Since I spent most of the day before fiddling with the tractor I didn't get any of the chores knocked off my list. Started the day off with an unsuccessful magic tractor dance, put on the battery charger and fired up the 95 Chevy to move another months worth of firewood to the house. 2 is one; 1 is none.
By now the tractor was willing to start so I insulated the chicken coop with some straw. The storm is supposed to be windy so a little wind break will help the chickens stay comfortable. When the storm passes, the straw will be spread out to form a fresh bed of carbon in their paddock.
The last of the chores were getting the next hay bale into position for the horses and topping the sheep off with hay too. I wanted to move and stack the remaining hay bales but the tractor troubles continue... It seems like too much moisture got into the dashboard and caused a short, which lead to a small electrical fire... At this point I had enough and will see what I can come up with to keep the tractor functional another day.
#permaculture #permies #homesteading #grownostr #meshtadel
quotingTractor is back in action but it still took a magic dance
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Picked up the starter and alternator, cleaned them up, reinstalled them, turned the key, no start.
I thought for sure the problem was that the starter was just feeling neglected and needed a good cleaning but all the scraping and brushing went unacknowledged. When I turn the key I can hear the solenoid engaging but no crank. When I arc the starter posts with a screwdriver, it spins up but solenoid doesn't engage. I think, giving it a little spin with the screw driver before trying to turn the key again got the starter in the right mood. I was able to jiggle the key just right and brought the tractor to life. I think the folks at the repair shop were subject to the voodoo of the starer because they said it appeared to be in good condition. The batteries and alternator seem to be working properly.
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