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CHICAGO FROM AFAR A DESERT OASIS IN LIBYA THE ALPINISTS INSIDE THE OLD METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE TITANIC'S ENGINES UNDERWATER SUNRISE OVER LONDON'S TOWER BRIDGE ((((((((((OUR SUN ERUPTS)))))))))) SNOWMOBILING THE NORWAY-SWEDEN BORDER A TINY HERMIT CRAB CLOSE-UP THE COCONUT OCTOPUS A CLOUD ILLUMINATED BY LIGHTNING A TINY RIVER HOUSE IN SERBIA A SUBMARINE SURFACES THROUGH ARCTIC ICE A WALL OF FALL AN AIRPLANE CROSSES THE MOON LIONESSES AT THE WATERING HOLE DEATH BEGETS LIFE MOUNT FUJI FROM ABOVE THE VENEZUELAN POODLE MOTH THE PERSEIDS METEOR SHOWER AN X-RAY OF A STINGRAY MOTH TRAILS AT NIGHT JUST A PINCH EVOLUTION OF THE NEW YORK SKYLINE AN ELEPHANT MEETS A SEA LION AN OLYMPIC FULL MOON (now this was a clever idea!) BASE JUMPING IN RIO THE BOMBING OF DRESDEN WHERE THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA MEETS THE SEA THE CHICAGO SKYLINE FROM INDIANA LIVING ON THE EDGE THE MOLOKINI CRATER IN HAWAII IF JUPITER WAS THE SAME DISTANCE AS THE MOON A SEAHORSE INSPECTS A DIVER'S WATCH EVERYBODY WAS KUNG FU FIGHTING MOUNT RAINIER CASTING A SHADOW ON CLOUDS 'Our planet is full of amazing sights if only we take the time to look!' =

I Impressive Highways system above the Rainforest in Sao Paolo, Brazil Beijing International Airport, China Super Moon rising above Sierra Nevada Sequoia National Park California The Amazing Stone Mirror in Istanbul, Turkey Amazing view of Schwerin Castle, Germany The water is so clear it looks like the boat is hovering! - Bora Bora Pearl Beach Heart Island in mangrove delta of the Vaza-Barris River, Brazil Escalator of the New World Trade Center Airplanes rolling over highway at Leipzig-Halle Airport in Germany Amazing walk at West Side of Taihang Mountain in Shanxi Province, China Impressive Swim Pools Balconies at Bandra Ohm Residential Tower in Mumbai, India Mesmerising Niagara Falls - Rainbow Bridge, USA Ferrari World Theme Park In Abu Dhabi Amazing Corinthos Channel in Greece Awesome Singapore - Dance of Light World's Largest Ice Cave in Austria World's first billion dollar house in Mumbai, India - 27 Floors Ambani's Palace Amazing Landwasser Viaduct Switzerland =

I've thought of doing this too....but it might consist of only me out in my shed drinking beer and talking to myself...so, basically I have a meet and greet almost every night

Another peskie RJ35...

