Accessorizing

For some reason, it always seems easier for me to find time to buy stuff for new projects than it is to find time to work on the projects I already have.  Such is the case lately with my tractor.  I don't think I've turned a wrench on the poor thing since November, but that hasn't stopped me from coming up with things to buy for it.  For my birthday, C got me a nice sign to use when I display it.  Of course a yellow and black sign would be more appropriate for it in its current paint scheme, but I do have hopes of someday returning it to it's original gray and red paint, hence the red sign. 

This past week I bought a grease pump for the tractor.  This I deemed necessary based on comments I heard that an original style pump gives a better "feel", and can help prevent damage to the tractor.  When an old Cat grease pump turned up on Ebay this week, I snagged it for a very reasonable price.  The thrill of victory was short lived after I called the guy I bought my tractor from.  While he agreed I got the pump for a good price, he informed me that my tractor was built before they started using seals, so I didn't need to worry about causing any damage.  Regardless, it will be a handy tool to have, and cleaned up and with a fresh coat of paint, I can easily get my money back if I decide to sell it.

 
Another potential accessory turned up on Craigslist this week.  The bad thing about a tractor is you can't really do anything with it by itself, other than just drive it around.  To do any work with it, you need an implement.  Although my tractor would have primarily been used for farming, you could move a little dirt with it too.  The most popular way to do that would not have been a bulldozer blade, but a pull-behind scraper.  To my surprise, the appropriate style scraper showed up on Craigslist in Gridley this week.  N and I went over on Saturday to look at it.  I think the seller is underestimating how much it weighs, and is actually charging less than scrap value for it.  While it was temping to buy it and have some fun leveling the lot next door this spring, the reality that I would have no way to unload it when I got it home prevented me from getting it.  It would be a neat "prop" top have for my tractor, but I think I will hold off and try to find something that at least has wheels on it.