advice -Storing tractor outdoors

[WI Dan]

I foresee having my 1940 H setting outside for an extended period of time (through WI winter). I plan to cover with a tarp, well.
What things can i do to prevent it from completely rusting up?

Here's my concerns:
-how to properly cover the magneto so as not to trap moisture (air humidity cycles)
-how to protect metal surfaces from rust
-how to deal with tall protruding muffler (maybe cut hole in the tarp and put a tight bottle over the top?
-how to let it breathe under the tarp. I don't want to make a tent and trap condensation

 

[Jim.ME]

(quoted from post at 07:37:26 08/11/22) I foresee having my 1940 H setting outside for an extended period of time (through WI winter). I plan to cover with a tarp, well.
What things can i do to prevent it from completely rusting up?

Here's my concerns:
-how to properly cover the magneto so as not to trap moisture (air humidity cycles)
-how to protect metal surfaces from rust
-how to deal with tall protruding muffler (maybe cut hole in the tarp and put a tight bottle over the top?
-how to let it breathe under the tarp. I don't want to make a tent and trap condensation

Parking it in a tent/structure will trap less moisture, than covering it with a tarp, as the open structure allows air movement to help evaporation as humidity changes. A tarp, on the tractor, limits air movement and condensed moisture, which will form, will stay between the tarp and tractor longer. JMHO

 

[Geo-TH,In]

I'm not sure that a tarp will not trap moisture.
Wind blowing a tarp will not be a good thing on your paint
finish.
Put a tarp on the ground and see what happens.
I will never leave my tractors, mowers or anything with an
engine and wheels outside..

As for mags. One time I had condensation inside my mag.
I removed the coil cover and blew out water with the air hose.
Left cover off. Used a hair dryer and heated the mag.

When I rebuild the mag, I plan to drill a very tiny drain hole.
Not 100% sure if that will work.

If you remove the muffler, you may be able to park it inside a
garage with a 7 ft garage door.

My farmall C fits with a muffler and shorter exhaust pipe.

I've seen water get inside the transmission on a Ford and Case tractor.

Metal can over muffler.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

X2

 

[NY 986]

Place a heavy bucket over the muffler even if it has a raincap. Then you will not have an Oh, crud moment where your cover has
torn and the wind has pushed the raincap up while it is heavily snowing or raining.

 

[centash]

Those tractors stood outside for years with
no harm. But, you could cover the tires as
best you can, plastic garbage bags etc.
Secure an upside down bucket over the gear
shift. Secure a cap over the muffler. Take
the mag indoors and close off the area it
came from. Removing the weight from the
tires will help too. If you can, park it
out of the wind side of a building but not
under an eave.

Ben

 

[Traditional Farmer]

And in a building tonce bought a Cockshutt 30 in NC that had been stored in a shed roof had a small leak so the rain went directly down the exhaust pipe and stuck the motor.

 

[rrlund]

Can you build a frame out of 2x4s and put a blue tarp over the framework?

 

[drummer481]

Biggest mistake I ever made was tarping a 3020 one winter, it attracted moisture and every known critter around.

 

[SDE]

A local club had an H donated to them. The next spring the engine was locked up and they sold as scrap. Snow landed on the muffler, and melted on sunny days. The water ran down the muffler and into the manifold.

I would jack the tractor up and put blocks under it to keep the tires from developing flat spots. Might not be a problem if you don't, but if a tire leaks down over the winter, at least the tube won't get pinched and need to be patched or replaced.

 

[caterpillar guy]

Take a garden sprayer and mix some used engine oil and diesel fuel spray it on all the metal parts. This will help protect the steel and other metal from corrosion and rust. Then put a piece of sheet metal up under the side of the hood down to the frame to cover the mag/distributor. A 5 gallon pail over the exhaust and check antifreeze for strength in you area. Personally I would not leave it out if I had to put a car out for the winter. Go start it about once a week and plow snow with it or run it at least once a month as a last option with a full fuel tank. Run till up to temperature even if you have to cover the front over for that. If you cover the front check to keep from over heating. We used to have a piece of an old carpet we covered the front of Our MD in the winter to get temperature to come up enough to see it on the gauge. Put on after corn in fall and take off when we went to the field in spring.

