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Today’s letter is “J” just a journey to past joys John Blue Tractor I am familiar with the John Blue company from my days managing a hydroponic greenhouse company. They manufacture some of the best fertigation pump systems on the face of the earth. Liquid fertilizer is injected into the irrigation flow with extreme accuracy. You can imagine my surprise when I found that they had once been a tractor manufacturer too. A legacy of quality and craftsmanship began in 1886 when John Blue Sr. established his business in Laurinburg, North Carolina. He constructed and repairer farm machinery while inventing several time and labor-saving tools, including the first cotton stalk cutter, an iron cotton seed planter and a fertilizer distributor. After Blue's death in 1935, his son John Jr. continued to run the company. A fire in 1945 destroyed the shop and foundry leading to the decision to relocate to a large foundry in Huntsville, AL. Laurinburg was home, but Huntsville offered better access to raw materials and greater distribution routes for finished products. In 1952, John Blue Jr. submitted his first patent from Huntsville Alabama for the first metering pump system for the application of fertilizer. The 1950’s were a time of great innovation, and more than 20 patents were submitted over the next decade. John Blue Company became an important part of Huntsville’s economy employing 700 to 800 people at its peak. John Blue made pumps for agricultural and industrial operations, fertilizer spreaders, sprayers, cotton wagons, and metering devices for Anhydrous Ammonia. Following John Blue’s untimely death in an automobile accident the family sold the business to an investment group, (STV) Subscription Television Incorporated. STV had been displaced from the cable TV business by new legislation but was seeking other investments. Hollywood “A” List celebrities like Jerry Lewis and Frank Sinatra were investors in STV. Meanwhile a young Texas Tech engineering student named Wesley Cagle was using an Allis Chalmers G tractor while working on a nursery crop research program. Cagle went on to become vice-president of engineering at The John Blue Company in 1968. His memories of working with the “G” had led him to consider building a similar small tractor. Working with Allis Chalmers wasn’t going as he had hoped so the decision was made to build the tractor in house. Only 200 of the John Blue G-1000 tractors were built. A rear mounted International Harvester UC-60 engine (offering nearly twice the power of the AC G tractor) coupled to a Borg Warner three speed transmission with a high/ low selector. Weighing only 1,850 pounds and providing a clear view of the ground engaging tools the G-1000 was equipped with a hydraulic mid-mount tool bar. Ergonomic improvements were made to allow easier operator entry and exit than the “G” had offered. During 1974-76 John Blue only produced 200 Blue G-1000 tractors. Priced at nearly $ 5,000 (about $ 29,000 in 2024 dollars) the John Blue G-1000 was not a huge success. John Blue Company has gone through several ownership change over the years but is still in business focusing on agricultural pumps and fertilizer application methods.

I mow for part of my job. We recently upgraded my Kubota ZD326 mower to a Scag Turf Tiger 2 with the diesel engine. But I come home to mow with my 1971 bronco 14 and have no complaints on how it mows.

Because there was several issues with seized Hitch Bolts, that‘s the Way i prevent this.. Remove the old Bolt, drilled a 4,8mm hole into the Holder on the Gearbox. than i taped a thread in and at least i screwed a zerk fitting into that thread. Additionally i use an Standart 19mm Bolt we get here for Agri machinery fixed with 2 Clips. A great decision was the Angle of 48 degrees to fit easily with the Greasepump. Each time i do my regular Greasing routine i cleaned the zerk and refill it after with one pump of fresh grease. So it is even better covered with the hitch itself against rip up

at least it is better than before. Marv

Thanks for all the comments. There for a while, I thought I was up the creek without a paddle but you fellows came through. I did this once before about 20 years ago with a tractor of a different color which I will not name in polite company and - at that time - just ditched it, but I was working back then and didn't have time to try to fix the problem. Now, retired, and almost 75 I've got the time but unfortunately don't have the body for it but this was something I could fix and did. I've been into tractors for some time now and have restored a few. Thanks again "podners," You've been a good help to an old man...made my day (but, anymore, a good bowel movement is something to celebrate). From the Doodad

