Not having rain caps is a major problem! Having a little roof over it like some of them do is what you need. Check your fuel supply. Check with Jegs or Summit auto for performance parts. Also you need to find out the proper timing, when it’s kicking back when starting it means timing is too far advanced, which WILL damage something
YUP ! Rainfall in the exhaust will waste the engine. Likely wasted the distributor cap too. Engine sounds like a fuel problem... like too much fuel ! Which it was I guess.
Seconding for Summit Racing, they should have a quality distributor cap kit and I'd also advise some sort of cover, half a milk jug or something with a Bungie cord to hold it down to keep water from infiltrating. Dielectric Grease can help as well.
I don't think that Grant even owns a timing light? Every distributor that I've seen him replace in previous videos, not once do we ever see him use a timing light to properly adjust the timing. Yes, kicking back against the starter means that the timing is too high. It running on natural gas (lower octane) will likely cause pre-ignition/detonation much easier than with gasoline and can torch the valves and pistons.
If want was smart rewound build a shelter for all the engines and enclosed them . Distributor caps were not meant to be in the weather . The ones on the old tractors were made of bakolite . They're under the hood for a reason . Or you can switch all the engines to diesel. Just a thought . And race engines use spark packs .
Can I just say there is nothing more American than watering your corn with a straight piped American V8. I love it. Honestly, the pivots are the reason I started watching this channel. I grew up in the country, but we don’t have those around here very often. So I always wondered how they worked when I seen them. Now I just watch because you guys are awesome.
regarding the distributor , I've had good luck with ordering from Speedway Motors in Lincoln , and also from the local NAPA shop for cap ,rotor, wires and module .Keep up the great videos ! Also sounds like its advanced way too much , check with a timing light , or pull #1 plug and see where timing mark is at when engine is at TDC
Get rid of the HEI distributor and put one that doesn't have the coil on top. They are not ment to be out in the rain. Water will get under the coil and internet top of the distributor. You can get a drop in distributor from Jegs for under 100 bux
Laura and Grant, you must dream about pivots, I am glad you tie-up your hair Laura working near machinery. Laura, you have the widest and best smile I know, your dad once told me you take after your mother with the smile. Love to you both from Mike. ❤
It`s been raining here since first in July, I wish I could borrow your dry weather for a while before it starts snowing 😅 All ready had two nights with frost as well. 🙄
Thanks for another great video Laura and Grant. Wow. Hard day for you both getting the irrigation fixed and going. Who would have thought someone shut the natural gas off. Oh well. You got it going again. Yeah. Once you got the motor going it ran pretty darn good. Nice work you two. Yes irrigation is tough to keep going but it is a necessity to get good crops and make money and have income. So I guess it is something to just put up with. Hang in there you two. You both are doing great. Proud of you for hanging in there. Yeah. Farming has many ups and downs. Hopefully more ups than downs. You are doing great. Keep up the good work Laura and Grant. Thanks for everything. The Iowa Farm Boy. Steve.
We grew our corn primarily for animal feed (small farm), but it was sweet corn because Mom would always harvest some for the table and to go in the freezer. I knew there were different varieties, like silver queen, but I always thought yellow corn was yellow corn. You learn something new every day.
Check with Air boating speed equipment In the South: Florida, Louisiana. With an all-out door Application Your equipment is always in the elements. may look into a shed with the bottom cut out to cover that motor.
Water moisture is what really does your distributor caps and well all ignition parts in ruins them that carbon button that was gone on that particular cap you showed really is affected by moisture if you would have them roofs on top of them like that diesel one you showed that would really help a lot but being they pump water and all the moisture around them I would even seal the distributor up to help protect them but definitely a roof would make a big difference even the sun does your plug wires in cracks them up
While dealing with those problems are time consuming and running pivots can be a pain, be thankful you don't have to irrigate with gated pipe. While we never farmed the acres y'all do, laying out pipe, putting it together, setting gates, and watching the end of the rows for the water to come thru, was extremely time consuming. And back when I was a little kid, we used a ditch and tubes to irrigate. The best part of that was getting in the ditch when it was full of nice cold well water. Nothing better!
Silicon grease on the distributor cap boots, tighten the alternator belt slightly, yeah I too think the timing is too advanced . And if you can manage it , a shed roof over the engine or at least flappers on the exhaust mufflers to keep the rainwater out . Old sun baked plug wires can get leaky. And water condensation in the distributor cap made me miss a number of college classes ( 67 Austin Healy Sprite ) At least you guys don’t deal with Lucas Electrics lol
My guess on the primary problem was the diaphragm in the natural gas "carburetor". So partially right, was a fuel problem but the dist. cap was really tired. Love the day to day vids cuz you make them educational. Hoping for an update on Pepper and her little ones. Best as always
The farmers down here in Southern Arizona have a little metal tin roof over the pump engines to keep the Blazing Heat and the rain and hail from destroying the engine something you might think about doing to your pump engines out there...and check the choke...and your timing.
I am a big fan but I think you guys need a plan B. Perhaps in the areas where the irrigation does not reach you should try planting some dry crop like hemp or something. That would give you experience with how to use that in your planters and harvesters if the aquifer dries up someday.
DUI distributors. Stands for Davis Unified Ignition. They are made in the USA. They are a little bit more expensive but i have been running one on my 1972 Ford F-350 for almost 2 years and it is still going.
