I spent two weeks getting this inherited Massey Ferguson running in order to dig up the front garden I have (also herited) in order to plant roses for my late mother's memory.

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[–] 129 points 7 months ago (6 children)

This should not be allowed! Because it’s awesome, nothing dull about it!!!

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  • [–] 32 points 7 months ago (3 children)

    Yeah … hard agree. Getting an old rusted piece of equipment working again and then have it function to do a job you needed to do is about the furthest from dull you could get.

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  • [–] [S] 34 points 7 months ago (2 children)

    As a post, sure, I agree. But the process was extremely dull.

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  • [–] 21 points 7 months ago

    Ok yeah I can see that. Working on machinery is romanticized in pop culture but its a lot of screwing and unscrewing shit in hard to reach areas and taking forever because you only have a quarter inch you can articulate the fucking wrench in and the thread is three inches long for some fucking reason.

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  • [–] 9 points 7 months ago

    Really? I just read a a bit about your process and I’d watch an entire YouTube video of the whole process.

    But I’m a sucker for fixing things. It’s one of the things I get the most joy from in life.

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  • [–] 68 points 7 months ago (15 children)

    Yes, but no, this is insufficiently dull.

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  • [–] [S] 58 points 7 months ago (13 children)

    I can drone on about how the tractor's steering was broken in a ball joint and because it is a power steering model I could not find a part and had to make it instead if you'd like.

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  • [–] 19 points 7 months ago (10 children)

    You make a compelling case… oh hang on…

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  • [–] [S] 41 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (9 children)

    Did you know that this specific ball joint application needs a 7 degree taper? I had to use a lathe and improvise with an 82 degree chamfer tool in the lathe, followed by a 7/8 tap in order to make the part. I knew that I was going to be off by half a degree, but I knew the weight of the tractor would force fit the new joint.

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  • [–] 17 points 7 months ago* (6 children)

    That's pretty neat. I'd have probably modified the knuckle for something current or replaced the entire axle before I'd have even thought of trying to build a ball joint. I've replaced them dozens of times, but I've never cut one apart to see if I could make one.

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  • [–] [S] 20 points 7 months ago (5 children)

    I have a dull past of 20 years as a machinist, so it makes me think that way.

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  • [–] 12 points 7 months ago (4 children)

    So, a question then: why use a set degree chamfer tool instead of the compound slide to taper it? I've built a few specialty things but I can't say I've tried to run off a taper, though I understand the concept, so I may have no clue what I'm talking about.

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  • [–] [S] 14 points 7 months ago (2 children)

    Honestly, it is because I had it on hand and it was fast. 0.5 degrees wasn't going to matter here since it simply needs to fit and the whole weight of the engine will force it in place.

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  • [–] 36 points 7 months ago

    We're too dull to enforce such silly rules.

    As with all big planting projects, make sure you do a soil sample first. You don't want to lose a big order of roses because your soil isn't acidic enough. They're cheap, usually around $15-20. You can specify that you're planting roses so the results will include recommended soil amendments for that specific plant (get the exact Latin name for the species/cultivar that you're planting for best results).

    Check with your State's largest agricultural university (if in the US), they're likely part of the Cooperative Extension System and receive grants to provide these kinds of services. These folks are an excellent resource for home gardening.

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  • [–] 34 points 7 months ago (5 children)

    Don't think anyone cares. It's 2026, women can be dull too.

    That being said you can't make classical tractors dull. You could get a modern cheap tractor that keeps breaking down, that would be dull.

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  • [–] [S] 19 points 7 months ago (4 children)

    This thing is so unbelievably broken that I have to stand and kinda jump on the clutch (I am kinda small, but still) to get it to move.

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  • [–] 13 points 7 months ago* (1 child)

    That's not far off with how they made things back then. My neighbor used to have a 1953 International grain truck, I had to almost literally stand on the clutch and brakes to get that thing to do what I want, and I weigh 180 lbs.

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  • [–] 28 points 7 months ago (4 children)

    Dull fact: "man" and "men" are originally old english for person (male or female). By 1900, the sense had shifted to male person.

    https://www.etymonline.com/word/men:

    "a featherless plantigrade biped mammal of the genus Homo" [Century Dictionary], Old English man, mann "human being, person (male or female); brave man, hero;"

    Less dull fact: old english used "were" to specify male (person). This still lingers in modern english with "werewolf" — male (person) wolf.

    Welcome to the dull men's club!

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  • [–] 27 points 7 months ago

    You ladies have a very different definition of dull. This is cool AF.

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  • [–] 25 points 7 months ago (2 children)

    https://lemmy.world/c/Dullsters@dullsters.net was created specifically to address the gendered name, but I don't think anyone here really cares that much about the gender of the poster

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  • [–] 48 points 7 months ago

    I am vehemently opposed to this post. You don't belong here.

    Not because you're a lady. To that I say welcome.

    I am opposed because this is AWESOME. You're awesome. Far too cool for this dull club.

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  • [–] 23 points 7 months ago

    This isn’t dull, this is amazingly cool.

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  • [–] 20 points 7 months ago

    Rule 6 says no sexism! Just make sure to keep it dull

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  • [–] 19 points 7 months ago

    Women are just men but not so yes.

