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That’ll show those tailgaters!

July 7, 1986, former President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter spend a hot summer day in Chicago, celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary while building a home in the West Garfield Park neighborhood for the Georgia-based nonprofit Habitat for Humanity.

I believe the caution sticker says "Don't rest your feet on the blade". Is there anybody who doesn't use their feet for downward pressure? It's easy to tell how much downward pressure you have and then let off on low spots. I have the newer wider push style also. It has a wedging action contributing to down pressure. They both have their advantages. I like to loosen up the gravel with a weighted drag section before I grade. It does a better job of uprooting the weeds that have crept into the driveway. After grading I rake up the uprooted weeds with a leaf rake. I need to find a safe weed killer. I'm leery of Round-up.

The search is now over! I have finally found a 42” mid mount grader blade for my 1257 after searching for about 8 months.

Gist of a long conversation with a seatmate on a flight from Frankfurt to NY in the late 80’s--mostly in German, some English (back when I was fluent): Handy Don: Vacation or work trip? German Tourist: Vacation HD: What are your plans? GT: I’m renting a car and plan to drive to Niagara Falls, Washington D.C., Boston, and then back to NYC. I’d like to spend a day or two in each place. HD: (initially speechless) You may not realize how far that is. Probably close to 1,500 miles, or about 2,400 km. How long are you staying? GT: I leave next Saturday on the overnight flight. [We are on a flight arriving on Sunday at about 7 PM--so not quite six days] HD: Are you aware the speed limits are less than 100km per hour on most of your planned route? That will mean many hours in the car. He wasn’t. I tried to convince him that 12 hours driving for an hour or two at Niagara falls wasn’t a good use of his time, but that NY, DC, and Boston were each worthy of several days. The Falls was non-negotiable but he agreed to skip Boston!

Sweet, so my idea should work. I'm thinking of using one for a brake light switch for my tractor.

Busy week. Picked up the exchange student we hosted in 1999/2000 schoolyear and his family (5 kids 8 to 17, and his parents) at O'Hara in Chicago last week Sunday. Went to the Art Museum on Monday and the Field Museum on Tuesday - downtown in a Transit 250 15 passenger van. Drove to our lake house in Michigan on Wednesday. Went Shopping inLansing (1 hour drive) on Thursday. Chilled out at the lake Friday and Saturday. More shopping in Grand Rapids (1 hour drive) on Sunday. Drove to Dayton, about 5 hours, today. The rest of this week looks as busy as last week. We will end up in Bowling Green Ky. before returning them to O'Hara for their flight home next Sunday. I absolutely loved watching his kids at the lake. Just made the lake house really come alive. I'll have to mark up our travels on a map of the US to show them how small the area they traveled is compared to the rest of the country.

Europe: if you leave Berlin driving West at the posted speed limit and drive for 2 hours you have crosses two international borders. US: if you leave Dallas and drive West for two hours at thebposted speed limit you are still in Texas. If you did it at rush hour you are still in Dallas.

Do you have one Howard? I may if you don’t.

Should be normally open. It closes when the peddle is depressed to complete the circuit between the key switch and the starter relay.

Picked this up yesterday. Was only an hour away. Seller said it was sitting for a few years so he had it serviced to get it running. Was asking $800. Got there & cranked w/no start. Ended up getting it for $300! Got it home & after using my small benchtop 20v blower to pressurize fuel tank it started right up! Everything appears to function. This will be new tractor to use with my Bervac. After the heat wave is over I'll go through it addressing maintenance & any possible needed repairs. Paint is faded so hopefully I can get it reconditioned. Have to get manuals printed off & definitely wanna address the "known issues" with this model. Onans are all new to me. 20260702_160202.mp4

I try to tell myself that I won’t let that happen again because it’s not the first time it’s happened. But you @Handy Don can personally attest that once I start talking about Wheel Horses to people that like talking about Wheel Horses the conversation can go on and on, and on and on…………

It is more than a buddy who’s willing to take a 2,000 mile road trip to keep you company and help pilot. So down to a school bus that still needs converting!?

Bob, you got some remarkable photos! My take was to capture those that came as quickly as possible so they could get back to their day. Yes, the announcements do get tuned out by many (there are too many and they’re too verbose), but @953 nut did put up posters and post it on the forum--and we were on time both days. As it was, a couple of latecomers posed themselves outside the shot on Friday (next time we can use some sort of physical boundary! And I’m sure some members just chose not to be in a photo. On Friday, I was thinking back to the traditional group shot at my high school graduation. Even in that well-planned and structured situation, someone had to chase down one grad who was leaving to go to a party--she figured the picture wasn’t important to her (her father had a distinctly different opinion, expressed loudly and openly, that her CLASS was more important than a party).

At the big show I got a frame from a round hood, tranny, and dash tower from @Pullstart. I also got a short frame square hood, and the dash pieces from @Mike'sHorseBarn. I got a pullstart 8 horse from one of the guys in the barns and a steering wheel from one of the guys set up in the in field. When I got the steering wheel, it still had the roll pin and part of the cut off steerong shaft in it. I soaked it for a few days with kroil and worked on it yesterday. That was the easiet roll pin I've ever had come out once I figured out how to hold the wheel. The chunk of the steering shaft also came right out. I put it in our press and barely had any pressure on it and it moved. Today, having no power and it being hot, all I did was put the dash pieces together and set them on the tower. It's been 100 degrees and humid here since we got back from the show so I haven't really been able to work on very much.

Lane I really have a thing for those tires, someday I’ll even own a set! I almost bought a non-wheel horse tractor at Portage just for the tires, I should have done it and tried to flip it with another set!

Even though I was aware of the time the picture was taking place I got busy BSing with someone and missed Saturdays picture. I remember looking at my watch and thinking at least I got in Fridays shot!!