Go to most any parts store get standard brand name blue point distributor parts make sure they have brass inserts for the plug wire terminals if they are aluminum it's not the true standard bluepoint and they are actually blue but all standard parts for distributors are not expensive and last and last longer than most aftermarket stuff and usually readily available at most parts stores
When i was farming a long while back we had a hand clutch to be able to start the motor without the pump running. Worked great for working on the motors too.
Go get a ford factory distributor, them aftermarket distributors are junk! You can use a 289, 302, and 351c, 351m, and a 429, and 460 factory distributors. All these distributors will work on the 460, Fords Awesome like that!! 💪🏼😎👍🏻 Great video's guys, keep them coming!!
A mobile gas powered air compressor is a valuable tool. With pressurized air and a blow gun with an extended nozzle you can easily blow surfaces clean of all the lose debris and caked on crud before you start removing parts. The is also a problem that a lot of people do not know about. If the coil is compromised and is not putting out a very strong spark, the flow of air in the cylinders as they are in the compression stroke can literally blow the spark out before it can ignite the fuel. Also, for engines left out exposed to the elements, when it rains it can mess up the electronics for the ignition outside and inside the distributor cap. If you get a tube of dielectric grease and put a generous amount on all of the electrical connections inside and outside the cap and the coil and put a bead of dielectric grease where the cap and the distributor base come together you can seal out water and prevent any corrosion and tarnish or dirt buildup on all of the connections.
Noticed that there is not a vacuum advance tube connected to the timing advance actuator on the distributor. This is what adjusts the timing to compensate for engine load, and can explain why it was running poorly when transitioning from idle to higher rpms.
Get your distributor caps from a GM dealer. That’s nothing but a GM-HEI ignition distributor cap. They were used on all General Motors vehicles through the 80s and 90s. Super common in my day not so much now.
Come to Maine if you need some water for your crops, we've probably had 3 feet this summer, fields are so wet we haven't been able to do anything all year without pulling tractors out of the mud every day
A few diagnostic steps to help determine what's causing the repeated failure would save you a lot of time and money down the road. It may not just be low quality parts as that's an extremely common set of aftermarket parts. The first distributor rotor center tab was bent down away, which caused it to melt. As many have replied, resistance in the secondary ignition is damaging the coil in the distributor. The spark plugs may have too large of a gap. Since natural gas burns clean, spark plugs may be colder and not foul out. The plug wires may be weathered and arcing to ground, WD-40 is a good to spray on wires and in cap to see if it runs smoother or you can go at night in the dark with a spray bottle of water and mist the wires and look for a light show of sparks arcing. Another thing in many aftermarket distributors not mentioned is the phasing of the rotor to the cap, the relationship of where the rotor is pointed to the terminal on the cap when the stator and the pick up coil trigger the coil to fire, if not lined up and firing between the terminals will cause poor running and high resistance. A basic timing light is a good investment, set at lowest idle, if it bucks like it was it is too far advanced. A vacuum gauge can be used also for rough setting, at idle, turn to highest manifold vacuum then reduce 2 inches of vacuum. A good quality cap & rotor with brass contacts will increase longevity, MSD, Accel, NAPA or Standard all have these available for a GM HEI system that your distributor is operating. Make sure the distributor has a good 14 volts when running to operate most efficiently. The control modules can go bad also, changing whole distributors should have made a change in operation. The higher performance the ignition the more maintenance that is required. Maybe going back to a old school points ignition is all that is required for this application, even if it operates a MSD 5 box. A marine system is also a possible option. A good awning, open shed would be great idea for protection of ignition system, alternator and exhaust from water and sun exposure. As a last resort, since you have natural gas, find a small 4 cylinder diesel engine and adapt it to pump, no ignition distributor problems. Just some thoughts to consider. Thanks for the sharing these parts of your life, and showing the hard work and dedication farmers put in!
Grant, all you need is the cap and rotor. Get a good one from Accel with copper connections. The coil on top can be moved to the new cap. Easy peasy. The distributor itself and module will probably last forever in this application. In this case, your carburetor seems to having issues on the idle circuit since it runs fine off idle. Also the cap and rotors probably should be replaced every couple years as regular maintenance depending on the hours. Also get a timing light for setting the timing instead of just moving the distributor around. Pick an application, say a 1985 Chevy Pickup and set the timing to that. I can tell at the end of the video when you are trying to crank it that your timing is too far advanced.
My dad worked for our local Farm Bureau Co-op. He was the county maintenance man. He found the top grade Standard brand or the best grade NAPA ignition parts both had brass posts in the cap. He found this when keeping the spray and fertilizer trucks running. They would eat the lower grade parts due to heat under the hoods. I've seen the exhaust manifolds glowing red by the end of the day.
Laura, you counting out the months of effort towards harvest is so telling (frame 9:03/23:31). A great harvest will be worth all the effort and your callused hands are beautiful! I wish I had some.....
Natural gas burns leaner and hotter, takes more electric to fire, thus arc offs are more likely. The electric looks for an easier ground, than firing the plugs. Close your plug gaps to a smaller gap, enrich the natural gas a touch.
Thank you for sharing your life with us. I wish my wife and I had the relationship you two do. I'm sure it's not all unicorns ad roses, but you two make an awesome, blessed by God, couple.
An interesting trivia many may not know about In many western states. You can own land but not the water , mineral or timber rights. That’s weird ! Thanks for sharing you guys !
Get rid of the distributor/coil and go for an electronic ignition. That would be my guess. Just give the thing a good onceover- the mixer might be wacky, too. The pig needs makeup, guys. If it ran that many hours then it is overdue. Piggy sounds sick. Check compression, too...