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  • [–] 19 points 7 months ago (8 children)

    You really need to work on the dullness, Petal.

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  • [–] [S] 13 points 7 months ago (7 children)

    If you want dull, the clutch is so broken that I have to stand on it to get it to move. Fixing it would apparently require splitting the tractor in half.and in the process draining all of the hydraulic fluid.

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  • [–] 9 points 7 months ago (5 children)

    These older models are quite serviceable, so I'm surprised to hear that. lol
    Did it weld shut together by being exposed to the elements? Do you know the model/year? Is it from the 60s?

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  • [–] 8 points 7 months ago (2 children)

    That is typical of older tractors, clutch requires splitting the tractor in half. It is still serviceable, only a few dozen bolts, but you need something strong (and safe) on wheels to hold up each half while you work in the middle. Not hard work at all, but it is not quick.

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  • [–] 7 points 7 months ago (1 child)

    Still mostly the same for modern tractors, except a million more wires and and hoses.

    I've done a dozen clutch jobs on older tractors with my dad.

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  • [–] 6 points 7 months ago

    In the size range most of us here would be looking at tractors are hydro and don't have a clutch. There are pros and cons to hydro, but for the size of tractors shows hydro is almost always better. (loader work really wants the infinite variable speed)

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  • [–] 13 points 7 months ago (6 children)

    That's a nice looking jack.

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  • [–] [S] 10 points 7 months ago (5 children)

    Oddly enough, that is there because I had to use both that and the bucket to get the tractor unstuck because it had been in the same spot for 15 years.

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  • [–] 9 points 7 months ago (4 children)

    Hold on, you got a old broken tractor that hasn't moved in 15 years up and running... You are seriously in the wrong spot. Nothing dull here.

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  • [–] [S] 6 points 7 months ago (3 children)

    I stubbed my toe bad enough on Sunday that I couldn't walk normally for two days. Does that count?

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  • [–] 6 points 7 months ago (2 children)
  • [–] 11 points 7 months ago

    ‘Men’ as in ‘race of Man’.

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  • [–] 11 points 7 months ago (2 children)

    When I was a kid, my friends grandma would gather all of the non-empty 40s leftover from us partying, collect the liquid and leave the bottle uncapped on the counter for a few days (to decarbonate?).

    she would use it to feed her roses and said it was one of the best plant foods! some of the flowers were bigger than softballs.

    I cannot attest to the science, but the results were there.

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  • [–] 11 points 6 months ago (1 child)
  • [–] 10 points 7 months ago (6 children)

    Man, I want a tractor so damn much.

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  • [–] [S] 13 points 7 months ago (2 children)

    Wanting one is fine, but needing one means you wished you had employed someone 10 years ago to use it.

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  • [–] 8 points 7 months ago (2 children)

    Please buy one, they are a lot of fun and useful tools (disclosure, I work for a tractor maker, my bonus depends on you buying one in the right color)

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  • [–] 10 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (2 children)

    You are the Venn diagram where the circles line up almost perfectly with mine. What varieties of roses? Please be as detailed as you want on where you bought, where you're planting them, etc. Rose maniac here. EDIT: we depend on an ancient *ALISS Chalmers that has no hydraulic pressure. No one can figure out why. Years. Years of investigation by skilled, dull people. *Corrected my spelling

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  • [–] 9 points 7 months ago

    Warm welcome.

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  • [–] 8 points 7 months ago

    You got a tractor. Ain't nothing dull about you!(Butt fuck anyone who says you're not!)

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  • [–] 7 points 7 months ago

    My dad's a tractor mechanic and farmer, so he fixes his own machines. I've learned to love hearing about tractor problems, so tell me everything!

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  • [–] 7 points 7 months ago

    Nice work. What'd you have to do to get it running?

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  • [–] 6 points 7 months ago

    Antique tractors are not sufficiently dull! Especially ones from defunct brands like Massey Ferguson!

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  • [–] 5 points 7 months ago

    I hope your roses flourish! ❤️

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  • [–] 5 points 7 months ago*

    I see no reason we can't all share in our collective dullness. The more, the dullier.

    Edit. Can't. Not can. Autocorrect strikes again

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  • [–] 4 points 7 months ago (1 child)

    Whats the black thing for?

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  • [–] 4 points 7 months ago
    [–] 3 points 6 months ago

    Doesn't seem dull enough, but otherwise yes

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  • [–] 7 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (5 children)

    Petition to gender neutral rename the comm: Dull Folks Home.

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  • [–] 15 points 7 months ago (4 children)

    That makes it sound like we're old folks eating pudding and having incoherent conversations about what we used to do.. ok nvm I've convinced myself, +1 for Dull Folks Home

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  • [–] 7 points 7 months ago* (2 children)

    Dull Folks Home: The Home for Dull Folks.

    ... just in case you needed it repeated, for clarity.

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  • [–] 2 points 7 months ago

    Awesome, my mother and grandmother are honored too.

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  • [–] 1 point 7 months ago

    Did you have to replace the tires? Just wondering what they're going for now days...I need to put four on my old Massey

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  • [–] 1 point 7 months ago

    You watch MartyT on YouTube yes

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