We always had pets during our 52 years of marriage, but when the last cat died in 2016, we said no more. Well fast-forward to January of this year, I was driving home after picking up groceries. It had been snowing. In the middle of a busy road, I see what I thought was a clump of dirty snow. As I got closer I saw it was a kitten that had be hit by a car or truck and was struggling to get up. I stopped, gathered it up out of the road and took it to a vet where my daughter works. I figured it would only be a few more minutes that she would be in agony and they would euthanize her. However, the vet felt that there might be a chance of saving her, and three months later after she healed from a partially fractured skull, 3 broken ribs, multiple areas of road rash, and near freezing, we made the decision to bring her home. 100% healthy again, with exception of a few missing brain cells, she is having the time of her life, and so are we. Although she has probably used up 8 of her 9 lives, we'll take what's left.

And the price of steel has more than doubled in the last three years. I bought some material for a project a couple months ago, they should have passed out shots of booz before giving the price.

Old bed frames are some of the best angle iron you can get to build stuff out of. The guy who does all of my welding grabs every frame he runs across when folks toss them.

i picked up my rj 59 and 702 this morning, nice guy got them loaded right up and he gave me a set of transmission seals and a couple manuals and brochures. i got them home, and hoped the rj ran, he said it did, it started right up. ran gread, took it down the driveway and back and started leaking engine oil through the pan, but besides that was great. it deffinetly needs a tranny rebuild, in one of packrats videos on youtube it says what the problem is, i forget right now but will give updated, the 702 is not bad, i just put it in the shead for now and am going to leave it for a bit untill i get my lawn ranger back togher and 856. i will post updates and the rj tranny case was a early one it was D-8-59 witch if im right is april 8th 1959, and did anyone know the early rj-58 had a leather shifter boot?

We could not do it without you!

I don't believe changing the transmission will change the overall length of the tractor.

Just back from breakfast. Treated 18 including 5 Mothers, 2 Grandmothers, and 2 Great Grandmothers. Thank You to all the Moms.

I had never heard of a Sagulator before. I have been a dumpster-diver all my life and proud of it. Old bed frame angle irons screwed/bolted to the underside of a shelf will add a lot of rigidity. Another thing I've done is attach some light-duty chain to the roof rafters/trusses and the edges of shelves.

Yesterday we was in the Garden for a little Fire after Grilling. At about 23:30 i see Yoda is here and .... Little Yoda told us Dark it is in the Night Cold it is without Sun Sleep we shall go now It might 😂

Scot - I agree with the force calculations ( said the guy that has had my old Ariens Sno Thro chase me down the ramps of the pickup!!). Because of the rather steep 21 degree pitch, you will not be able to clear the joint in the middle with the cutting deck installed...... Placement of the winch is critical for SAFE usage. Like a boat trailer, it needs to pull from the middle (center front axle pivot area). Length of the strap is probably less than 20 feet?? Ideally you want to accomplish getting up and completely off the incline with all 4 tires on the horizontal portion before you disconnect the winch. A possible solution is to fix mount the winch centered below the middle horizontal upright and use 2 rigid mounted rollers - one above it and one at the apex of the joint where the ramp attaches. That gets it up there, you need to push it to the far right. Even so this is NOT a one person event - the danger of running the winch and making sure the tractor is steering centered up the rather narrow ramps with you alone 15 feet away is asking for the real possibility that it will fall. The "Kevin" factor is too high!! This takes 2 people that trust and listen to each other - and no cell phone!!

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what!?!?

That describes pretty near every animal I've ever had anyway!! Good save Bob !

You could greatly increase the capacity by screwing and gluing a board vertical under your shelf. Be sure to have crown up.