Hi as a kid on our back in the late 60s we ate field corn many many times we pick it just before the silk turned dark brown it wasn't bad at all and many families here on the lower eastern shore of Maryland did this every year the sweet corn we grew in our gardens was cooked n frozen for winter months
For non-farmers, you normally only see them working when they are discing, planting, harvesting, etc. You never see all the work that goes on like Grant fixing the area in the field for the combine to cross, or working on pivots. Always great to see a couple working together.
as for your issues with engine electrics keeping it Dry while running help as even marine engines need to be dry to run best. Adding some type of plastic cover over the distributor would help as the temperature changing underwater running over it when hot, will break the cap and the electronics inside them. The other choice may be marine electrical caps for the gas motors. I have seen the Leead Farms has several pivots with roofs on them. Any choice will have some cost
You should cover those moors with some sort of rain protection. Also, swap out the ignition system for a distributor less ignition. No cap to go bad, and one bad cylinder will not drag the others down.
Great video. Great channel. Processing hay in Southern Ohio. Cheers to you and Grant. His experience and mechanical capabilities are certainly an asset to your ROI. Happy days 👍
Timing chain, or gas diaphragm in the regulator. You can help the fuel by spraying carb cleaner in the airbox as you try to raise RPM. If it runs better with a richer air/fuel mix, then it is fuel starvation.
As far as those sprinkler heads that loosen up and get sent into the field, you could try a hardening type pipe dope, or even red loctite thread locker. Hope that helps! Love your energy and how happy you guys are! When crap hits the fan, and things get bad, I remember what my late grandma said to me “This too shall pass”… and I go forward… Im raising 4 kids… and I try my best to lead food by example.
Since the engine is running out in the open and not protected from the weather, you can find Marine grade HEI distributors (complete) for under $200 anywhere - Amazon to Napa. From what I see you're burning the contactor from the coil to the rotor due to your timing being off... You have the vacuum advance disconnected (vacuum hose from intake manifold to distributor)...As your rpm changes due to acceleration or engine load the manifold vacuum changes and the vacuum advance changes distributor timing to maintain air fuel balance with engine torque... Will it run without it ....YES , but then you should think about buying caps and rotors in bulk....
Any hei style distributor that can be had for $200 is going to be junk. It'd be interesting to know what rpm they set the engine at, running the vaccum advance could help with fuel consumption but since it runs at a steady rpm I can understand why they don't bother with it...
The rain water and condensation getting inside is corroding the metal contacts, causes conductive streaks, carbon tracks/short circuits which causes arcing across and then this higher current arcing causes heat and then melts the plastic. No way does the timing being off cause this. Since this engine runs at a constant RPM and load, no vaccum advance is even needed. Mechanical advance (springs counterweights) is all that is needed to ease the starting and eliminate kickback and then raise the timing for the higher RPM for efficiency. Cammed up racing engines usually have their mechanical advance mechanism welded to static and use no vaccum advance at all.
Love the kittens. I grew up on a farm with corn cribs and lots of ground feed for milk cows, hogs and chickens. Consequently we had lots of mice and rats. We had a cat we named, "mother" because she had 3-4 litters of kittens a year. She made the best mouser because she was always hungry for her kittens. All the cats on our farm were working cats not pets. They got milk morning and night but otherwise they had to catch rodents for their food.
Couple of comments. One, Laura's eyes = the bomb! Nuff said. Two, those pivot motors need cover if you want them to last. Three, the belt was too loose on poor ol' uncovered motor.
A trick you can do to help with the distributor if you make a cover to protect it from the direct sunlight they will last longer the sunlight drys the plastic out a lot quicker then if it was covered
I had 3 of your videos to catch up on, so Laura and Grant was my dinner entertainment this evening 😅 Great video guys, always educational and you make it fun to watch. Feels like the Laura Farms 2023 harvest season is like waiting on the next season of Stranger Things! Excited for what’s to come! I vote for a return of snack bag reveals
Laura, if you paint your nails Left hand--blue, orange, green, brown, slate Right hand--white, red, black, yellow, violet then you would have the color code to splice telephone cable.
Handcrank on the windows in the pickup gets me every time. 😂 Just the fact it's exposed to the weather, not just moisture. But the sun beats down on it. A engine under a hood gets hot. But, the sun roasting it with UV rays isn't good for the cap housings
Keep in mind these kids aren’t even 25 yet and they are still learning. I understand what you Are texting above me. But there still learning a lot. They’ve come along ways in a short time
Sounded like Grant put a high lobe cam in that engine 🙂 Grant cracks me up, he sounded like Billy Bob Thornton in "Sling Blade" when he said "Ain't got no gas in it" 😂
Great channel and videos, keep it going. Time stamp 3:37 in the video, the pivot you started looks to have a very loose belt, as you can see the alternator spins and stops
It's Occam. You also need to rebuild that motor over the winter, in your spare time of course. You should also have covers over the exhaust to keep out the rain. Love you guys.
Those engine don t need need rebuild every year. I have 15 old wind machines. Only minor repairs. Engines run like a car at 70 miles an hour no problems either
Here in wales 🏴 we have had one of the worst summers ever and September is 40+ mph winds and pouring down rain 🌧️ your welcome to have this weather lol
Bad wires will cause problems with the distributor cap as the high energy ignition charge seeks somewhere to go if the wires are bad and it will flow through the wrong place in the cap. An orange looking deposit in the cap is indicative of too much resistance in the plug wires. Of course the module in the bottom of the distributor can also be a problem.
