Senile Texas Aggie - comic relief for the rest of you

[Bruce]

That looks like it works really well!
I say you pick up the tractor tomorrow rain or shine. If it is decent weather Friday you don't want to waste work time going to get the tractor.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

I say you pick up the tractor tomorrow rain or shine.

That is what I decided to do. The forecast for Friday changed from 0% to 40%, while forecast for today was 30%. I made it over there and back without any rain. So my toy is back and I am happy!

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

All,

Yesterday I attached the landscape rake and raked along the woods next to the driveway, picking up what I raked and putting into a burn pile. Today my Beautiful Gal wanted to paint, so I removed the landscape rake and attached the mower, going over to continue to pick up all of the trees and limbs I cut two weeks or so ago. I wasn't out there long before the tractor died. while driving along mowing the edge of the woods. I was about 1/2 mile from the house, so I walked to the house and got the Gator with the toolbox, a digital voltmeter, some fuses and electrical tape. I confirmed my suspicions that I had shorted out the neutral safety switch wiring to ground and blown a fuse. After replacing the fuse and then carefully repairing the neutral safety switch wiring, I drove the Gator back to the shop and then walked back to the tractor. All that took about an hour.

I worked to about 1:30 or so and decided to quit for the day (I'm retired and can be a lazy bum if I want). As I was heading back to the house, I decided to set fire to 2 brush piles I had unsuccessfully tried to burn before. This time I was able to light the one by the pond successfully. Once it was going, I drove over to the other pile in the pasture just north of the house and lit that brush pile. As I was driving to the house, I looked at the brush pile near the pond. The pasture looked like it was on fire. So I headed back down that way. Sure enough, it was. The wind was blowing pretty hard and the fire was spreading quickly, headed towards the woods to the east. So I engaged the mower and lowered it as closely to the ground as I could get it. The mower usually blew out the flames. But the wind was shifting around and I would put out one area only to have another area start breaking out, headed for the woods. I would then go over to that area and mow over the flames, usually putting them out, and then the wind would shift again. Back and forth I would go. I finally got out all of the fire in the pasture. Here is a picture of the aftermath (taken from the living room):


Senile Texas Aggie

 

[thistlebloom]

That sounds like a pretty thrilling afternoon!

 

[Bruce]

That was maybe a bit TOO thrilling a day!!!! I've only burned in the pit near the house and only twice but I wait for a no to REALLY light wind day.

Sure is nice you have enough knowledge to figure out the tractor's electrical issues. I wouldn't know where to start. How did the neutral safety switch short and how did you even know to suspect that?

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

How did the neutral safety switch short and how did you even know to suspect that?

The short occurred because the two wires going to and from the neutral safety switch were hanging down bare. I had twisted the two wires together before starting out, with plans to fix it more permanently when I finished for the day. Most likely the two wires were pushed up by brush or a tree that I ran over and forced contact with the frame of the tractor (ground), causing the short, which then blew the fuse. I knew to suspect a fuse because I had done the same thing last year, when I was WAY out from the house over in the overgrown area. It took a bit of figuring out back then what the problem was, but once I checked the fuses I found one that was blown. This time I immediately suspected the same problem. I tried hooking the two wires to the switch, but one of the ears on the connector to the switch had broken off. So I simply wired the two wires together, taped them well, and put them up in a area that it is harder for brush to reach. I will need to buy a new neutral safety switch, but for now I know not to start the tractor in gear.

Today I finished picking up brush in the pasture where I was working yesterday. All that remains is for me to mow around the edges and then I will take some "AFTER" pictures and post those along with the "BEFORE" pictures to give you folks some idea of how different everything looks.

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[Bruce]

And spread the cut stuff over on the burned area so no one needs to know about that little fiasco

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

All,

I finally finished picking up the brush and trees in the south pasture, and took some "AFTER" pictures. So here is the north side of the south pasture, before:





After pictures of the north side of the south pasture in the next post...

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

After pictures of the north side of the south pasture. There are remnants of an old fence along the northern edge which I have yet to remove, so that is why I did not cut out the brush as much as I otherwise would have.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

"BEFORE" pictures of the south side of the south pasture: