirt moved around. At one point I found what was the dump put for the homestead and found some interesting stuff. Here are a few of the things I found.



By the end of the weekend I had the basic shape of the hill done so it was ready to spread the pile of top dirt over it.

 

[n8in8or]

Monday I was starting to move top dirt around and while doing that I uncovered a pit of sand that was going to make it difficult for me to drive around so I dug that out and filled it with better dirt. Last night was the first night I could fully concentrate on moving top dirt and I made great progress - it’s starting to look like a yard again!



I don’t have quite enough good dirt to spread over the slope next to the driveway so I’m having 5 yards of top soil delivered. I should be laying grass seed this weekend if everything cooperates.

 

[jrsavoie]

Did Uri Geller get a hold of that spoon?

 

[n8in8or]

That's the same thing I thought when I found it!

 

[Will L.]

Shows there was too many drugies in my neighborhood - i saw the bect spoon and thought “heroin spoon”.

Good to see the progress. That chevy tail light is cool!

 

[n8in8or]

My mom said that's how baby spoons used to be designed, so I guess that's what it really is.

 

[MrMarty51]

I believe if I found several such items digging in my yard, I most likely would be 1/2 way to China by now.
Planting a tree in the yard last Saturday. Son using the backhoe on his tractor. Dug something up. Metallic, round and thin like a big warsher. Took a second glance at it. Steel clutch plate from a automatic transmission, all rusted.

 

[n8in8or]

It's amazing the things that lurk below the surface. Was that clutch plate from you or a previous inhabitant?

 

[MrMarty51]

It's amazing the things that lurk below the surface. Was that clutch plate from you or a previous inhabitant?

It must have been from My dad. It had been in the ground for a long enough time and it had rusted through far enough that I broke it without difficulty.
My dad was a mechanic at a local shop and also did a lot of work in the yard.

 

[jrsavoie]

Maybe a new tractor

Hometown Proud Voting

www.kubotausa.com

 

[MrMarty51]

I voted

 

[jrsavoie]

I voted

So did my wife!!

 

[Husker6.5]

Yep, I definitely have thought that direction, in fact I looked at Surplus Center’s site when I was figuring out my course of action. I saw a couple contenders on there that had a decent price, but I didn’t pull the trigger. Once I’m done with this dirt project and can take more time, I’ll do some more looking on the site and see if one makes sense.

So what is your referral fee for Surplus Center up to now? Are they matching what you get for Speedway???

Well, I have known and been friends with the son of the founder of Surplus Center, Jim Burden Jr., since I was 8 years old and he just got back from serving in Vietnam in the Army in '69 (he and my late father were friends, sharing their passion for steam engines and railroading in general).

My late father and the founder of Speedway Motors, "Speedy" Bill Smith, were friends and rivals racing sprint cars back in the mid-1960's and Bill's youngest son, Clay, and I were "pit rats" at Eagle Raceway and Midwest Speedway back then.

While promoting locally owed Internationally recognized businesses out of pride, I don't get a single penny from either.

Oh, if you're ever coming through Lincoln on I-80, you MUST take 3-4 hours MINIMUM to go through Speedway Motors' Museum of American Speed! It has EVERYTHING racing from the 1890's to today in it, from old circle track stock cars (including one of Richard Petty's), sprint cars, USAC, NASCAR, Indy, F1, Bonneville land speed holders, engines, parts, historically significant cars, the VERIFIED 5 Millionth production Model T (engine casting number 5,000,000), a huge pedal car collection, toy car collection - all on multiple floors of a building built specifically to house the collection a block from Speedway Motors' distribution warehouse, Will Call and Corporate HQ offices.

History

The Museum of American Speed in Lincoln, Nebraska, is a non-profit corporation founded in 1992 by "Speedy" Bill and Joyce Smith.

www.museumofamericanspeed.com

 

[Husker6.5]

Oh, and if you do stop at the Museum of American Speed, definitely let me know you're in town! I live about 10 minutes away from the Museum and will meet you there and take you to a really great local restaurant a few blocks from there. Oh, and Surplus Center’s warehouse/showroom is about a mile away from Speedway Motors, too!

 

[Will L.]

@Husker6.5
Is there a website on the surplus center?
Cool history with the family

 

[Husker6.5]

Yup, @Will L.

https://www.surpluscenter.com/

 

[MrMarty51]

HHHMMMmmm, BOY, do I ever have a passion for steam engine driven machinery.
I was born and raised with a miniature steam tractor that My dad built from scrap he pulled from the Pacific Hides, furs and steel recycling back in the early 40s.
I imagine there was so much more of that real old stuff passed through due to the war efforts, so pickins was probably plentyful. The old man loved the case tractors and He tried to style this one from what He could scrounge. I do know one old timer that had a blacksmith shop, told me dad had cast and machined they cylinder and valve train himself using the equipment at the blacksmith shop.
Yup, thats Me. About 1954.