Robert E. Leiby and
David L. Dunbar
Lehigh County C operative
Extension Office
Many owners of older tractors
with engines designed to run on
leaded fuel experience problems
with spark plug fouling. This
problem has coincided with the
petroleum industry’s movement
toward marketing unleaded fuel
without tetraethyl lead in it.
By now, most owners of oldei
equipment realize that there were
two reasons tetraethyl lead was
added to gasoline. The main rea
son was to increase the octane rat
ing of the fuel, enhancing the
combustion characteristics of the
fuel within the cylinder. The sec
ond reason was to provide lead
oxide and lead halide by-products
of combustion, which acted as a
solid lubricant between the valves
and the valve seats, preventing the
hard valves from grinding their
way through the softer seats.
One thing owners had not real
ized until recently is that unleaded
fuel tends to run richer than leaded
fuel. As a result, the spark plugs
tend to foul with carbon, which
makes the plugs misfire. This cre
ates more carbon, compounding
the problem. The result is spark
plugs that fail to perform as
desired after as few as 10 to 20
minutes of operation.
Fortunately, plug fouling
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disconnect
Safety by-pais thermo valve which minimizes excessive heat build up
Standard 2 wheel cart with 10" pneumatic tires
Beiler Repair Shop
RD #2 BOX 54
Watsontown, Pa. 17777
Martin Saw Shop
RR 1 BOX 669
Port Treaverton, Pa. 17864
Aaron S. Groff & Sons
103 Clearvlew Rd.
Ephrata, Pa. 17522
717-354-4631
Yoders Air & Hydraulics
RD 1 BOX 113
Meyersdale, Pa. 15552
Spark Plugs Fouled By Unleaded Fuel
appears to be isolated to tractors
built before the mid-’7os, accord
ing to Jim Garthe, Penn State agri
cultural engineer. Tractors built
during the late ’4os and through
out the ’sos seem to be particular
ly vulnerable, probably because of
the 6-volt ignition system, which
lacks adequate voltage to help
bum off or through the carbon
deposits.
Garthe says increasing spark
plug heat range will not solve the
problem, nor will changing the
brand name or plug gap. The best
solution is to lean out the fuehair
mixture slightly and to assure the
timing advance is correct by using
a timing light or dwell techometer.
If these recommendations fail
to give both you and your engine
renewed vitality, you should con
sider probing deeper. Check the
compression of all cylinders and
make sure they meet specifica
tions. Monitor oil consumption
and exhaust smoke to see if it is
time for new piston rings or valve
guide oil seals. Lastly, inspect
valve clearances routinely to make
sure that valve recession is not
occurring due to the unleaded fuel.
Conservation Reserve
Program Sign-Up
The tenth Conservation
Reserve Program (CRP) sign-up
will be March 4 through March
15. Basically, highly erodiblc land
that was cropped in two of the last
-5H25F3015-C*
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START-3 GPM, 1500
> 3E25F3014-C*
3 HP
electric
-220 VAC, •
i 3 GPM,
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live years (1986-1990) could
qualify. However, under new CRP
program provisions, bids on eligi
ble land will be accepted based on
environmental benefits obtained
per dollar of cost to USDA’s
Commodity Credit Corporation.
Producers should not rely on bid
amounts which have been
accepted in previous years when
making their bids.
Land eligibility requirements
will be expanding from past sign
ups to include not only highly
erodible land, but also other crop
land acres that might impair water
quality.
CRP bids will be received only
for contracts beginning in 1991
and bid acceptance determinations
will be made after a nationwide
review and evaluation.
Fifty percent cost share assis
tance will continue to be available
to establish needed permanent
vegetative cover, including trees,
on the accepted acres. Annual
rental payments for ten years also
will be paid to CRP participants
based upon their bid.
Contact the Agricultural Stabil
ization and Conservation Service
Office for more information at
215-395-4161.
Featuring
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8H45F4020-C* 8 HP
HONDA ROPE START
11H45F4525-C* 11 HP
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5E45F4020-C*
5 HP ELECTRIC MOTOR
-220 VAC, 4 GPM
2000 PSI
Martin Hardware & Equip.
Rt. 501 South of Schaefferstown
RD #1 Box 287 Newmanstown
Pa. 17073 717-949-6817
Pine Glen Farm Service
RD #2 Box 166
Lewistown, Pa. 17044
717-899-7400
Beiler Hydraulics
252 N. Shirk Rd., New Holland, Pa.
717-354-6066
Dealer Inquiries Call
717-354-6066
Agricultural Conservation
Easement Deadline
Friday, March 15 is the dead
line for submitting an application
to the Lehigh County Agricultural
Land Preservation Board for the
first 1991 funding round of the
Lehigh County Agricultural Con
servation Easement Program.
In this farmland preservation
program, Lehigh County farmland
owners who are in an agricultural
security area can apply to sell their
development rights to the county
and the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania.
Five Lehigh County applicants
have accepted purchase offers for
agricultural conservation case
ments from the county board. If
the State Agricultural Land Pre
servation Board approves all five
of these purchases, Lehigh County
will soon have more than 650
acres of permanently preserved
farmland.
Easement values arc deter
mined by appraisal. To date,
appraised agricultural conserva
tion easement values in Lehigh
County have ranged from $625
pre acre to $3,400 per acre.
For more information on the
program and the application pro-
JM FISHER’S PAINTING &
RESTORATION
B ALL TYPES 0F ,NTER,OR & EXTERIOR
up i PAINTING
■ SANDBLASTING ■ ROOF COATING
■ RESTORATION & WATERPROOFING ON STONE &
BRICK BUILDINGS
HOUSES - BARNS - FENCES - FACTORIES - ETC.
Specialists in Sand Blasting/Spray Painting Farm
Buildings, Feed Mills, Roofs, Tanks, Etc. With Aerial
Equipment
4056 A Newport Rd., Kinzers, PA 17535 717-768-3239
On Rt. 772 Across From Pequea Valley School
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for Jobs Large Or Smatt • Our Men ‘Witt Do It Att
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aFs
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 16, 1991-C5
cess, call Jeff Zehr at (215)
391-9583 or slop by the Lehigh
County Agricultural Center, Suite
105, 4184 Dorncy Park Road,
Allentown (South Whitehall
Township).
Phone (215) 391-9840 for more
information about the following
events:
• Pennsylvania’s Agricultural
Economy - Trends, Issues and
Prospects. A conference for far
mers, managers of ag-rclalcd
businesses, members of the agri
cultural press, and representatives
of government agencies and inter
ested environmental and consum
er groups. Wednesday and Thurs
day, March 20 and 21, J. O. Keller
Conference Center, University
Park. Registration fee: $75.
• Practicing Stewardship and
Living a Land Ethic. A conference
for natural resource managers and
other professionals who work with
forests, forest resources, and the
public. Tuesday and Wednesday,
March 26 and 27, Harrisburg Mar
riott, Harrisburg. Registration fee;
$65.
• Pennsylvania Beef Expo. This
(Turn to Pago C 8)
GSI
Grain Drying Equip. Ofeg^.
Aeration & Drying Fans
Augers
HQNEYVILIE
Bucket Elevators
608 Evergreen Rd., Lebanon, PA 17042
(717) 274-5333
More Opportunities
To Learn