A message from Small Farm Canada Editor Julie Harlow as she finalizes the May/June issue.
These last few weeks have been full of discovery and dabbling in things that I do not understand, but with surprising interest! To what am I referring? An engine tune-up on a Bombardier Muskeg. Dan Kerr covers engine tune-ups in the May-June issue of Small Farm Canada. The Muskeg is very similar to many older tractors including the Massey Harris 101, Ford 8N, International 864 and as it happens, also to some old British cars.
I take my editing practice very seriously, striving to understand the processes discussed and how things work so I can make a competent contribution. My mechanics hat does not come out that often, so editing an article like this presented a unique challenge for a ‘visual learner’ in lockdown. There was no time to make a trip to look at the tractor at our place in the Hockley Valley and apparently no need said my husband Gavin, “I can show you on the Triumph.”
I felt that we had a Dan Kerr moment. That is what Dan does, he finds a good representation for a project, that is a bit more challenging and by contrast gives a great learning opportunity. I made this learning opportunity my own by having my engine tune-up instruction on a slightly simpler piece of machinery, baby steps.
Dan’s tip to prepare: Review basic engine maintenance covered in Small Farm Canada, January-February, 2020.