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We took a 4 day outing up to The White Mountain National Forest on the Maine/ NH border off Route 113. Awesome trip! Here's a pile o' pics...

Just a small job today. The plastic instrument panel cover/lens of the GT18 was a bit yellowed and cloudy to say the least. Here's how it looked before cleaning: After about 30 minutes of rubbing compound, polish, wax...and elbow grease...it turned out pretty decent. Not quite as clear as glass, but not bad: I do run out of elbow grease once in a while, but usually a hot shower, a favorite libation or two, and a good night's sleep replenishes the supply.

Another 3 point build because of course I needed just one more... This tractor is much like several others I have, being a mix of parts to make it how I wanted it. Frame and tranny from a C-120, sheet metal from something in the 60s, front axle and rear wheels from a 520, V twin Vanguard engine, LEDs front and rear, and pretty much anything else that could be upgraded has been. The 3 point isn't by itself, and the dash tower, lifting mechanism, and toolbox were greatly overbuilt to take the weight of the rear lift. Anyway, another custom in the Herd!

Built this for my son to play with. Made to look like a 1962- 1964 but actually a 1967 L157. The dash tower/ tool box was cut and welded up to match a set of Suburban fenders. Also added an 8 speed transmission and Kohler K181 because I'm allergic to Techumseh. Changed over to 6 inch front wheels and added running boards for safety. Also has a reciever hitch integrated into the toolbox.

Hope you all have a safe and fun filled Halloween!

Started another one a little while ago. Again all entirely done without using any power tools . I am continually asked why . Sometimes it sounds like people think I like to torture myself but it’s much deeper than that. Besides the cultural aspect of it, if I don’t use what was handed to me the way it was handed, it will be lost first by me and consequently by others not having the opportunity to see what is possible without relying on machinery . On a deeper level I like to feel what they felt and to decipher not only the why but also the how of the parts they didn’t have the chance to teach me. Many of those are not even possible with power tools. When that happens they are many times outright emotional moments of accomplishment unequaled by any other time. With your indulgence like before I’ll continue posting its progress as I go along. It all starts with some ideas and a drawing. Always with strong influences from the ones before modified to reflect my own ideas but still respecting and acknowledging the originals. The material comes next. Carefully selected and guarded for many years waiting for this moment. Ash the traditional species used for this due to its strength and flexibility under load or stress. As is from the mill from now on no power tools will touch it. Flattened , straightened , unwound , and reduced into a certain thickness to start the process. a template is made of drawing to choose the best area of plank to use and to layout all the cutouts. Important to choose area of plank carefully since much of end product may have very thin or delicate areas which will be prone to cracking if not done so.

I don't sleep on the ground. Never did. We've tried MANY ways to compensate for my fibromyalgia and related pains. This most recent tenting bedding setup has been the best. Far and away. We were using two cots zip tied together with a nice air mattress over them. Quite comfortable. The new camper setup.... even better. A LOT better. Trina bought a California King sized 8" thick 3 section memory foam mattress. It's wonderful. It's lovely. It's incredibly comfortable. I got THE BEST sleep I have in many years. We will be ordering an identical mattress for the home.

I recently acquired a use for a garden tractor, and have wanted a Wheel Horse since I was a kid. A little shopping and luck brought this old girl home. Rebuilt the fuel pump to get her running, and she runs great!! I'm sitting here now while the transmission drains so I can give her another 50 years of service 😎

The Boys lined up this morning.

Today is Election Day. Please vote. Regardless of your political beliefs. Billions of people around the world do not have a say in how they are governed. We do. Millions of Americans have lost their lives defending our right to vote. Honor that. A Republic, if we can keep it. Ben Franklin

Two years ago Kevin @Pullstartbrought me a truckload of Ipê and Ash scraps to the show. It has become a source of many projects . Here are just two of the latest. The first a new piece for the leg vise on my bench and the other one done by my son Alex, two planters for some vegetables built like a cage so they can survive the deer onslaught.

