Old Iron in Star Valley

Tag: Kyle Weber

  • December 14th Update

    It’s now December 14th, 2021, and there is still no snow on the ground (as of when I went and fed). I had to do that insert as when I started to write this it finally started to come down. But anyway, this year has been pretty unusual for it being nearly mid-December. The other odd thing is that it was quite muddy. Usually by this time it’s been so cold for so long you couldn’t imagine seeing mud on the ground.

    Anyway, I really just wanted an excuse to do a quick post and post a few photos from today. I’m **trying** to update the blog more frequently.

    Here are some photos of the John Deere 630 with the 3×4 large square bale, as well as my German Shepherd Tristan, and a random portrait iPhone portrait mode of an old Hereford.

    Feeding Cattle with the 630 and trusty German Shepherd
  • Feeding Beef Cattle Dec 1

    Feeding Beef Cattle Dec 1

    Now that the cattle have eaten most of their fall pasture, it’s time to start feeding them again. Feeding the cattle at this time of year is nothing unusual, but having no snow on the ground and being able to wear a baseball cap is!

    In this video I’m using a John Deere 630 with a custom built bale feeder to feed my father’s Hereford and Angus beef cattle.

    Also, my less than two year old German Shepherd was absolutely loving it. He was pretty small still when we were feeding last year, so I didn’t take him out too often and he mostly tried to hide. This year he knew he was in charge, and he was happy to show that off to those cows!

  • Putting Equipment Away for the Winter

    Putting Equipment Away for the Winter

    I had to move the ’39 A out of where I had it currently being stored (it’s a long story), and since it’s not running great and is a hand start I most likely won’t be getting it out this winter, so I put it behind everything else in the side of the barn. I’ve had the carb rebuilt, and it still isn’t running too well. Anyway, since I had it out and had some of the other tractors started and moved out as well, I thought I’d take the opportunity to post a short video.

    We’re fortunate that it’s been this warm with the weather as good as it has been. Typically by this time of year we’re already accumulating some snowfall and the temperatures are rarely above the mid-20s.

    Hopefully next year I’ll be able to get it running better. But the list of machines I have to work on is getting pretty large…

  • Winter Is Knocking

    Winter Is Knocking

    One thing about living in Star Valley–as the saying goes, we’re not sure if we’ll get summer, but we’ve never missed a winter. This year seemed unusually hot and smoky, but when it comes time switch to fall, it always tends to go right into winter. We’ve received a few light dustings of snow already, but I don’t think it will be very long until the snow is here to stay.

    With the change to winter also brings a few changes on the farm. Though we still work on and tinker on tractors, not having a heated shop and the lack of daylight makes it a little harder and somewhat less desirable. Instead of working in the fields we turn to the chores of feeding the cattle on a daily basis (photos and videos to come, I’m sure) and having to move and shovel snow. However, winter also brings the winter activities of snowmobiling and other winter sports. This year I’ve also purchased a Timbersled (a track for my dirt bike), so that should be fun and a new adventure as well.

    The photo above is a photo of a Farmall Model A. I’m not exactly sure of the year, but it is a tractor that is currently being used as a decoration on my uncle’s farm on my mother’s side in Etna, Wyoming.

    If you’ve been following the past few blog posts or YouTube videos, you’ve seen pictures and videos of the Farmall B. The Farmall A is basically the same tractor, but in a different configuration. Where the A has a wide front, the B has a narrow front and a slightly wider rear end.

  • John Deere MT Update

    John Deere MT Update

    The John Deere MT that we picked up has been a fun little tractor. However, although it looks nice on the outside, it still has a lot of work to do before it will be a good and reliable tractor. The biggest item with it at the moment is the transmission. When I first picked it up, the transmission housing was rusted and the back axle was seized when placed in gear. Upon draining the housing, it was about half oil and half water. Sadly, it hadn’t been drained out in years and years and condensation eventually overtook oil content.

    Due to this, the bearings in the transmission housing were rusted, and even though we freed it up and replaced the oil, they still needed to be replaced to make it function properly.

    Fortunately, the MT is a pretty easy tractor to work on and split (separate the front from the back). I’ve got all the parts I need, so hopefully I’ll be able to get them swapped out and replaced pretty quickly this weekend. I’m sure I’ll have some more YouTube videos of it running once I do. 🙂

  • Blade work with the 2010 and 435

    Blade work with the 2010 and 435

    I never passing up an excuse to drive the tractors on a beautiful fall day, I used the opportunity to do some blade and box scraper work to fill in the pivot tracks. Though not a necessary task, it makes working up the ground in the springtime much smoother and is better on the equipment.

    I used the John Deere 2010 Utility to fill in the tracks with an Allis Chalmers three-point blade, and I then used the John Deere 435 (2-53 Detroit Diesel) to finish it with a box scraper. Looking back, I should have used drag harrows and will do that next time instead. It tended to clump up some, so I’ll know how to do it better next year.

  • The Story of the A

    John Deere Model AI had intentions on writing up a photo-book story of the restoration process of the John Deere Model A.  I’m having a hard time finishing it, so I thought in the meantime, I’d just throw it up here.  If there are any major spelling/grammar mistakes or things you’d like added, please use the comments field below.  I’ll add some photos later.  Click “Continue Reading” below for the full story.

     

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  • Planting with the John Deere A and LL-A Grain Drill

    This year I took the opportunity to have a little fun with planting oats in one of our smaller fields.  I used the 1947 John Deere Model A that I recently restored, as well as our old grain drill (aka planter, late 1950s).  It may not have been the quickest way to plant the oats, but I, and the dogs, had a lot of fun doing it!

    The three videos here show us getting the drill ready and making sure everything on it works.  The second video shows the John Deere 4230 disking the field.  Last year we used the Model A as well as the John Deere 2010 to plow the field.  Since it was plowed last fall, you disk it before you plant it to break up the larger chunks into a more fine powder, so the drill can do accurately seed the crop.  The final video shows the actual planting process.

  • Christmas Season

    Christmas was good to me this year.  All of the family was up, and everyone seemed to have had a good time.

    Growing up my cousin and I both had toy pedal tractors.  We had a lot of fun on them, and tried to take them everywhere.  My little nephew (slightly under two) is currently obsessed with tractors, so I thought it would be fun to get him a little pedal tractor as well.  Christmas morning, to his delight, he opened up a beautiful John Deere 720 pedal tractor.  Needless to say, he really enjoyed the gift and had fun sitting on it for most of the remainder of the time they were here.

    JD 720 Pedal Tractor
    My nephew on his 2012 Christmas gift.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    The following day we went and fed the beef cattle.  After I parked the cab tractor we fed with, his eyes glazed over the lineup of “big” tractors.  He pointed at the Model A and called it his own.  Seeing how it resembles his toy tractor made him want to go ride it.  So, I fired it up and took her out for a little drive through the snow.  You can tell by the look on his face that he had a good time!

     

  • Plowing with the 1947 John Deere A and No 55 H plow

    less than 18 months ago this tractor was a ‘fence line tractor’. I dragged it down to the barn and the engine, brakes, and clutch were seized up. The radiator cap was gone and the cooling system was completely full a junk. A mouse nest was in one of the cylinders… I looked it over and almost gave up. I never thought that in this short amount of time not only would I have it running (and well too!), but pulling a plow!