CHAPTER XXIX 

 PROJECTS IN FARM MACHINERY REPAIR 



267. The Proper Time for Checking Up Needed Re- 

 pairs. The repair and adjustment of machinery is best car- 

 ried on during the winter months when the weather is not 

 suitable for outdoor work. Especially is this true of the re- 

 pairs; the final adjustment must often be done after the ma- 

 chine is taken into the field. 



It is best to go over a machine carefully- when the work is 

 finished for the season and tag all broken or worn parts. By 

 so doing, the work of putting the machine in condition for field 

 use is much easier. One is always more familiar with the 

 condition of the machine just after using it than nearly a year 

 later when it is being taken into the field the first time for the 

 season. When worn and broken parts are not tagged the 

 year before, a careful inspection is very essential. This part 

 of the work should be done some weeks before the actual re- 

 pair work is to be done and a longer time before the machine 

 is needed in the field. This will give a chance to order parts 

 needed, which often cannot be obtained from the local dealer. 

 This work is best done in the school shop where there are 

 plenty of tools and material. Many students can bring old 

 implements in from the home farm for overhauling. Gas en- 

 gines can be cleaned up, valves ground, and new piston rings 

 put in place, the cutter bar on the mower can be straightened 

 and the sickle sharpened, and other jobs can be done, a few 

 of which are outlined merely to suggest the possibilities along 

 this line. Such work is of immediate value in putting the ma- 



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