Hay Trolleys

[clovis]

I picked up two hay trolleys over the weekend.

One is a larger sized Ney. Deeply pitted, doesn't swivel due to rust, the trip is rusted in place, and three of the four wheels are rusted in place. I was able to get one of the wheels free with a little work and some motor oil.

I've been adding more oil and lightly tapping on the rusted parts every time I walk by. I think I might have it freed up sometime before May, 2014, if all goes well.

I also bought a slightly smaller Bluegrass, which I believe is an early model. It freely swivels, but the wheels...I kid you not, are so rusted that they appear to be fused together. I'm not sure there is enough penetrating oil in the world to free those up. This is unfortunate, because if either of them had value, this Bluegrass might if it wasn't in such rough condition.

I am really tempted to fill a Rubbermaid tote full of used motor oil, and drop the Bluegrass in it, and then check back in the spring to see if it made any difference. This method actually worked one other time with a fairly ornate Ney I bought many years ago.

Anyone else like hay carriers?

[Branson]

Used motor oil has its place,  but if you have rust this bad, transmission fluid or kerosene are going to penetrate a whole lot better.  Three pipe wrenches got rusted just about solid in one of the out buildings on his property.   Transmission fluid made them free.  They don't look too pretty, but they all do their work now.  I seem to remember he let them soak for about a month.