The things a guy keeps for way too long…

Got the shed built today! Now the chore of moving everything out there hopefully before it snows. Gonna have to wait till spring to spread stone around shed & under lean to. Probably do some landscaping & a ramp at the front

Work started Friday of last week on my new workshop. Friday the footing was dug out, inspection on Monday, and then framing started yesterday. Everything is delayed about half a day due to the weather last Thursday. Proposed finish date is before Thanksgiving. Roofing went on today: And of course the kids had to climb. The inside wall will be attached to the old roof, and the whole roof redone: I've had issues with the scale. I measured the footprint in the shop at work before settling on dimensions, but without anything there to give a sense of scale it feels "wrong". So I got out the tape measure and some cinder block and started adding some points of reference. The two blocks against the wall are the foot-print of my bigger (home) tool box, approx 6x2. The other two out farther are roughly the spacing and position I want for the lift. With those in place it is starting to look more like how I'd expected size-wise.

The atom is, by volume, 90% empty space. It looks like you have a lot of empty space in there, it's just in small pockets scattered everywhere across the floor. Try arranging your particles in a denser formation.

Guess you could say I ‘poached’ a Deere. Had a plywood tailgate when I got it on the cheap. A piece of chain link fence top rail and a coupling cut in half make the fabbed tailgate work pretty much like the real one did.

Finished fabbing the 3 point parts today. I think it'll work OK. Testing will have to wait for my top link, and it's delayed per tracking until next week. Anyway... Don (Lee1977) came by today, and dropped some common sense on me. I've grumbled about the drag links for a while because I just don't like how narrow they are due to the tiny bends in them. My acetylene torch is broken and nothing else will get hot enough to bend the 3/8 steel arms. Don suggested cutting them almost all the way and bending them to whatever I want and weld them back. As he said, nothing I can possibly pull with a 500lb tractor will break them. They turned out nice and the pic below is the top of one and the bottom of the other- just comparing to make sure they are the same now. I also fabbed up the top part of the hitch. Both lift links and top link will connect to it. And it installs with a 5/8 pin just like the drag links. It will be quick to remove and reinstall. Full up and down clear everything and still give decent amount of lift. It actually turned out pretty good. And finally a dash of red makes it look better, so tomorrow will be assembly and initial testing.

Happy Halloween!! Looks like even the undead like Wheel Horse.

I would avoid impact wrenches..Cast iron can be somewhat brittle. I use a reciprocating saw make a lengthwise cut in the bottm of the nipple until you just start to see threads then the pipe wrench will the usually collapse the nipple a bit so it will come out.

And speaking of two wheels… bought another two wheeler, rode it home this morning (now that was cold!!). Used the heated handgrips…very very nice! 2013 with only 5900 miles.

Here is the completed hitch. Forgive the aluminum tube but my top link isn't here yet so it's just to hold the drag links out... Full travel- needs adjusted up some but that's easy. Is very smooth. I was afraid it would be hard to lift empty but it's like nothing is even back there. And I'm really glad I listened to Don and changed the drag links. They look much better and have more sway travel.

What started out as a transaxle gasket replacement on Frankenhorse, has devolved into a much deeper adventure. Once I saw this ex-filter, I decided to go ahead and do a deeper dive. Now, I'm reading up on @daveoman1966's literature.

Got the 701 zipped back up today but not before taking governor arm, speed disc, and bushing nut off, cleaning them up and making sure the moved like they were supposed to. Really helped with throttle control. Decided to leave muffler in its original color, for now. Should be good for another 65 years or more.

Got ready for trick or treaters

1989, 414-8

Well the trusty 312-8 and me mowed the lawn. I think I am down to one more cutting. Caught the sun perfectly just as I finished, less than 5 minutes later the window closed.

I have had this metal building steel around 40 years decided to make a front weight out of it. Got it cut out and tacked together. Turn into a joint project with Kevin as he welded it up. Had enough steel left so I cut another one for Kevin. It has around 2" of sheet lead inside. Best guess it weights 50 #.

Found a praying mantis on the shop floor today. I don't have much of a project going other than trying to solder some LED lights to make them blink or represent a campfire for the model train layout. I wrote "trying" because, it's getting harder to see where to solder and then my hands don't seem to be as steady as I need to solder these tiny connections. Thus I decided to take a break and that's when I found this praying mantis. It was probably 3~3 1/2" long. This bug entertained me off and on all afternoon. It didn't seem to have any place to go and spent most of the day on the spare folding chair in the shop. The most it moved was when I put it on the back of my hand and it would immediately crawl up the sleeve of my flannel shirt to which, up near my shoulder, I would allow it to crawl up onto the back of my other hand where it would start it's journey again. I killed a fly and a fed it to the mantis and a dying cricket as well. As I watched, it would use it front legs to hold the back legs and bring them to his face for grooming. It's days are numbered because we are expecting low twenties early next week. I zoomed in close and made a video of this creature so that the grandkids enjoyed at supper this evening. They were fascinated and so was I.

