48 The Business of Prairie Agriculture Better Farming | April 2024 Next spring, the oil was full of water and antifreeze. We didn’t have much money, so I got some block weld from Canadian Tire and put it in the cooling system. Then you’d cover the rad with cardboard and run the engine until the heat gauge said ‘hot.’ After that, you’d shut it off and leave it for a while until it sealed up the block. It was then good for the farming season. But I would have to do this every spring. When we finally replaced the motor in the 1980s, I took the pan off and found a 15- to 18-inch crack inside the block on both sides. I have since been more careful with checking the antifreeze. Check if the gauges are working In the late 1970s, we bought a wellused Massey Harris 90 combine. It was an upgrade from the Massey Harris Super 27, which had combined its last grain the year before. I patched it up with the parts I had and what we could afford, and off to the field we went. However, not everything was repaired. We were combining a slough in the late fall and it was dark. My Uncle Irvin was helping out and driving the combine for a bit. He said it sounded funny, so I jumped off and looked around to see what might be amiss. As I got on the far side of the combine, I saw a bit of a glow in the middle of the combine. It was the cylinder head of the Flathead six Chrysler gas engine. It was so hot that it was glowing a dark orange colour. Every second or two, a speck of dust would hit the head and burn up. We quickly drove the combine to the edge of the field, and that was the last time it moved under its own power. Apparently it’s a good thing to repair the temperature gauges when they don’t work. The faithful old machine had lost its coolant and overheated. Without the gauge working, we didn’t have a clue what was happening. Make sure your gauges work on your machines. It may be expensive to repair them at times, but the alternative will be more expensive. Over the years, we have seen some nice equipment ruined because of gauges that did not work. Use strong hood support In the old days, most hoods were held up with springs when you opened them. Then improvements came along. Some hoods didn’t have springs, just a prop rod. The prop rod is fine, but the early ones tended to fall down if you bumped the hood or a gust of wind caught it. Then they installed gas cylinders to hold up the hoods as well as the hatches and truck lids. These are great when they are new, but like everything else, they wear out. We are usually pretty careful with hoods if the lift shocks are a bit weak, but one day we had an accident. The hood was up and the shocks were weak. It stayed up for a while, then came crashing down on one of our employee’s arms and our scanner. Luckily the arm wasn’t seriously hurt – but the scanner was wrecked. Be careful of weak support shocks. We used to use a stick of some sort to brace them up if they were suspect, but a better idea is hood shock locks. They attach to the gas cylinder and won’t let it come down. We have a set in the shop now and use them regularly. They have an aluminum body and a copper screw, so they won’t damage the steel shaft on the hood support. I heard of one shop that fines employees $5 if they don’t use these. Well, these are some things to remind you to be safe on the farm. Enjoy the long days and the fresh spring air. BF BUILT ON FARMER Relationships. We Purchase: Oats • Flax • Barley Wheat • Other Grains Grain Millers is a privately held, family-owned company. We depend on direct farmer relationships and offer farm gate pricing and contracted grower production. Our Crop Science Team is here to help you with any agronomy questions you may have so you can get the best return on your production. When you sell to Grain Millers, your grain is going directly into some of the most technologically advanced mills in the world! grainmillers.com | 800.328.5188 OATS/FEED GRAINS: 306.786.4682 FLAX: 306.933.4644 OTHER GRAINS: 952.983.1269 Tractors, Trucks & Growing Grain RON SETTLER Ron has farmed for over 45 years in Lucky Lake, Sask. In addition to grain farming, he and his family also operate a mechanical repair shop.
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