Massey Harris 44 First Start in Seven Years - Filing Points - Snatch Block - Outdoors

My once favorite work horse 44 has been sitting on the hillside for 7 years and needs to wake up for the short ride to his new home. It's tugged down the short incline via cable and snatch block to make it easier to work on while sitting level. Normally I try to fire them up with the least amount of pre-emptive checks other than oil, coolant and fuel quality if any. Most of the time it ends with a cleaning of the carburetor and a hot wire to the coil after determining the polarity of the electrical system....especially if the tractor is new to me. One's that have been converted to 12v by myself are always negative ground, so that's a moot point for this particular video.
No adjustments to the carb were made once fuel was seeping from the threads of the main jet adjustment because that indicated fuel was entering the bowl. However, it still failed to hit a lick...not even a sputter. Removing the distributor cap revealed the problem oxidation creates. Though I forgot to record it, a 'points file' was passed through the openings to clear the surfaces to allow passage of the electrical signal. That then results in the fairly quick starting of the sleeping beast. But it DID need a choking to fire the first time.
Yes, it's running a bit rough, but then who can expect a perfectly smooth running machine that's been sitting for so long that's been started without even the courtesy of a carb cleaning !! It needs at the minimum a new set of plugs and a thorough cleaning of the fuel delivery system....including the tank, sediment bowl and carburetor. The worst thing about the tractor is the lack of brakes and the bad front tires. Actually the brakes work, they just don't work good enough and the one front rim needs to be replaced along with a pair of tires and tubes.
#MasseyHarris, #coldstart, #outdoors