No idea if you'll find this comment since the video is 4 hours old.... From watching this video, I can see you have a big block Ford with an HEI conversion distributor. It is most likely a POS, but that's OK. For what you're doing it can be fixed. First, the ONLY ignition module to run in those is an OEM GM or Delphi module... Bad part is they don't exist anymore. I paid extra for one a couple months ago and it came with ''made in China'' on the box. Another thing you need to look at is the mechanical advance next time you have the cap and button off. There's a VERY good chance it's seized up. That explains why it was kicking back when you were trying to start it. If it's locked at full advance, it'll be hard to start but 'right' when running. (assuming the timing is set right for your fuel and load when running right) Now it's good you don't have the vacuum advance setup. On cars, it's great, for a stationary engine that runs one speed, it's useless. The engine only sees one load, so there's no need for a load related advance adjustment. Now for the quality of your cap, button, and coil what you have is standard GM stuff. If you look up parts for an '80 Camaro with a 350, you'll find listings for whatever you need. Rockauto is a great place to find good parts on the cheap and buy in bulk. I like the caps with brass terminals instead of terminals. On thing you need to investigate is 'rotor phasing'. Basically that means the spark fires while the rotor is actually pointed at the terminal. If it's way off, you'll have sparks flying around in there creating some havoc, that could shorten the life of your carbon contact and the other contacts as well. You found one of your issues with the smoked carbon contact that made a bunch of issues under the cap. You can also get a Standard brand with brass contacts. I've have good luck with those in cars. If you want to try an AC Delco cap, Amazon has them for $14. I have no idea if they're made in China right now, but you can see them here. amzn.to/46f2hgj Pertonix is also a good brand. For a few bucks more they have a cap and rotor kit that might work good for your stationary engine. amzn.to/3PsMa7U The real trick will be to find a cap and rotor that will last one full season. Then you can just make that yearly maintenance item and hopefully stop dealing with it at random when crops are dry. Since I pretty much wrote a book, I should probably stop, but IF you happen to find this and need some clarification, just message me back and I'll fix you up.
00:15:15 Even field corn can be shelled and ground into cornmeal. I did that using my grampa's corn grinder, sifted the coarse meal out, and gave it to my mom. Best cornbread ever!
you know, I'd give just about anything to be able to spend the day with the woman I love, be out in the fresh air, and enjoy doing what I do instead of sitting behind a desk all day with an enlarged prostate and counting down the hours till I get to leave, drive in traffic, to finally be with the woman I love. Be Thankful for what you do, not everyone gets the same opportunities.
Each year, Nebraska farmers produce well over one billion bushels of high-quality corn. Nebraska is the nation’s third largest corn producer, behind only Iowa and Illinois.
I'm not a farm person but I found Grant's explanation on what you're looking for in the development of the ear and when it's ready. If you think about it, record the black line you were talking about when the kernel stops taking on nutrients.
08:44 This sucks. That is about the first time I have heard you grumble. Totally sympathise. On a different track, surely a roof of some sort would help keep that piece of engine archaeology running happier?
Simple solution for water. Mark a huge x in the middle of your field. Have it in the center of a circle with a diameter of at least 500 feet. Then keep walking clockwise, muttering the rain ryhme. And sure as the sun will come up. The rain shall fall. But be carefull. Its very powerful. Its like constipation, you think the laxitive is not working but it is and if you take to much, you end up having an extremly muddy, mess. At least 10x around every day should do it. You think I am crazy. Thats fine. Just try it.
Not having rain caps is a major problem! Having a little roof over it like some of them do is what you need. Check your fuel supply. Check with Jegs or Summit auto for performance parts. Also you need to find out the proper timing, when it’s kicking back when starting it means timing is too far advanced, which WILL damage something
YUP ! Rainfall in the exhaust will waste the engine.
Likely wasted the distributor cap too.
Engine sounds like a fuel problem... like too much fuel ! Which it was I guess.
Seconding for Summit Racing, they should have a quality distributor cap kit and I'd also advise some sort of cover, half a milk jug or something with a Bungie cord to hold it down to keep water from infiltrating.
Dielectric Grease can help as well.
And check the alternator. I wonder how well it's charging?
I don't think that Grant even owns a timing light? Every distributor that I've seen him replace in previous videos, not once do we ever see him use a timing light to properly adjust the timing. Yes, kicking back against the starter means that the timing is too high. It running on natural gas (lower octane) will likely cause pre-ignition/detonation much easier than with gasoline and can torch the valves and pistons.
@@joefudd I kept wondering the same thing. Timing lights aren't real expensive.
If want was smart rewound build a shelter for all the engines and enclosed them . Distributor caps were not meant to be in the weather . The ones on the old tractors were made of bakolite . They're under the hood for a reason . Or you can switch all the engines to diesel. Just a thought . And race engines use spark packs .
Can I just say there is nothing more American than watering your corn with a straight piped American V8. I love it. Honestly, the pivots are the reason I started watching this channel. I grew up in the country, but we don’t have those around here very often. So I always wondered how they worked when I seen them. Now I just watch because you guys are awesome.
regarding the distributor , I've had good luck with ordering from Speedway Motors in Lincoln , and also from the local NAPA shop for cap ,rotor, wires and module .Keep up the great videos ! Also sounds like its advanced way too much , check with a timing light , or pull #1 plug and see where timing mark is at when engine is at TDC
You can also try southwest performance
I've never seen Grant ever use a timing light. I'll bet that he doesn't even own one!