As I've learned in the last year at work, shielding against electromagnetic radiation is a pretty tough nut to crack. Even on our systems that are engineered to keep the waves out, it's tough to get a good seal without a lot of testing and fussing around. You can try to squirrel things away in aluminum foil or in a metal box, but any little error in the structure is just going to create a slit antenna that lets the radiation in thus potentially frying your component inside. If you really think this is something you want to prepare for, you really ought to create a special EMP model with a manual start diesel engine. I guess the 512D might be the ultimate factory EMP special, but they didn't sell them here in the US. A diesel engine might be capable of burning a wider range of fuels and would have no electrical system to be corrupted by errant currents induced by an EMP. There isn't much to an old engine, but I'd guess that the windings of wire in the coil or magneto might suck up EMP energy and cook something. Despite their simplicity, even the oldest and simplest engines would be vulnerable. I think the big problem with being prepared is that you're sure to draw a crowd of unprepared folks to your place. if they know you're living large compared to them, they're sure to come knocking. You can't shoot them all either, someday they'll surprise you on their terms. I related a story to Duke once about the 520H he converted into his snow chucker, I can repeat it here since it seems appropriate: I responded to a CL ad for a fairly priced 520H and I was wanting one at the time. The price was right and we agreed on a meeting time at the seller's place. The directions he gave me were very thorough and ended with "turn down the dirt road..." Anyway, I found my way out there - trailer in tow - and proceded down the dirt lane through a grove of trees. In a clearing was a nice little farmhouse, a couple barns, a huge garden, and a bunch of goats wandering about. Not a soul in sight. I spied the 520H sitting over on the edge of the garden, so drove over there to prepare for loading it. When I put the car in park, I looked out my window and standing right on the other side of the glass was the owner. i have no idea where he was hiding because moments before he wasn't anywhere to be seen. This was a completely open field with at least 200' of clear radius in all directions. It was like he came out of the sand. And, he was accompanied by his big dog. I opened the door and we greeted each other. Nice guy. As we exhanged cash and loaded the tractor we talked about the tractor, gardens, goats and goat milk, watermelons, the Cardinals, etc. You know how guys are, takes only minutes to become like old friends. i told him what a nice place he had and how I was envious of his location. That's when the conversation got more serious. He told me that he had enough of living in the city so moved out there for more room. He and his family could live as they liked and nobody bothered them. Sounded great to me. Then he got real close to me, took a careful look around, and told me in a hushed voice that "if the XXXX ever goes down, you're welcome to come out here with us...". It was nice to know. But I was instructed to bring things with me other than money if I came. Apparently he had quite the arsenal stashed away in the house, barn, etc. Plus extra stuff hidden and buried in the woods in case he ever had to retake his place after being driven out. He also had two years' worth of food canned in mason jars. Two YEARS. Plus the goats. In addition to the property I was on, he also has another place somewhere to the south that was a 3 day walk away. He knew it was 3 days, because he's walked it before. And, evidently, a person can carry 3 days of rations on their person if necessary. I found all of this fascinating. He had no need for a tractor to live out his plan. But he also has a head start on things compared to pretty much everybody else I have ever met. I can't say I was completely comfortable out there n the middle of nowhere alone with this guy, but I didn't feel unsafe either. Seemed like a perfectly smart, sane, normal guy with some rather impressive prepping habits. You meet the most interesting people on a Wheel Horse... Steve

I disagree (with half). Tread pattern makes a HUGE difference in snow. It makes NO difference on ice. Much of the time, in my climate anyway, if you have good deep groove/knob tires you can get down to the concrete/asphalt which will give you traction. Then, if there is enough solar energy (or you use snow melt) you will melt it all off and have good grip again for the next go around.... If there is a layer of ice under it though (either from the weather or from not clearing it off well enough before), forget it. By dad and I plowed a 150' drive for 20+ years with a C-105 and ag tires. No chains or weights. (It did get hairy sometimes though). I think weight is your biggest asset, and if you deal with ice or hard pack you need chains (or if you only have shallow turf tires available)

this was my woods project

I did have a real nice one and have now acquired another one as a project. They are definitely unique and not very economical which is why they faltered I am sure. The set of batteries will run you in the neighborhood of $600. That isn't bad if you consider the cost of rebuilding a Kohler. The problem is you will go through a couple set of batteries before that old trusty Kohler will need to be rebuilt. The tractor is rated at 14 h.p. and will mow approximately 1 acre on a charge. There is only one belt on the tractor which is the drive belt. The deck is a regular 42" rear discharge replaced with electric motors that power each blade. The hood and fenders are fiberglass. The rear fenders are thicker and more rigid than the general plastic pans that were found on the black hooded C-series. I regret selling my first one and jumped at the chance to grab the one I currently have. Though it is a project, it is in good shape. It is fun to drive them as they sport the traditional 8 speed tranny. It is just a weird sound since we are all accustomed to the deep sound of a Kohler which in this case is replaced with a hum of the electric motor.

Have you ever seen such a mess? Any volunteers to help me organize this mess?

Preparedness minded people will usually be marginalized by the unprepared as a way to assuage their own anxieties. Planning for a rainy day has historically been prudent. With Ebola and whatnot, storing enough for a potential quarantine seems altogether rational. However it would have been deemed extremist a few months ago. It should be no surprise that when you meet someone who is planning when no urgent need is plain will seem intensely serious. Planning for the worst and hoping for the best is a good SOP. .

Yes, my paper work says that you do have the WH # 5073...10 pinion limited slip differential. If you are just using the horse for what it was designed for, you will be fine. The guys that use their horses for pulling at shows will tear them up...that is why they like the 8 pinion differential. There are some real good old threads that talk about the 10 pinion differential. That horse looks to be in good shape. The real difference between them...the 10 pinion has 10 pinions that "float" in the differential housing and there is a "spring" in between the pinions that keep them in place. The pinions in the 8 pinion differential are mounted on shafts between the housing plates that hold them in place. So.....if you are sitting on ice and only 1 tire is spinning and you are not going anywhere...you have the 8 pinion differential. If you are sitting on ice and both wheels are spinning, you have the 10 pinion differential (if that spring is working like it is supposed to).

