Stuff you have fixed today

[Dapph2]

I'm almost done refurbishing my 2001 New Holland GT18. I rebuilt the carburetor a day or two ago, and today I added fresh fuel, changed all of the oil and filters, and took it for a longer test drive. The fresh fuel eliminated a slight lag from a sudden wide-open throttle, and it's now running great.

View attachment 519716

View attachment 519715

I slipped an old seat cover over the original seat, which is still in pretty good shape, with only a couple of small hairline cracks that don't go all the way through. I may try some vinyl conditioner on it to see if it softens up a bit.

View attachment 519714

There are still a few tweaks left to do on it:

• I need to make the final adjustments to the brake and motion-control linkages.
• The battery light is always on (it's charging fine) so I need to address that, either with a different battery light module or going to a voltmeter instead of a warning light.
• There's a wobble in the left front wheel, which I plan to replace with a good used rim that I got from a tractor forum member.
• I haven't decided about decals yet. It's a GT18, but I believe I've bumped up the 18HP Kohler CH18 to 20HP by removing the high-speed throttle stop screw and readjusting the governor (the CH18 and CH20 appear to be the same engine except for the throttle stop screw), so I don't know if I want a GT18 decal or not. Maybe I'll just skip the decals.

Do you use a fuel saver to protect cheap fuel from oxidizing in the tank and making the machine difficult to start or running lumpy ? What ethanol percentage is in the fuel ?

 

[Blue Chips]

Do you use a fuel saver to protect cheap fuel from oxidizing in the tank and making the machine difficult to start or running lumpy ? What ethanol percentage is in the fuel ?

Yes, I use a product called STA-BIL Storage Fuel Stabilizer to preserve fuel that will either be in storage for a while or in a piece of equipment that I might use more frequently, but only in short bursts, so it could remain in the tank for quite some time. I also use a couple of their diesel products.

BTW, the old fuel was the what the previous owner had in the tank when I bought the tractor, so I have no idea how old it was, but judging by the dust on the tractor, it could have been quite old.

Most gasoline/petrol here in Maine (and most of the US) contains 10% ethanol (E10), but a number of stations carry ethanol-free gasoline (E0), although you can expect to pay more for it.

 

[awemawson]

Cool, nice job. Just remembered a helpful tip someone gave me, to cut the wire prior to threading heat it with a lighter and pull it gently when it heats up so it draws out tapers at the heated bit for easier threading then snaps at the thinnest section, voila pointy 0.2mm wire.

He he. I have a Zippo lighter in the bits cupboard for precisely that reason. When I bought it on eBay there was a free engraving offer, so it is engraved “Fanuc Tapecut Model L wire threading accessory!