Engins are not meant to be exposed to open weather. A roof and walls will extend the life and reduce failures.
Shed in the engines to keep them out of the sun and the weather. Keep them dry and sun free and your repairs will go down and less parts damage.
You guys do a great job of filming, and explaining the deets. Great job. Farming is indeed a noble profession.
Get rid of the HEI distributor and put one that doesn't have the coil on top. They are not ment to be out in the rain. Water will get under the coil and internet top of the distributor. You can get a drop in distributor from Jegs for under 100 bux
1. Occams Razor
2. Summit Racing
3. Check your timing, it’s likely off.
4. Cute Kittens.
Great video.
Hello from Texas. Love watching you guys. Y’all are great examples for the young people today. Love you
Laura and Grant, you must dream about pivots, I am glad you tie-up your hair Laura working near machinery. Laura, you have the widest and best smile I know, your dad once told me you take after your mother with the smile.
Love to you both from Mike. ❤
It`s been raining here since first in July, I wish I could borrow your dry weather for a while before it starts snowing 😅 All ready had two nights with frost as well. 🙄
Thanks for another great video Laura and Grant.
Wow. Hard day for you both getting the irrigation fixed and going.
Who would have thought someone shut the natural gas off. Oh well. You got it going again. Yeah.
Once you got the motor going it ran pretty darn good.
Nice work you two.
Yes irrigation is tough to keep going but it is a necessity to get good crops and make money and have income. So I guess it is something to just put up with.
Hang in there you two. You both are doing great. Proud of you for hanging in there. Yeah.
Farming has many ups and downs. Hopefully more ups than downs.
You are doing great. Keep up the good work Laura and Grant.
Thanks for everything.
The Iowa Farm Boy. Steve.
We grew our corn primarily for animal feed (small farm), but it was sweet corn because Mom would always harvest some for the table and to go in the freezer. I knew there were different varieties, like silver queen, but I always thought yellow corn was yellow corn. You learn something new every day.
Check with Air boating speed equipment In the South: Florida, Louisiana. With an all-out door Application Your equipment is always in the elements. may look into a shed with the bottom cut out to cover that motor.
Hello Is @ mislaurafarms the real deal or is it spam/scamming?
Water moisture is what really does your distributor caps and well all ignition parts in ruins them that carbon button that was gone on that particular cap you showed really is affected by moisture if you would have them roofs on top of them like that diesel one you showed that would really help a lot but being they pump water and all the moisture around them I would even seal the distributor up to help protect them but definitely a roof would make a big difference even the sun does your plug wires in cracks them up
Grant convert the coil and cap to a MSD box we use them in our mud race trucks they are water proof and work great f
While dealing with those problems are time consuming and running pivots can be a pain, be thankful you don't have to irrigate with gated pipe. While we never farmed the acres y'all do, laying out pipe, putting it together, setting gates, and watching the end of the rows for the water to come thru, was extremely time consuming. And back when I was a little kid, we used a ditch and tubes to irrigate. The best part of that was getting in the ditch when it was full of nice cold well water. Nothing better!
Silicon grease on the distributor cap boots, tighten the alternator belt slightly, yeah I too think the timing is too advanced . And if you can manage it , a shed roof over the engine or at least flappers on the exhaust mufflers to keep the rainwater out . Old sun baked plug wires can get leaky. And water condensation in the distributor cap made me miss a number of college classes ( 67 Austin Healy Sprite ) At least you guys don’t deal with Lucas Electrics lol
My guess on the primary problem was the diaphragm in the natural gas "carburetor". So partially right, was a fuel problem but the dist. cap was really tired. Love the day to day vids cuz you make them educational. Hoping for an update on Pepper and her little ones. Best as always
Your ignition timing is off on the engine. You have to set it with a timing light. That's why it cranks hard like that.
Hi put a electronic ignition in, works much better, better spark better on fuel etc.
The farmers down here in Southern Arizona have a little metal tin roof over the pump engines to keep the Blazing Heat and the rain and hail from destroying the engine something you might think about doing to your pump engines out there...and check the choke...and your timing.
IF you know were the pivots stop watering or can't reach why waste seed in them areas., that can seed that you can save for next season .
I am a big fan but I think you guys need a plan B. Perhaps in the areas where the irrigation does not reach you should try planting some dry crop like hemp or something. That would give you experience with how to use that in your planters and harvesters if the aquifer dries up someday.
DUI distributors. Stands for Davis Unified Ignition. They are made in the USA. They are a little bit more expensive but i have been running one on my 1972 Ford F-350 for almost 2 years and it is still going.
I know nothing about farming, I just enjoy watching you two.
Go to most any parts store get standard brand name blue point distributor parts make sure they have brass inserts for the plug wire terminals if they are aluminum it's not the true standard bluepoint and they are actually blue but all standard parts for distributors are not expensive and last and last longer than most aftermarket stuff and usually readily available at most parts stores
When i was farming a long while back we had a hand clutch to be able to start the motor without the pump running. Worked great for working on the motors too.
Go get a ford factory distributor, them aftermarket distributors are junk!
You can use a 289, 302, and 351c, 351m, and a 429, and 460 factory distributors. All these distributors will work on the 460, Fords Awesome like that!! 💪🏼😎👍🏻
Great video's guys, keep them coming!!
A mobile gas powered air compressor is a valuable tool. With pressurized air and a blow gun with an extended nozzle you can easily blow surfaces clean of all the lose debris and caked on crud before you start removing parts.