And if it truly get's that bad, and we are still around, I would have invested in an EF-111, fitted with AIM - 9 launchers. Hiding in one of my hangers ready to deliver an EMP blast that would devestate anything else remaining! Serious though. Not sure I would even want to be around if we are talking about what would run after an EMP blast. What is the point? I'd rather be in Heaven where it is all nice and peaceful!

...and my collection continues... Almost feels like I was there, thank you so much Scott... you da man buddy.

You are becoming the new "rickv1957". If you need some clarification, just click The old timers on here know what I am talking about.

I fly a lot for work and have plenty of fast food quickie breakfast sandwiches since my morning layovers are usually short. They all taste like crap but fill the void in my empty stomach. Today I flew thru Chicago and had a couple hours so I decided to try something new.....went to this place.... ....it was the best "bacon/egg/avocado and I cant pronounce what else" I have ever had. Came with a good salsa on the side which I spread generously. Its made fresh right in font of you and they tell you up front that it will be 10 minutes (unlike McDonalds next door...yuck!) Its all put between two big pieces of bread and the whole thing is grilled. Really made my morning and made the next flight (8 1/2 hours) that much better. I shoulda got a pic of the sandwich. I plan to eat there again on my way home....hmmmmmm. http://www.rickbayless.com/restaurants/tortas-frontera/ Mike.........

sorry to hear about this, hope he has a full recovery. god bless you and your family eric j

Thank you all for the kind words, thoughts and prayers. We moved Mike from ICU to the trauma area today. He was alert and feeling OK, although he is very upset with himself for allowing this accident to happen. I talked with the surgeon today and he feels rebuilding the knee and lower leg will be more successful than a knee replacement. Although a replacement may need to be done in the future after the lower leg has healed. It will be 5-7 days until the swelling decreases enough to begin the surgical rebuilding process . This will not be a short recovery. Thanks again to all of you....Reading your kind messages has helped me to cope with this accident.

forget having a shop do it. more than the tractor is worth.

Seriously... how can I get into that class?

Tractor club was back in action again tonight. We didn't head out to the barn but rather took our first field trip of the school year. This has become a lot of fun and very interesting for the kids, as well as the adults. Unfortunately we were missing a couple of members due to some conflicts but those that were there were able to get bombarded with a wealth of information. The night was spent at Warsaw Buick GMC here in town. One of the club members has a father that is a service technician at the dealership. He set up the appointment and took us on just over an hour tour of the service area. The kids were impressed with the technology and were blown away on how much the tools cost to be prepared to do a good job. Here is a photo awaiting our tour! Here we are on our tour getting a peek at the day to day operations in the service center along with the tools and equipment and tools to be successful. At the conclusion of the tour the kids had the opportunity to meet Mr. Nine who is the owner of the dealership. He asked them some questions about what they had learned and then presented them with their very own set of over 200 tools that is exclusively for the club. We are very thankful for the generosity of yet another donor that has supported our program. Here they are receiving their tool set! Of course the night wouldn't be complete without a chance for one goofy photo! Next week will be Fall Break and we would be unable to meet. The kids were so bummed that we agreed to try and meet on Monday so we didn't miss out for the week. These kids are dedicated!

Sorry Ed....

Sounds interesting,,,,, cant wait to see it evolve. Glenn

The 520 swept front axel is always cool!

Geno- I am responsible for both of those items. They are putting the t&g pine as the base layer of the roof deck and that is all. I have a crew coming a week from Saturday to install the roof and plan on starting on the siding ASAP. If there are any local guys who want to come over feel free !!

I used them to ship a 520-8 from MO. to CT for 175 with a 48 inch deck attached. I found they do not weigh the tractor and they really care about the footprint of space it is taking up. I do not think they actually measure so "IF" you want to underestimate your tractor measurements and weight you may be ok.

Saddened to hear that. Speedy complete recovery!

She looks awfully clean!

Nice recovery as he's smacking his head that he didnt check the computer store first.... (Probably a different thread or something though! )

We will definitely keep him in our prayers also.

As others have said, hope he heals well and I will pray for him and his family. Sorry to hear this Ed.

