The PTO seal on the fergie was leaking a bit, so last week I drained the 8 gallons (!) of hydraulic fluid from the machine and changed it. I was feeling very proud of my efficient work, and only noticed at about gallon seven of the refill that the new seal was leaking like a sieve…way worse than the old one.

My short-term solution? Park the tractor on a steep hill to prevent the expensive fluid from pooring out. Today, a week later, I pulled the PTO shaft and examine my work. (I always buy two of any seal I replace on anything mechanical so I have a spare in case I screw up.) Well, it was leaking because I essentially destroyed the new seal putting it in last time. Doh!

My spare is on, installed correctly, and seems to be working fine. Took about fifteen minutes, by the way…

I drove the MGB down to Bellevue today to take a gander at the All British Field Meet. I think this year is the 16th (!) which I’m astonished at as I helped put together the first one in 1989. I saw a number of neat cars and got a halfway decent sunburn. However, this show is the least interesting, somehow, of the “big three” here in the northwest, especially as it’s on tarmac and it can get quite hot out…not to mention it’s awfully darn crowded anywhere in the greater Seattle area these days, which makes getting there not all that much fun.

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I’ve got a lot of car-related tasks to do this summer, but rebuilding the front end of my truck has got to be up there on the priority list. The springs have sagged a lot, and there is a ton of slop in the steering. I think I’m just going to do it all while I’m in there…tie rod ends, bearings, discs, springs, shocks, king pins and bushings. I suspect at least some of the slop is in the power steering, but that project can wait for another day.

I mowed another couple of acres today up at Pony Hollow, and I’m beginning to believe I’ll have to rebuild the hydraulics on the tractor. They work but they also don’t have a decent range of adjustment, which suggests either wear or bad seals.

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I guess every machinery addict has a wish list of machines they’d like to own. I know I do…I’m a sucker for an old British car in need. I’m trying to temper that a bit, though, as I realize that once you have a certain number of machines, it’s very difficult to get much done on them, and you end up driving only one or two of them with any frequency.

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It’s funny what you remember about certain cars and what you don’t. I’m going to see what I can come up with in a few minutes for this car, the Healey 3000 tri-carb I owned in 1995 or so, ten years ago (!).

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This Jaguar was bought on a whim, probably for too much money, and cost me an arm and a leg for the year or so I owned it. When it was working right, it was a lovely car…there’s nothing quite like the V12 engine. When it went wrong, even seemingly minor jobs ended up costing hundreds if not thousands of dollars

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When I first started at Microsoft (as a contractor, please don’t get any ideas that I might be rich!), I noticed this seemingly abandoned TR6 in the parking lot outside my building. After a few inquiries, I found the owner and it came to pass that it was sitting there because the brake master cylinder had died…to make a long story tolerable (or not) I ended up buying it from him for $1200.

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The Fergie was delivered today, and I had a pretty good time trying out the brush hog. I clearly need more work on that part, but the tractor runs well and only has a few mechanical items that need attention (that I know about now, anyway!). That seat is definitely not original and needs to go away…soon!

I took the Triumph over the ferry to the bank today…it’s great to use a motorcycle on the Washington Ferries because you don’t have to wait to board, you go straight to the front of the line. In any case, when I came to leave the boat on the mainland side, I couldn’t get the bike started. How embarrassing. And all operator error, in the end!

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