A few days ago my family and I were preparing for snow-maggedon. We bought extra groceries, put out hay, filled water troughs, dug out the water tank heaters, extensions cords, found extra long johns, put heavy blankets on the beds, ordered more propane, had two ricks of firewood delivered and stacked, chopped kindling, filled up containers with water, bought extra horse feed, and even rembered to buy extra matches and a tarp for the fire wood. That was before it got here.
We also put the tractor inside the horse barn. My block heater on the tractor quit working a year or so ago. I decided I’d investigate the block heater failure, because diesel tractors don’t like cold weather.
It turns out the block heater was three wires that plugged into a thing on the side of the block. It seems dirt and grime from the last thirty years had built up and the plug in thing got too hot so it cracked and broke, which caused it not to make a connection to the gizmo inside the block that gets hot when you plug it in.
I didn’t have time to wait on the parts store to order me a new one. eBay wasn’t any faster. So I went to the shop with the broken wires and the plug in thing. After giving it a good study I decided I could use two of those blue wire connectors that you crimp to hook up trailer lights or boat lights. I’d crimp one end on the end of the wires and then stick the other end of the blue thing in the engine block on the little pegs where the factory thing plugged in. I didn’t think it would work, but it only cost me two of those little blue wire connectors, so no big deal if it didn’t.
I had plenty of hay put out to all of the animals so I was in no hurry to brave the snow and ice on my tractor. Finally, Thursday I figured the cows needed some more hay. So I went out mid morning and plugged my contraption in. Honestly, I didn’t think it would work.
After lunch I convinced myself I had to go give it a try. I’ll be dog gone, it worked. That durned tractor started right up.
I left the tractor running and went back into the house. My wife asked me how it went. I told her, “Well, it worked. I’m going to put out hay.”
I was tickled as could be. A new wire connector thing was almost a hundred bucks from eBay. I didn’t ask the parts store, but I’m a keeping my home made one until I need it again. Why not, it worked after all….
James Lockhart lives near the Kiamichi mountains in southeast Oklahoma. He writes cowboy stories and fools with cows and horses.
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