A group of us met at an agreeable restaurant, ate breakfast, visited, went to several members storage site/home, looked and talked about units, talked parts, but basically just did a face to face meet and enjoyed company. On the down side a couple had to travel quite away a distance, and sadly we all forgot or didn't think to take pics. All in all, like meeting your buddies for extended coffee, and equally as enjoyable if not more because of the Wheel Horse bond. Several wives showed up also! Geno, looks as if we could spend all day hugging all you goodies. Thank all you that came

Sparky, that is so cool...I pulled up the website and I think it showed your sandwich. If you ever get a long layover give me a call...I am 20 minutes from O'Hare. What Squonk says makes since...I know plenty of excellent places to eat around here. Glad Chicago was a good experience for you.

Prayers going out for your son and your family Ed. Hope he will be good as new.

Being a lineman i have worked at great heights all my life and have been very blessed not to have that happen to me, our best wishes and PRAYERS are with your family.

Best wishes for a quick recovery. Thank God & modern medicine

I wish the best for your son, and hope for a speedy and complete recovery.

How about, I've got a fever, and the only perscription is an RJ. :)

Very sorry to hear of this accident. Hope he makes a full recovery.

Price and value are hard to assign, but that sounds a bit high to me. However, these things are equivalent to a new $9k tractor so it certainly could be worse. I have a 520Lxi with almost 2000 hours and it has been an excellent machine. I feel the kawasaki is a little stronger than the kohler 22 horse in the 522xi, but I can't substantiate that claim. Just "feels" stronger when running a mower deck to me. They are very quiet and smooth running engines. Really a perfect match for the chassis. If I had to rate the xi's, the Lxi is second only to the diesel (I have 4 xi's so have some familiarity with them). You might want to patrol weekendfreedommachines.com for info on the kawasaki engine. The same motor (basically) was used in the John Deere 425 tractor. I think - you need to verify this independently - that kawasaki changed to a steel camshaft gear in 1998 so I think all Lxi's are free from that affliction. It is my understanding that if the plastic gear fails, you have better than 50% odds that the engine will survive the event without further damage. I'm making no effort to investigate my Lxi further if that means anything to you. Parts total $400 or so to replace the gear prior to failure if you feel the need. There is very little plastic on the 5xi's and it's a bit ironic that they chose to make that stupid little "bumper" on the front from plastic. The most vulnerable piece on the whole darn thing, and they use plastic! It's an expensive piece to replace too; seems like I recall it being $75 or more. Thankfully, it is only cosmetic. Search this forum and you'll find a lot of information on this line of tractors. Use keywords 5xi, xi, and 522. There is very little negative posted. Generally, the only differences in the models are the engine and whether or not the tractor has power steering. The 518-522xi are all air cooled. The 520lxi is water cooled and the 523dxi is a water cooled diesel. 522xi, 520lxi, and the diesel all have power steering the others are manual. Great tractors. Good luck. Steve

I know the Dart has been dibbed upon by Jeff. If the Chevelle hasn't been dibbed upon, I do Chevelle's... just wanna get that out there...

Unhealthy desire?

I thought you might like the little surprise in the envelope! Keep those in tip top shape......they will be worth a lot of money some day!

I can vouch for Ken as a quality member on this site. He's one of the best guys we have and my personal dealings with buying stuff from him is second to none. He's a true gentleman and a huge asset to us on here. I wouldn't hesitate to buy his used underwear if he said they were good to go....lol

That's a nice tractor and not to be rude or anything never every point out problems or say something is crap when the person(s) you got it off of are on the site IMHO talk to them first before you put it up for everyone to see.

Making functional artwork doesn't count Mark.

I can't change it Fireman, nobody can, I was actually diagnosed with OCD over 20 years ago and I'm not taking medicine for it no matter how much they push me to!

Worked on the 854 project today, started the tear down and most everything seems to be in good shape with the exception of the carb. Every other screw was broken off or missing and even some sheet metal screws were used in place of the machine screws. The only other problem is the steering wheel, its kinda stubborn so I have it soaking in penetrating oil, hope it comes off the 3/4 in. shaft with out damage.

It's been six months, but I have a roller again!!! Just got the new tires mounted and filled with Rim Guard (beet juice). Still don't know if I will have it ready for snow or not, but I'm plugging along. Still need to paint the engine and seat back. Any tips for touching up the paint? Been trying to be careful, but still a few scratches from the reassembly.

To be totally honest my little 10Hp stock puller will still dig with both tires until the motor quits, but I have never opened up the tranny and looked inside it. When I got the tranny it was full of water and froze solid so I may have a locking diff from rust for all I know but the dang thing works.