Philip Rodney Gutayo Barnes and his pet tractor
January 29, 2009
"I have clogged arteries
in my legs (I can't walk but about 100 feet without assistance) and
arthritis in my back (Ican't drive my truck but about two hours without
pain). I've been on Social Security Disability since January 2002.
The SSA bought me a $6000 electric wheelchair. I also have 90%
inoperable clogged arteries going to my left arm (I'm left handed) and
bursitis in my right shoulder which prevents me from using a manual website.
The mail box is 250 feet out front and my hobby workshop is 150 feet out
back. I have a now mowing riding lawnmower that I hooked up to a small
trailer and that is my transportation around the place. I don't feel
sorry for myself and don't you either; I'm very comfortable and not trying
to have a pity party for Philip. I hope to see you all soon before the
next reunion. I'm looking forward to it.
8/24/07;
I need to rebuild the carburetor on my tractor aka "the Beast". A FORD 9N; the '9'
means it was first made in 1939, a 2N was first made in 1942 and the 8N was first
made in 1948. According to the serial number list in my shop manual, this 9N was
made in early 1942 before the change-over to the 2N. I was born in 1942 which give
us something in common.
I have had it since my wife Sandy gave it to me for Christmas 1996. It was
restored when she bought it so it looks like it rolled off the Ford assembly
line yesterday. I keep it in that same pristine condition even though I use it
at least once a week.
Ford made the tractor during World War II so the farmers - who were feeding the
people in the US as well as the troops overseas - would have a cheap and dependable
tractor that was virtually unbreakable.
9/10/07;
I keep the old Ford tractor in a stall of the barn to protect it from the
environment. I can't take a picture of it in the stall so I have to drive it
outside. The old carburetor I rebuilt just had too much wear and tear on the
castings so I had to buy a new carburetor, remove the old one and install the
new one.
Then, I could not get any spark to the spark plugs. The distributor is on the
front of the engine underneath the fan and water pump; hard to get to. When I
got it off the engine, I found a nest of Carpenter Ants had taken up home in the
distributor cap. There is a small hole in the bottom of the distributor cap
designed to allow moisture to escape, such as occurs on one of the mornings when
the dew is heavy. That hole is how the ants got in. Then the governor which holds
the engine speed constant by automatically opening and closing the carburetor
locked up so every time I went up even a small hill, the engine would stall.
Then, it started raining here which put a temporary end to any outside repairs.
9/14/07;
I'm still doing some minor repairs to the Ford tractor but this photo is one
Sandy had in her computer, taken a few years ago. By the way, most of 12 acres
of our property looks like the background, cedar breaks and live oaks.
Rodney Barnes