 

[Loosehandle]

Actually a tent structure is probably your
best option but a cheap tarp on one won't
last long in WI

 

[dhermesc]

how to let it breathe under the tarp. I don't want to make a tent and trap condensation



Actually a tent would be so much better than a plastic tarp over the tractor. If it were mine and nothing better was available - I'd cover it with a cloth car cover then put the tarp over it.

 

[redforlife]

Unless it has a fresh new flawless paint
job, FORGET the tarp. Just park it outside
in a relatively open space (not on the
north side of a building, in between
buildings, etc.). Someplace where the sun
can hit it preferably.
Just make sure the exhaust is covered
really good. Like maybe double covered.
Whatever you normally do when parked
outside (can, bottle, whatever), plus an
empty 5 gal. plastic bucket over the top of
that.
A lot of talk about the sun not being good
on tires. My H sits outside all the time,
and the tires don't seem to be bothered
much by the sun. It got new tires in the
early 90's, and set outside for the last 15
to 20 years (periodically used, so the same
side isnt down all the time). Even if sun
is damaging, and I'm not saying that it's
not at all, one season isn't going to
bother tires on an H much. A heavy ply,
high pressure tire, with heavy loads and
fast speeds such as a trailer or truck
tire, different story. A little ground rot
or sun damage will BLOW OUT a tire like
that when put back in use. But the same
damage on H tires, won't equate to a blow
out type scenario (with low
pressures/slower speeds).
As far as the mag is concerned, you may
very well be doing more harm than good if
you do something to prevent the sun light
from hitting it.

There is many many H's and M's that sit
outside all the time. The big thing to
prevent is rain water down the exhaust. If
you can prevent that, you have won the
game. A little fading on the paint (if it
has paint) is not really even going to be
noticeable unless, like I said, it is a
fresh new flawless paint job.

 

[bwillett]

My WC Allis has sat outside since I bought it twelve years ago, except for the winters I worked on it (the last 3).. the only problem I have had is it faded the orange paint to brown. the magneto has never given me a problem....Always cover the exhaust.....

 

[Oregon Tractor Jack]

I had a tractor with a magneto that I had stored out side under a tarp. After having the mag corrode inside one year, I started taking it off every fall. Just set the engine to TDC and pull the mag.

OTJ

 

[Gary Mitchell]

I would consider wrapping it in a tarp
rather than covering to the ground. I
covered my 77 puller one year and every
rodent in the country took up residence
under there, plus, just wrapping it up
cuts way down on cubic area for
condensation. gm

 

[Leroy]

Been to long ago to rember for sure if the exaust pipe under hood lets the muffler lift out or not, some tractors are that way and others are not.If it is like that water will still get in that very slight crack and be as bad as going down the top of muffler, I am thinking that it is a muffler you lift out as I don't remember a way to get under the hod to put a clamp there and even if it does have a clamp water may still get in . And if you cover the top of muffler take duct tape and seel the muffler so no water can enter, do that befor pouting that can on top and tape around ot to seel it and then put that heavy bucket on just to keep the tape in good condition but tie that bucket down as wind can lift up and blow away a steel 5 gallon bucket. Don't remember how gear shift is covered buy you might want to consider some roll caulk like is used to seal house windows in winter, made to just seel off in summer before putting that bucket there. Then the box for the light switch as that switch is very delicate, that caulk could also keep out the water but leave an opening at bottom enough to drain any water that gets in out. Grand Ps bought our 1941 H in 1950 and it got traded off in 1984 for a bigger tractor. Think only time it might have set outside was when hooked to the 9 foot mower-conditioner in summer. I have seen way too manu cans or buckets that blew off or rusted out and still left the pipe open to rain.

 

[wh]

Dad always said, strange how people buy a tractor/equipment to make a living with and park it outside under a tree or just where ever. But buy a car to ride to
town in and it is always parked inside . We never parked tractors outside except the few times it was just too far to bring them to shed. Got super a farmall here
he bought in 1950. I doubt it has been left outside a total of 40 days in its lifetime. Our main farming tractors maybe set out a total of 15 times in a average year.
Had 1 farm where they were left in field at night when working there planting and harvesting.

