What are you currently working on??

[MFDAC]

DAC. Did you get the snow on Saturday, you thought you were going to get. ?
I moved all my tractors outside today. I have to get my truck in and repair the box. Rust is eating away at it. One corner is moving while driving. Frame is still good. So it’s worth fixing up for another year or two.
Truck works great, but the rust is taking its toll.

Noel

Hey Noel, @Propane1, Nope, the snow was further south and unfortunately I think Nebraska got a lot of it. We had a dusting here but 60-70 miles southeast on the reservation, there was 5-6". They didn't need it either as the flooding is pretty bad down there too.

Hope you can get your truck fixed up! I own the same ones for more years than most people have been alive so I sure understand fixing them!

I got the axle for the MF8E today but my wife and I had a bunch of errands to run today so no real work in the shop. I did get the welding bench cleared off to put the transaxle up on it to tear down as much as needed to install the new axle and found an exploded drawing and parts list to help me out. Hope I can tear into it tomorrow.

DAC

 

[Propane1]

I’m going to try and fix the box on my ford ranger. It’s very rusty and the frame of the box broke beside where the box bolts to the frame. So I’m not sure how I’m going to fix it yet. Broke where the pry bar is.
That’s this weeks project. Checked the frame yesterday and it’s very good. I was worried truck frame was gone too. Realy need to find a rust free box. Hehe. Good luck on that one around here.
Any way, I’ll try and fix as best as I can. Plastic gas tank right there too. So welding might be out.
Truck works perfect, to bad they rust away. Was undercoated a few times. But I think that’s part of the cause maybe. Seems to hold the water and salt on there.
What are your ideas on fixing the box and my thoughts about the undercoating.

Noel

 

[chieffan]

Looks like that rusted out part ends just past the break/rusted out area. Can you lay a piece of flat or L along side the box frame?

Long ways from you but there is a place in Omaha, Ne that deal in new take offs boxes , seats, etc. Lot of the farmers are going to the flat beds now and those that don't want the expense of a new truck buy one and have the box pulled to put the flat bed on.

 

[Propane1]

I’ve thought about a flat bed too. That maybe the next move.

Noel

 

[Toomanytoys84]

Pretty common on rangers my 99 bed is completely rust free on outside. However the bottom looks like yours. It's not broke but its rotted every where.

 

[chieffan]

Put enough shelled corn in the basement to run out the wood pellets I have on hand. The ground to the North of me is low and has 2 or 3 washed ditches running down through it. Checked a few weeks ago and could not across the first one. Tried this morning and got down to standing water are and made it through with no problem. Got theough the next and around the lower end of the third in standing water again. Was in the Polaris Ranger heading to a deer stand I wanted to take down. Got it down & apart, hung up in the machine shed. Ratchet straps are rolled up along with the other straps and in a bucket ready for later this summer when it goes up again but in a different place.

 

[MFDAC]

I’m going to try and fix the box on my ford ranger. It’s very rusty and the frame of the box broke beside where the box bolts to the frame. So I’m not sure how I’m going to fix it yet. Broke where the pry bar is.
That’s this weeks project. Checked the frame yesterday and it’s very good. I was worried truck frame was gone too. Realy need to find a rust free box. Hehe. Good luck on that one around here.
Any way, I’ll try and fix as best as I can. Plastic gas tank right there too. So welding might be out.
Truck works perfect, to bad they rust away. Was undercoated a few times. But I think that’s part of the cause maybe. Seems to hold the water and salt on there.
What are your ideas on fixing the box and my thoughts about the undercoating.

Noel

Is pulling the box off to weld in new metal out of the question? I know at work and here at home that pulling the box off to change fuel pumps is a lot easier than draining and dropping the tank. Last one I did at home was back in 2013 with an old S15 I used to have. It also had a fiberglass topper. I used my gantry crane to lift the box but a cherry picker works fine. I did the whole job alone so since you probably have help it should be easier yet.

As you said. undercoating may help hold the rust causing grime. The only time undercoating should be applied is on new or super clean and dry areas.

DAC

 

[MFDAC]

I got the new to me axle installed in the transaxle of the MF8E today. I did figure out a way to get the snap ring on the axle without splitting the case. Just had to remove both axle tubes. I probably would have had to even if I hadn't damaged that axle. Those old factory leather seals weren't coming out without the housings off. I had to modify a pair of angled snap ring pliers to get the angle needed but it worked much better than expected! Should be able to get it back in the tractor tomorrow since it's a day off work.

DAC

 

[MFDAC]

MF8E is a roller again. Now I can finish putting the blade setup back on it.

DAC

 

[KennyP]

Good to see it on all fours again, DAC!

 

[TAHOE]

Working on a "Southland" edger for someone local, carb was all gummed up, hopefully that's all was wrong with it.

 

[MFDAC]

Good to see it on all fours again, DAC!

Thanks Kenny! Yeah it is, for a while I was thinking that it's service was over but now the old tractor may get to go to work again.

I put together the blade carriage and got it hung back on the tractor tonight. Also topped off the gear lube since it hadn't leaked all over. I only filled it about axle full last night.

Next is to figure out angle linkage for the blade.

DAC

 

[Propane1]

So I got a little farther with my truck box repair.
This truck had a factory carpet in the box bed.
I took up the carpet and found this.
So I’ll do a temporary fix, then figure out what Im going to do.

 

[KennyP]

I got Alice out and raked some leaves for a neighbor. Had a good sized pile when I was done.

 

[chieffan]

So I got a little farther with my truck box repair.
This truck had a factory carpet in the box bed.
I took up the carpet and found this.
So I’ll do a temporary fix, then figure out what Im going to do.

looks like your ready for a bed liner, glue it to the sides and bottom and hope that holds the box together for another few years. Seen a lot of that from farmers that throw everything and anything in the box, never clean it out and the truck never sees a shed. Perfect breed ground for rust.

 

[chieffan]

Time to get the super Tomahawk Chipper Shredder out and running. With all the wind we had this past winter have a ton of smaller branches laying all over the yard around the Hybred Willow trees. Worst it has even been. Most finger size or smaller and from a foot to 2 foot long. Everything I have tried to use to rake with them up with the GT only lined them up parallel to the DOT. Lawn rake them up on piles, then pull the Shredder to the pile and grind it up on a trap for loading.

 

[Propane1]

So. Finished the fix on the truck box. Not a very pretty fix. But it should last a year or two. Put a brace under the box and attached it to the truck frame and to the bottom of the box. The picture with the three red dots is where the brace bolts come thru the box. The bolts are body bolts, but I was able to put washers and nuts on them, so it won’t come apart.
Not pretty but it will work hopefully. But nobody will really see any thing unless they look under the truck. And the carpet covers the inside.

Noel

 

[chieffan]

After all that trouble and your putting the carpet back in ? ?

 

[Propane1]

Not really gunna do much more damage. Box has to go within two years or less. Carpets been in there 14 years already.
No different than the bed liner. Still will condensate in there.

Noel

 

[MFDAC]

I'm not liking the linkage setup on the MF8E now that I tinkered with it tonight. Was so preoccupied with getting to this point that one important fact didn't register until now. The angle lock is on the implement or lift lever and not out on the blade pivot. all the work stress will be on the 3/8" rod and tie rod ends. I'm going to finish it up this way until next fall because I have to get on the MF610 cutting deck rebuild. Grass is starting to green up in places.

DAC