The is also a problem that a lot of people do not know about. If the coil is compromised and is not putting out a very strong spark, the flow of air in the cylinders as they are in the compression stroke can literally blow the spark out before it can ignite the fuel.
Also, for engines left out exposed to the elements, when it rains it can mess up the electronics for the ignition outside and inside the distributor cap. If you get a tube of dielectric grease and put a generous amount on all of the electrical connections inside and outside the cap and the coil and put a bead of dielectric grease where the cap and the distributor base come together you can seal out water and prevent any corrosion and tarnish or dirt buildup on all of the connections.
It's true about biteing corn or any grain, it's been done for years. Love your adventures in Nebraska.
Noticed that there is not a vacuum advance tube connected to the timing advance actuator on the distributor. This is what adjusts the timing to compensate for engine load, and can explain why it was running poorly when transitioning from idle to higher rpms.
What I really like about your 'channel' is that you show, pretty much, everything!!! And that is good. Thank you so much!!!!
I understand your frustration....thats farming at its best...never mind you 2 work really well together...stay safe...god bless
Get your distributor caps from a GM dealer. That’s nothing but a GM-HEI ignition distributor cap. They were used on all General Motors vehicles through the 80s and 90s. Super common in my day not so much now.
The answer is pretty obvious,it almost never rains in Nebraska and when it does it floods and runs right off.
Come to Maine if you need some water for your crops, we've probably had 3 feet this summer, fields are so wet we haven't been able to do anything all year without pulling tractors out of the mud every day
Glad you got your pivots started. Thanks for the kitten update. Take Care and Be safe on the farm. Out
A few diagnostic steps to help determine what's causing the repeated failure would save you a lot of time and money down the road. It may not just be low quality parts as that's an extremely common set of aftermarket parts.
The first distributor rotor center tab was bent down away, which caused it to melt.
As many have replied, resistance in the secondary ignition is damaging the coil in the distributor. The spark plugs may have too large of a gap. Since natural gas burns clean, spark plugs may be colder and not foul out. The plug wires may be weathered and arcing to ground, WD-40 is a good to spray on wires and in cap to see if it runs smoother or you can go at night in the dark with a spray bottle of water and mist the wires and look for a light show of sparks arcing. Another thing in many aftermarket distributors not mentioned is the phasing of the rotor to the cap, the relationship of where the rotor is pointed to the terminal on the cap when the stator and the pick up coil trigger the coil to fire, if not lined up and firing between the terminals will cause poor running and high resistance. A basic timing light is a good investment, set at lowest idle, if it bucks like it was it is too far advanced. A vacuum gauge can be used also for rough setting, at idle, turn to highest manifold vacuum then reduce 2 inches of vacuum. A good quality cap & rotor with brass contacts will increase longevity, MSD, Accel, NAPA or Standard all have these available for a GM HEI system that your distributor is operating. Make sure the distributor has a good 14 volts when running to operate most efficiently. The control modules can go bad also, changing whole distributors should have made a change in operation. The higher performance the ignition the more maintenance that is required. Maybe going back to a old school points ignition is all that is required for this application, even if it operates a MSD 5 box. A marine system is also a possible option. A good awning, open shed would be great idea for protection of ignition system, alternator and exhaust from water and sun exposure. As a last resort, since you have natural gas, find a small 4 cylinder diesel engine and adapt it to pump, no ignition distributor problems.
Just some thoughts to consider. Thanks for the sharing these parts of your life, and showing the hard work and dedication farmers put in!
Grant, all you need is the cap and rotor. Get a good one from Accel with copper connections. The coil on top can be moved to the new cap. Easy peasy. The distributor itself and module will probably last forever in this application. In this case, your carburetor seems to having issues on the idle circuit since it runs fine off idle. Also the cap and rotors probably should be replaced every couple years as regular maintenance depending on the hours. Also get a timing light for setting the timing instead of just moving the distributor around. Pick an application, say a 1985 Chevy Pickup and set the timing to that. I can tell at the end of the video when you are trying to crank it that your timing is too far advanced.
Thanks for explaining sweet corn and field corn
My dad worked for our local Farm Bureau Co-op. He was the county maintenance man. He found the top grade Standard brand or the best grade NAPA ignition parts both had brass posts in the cap. He found this when keeping the spray and fertilizer trucks running. They would eat the lower grade parts due to heat under the hoods. I've seen the exhaust manifolds glowing red by the end of the day.
Laura, you counting out the months of effort towards harvest is so telling (frame 9:03/23:31). A great harvest will be worth all the effort and your callused hands are beautiful! I wish I had some.....
Natural gas burns leaner and hotter, takes more electric to fire, thus arc offs are more likely. The electric looks for an easier ground, than firing the plugs. Close your plug gaps to a smaller gap, enrich the natural gas a touch.
Thank you for sharing your life with us. I wish my wife and I had the relationship you two do. I'm sure it's not all unicorns ad roses, but you two make an awesome, blessed by God, couple.
An interesting trivia many may not know about In many western states. You can own land but not the water , mineral or timber rights. That’s weird ! Thanks for sharing you guys !
Get rid of the distributor/coil and go for an electronic ignition. That would be my guess. Just give the thing a good onceover- the mixer might be wacky, too. The pig needs makeup, guys. If it ran that many hours then it is overdue. Piggy sounds sick. Check compression, too...