 

[Charlie M]

I tarp mine every year just down to the frame. I have to put a rope around the middle to keep it from whipping so they do get some air movement inside the tarp. I take off the muffler and if the pipe is long
enough cover it with a coffee can. I go over the air breather with the tarp. A couple of mine has too short a pipe for a can and last year I cut some pvc pipe and put a cap on the open end. That worked real
well. I have 11 tractors I put up for winter each year like that. Its not completely fool proof as some blowing snow can get under the tarp. I buy the better tarps - the blue ones won't last a season. Its
worked well for me for over 30 years.

 

[Meangreen]

(quoted from post at 16:58:22 08/11/22) I tarp mine every year just down to the frame. I have to put a rope around the middle to keep it from whipping so they do get some air movement inside the tarp. I take off the muffler and if the pipe is long
enough cover it with a coffee can. I go over the air breather with the tarp. A couple of mine has too short a pipe for a can and last year I cut some pvc pipe and put a cap on the open end. That worked real
well. I have 11 tractors I put up for winter each year like that. Its not completely fool proof as some blowing snow can get under the tarp. I buy the better tarps - the blue ones won't last a season. Its
worked well for me for over 30 years.

Pretty much what I did with my M for three years until the new building was built. The only difference is I had just put new rear tires on so I bough small silver tarps and tarped over the rear tires separately to prevent sun damage.

 

[Rich'sToys]

None of us, including myself, like to leave our tractors outside if we don't have to. But the reality is that in most cases it isn't going to hurt them. If it did, then dealers wouldn't leave them sit outside on their lots.

I usually end up with at least one that sits out most of the summer. I have some old trucks which are stored off site all winter, and my tractors are inside also. But when I bring them home for the summer there isn't enough shed space for everything, so something ends up outside. Not an ideal situation, but we get by, and the world hasn't ended because of it.

 

[sms]

Some states really penalize you with taxes for extra buildings.

 

[Stephen Newell]

The tractor is made to set outside. I think if you use a real tarp and not one of these poly tarps you won't have a problem.

I don't know about the muffler on your tractor. The one on mine is easily removable. I got to where I don't even put the clamp on it anymore, just stick it on
loose.

 

[37 chief]

About the only thing that is kept in a shed all year, around my place is my Dad's 54
chevy Flat bed. I spend a lot of time covering my tractors in the winter. I wish I
had a shed for every tractor, but that will not happen. Stan

 

[2x4]

bucket of used oil & an old paint brush.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

(quoted from post at 07:40:22 08/11/22) Dad always said, strange how people buy a tractor/equipment to make a living with and park it outside under a tree or just where ever. But buy a car to ride to
town in and it is always parked inside . We never parked tractors outside except the few times it was just too far to bring them to shed. Got super a farmall here
he bought in 1950. I doubt it has been left outside a total of 40 days in its lifetime. Our main farming tractors maybe set out a total of 15 times in a average year.
Had 1 farm where they were left in field at night when working there planting and harvesting.

Must be nice to be rich.

Many farmers don't keep their equipment in because they can't afford to build a building. Priorities are, people, animals, crops, then equipment.

Besides, most cars sit outside their entire lives, and they're not built nearly as well as farm equipment, so why can't equipment sit outside?

 

[Leroy]

The thing is with the cars everything is under the body. The exaust is not sticking up in the air to catch all rain-snow to put it right down into the engine like the older tractors are, then the air cleaner is not out in the open to also fill with the rain-snow. Then the gear shifter is not out in the open for a bad seal to put that rain water into the transmission. No compairson to the newer cars to the older tractors. Now the newer tractors I do not know but the ones with cabs the cab would keep all the weather out of the transmission and out of the electracl system like on the old tractors is all in the open for all rain-snow. So no compairson at all between the cars and these tractors. And the cars probably only set at most a week at a time instead of 6 months or more in the weather for rain-snow to blow into engine compartment for months, if some moisture gets under the hood the engine heat will dry it out when used that might be every day.

 

[jacksun65]

Take vertical muffler off put a tin can over pipe to prevent mice. grease and oil everything. Cover with a canvas tarp wrap around under tractor don't make a tent to trap
moisture. will be fine

 

[Steven Allen]

Every day, sometimes more than once/day, a pic gets posted here call the Rust Pic. These pics show pretty clearly why tractors should NOT be left outside. Yes, use wears a machine out, but leaving it to the elements--during its useful life or later--will take a severe toll, as well.

I built lean-tos (against existing buildings) out of mostly scrap lumber and salvaged tin. Minimal (in my case none) impact on taxes, but worth it even had it raised them some.