Cutting hay (or trying too)

hay season is going well, the mower had been put away with a knackered knife drum bearing, all the tapered screws holding the base disk where rounded out, the fan belt on the JD tractor knackered, (jeezus that was a job for the unwary..."I'll just throw a new belt on" says scratcha. there's a bloody live drive to a hydraulic pump connected to the crank/ front pulley!)
there is half a day! pressure cleaned the out side of the radiator, got 4 laps around the 45 acre hay paddock and she is running that close to boiling its not funny!
The up side, on advice from here a couple of years ago, I replaced the filter to the hydraulics, and the PTO clutch is working fine.

Had a look down the guts of the radiator, cores are calcified with crap, tiny bubbles in water....yep, no coolant in this, and I recon shes got a head gasket on the way out.

Drop revs to 1700 rpm and one full gear, that manages to keep it in the top end of the operating range, but still going.

At 4 km per hour..... :whistle:

The Father in law says to pick up the speed and run her till it over heats, I recon better to keep plodding away, if it cooks, its a shit load of whipper snipping to stay ahead of the rake and the press!
Any way, a day and a half later, that lot is all cut!
Now (using the ever reliable Ford 5000) we have raked it, and had the contractor in to press the lot. 71 bales 5 x 4 footers.

We still have another 30 odd acres to do.......Its a wonder I have any hair at all!

What model Deere? A lot of engines were susceptible to worm hole from electrolysis from not keeping the coolant maintained.

Gday Diesel dog, she's a 2140. with 6000 hrs on her.

Scratcha,my old man could give you some tips on tractor fixin.....He had a rod out thru the block on the Case IH,never changed the oil,waste of money,anyway he "fixed" the engine and it ran on 3 cylinders until he sold the property.But he looked after the tractor better than his cars or truck.

A quick look in the JD book,seems its a turbo 4/239 from Mannheim.If thats so,then its wet sleeve,and without corrosion inhibitior,best not to touch the sleeves,unless one is leaking.You wont get a gas leak from a sleeve ,just water into the oil.If the bubbles arent foaming up the radiator water,or water leaking into the oil,id leave it.Replacing the head gasket isnt difficult,if thats what you want to do.I d pull out the radiator to clean the scale,if you put acid in the motor,it might start water leaks,that are blocked by scale at present.The seal grooves are in the block,not the liners.