Hi as a kid on our back in the late 60s we ate field corn many many times we pick it just before the silk turned dark brown it wasn't bad at all and many families here on the lower eastern shore of Maryland did this every year the sweet corn we grew in our gardens was cooked n frozen for winter months
For non-farmers, you normally only see them working when they are discing, planting, harvesting, etc. You never see all the work that goes on like Grant fixing the area in the field for the combine to cross, or working on pivots. Always great to see a couple working together.
as for your issues with engine electrics keeping it Dry while running help as even marine engines need to be dry to run best. Adding some type of plastic cover over the distributor would help as the temperature changing underwater running over it when hot, will break the cap and the electronics inside them. The other choice may be marine electrical caps for the gas motors. I have seen the Leead Farms has several pivots with roofs on them. Any choice will have some cost
You should cover those moors with some sort of rain protection. Also, swap out the ignition system for a distributor less ignition. No cap to go bad, and one bad cylinder will not drag the others down.
Great video. Great channel. Processing hay in Southern Ohio. Cheers to you and Grant. His experience and mechanical capabilities are certainly an asset to your ROI. Happy days 👍
You all make a great team, keep up the good work!
Timing chain, or gas diaphragm in the regulator. You can help the fuel by spraying carb cleaner in the airbox as you try to raise RPM. If it runs better with a richer air/fuel mix, then it is fuel starvation.
As far as those sprinkler heads that loosen up and get sent into the field, you could try a hardening type pipe dope, or even red loctite thread locker. Hope that helps! Love your energy and how happy you guys are! When crap hits the fan, and things get bad, I remember what my late grandma said to me “This too shall pass”… and I go forward… Im raising 4 kids… and I try my best to lead food by example.
Since the engine is running out in the open and not protected from the weather, you can find Marine grade HEI distributors (complete) for under $200 anywhere - Amazon to Napa. From what I see you're burning the contactor from the coil to the rotor due to your timing being off... You have the vacuum advance disconnected (vacuum hose from intake manifold to distributor)...As your rpm changes due to acceleration or engine load the manifold vacuum changes and the vacuum advance changes distributor timing to maintain air fuel balance with engine torque... Will it run without it ....YES , but then you should think about buying caps and rotors in bulk....
Any hei style distributor that can be had for $200 is going to be junk. It'd be interesting to know what rpm they set the engine at, running the vaccum advance could help with fuel consumption but since it runs at a steady rpm I can understand why they don't bother with it...
The rain water and condensation getting inside is corroding the metal contacts, causes conductive streaks, carbon tracks/short circuits which causes arcing across and then this higher current arcing causes heat and then melts the plastic. No way does the timing being off cause this. Since this engine runs at a constant RPM and load, no vaccum advance is even needed. Mechanical advance (springs counterweights) is all that is needed to ease the starting and eliminate kickback and then raise the timing for the higher RPM for efficiency. Cammed up racing engines usually have their mechanical advance mechanism welded to static and use no vaccum advance at all.
Delco remey cap from a GM dealer. Keep using the same coil. They generally last forever.
Thanks for explaining the different levels of starch and how to tell when the corn is ready for harvest.
Awesome video there is always something to do on a farm. Never a dull moment. Love you guys. ❤
Love the kittens. I grew up on a farm with corn cribs and lots of ground feed for milk cows, hogs and chickens. Consequently we had lots of mice and rats. We had a cat we named, "mother" because she had 3-4 litters of kittens a year. She made the best mouser because she was always hungry for her kittens. All the cats on our farm were working cats not pets. They got milk morning and night but otherwise they had to catch rodents for their food.
Watching you makes me appreciate my SW Ohio farm where we don't have to use pivots. Great videos, keep up the great work.
Couple of comments. One, Laura's eyes = the bomb! Nuff said. Two, those pivot motors need cover if you want them to last. Three, the belt was too loose on poor ol' uncovered motor.
A trick you can do to help with the distributor if you make a cover to protect it from the direct sunlight they will last longer the sunlight drys the plastic out a lot quicker then if it was covered
You two are just the best, I just can’t believe how you make everything seem so easy but I know it can’t be.
Would agree that covering the engine should help
Its nice to see how farming looks like in USA 🙂👌🏻
The machines are sooo big and cool 👍🏻
I thought Grant is your brother🤣🤣
I had 3 of your videos to catch up on, so Laura and Grant was my dinner entertainment this evening 😅 Great video guys, always educational and you make it fun to watch. Feels like the Laura Farms 2023 harvest season is like waiting on the next season of Stranger Things! Excited for what’s to come! I vote for a return of snack bag reveals
she's a scammer she's a scammer she's a scammer she's a scammer she's a scammer she's a scammer she's a scammer she's a scammer
Laura, if you paint your nails
Left hand--blue, orange, green, brown, slate
Right hand--white, red, black, yellow, violet
then you would have the color code to splice telephone cable.
You two work great together. Fun to watch
Handcrank on the windows in the pickup gets me every time. 😂 Just the fact it's exposed to the weather, not just moisture. But the sun beats down on it. A engine under a hood gets hot. But, the sun roasting it with UV rays isn't good for the cap housings
Laura and Grant, thanks for sharing and taking us along on your daily tasks! ❤
“Princess, sits here” …. Awww how sweet of you, Grant. You guys rock (paper, scissors 😂!!!)
Sunlight is good for crops but not good for plastic etc?
If you are not doing this, spray distributor cap with silicone, put dielectric grease in both ends of the plug wires.
MSD Ignition would be your best choice for the distributors. There used in most racing and hot rodding applications..
