Ford 7810 - Ruscon 3000g tanker

So the original plan was hire out that 2000 gallon hi spec tanker that we had before but it had a problem with it so the only other available tanker was this 3000 gallon Ruscon. I thought "ahhh the Ford will pull that". It managed it away ok but I says to myself I'll give it a helping hand anyway. 13mm spanner and a screwdriver, 2 turns, holy christ there's power in it now 🤣 Now, the engine is on the way out anyway, so I thought I might as well get the most out of it while it's still running.
It went porous about 7 or 8 years ago, was bored and sleeved and running really well since. It got hot on the JF last year because the radiator was a bit damaged. So when I got back from New Zealand this year I put a new head gasket into it, got the radiator refurbished and extended from 4 tubes deep to 5 tubes and put a special type of louvered fin into it to keep it cool if I wanted to take more power out of it. I made another attempt at fixing the original temperature gauge but also fitted an aftermarket good quality temperature gauge at the same time. The original one still didn't work after I put it all back together :( And it was still mixing oil and water.
The only two problems I can see it being is the oil cooler is rotton, which it isn't because the rad was just opened and checked. The other option, porous, again. I'm told it's gone either on the liner if they used thin liners in the rebuild or on the camshaft where they all go. I could rebuild it again if it's gone on the sleeve but how long then until it goes on the camshaft? I think I'll just stick a 7.5 powerstar in it next year. Job done. Fix the original 6.6 in my own time then. I see you can get them drilled, tapped and plugged if it's gone on the camshaft. Not worrying about it now anyway. It will work for the time being, there's good compression and oil pressure in it still and now it doesn't get hot on pto work either.

That's about it though. Lots of work still to do on this tractor, the cab, the stainless pipework under the bonnet, chassis respray, just general tidying up. Will be some yoke when it all gets done. In all fairness though, I think it's time to give the 7810 a "bigger brother" you could say. They were never intended to pull 3000 gallon tankers and bale with a modern baler like I use my one to do. I have an idea of the tractor I'm after, it's between 2 or 3 yokes, all of them big old school bruisers. It'll be next spring before anything lands but still, watch this space :)

I wonder do many people actually read my big long scrolls of descriptions.....ach I don't mind writing them so what does it matter. This whole youtube thing was only for my own entertainment anyway 😝 Beats talking shite on the video, can do it here in the description instead 😅.

Anyway! The tanker! 3000 gallon tandem. Mighty job....on dry ground....got buried on the first load 🙄 Made pure shit of the field. One of those Claas tractors you can see had to come drag me half way round the field before eventually getting out. Digger job to go fix the field now. Fuck. Moved onto drier ground next and it travelled away fine. Once it got going you're not long shifting stuff even on the longer draws. Bad roads make the draw slow though and the the tanker loves bouncing on them too. I wouldn't even think a heavier tractor would stop it from bouncing. Just crap roads.
Ruscon engineering made the tanker anyway, they were from up round Meath or Westmeath someplace I think. Woodmill was the name of the place. They closed down maybe 10 plus years ago now I'd say. You can go look at the old factory on google maps street view (on a laptop), it's a bit sad looking now. If you scroll back the years on street view you can see the factory still half functional firing out the last few trailers and things I'd say. Got sold on and rebadged agrimac as far as I know but I'm not even sure if agrimac is still going.
Either way, this tanker here is a 2008 build, is on 550/60R22.5 tyres, non steering axles, 13000l pump by the looks, sprung drawbar, fully rewired and led lights all around, very nicely done up I must say. It usually has a proper wide angle pto on it with a gaurd as well but it was too long to use with this tractor so I just threw that pto on it that was lying around. Yes, yes, I know, gaurd and all that but look, I just hooked on the pipe and switched the valve to fill before switching it on and I'm out of harm's way. Don't have to go remotely near it when you use it that way. Go look up Russian lathe accident. Yeah...that'll humble you not to mess with spinning things under power 😬 Graphic stuff... Other than that I was happy to get to use it with the Ford anyway. Some outfit.

Be another while before I get decent videos of the new (to me) baler and wrapper after all the rain that fell recently. Zero drone footage this year too, when the weather is good I just end up being too busy to fly it. Anyway, my word count is nearly running out for the description so I'll stop it there 😅