It was the points. Dried 'em out and ran a 220 grit sandpaper between them and it started right up. BIG THANKS TO ALL from the Doodad!

So I've seen these done in several threads in various forum, its a perfect idea for me to store two tractors, so I built one! Two snowblowers, two bicycles, and one RER mower fit neatly under it. The raised platform is intended to store my 1964 Wheel Horse 854: Which was my main mower until a few years ago, when the mower deck broke. It's now semi-retired. but I intend to still use it someday. So the raised platform will hold the 854, and a second tractor; (i'm looking for a Cub Cadet Original or model 100.) I built the platform over the past several weekends, and today I attempted to get the 854 up there.. but the attempt failed! I already have a pully/winch that I use to raise up my small utility trailer on its end, for storage, this type: and I thought that might work, but it doesn't.. the tractor is too heavy and/or i'm not strong enough. I could not pull it up on the ramp with that system.. So! next idea: either a hand-crank winch, like this: Or an electric winch.. I'm wary of the electric ones, because they seem low-quality and cheap, and seem to break easily. So I'm leaning toward the "hand crank" winch.. they seem to be often used to crank up boats on to a trailer..so should be strong enough?? (I'm not a boat person, I have never used one of these winches before) Anyone have any suggestions? Here is a diagram of the platform with the ramp in place: The ramp will extend out in to the driveway when raising or lowering tractors, through the open garage door, then it will be removed and the garage door closed. When I am raising or lowering a tractor, I want to be standing on the far right side of the platform, where the winch is located, away from the moving tractor.. In my mind, it's a similar concept to cranking up something in to a pickup truck bed or a trailer.. This raised platform will likely be used for looong term storage. years probably. It's possible once I get the 854 up there, it will stay there for ten years.. (because I'm retiring in 10 years) the two tractors I want to store there will not be in regular operating rotation. thanks, Scot

Teddy (golden) and Stella (white). Both rescues, we were told that they are litter mates. Wolfhound, Pyrenees and??? Here's Teddy keeping the little ones safe from the squirrels and ground hogs...

That‘s the best result you can hear from a Vet med. few missing brain cells - pah - i learned know in my lifetime several peoples they have much more less... 😎

We are here to help, everything but bathroom duty we leave that up to @SylvanLakeWH

You may try increasing the pressure in the PTO clutch. You do this by removing the hairpin clip from the trunnion on the threaded rod that engages the PTO. Then rotate the trunnion one turn clockwise as you face the end of the rod and re assemble the trunnion and clip. This increased pressure on the PTO lever may help it to stay engaged. The other issue with the deck lift pin coming out of the slot could be a problem with the rear end of that lift bar being bent or loose in the bushings that support it in the tractor frame. You would need to get under the tractor and determine if the end of the lift bar can be moved. There should be very little side to side movement. If the deck is not engaged in the mid attach-o-matic, correctly, this could cause the lift bar pin to exit the slot. The VEE slot in the rod must be engaged with the large rod. Go to our manuals section and download the operating manual for your tractor. to the

@Ed KennellGeez Ed, had we known that you were buying a whole bunch of us would have come!😂😂

I use an electric winch mounted to the front of my tractor to load it on and off the trailer. Having the winch mounted on the tractor allows me to push the winch button while controlling the steering wheel. This makes it a one man job as the winch slowly pulls the tractor up the ramp. Downside to the electric winch is the tractor needs to be running or the winch will kill the battery. Guess how I discovered this. If using a hand cranked winch I would explore mounting it to the tractor so it could be cranked as you control the steering.

The spindle mount area could be bent down in the front causing the blade to hit the back of the deck.

Cast Iron is cast iron. Brittle. I have broken the big hubs too. They make a louder bang when they go off!

Right you are. I have to recalculate the cost of materials every time I fab up a set of F plate & side braces for someone.... And the choices of stock sizes seems to be a tad smaller too.

