Less oomph, barely able to get out of her own way and knowing something was wrong.
She was born in 1953. Most of her years spent working hard on the same Maine potato farm. Laboring, straining out in the fields, no matter what the weather, any season. Dependable, not asking for much. Giving her all. No whining, complaining. Until now.
The Super M tractor pulling the bush hog on a Maine farm was operating mostly on three cylinders. Power loss. The noticable pop in the air breather signalling something inside the engine, the valves were not working like when she was shiny new. When she first arrive at the farm in “Vacationland” from out west on a flat bed railroad car destined for Houlton Maine.
Motor job. Not tractor engine replacement. But an appointment with Dr Rairdon, er I mean mechanic Bob Rairdon in this business of tractor repair most of his 76 years. I remember the last motor job done by Elmer Snell who worked on the farm and who kept everything mechanical purring, whirring. He is gone now and another mechanic needs to perform the update to the engine. While internal, replacing the fly wheel ring too that caused issues during routine farm operations when the starter stuck on, draining the battery. Interferring with the planned farm operations under sunny blue skies signalling time to make hay while the weather cooperated.
New sleeves, the valve head reground, new rings, bearings and stem to stern part upgrade, replacement where wear and tear shows on an internal exam.
Some asked me why not just buy a new, bigger tractor and store, keep the old girl, the super M Farmall International iron horse hidden away in a corner of the farm.
Out of sight in the machine shed under cover, put out to pasture so to speak. Too much history, time spent on this old girl to park her. I need her to keep the farm intact, groomed and she knows her way around the lay of the land in Maine.
The International Farmall super M tractor is scheduled for surgery soon and I finished up the bush hogging with less power, a little lower gearing. But like an athelete playing hurt, sick, injured thru the playoffs, she declared she did not have time for as Carly Simon sung, “the pain”.
I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers
207.532.6573
info@mooersrealty.com.