Test fit and ran this little 3k WH genny this morning. Needs a little body work on the top cover but other then that it was complete and unmolested. It was a good find and runs good.

Got her home today C-160 with a unique K431 engine It is a K341 but had a dyslexic label maker. She needs work...Engine is free but that is all I know.. Will be awhile before I get to her

We need a pic of the dumpster! I'm trying to get my B-I-L to get one. I think he has a bunch of 76 4 dr. Plymouth Volare parts he can't seem to part with. English car eh.? Better stop at the store and get a couple of bottles of this.

This morning before Sunday School Class started we were just sitting around shooting the breeze. One of our members drives for Amish clans in the area--and he stays quite busy I might add. Rodger was telling that he was hauling a family when they pass an Amish buggy with no top or cab and it was a cold morning. The wife asked her husband "Why isn't that family not using the enclosed buggy? The husband's reply was "They don't believe in enclosed buggies." The wife's reply was "I couldn't live like that!" Our class decided it was all about one's perspective. Roger said that he will be staying with an Amish family on an upcoming trip. It's really unusual invitation into the privacy of their home and an example of how they have accepted him. Rodger is in his late 70's and looks the part with white full beard. I'm not sure if he hauls folks daily to work but I know he has taken groups to visit historic sites in Kansas City. He has hauled them to other states for weddings and reunions. Rodger's wife often times joins them but they are not normally allowed to attend functions and are put up in hotel rooms. Rodger indicated he wasn't going to cut the top off of his vehicle to carry the non-enclosed clan.

These things still impresses me of just how often it's useful. Let's see your loaders in action.

Going to use my B-80 this winter for plowing the driveway. Put new bright LED bulbs in light and painted the snowplow and turned the wear bar!

Setting up my 48” 5 sector plow with the extension kit so it’ll work on my swept axle 520-8.

I used mine at least 2-3 times a week. from gravel to using it as a saw horse. one the best builds. Wood Haul dead 518 snow removal just one scoop please

I mount all of my canister mufflers pointed forward. It won't eliminate sharp tones but at least they are pointed away from the driver.

Last night I went through a similar exercise but stopped soon after the pipe was collapsing. Really didn't want to crack a 50 y/o cylinder block. Chased the threads for a surface-mounted muffler and split the nipple with a hacksaw and collapsed it with a punch. Recovered a Nelson from a K301 in the garage and was able to get the hood back on my 312-8 that's turning out to be a really great yard horse

They ain't green and that's all that counts around here!

Definitely a great accomplishment using incredible technology. The greatest accomplishment is however the ability to have one's hands create what is in one's mind, most times creating something that perhaps no one else can imitate or duplicate.Something that leaves you in awe wondering how it is possible. A testament to the vision, skill, patience and determination of what an individual can accomplish. This is something that comes from one's heart and soul and rarely learned. You either have it or you don't. I still don't know what I did to deserve to look at this everyday but I am eternally grateful.

I do not have great pictures. Not my strong point

There is nothing more terrifying than old moldy food in the fridge, and that is why Haunted Refrigerator Night on October 30 is such a great holiday, a night for ghostly occurrences and hauntings. This night fits right into the spirit of the Halloween festival, which is the next day. October 30 is also Mischief Night, Cabbage Night, or the Night of the Devil, and is a fun way to remove the lurking dangers lying in wait at the back of your fridge.

The C-105 is ready as always. Dedicated snow machine with winch lift. New this year is the C-125 with winch lift back blade. I'll be adding a front blade I picked up from Pullstart to it as well shortly. It also has York rake and single bottom plow attachments, although I'll only plow snow with the Brinly if it's in @Pullstart's front lawn...

You know this place makes the addiction worse. It's akin to holding AA meetings at the strip club during happy hour.

I’m going to vote on my way to work. Voting is something that my father instilled in me since I was 18. I don’t think I’ve ever not voted in an election.