[ETAModel]

Now that I can type with both hands I have a MMO story for you guys.

In the early 80's Dad's friend moved to a farm and a 1941 John Deere Model A (no relation) tractor was sitting in a field across the fence. It had been sitting uncovered long enough the exhaust pipe had rusted at the manifold, and the air breather had also rusted at the bottom. The hand crank motor was locked up tight.

Dad pulled the plugs and poured them full of MMO, then replaced the plugs. For the next year or so every time we went to visit his friend we would pull the plugs and fill the cylinders with MMO and rock the bull wheel back and forth.

One January, Dad, my older brother, and I were riding in Dads '58 Ford and we went past the tractor. He stopped and they both got out to check the motor. Dad went on the right side and pulled the plug, peering into the cylinder to see how much oil was left. At the same time my brother was rocking the flywheel/handcrank back and forth trying to break it free. Just as Dad looked into the hole the pistons broke free and rust,gunk, and MMO soaked my Dad right in the face and beard!!

Dad was a combination of mad and pleased the motor had broke free. He found a rag in the '58 and wiped off best he could, but he smelled like a machine shop all the way back home.

The next day he tracked down the owner of the A and bought it. We all figured it would need a ring job, and it took some work to get it running, but it didn't burn much oil and the plugs NEVER fouled out, in spite of using it hard. We never had to open up the old Popping Johnny, and the rings held up fine.

In the early 2000's Dad sold it to his neighbor, who later passed and left it to his son. The son restored it, but told me he never took the head off the motor, and still cultivates his fields every spring with it. I want to go visit when he's using it just to sit behind the wheel once more.