Truck's still in the shop (it's only been 1 day) and I had to pick up fertilizer I already had ordered. I had to have a 2" ball to hook up to the sprayer and the only one I had available was welded on my boxblade, so I hooked to my small tractor and went after it with that. It was a short trip of a couple miles so it wasn't too bad except for the worn out steering box on my Massey 235. It's not too bad running around the field, but dragging a tanker with 1500 gallons of fertilizer/weed killer mix is a different matter. I was praying not to get hit by a truck or run off in the ditch and flip over.
As soon as I started spraying I smelled raw diesel. Checked everything and the piece of vacuum hose patching my broken fuel line had rotted out. It's been like that since I bought the tractor in 98, so I guess it lasted longer than it should have. Quick fix. Cut off the fuel supply, ran to town and bought a new piece of hose and some new clamps. Easy peasy... until I went to turn the fuel back on and the butterfly valve came completely unscrewed. Fuel starts pouring everywhere including the exhaust which thankfully had cooled off. Thank God it was diesel and not gasoline. Of course the valve is hidden underneath the hood and you have to work it by feel with 2 fingers. Meanwhile fuel continues to flow out onto the engine, exhaust and me.
I finally get it in the hole and threaded up on the 5th or 6th try and the cap nut tightened, all while covered in diesel. Did I mention the tractor was low on fuel to start with? Now I have to siphon fuel out of my big tractor to put in the small one. The only part of me not covered is diesel are internal so we might as well give that a dose while we're at it.
After refueling and a quick shower, I'm back at it and finally spraying fertilizer and weed killer. I get both fields done and still have a little mix left so I hit the area around the house. I'm making my last pass when I feel the tractor suddenly sink and I can't get on the clutch fast enough. I'm buried to the drawbar. %&^#@!!!!
I bust out the chains and crank up the big tractor. If I sink it, I'll have a permanent anchor so I can't get too close. I'm also doing this solo, so there's nobody to drive the small tractor, I'm having to drag it as dead weight. It won't budge and I'm digging a hole with the big tractor so bad I have to use the bucket to push myself out. Call my Brother Inlaw and he's not answering his phone.
I unhooked the sprayer and drug it out of the field so I can at least return it. Also in the process of getting on and off the tractor and walking around the sprayer I get the spray all over my shoes and the surficant is slippery as snot. I managed to slip not once but twice while climbing on the small tractor and scraped/bruised the fool out of my right ankle and shin.
One bit of good news, I finally got in touch with BIL and we got it out this morning. He got it out all by himself while I was getting the Allis ready. The ground had died up quite a bit overnight, but of course the way he tells it superior skill was involved.
Oh well, I just keep chuggin' along. Toot, toot.
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