Previous owner "ingenuity" or ...

["D"- Man 827]

On occasion while reading post's of members who are restoring a Wheel Horse that has been "repaired" by the previous owner in a less than standard way, and often with non original replacement parts, I almost can't help but laugh. This isn't quite as funny when it comes to discovering this Previous owner adaption with their signature inginuity has invaded one of our own machines. Even though I do not intend to do a museum quality restoration, I think I could better appreciate the work of a former owner if they would have put just a little more effort into trying to get it closer to original!!!

For example:

This Ross steering gearbox was broken, so don't throw it away and get a new or good used one; just get a strap of steel, a split collar clamp and weld the thing together and fill with silicon.

[jaebo74 7]

It appears as though, he did the best he could with what he had at hand. I used to poke fun at my grandfather for some of the rigging he came up with, but eventually realized his "ingenuity" saved him a lot of money and usually served its particular purpose. Maybe this guy, didn't know how to source parts or was broke and that's what he had to do. Who knows? But I would have brazed it up instead of buying a new or used one, I haven't the extra money for such things either.   

[Dieselcowboy 210]

I'm sure in the years gone by parts may have been harder to get. We didn't have the powerful internet then. Well I guess I've grown up knowing computers but can imagine.

[flyovrcntry 115]

Yeah before the internet parts were scarce.About the only choice you had were dealers,and if you were lucky maybe someone would have a backyard with a few used parts.I'm retired and do a little small engine repair and sell a few tractors.I stopped running after parts when gas got so expensive.I get 95% of my parts online,and cheaper by far when you consider your time and fuel.

But more to the point of your post,just whe you think you've seen it all someone will surprise you.Back in the day I saw a lot of people make gaskets out of cardboard.

I have a neighbor thats 80 yo,the other day I was at his house and he was working on his old Allis tractor.He had some gasket material and was trying to cut a gasket for his settlement bowl.He said,my wife was real good at cutting these out.I didn't say anything,but she passed away at least 10 years ago,so thats some pretty good gasket material.

[SousaKerry 503]

As a former farm kid I can attest to living on a shoe string and digging through the dreaded "bolt box" for hours searching for just the right bolt to fix whatever broke in the field. And if that didn't work you could always melt a little bird poop on it with the stick welder.  Those fixes may not have been pretty and they didn't last long but they lasted till the job was done and you could always fix it right during the winter (or next spring when you needed it again.)

 

Dad is 75 now and still at it.  The last time I was down there we went through 4 tractors till we found one that worked well enough to pull a piece of equipment out of the weeds only to find the motor locked up and full of water.   Somehow Dad got that little Wisconsin running after a few weeks of soaking the bore with penetrating oil.

[Lane Ranger 11,379]

Use it up

Wear it out

Make it Do

or Do Without

 

 

The 1930's  Depression caused a lot of folks to appreciate this saying.

Edited October 2, 2013 by Lane Ranger

[WheelHorse79 271]

While restoring my 854, I found that a previous owner had cut off the head of a brass key and bolted it onto the S/G to better clamp down the strap for the regulator.  It works well, so I left it alone during the restore.  My tractor also came with a 32" deck with the round loops (handles) at the outside front corners.  Someone cut the loops off the deck with a torch, so that the deck wouldn't rub the front tires.  It worked, but the deck was ugly and had rough, finger cutting nubs where the loops once were.   Needless to say, I replaced this deck with a proper RM324 deck.  Then, the fuel pump was bypassed and the fuel line was run directly to the carb for a "gravity feed" setup.  When I took off the fuel pump, the lever actuator was missing, so it was probably broke and was the reason for the bypass.  I replaced it with a good used working fuel pump.

 

So, some of these "fixes" do work well, and some, not so well.

Edited September 30, 2013 by WheelHorse79

[Mr. 856 170]

Ingenuity..........that's what makes a thinker. Most people cant seem to think outside the box. What I see to be the problem is that ingenuity often falls into the hands of some real hacks.

I cant speak for everyone here but I myself have sure had to use some Ingenuity both in my day job and at home with hobbies. Vintage parts aren't going to get any easier to find. Nothing wrong with having a thinking cap..............we all have or will need it.

[Kelly 1,033]

I bet it did it's job and cost him very little to do the repair,  on a side note I have a ross gear box out of a 953 if your looking, send me a PM

[Pullstart 66,454]

Ingenuity..........that's what makes a thinker. I cant speak for everyone here but I myself have sure had to use some Ingenuity both in my day job

 

My old boss introduced me to a customer one time as "Kind of a cobbler".  I took it as a compliment.

[Coadster32 793]

Ingenuity..........that's what makes a thinker. Most people cant seem to think outside the box. What I see to be the problem is that ingenuity often falls into the hands of some real hacks.

I cant speak for everyone here but I myself have sure had to use some Ingenuity both in my day job and at home with hobbies. Vintage parts aren't going to get any easier to find. Nothing wrong with having a thinking cap..............we all have or will need it.

 

It's what makes a thinker tinker!!     I 2nd this quote for sure.

[Mr. 856 170]

exactly. Some of the coolest ideas built around ingenuity I have seen, have come out of backyard garages. Ask the homesteaders up in Alaska. They would die up there without ingenuity.......and a brain to use it of course. Now as my day job I have seen some of the worst hack jobs done by others come through. What I thought was "hack work" the guy who did it probably thought it was "money"..............to each there own. I'll continue to do it my way until someone can show me a better way.