Good - the Old Girls like an 854 are 30 inches wide. Bracing to the wall should be near the top to minimize sway.

The vertical board under the shelf is a great idea and even better if the vertical board is plywood. I typically use 11 ply 3/4". In extreme cases (I would say yours is just that) I'll laminate two layers together to basically make a "2x4" or "2x3" out of plywood. Inside the house we have some various low cost shelving made with the crap particle board. I think that stuff will sag under it's own weight. I'll dado in about 1/2 the thickness of the shelving board and glue in a piece of the 11 ply as wide as I can without compromising the looks. No more sag.

Neat idea too. Because I want to keep the floor space under the shelves free I've thought about doing similar but with a strip of wood. I like the chain idea....

Nice manicureEd, maybe little rough for my opinion...😎 Her by our local OSHA it was strictly forbidden to wear gloves on any rotating Machines. But i don‘t care about. That prevents me several times to make an unwanted manicure. Try to start a battle with pullstart - huh 👍

I recently pulled my RJ35 up a 2” square tube for “long term storage” in my shop. I did it easily with a pair of 1” ratchet straps, one pulling at a time. A boat winch should be quite easy!

I've got a few years on you, trust me when I tell you it doesn't get any better with age. Enjoy what you have while you have it.

I may have one. Next time I get out to the garage I'll take a look.

Agreed. I curse harder when I break one of those...

If the tractor has ever been stored out side .I had sinular problem with a 312-8 when I got it.. The dash panel has two screws they are ground, if they have gotten rusty you switch does no have a good ground. It would take several tries before the starter would kick in. I also added a ground wire from battery ground to an engine mounting bolt.

Unless things have changed, the reason bedframe angle is special is because it is made from re-rolled railroad track. It’s hard and strong due to cold working and grain alignment. Bed frames are under surprisingly high stresses and - despite looking simple and flimsy - have a lot of engineering and analysis poured into them. The energy pumped into the frame by a couple amorous 400 pounders combined with the need to keep the frame compact and cheap takes a lot of effort. I have some colleagues who came from the bedframe industry…it’s another one of those industries that produces an astounding quantity of product on the order of tens of thousands of frames every day. Steve

Thank you Pete that is what I reach for these days.

One more - the load is higher up that the stand is wide - top heavy. ( knew a girl like that....) Additional solid bracing to the garage should be in order.

One improvement is to use I beam construction - the upper half is in compression, the lower in tension. That almost negates the force.

@WHX?? https://www.amazon.com/Performance-Tool-W84550-Bearing-Splitter/dp/B004X9J4AQ/ref=asc_df_B004X9J4AQ/?tac&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003311&hvtargid=pla-762201453508&mcid=7c756cef70113cbb8454e5d68a8a2713&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxfLr6YuIhgMVwU1HAR2nWQ4m this the type of puller you want , goes directly at the strongest hold / slide point , also lubricate every possible movement area , like a breaker bar , with a 6 pt. socket , solid no movement . with side extension stop to floor , will make for solid smooth slide , also like kroil penetrant , pete

Actually Richard those gears usually stripped out when starting the engine. No damage done except the gear some trash in the pan and one's pride when it happed on a date in the malt shop parking lot! Taryl calls them

It all depends on how much you "like" the tractors!! I see twin sticks on the tractor icons, but only one in the picture...... hmmmm..... more to follow?? I have a C81 8 speed in my 854 - would not go back to the 4 speed.

Happy birthday, 🎁🎂🎈

That is why my horses rarely get wet!!! Excessive dust rarely causes issues. I blow mine off with compressed air sometimes... Dry the points and the spark plug wire

Hope it was a Great Day and have a Super Evening Happy Birthday Karl

Picked up a medium sized wood stove this morning. 2002 model year. Has a blower to circulate hot air. Needs fire bricks replaced. Likely Trina will clean and repaint it too. This will be installed in the house so the BIG basement stove can be moved out to the new workshop.