Keep in mind these kids aren’t even 25 yet and they are still learning. I understand what you Are texting above me. But there still learning a lot. They’ve come along ways in a short time
Very peaceful out in the fields
Sounded like Grant put a high lobe cam in that engine 🙂 Grant cracks me up, he sounded like Billy Bob Thornton in "Sling Blade" when he said "Ain't got no gas in it" 😂
Great channel and videos, keep it going. Time stamp 3:37 in the video, the pivot you started looks to have a very loose belt, as you can see the alternator spins and stops
It's Occam. You also need to rebuild that motor over the winter, in your spare time of course. You should also have covers over the exhaust to keep out the rain. Love you guys.
Those engine don t need need rebuild every year. I have 15 old wind machines. Only minor repairs. Engines run like a car at 70 miles an hour no problems either
Here in wales 🏴 we have had one of the worst summers ever and September is 40+ mph winds and pouring down rain 🌧️ your welcome to have this weather lol
Bad wires will cause problems with the distributor cap as the high energy ignition charge seeks somewhere to go if the wires are bad and it will flow through the wrong place in the cap. An orange looking deposit in the cap is indicative of too much resistance in the plug wires. Of course the module in the bottom of the distributor can also be a problem.
Great job Grant and Laura keep up the good work really enjoyed it can't wait for next video
she's a scammer she's a scammer she's a scammer she's a scammer she's a scammer she's a scammer she's a scammer she's a scammer
No idea if you'll find this comment since the video is 4 hours old.... From watching this video, I can see you have a big block Ford with an HEI conversion distributor. It is most likely a POS, but that's OK. For what you're doing it can be fixed.
First, the ONLY ignition module to run in those is an OEM GM or Delphi module... Bad part is they don't exist anymore. I paid extra for one a couple months ago and it came with ''made in China'' on the box.
Another thing you need to look at is the mechanical advance next time you have the cap and button off. There's a VERY good chance it's seized up. That explains why it was kicking back when you were trying to start it. If it's locked at full advance, it'll be hard to start but 'right' when running. (assuming the timing is set right for your fuel and load when running right)
Now it's good you don't have the vacuum advance setup. On cars, it's great, for a stationary engine that runs one speed, it's useless. The engine only sees one load, so there's no need for a load related advance adjustment.
Now for the quality of your cap, button, and coil what you have is standard GM stuff. If you look up parts for an '80 Camaro with a 350, you'll find listings for whatever you need. Rockauto is a great place to find good parts on the cheap and buy in bulk. I like the caps with brass terminals instead of terminals.
On thing you need to investigate is 'rotor phasing'. Basically that means the spark fires while the rotor is actually pointed at the terminal. If it's way off, you'll have sparks flying around in there creating some havoc, that could shorten the life of your carbon contact and the other contacts as well.
You found one of your issues with the smoked carbon contact that made a bunch of issues under the cap.
You can also get a Standard brand with brass contacts. I've have good luck with those in cars.
If you want to try an AC Delco cap, Amazon has them for $14. I have no idea if they're made in China right now, but you can see them here. amzn.to/46f2hgj
Pertonix is also a good brand. For a few bucks more they have a cap and rotor kit that might work good for your stationary engine. amzn.to/3PsMa7U
The real trick will be to find a cap and rotor that will last one full season. Then you can just make that yearly maintenance item and hopefully stop dealing with it at random when crops are dry.
Since I pretty much wrote a book, I should probably stop, but IF you happen to find this and need some clarification, just message me back and I'll fix you up.
Hey Grant, your "Sling Blade " rendition caught me off guard and I loved it. Sounded just like Billy Bob.
00:15:15 Even field corn can be shelled and ground into cornmeal. I did that using my grampa's corn grinder, sifted the coarse meal out, and gave it to my mom. Best cornbread ever!
Because without it you would be screwed,fresh water is the most precious commodity in the world and going fast!
you know, I'd give just about anything to be able to spend the day with the woman I love, be out in the fresh air, and enjoy doing what I do instead of sitting behind a desk all day with an enlarged prostate and counting down the hours till I get to leave, drive in traffic, to finally be with the woman I love. Be Thankful for what you do, not everyone gets the same opportunities.
Whenever it’s gets frustrating like that for me I just think I could be stuck in an office all day every day and I instantly feel less frustrated
Each year, Nebraska farmers produce well over one billion bushels of high-quality corn. Nebraska is the nation’s third largest corn producer, behind only Iowa and Illinois.
Farmer's are already harvesting corn 🌽 here in tn. The 🫘 starting to turn color.
Will say your best video of explaining your irrigation issues.
Grant, try Speedway Motors, I think they are in Lincoln. They can get you set up with racing ignition parts.
Summit racing or Jegg’s for this caps, they are a standard distributor with the coil in the cap…
I'm not a farm person but I found Grant's explanation on what you're looking for in the development of the ear and when it's ready. If you think about it, record the black line you were talking about when the kernel stops taking on nutrients.
08:44 This sucks. That is about the first time I have heard you grumble. Totally sympathise. On a different track, surely a roof of some sort would help keep that piece of engine archaeology running happier?
Thank you for sharing a pivotal moment.
Simple solution for water. Mark a huge x in the middle of your field. Have it in the center of a circle with a diameter of at least 500 feet. Then keep walking clockwise, muttering the rain ryhme. And sure as the sun will come up. The rain shall fall. But be carefull. Its very powerful. Its like constipation, you think the laxitive is not working but it is and if you take to much, you end up having an extremly muddy, mess. At least 10x around every day should do it. You think I am crazy. Thats fine. Just try it.
Thanks guys! I needed a reminder to keep trying.