Z-Mac,

That story may not be too far from the truth. When I liven in the Middle East I saw a magazine article about a Japanese bulldozer, a Komatsu I believe, that they used to clean out small coastal harbors in Japan. It was run underwater by remote control. When I came back to the States I mentioned this to the guys where I now work. The story was met with a amount of snickering and the usual, "Well, here's another overseas story". I sent an email to Komatsu, mentioned the article, and they sent me back a picture and the story about the tractor. Of course none of the men ever appologized but I never got snickered at again.

Larry,

I have a 1960 some odd Ford 4400 tractor that I use for mowing and it is like yours in that it will start regardless of how long you let it sit. I ran it on WVO for a year or so and it never missed a beat. It has a bad habit of popping the ferrules off of the injector lines. They are easly silver soldered back on but when you are hip deep in the middle of clearing brush it is a little distracting to have limp back home on two cylinders.

whunter,

Thanks for reviving the thread.

Update- the old Ford 3000 is still going strong. I don't use it near as much as I used to but with a hay fork on the back, I used it as a fork truck to move a bunch of stuff from my old shop to my new one. I also have kept about 8 acres near the house shredded with it.

The generator has given up and I have just kept the battery charged. I thought about rigging an alternator on it, but the mechanical tach is driven off the generator. Maybe some day I'll attack the generator.

The ol' thing still starts almost immediately when turning the starter.

Have a great day and thanks,

THERE'S CARS OTHER THAN MERCEDES DIESELS?!?!?!?!
really?? you gotta be kidding, all those other things that you see on the road are not cars, they're plastic, duh

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1982 300D (w123, "Grey Car")
1982 300D (w123, "Blue Car")
2001 Ford F150 "Clifford" (The Big Red Truck)
1997 Dodge Ram 2500 12V Cummins
1996 Dodge Ram 2500 12V Cummins
Previous Vehicles:
1995 E300D, 1980 300SD, 1992 Buick Century, 2005 Saturn Ion

That sounds like my 2040, Henrietta (Deere Mannheim Werks - 1978) . Her alternator is trashed and a replacement (rebuilt, no less!!) is well over $250. But, she rolls over and starts so darned easily, I just keep the battery charger near to where she's parked and hook it up while she's resting.

I thought she'd met her match yesterday. I was trying to move an ancient, fallen mesquite out to where I could easily get the chainsaw on it. 20+ feet of 12" mesquite trunk lifted up 3-4 feet was all she could do. We tugged and yanked for several minutes, finally the offending roots were yanked loose and out it came like a terrier with a bone.

Doncha just love tractors?

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

No.

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1982 240D.
My name is Michael, and I am an 18 year old binge-drinkin', cigar-smokin', novel-writin', all around unsavory and unnattractive guy. I tell long-winded stories, and I only shave once a week, although I've had to do it every day since I was 16.

Thanks for your enlightening contribution to the forum.

__________________
Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

Sometimes boats sit for years without being run. Smart owners use biobor. Dumb owners don't. The biobor treated boats usually fire right up. The dummies have their tanks purged, treated, and refilled.... then they fire right up.

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You can get farther with a smile and a gun than you can with just a smile.

1984 300D
1985 300CD
1980 300SD
1993 SL500

I was given an '83 240D that had sat for a year. Put a battery in it and it started like it had just been run.

Just bought an '03 Kubota tractor with a 3 cylinder diesel. After using gasser tractors for years it's nice to have a diesel. It'll run for days on 5 gallons. Can't wait for the first big snow to give it a real test.

BTW....my Dad owns an Allis-Chalmers Wd45D. Anybody ever seen one? They seem to be ultra rare here.

Cheers,

Bill

as well as WD's,WC's and later series such as D15's are real common around here.This is dairy country after all.But WD45D's are ultra rare here also.I only ever remember seeing one around here myself,and it was entered as a collector at the county fair one year.I myself own a WF.2 WC's,and a WD.Been looking for a WD45D for years to restore and use.No such luck.I don't think they ever made that many of them to begin with.Love my 220D Mercedes though.

Snow? Whassat? As best I can tell, my 2040 (3-cyl, 40 hp diesel) uses about 3/4 gal/hr when shredding (the only workout it ever really gets) .

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

A few years ago, my alternator went dead on my way from PA to NJ. It was just dusk, and I left my headlights on until it was light enough to turn them off, and I turned off the radio to save juice. I was able to drive approx. 70 miles to Millenium Motors in Bridgewater, NJ. but by the time I got there, I didn't even have turn signals or brake lights (used the old arm signals) I warned them that wherever I parked it, it was going to have to be pushed into a service bay. They gave me a ride to work, replaced the alternator and gave me a free battery because mine was only a year old and it was so far down they couldn't charge it. They even sent someone over to pick me up at the end of the day. That was a fine example of good customer service, and made me a lifetime believer in Diesels. This car now has just under 250K miles and I'd drive it cross country without a worry. I love diesels!!

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Reid
Past ('59 220Sb, 2-'59 190's, '92 300D 2.5T)
Current
'04 E320 4Matic Wagon
'00 E320 4Matic Wagon

Rick and Connie.....One day you may get a shot at my Dads' WD45D. PM me for details.....and yes, Wd45's etc. are common here too.

R Leo...My Kubota is a 22 HP. Much less fuel consumption than a 40 HP, not that 3/4 gal. is all that bad. The snow came yesterday. Only it fell 4 hours from here.

Cheers,

Bill