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View from retirement central HQ. Having a hot coffee and figuring out what I am not going to do today!

The "Secret" to being retired...Think of doing nothing as something to do. I'm busy all day.

Today is our 35th wedding anniversary. Spent it together having brunch and sorting out the tiling job. Good job I remembered the anniversary, seconds after she mentioned it!

I appreciate the offer but the way I have this going, when completed, I’ll have more room than I would have had. If everything goes as planned, I’ll end up with a 20’x48’ pole barn, 12’x 48’ awning with a 12’x12’ section closed in for an office(man cave/hideout) and the 40’ container for a lockable shop. I’m feeling a meet-n-greet in the near future.

Shouldn't be a problem as most mechanics work on the floor. Work benches are best used for storing old unfinished projects.

Got the new HF used to be roller cab. installed. Completely ripped out the old bench and rebuilt. Lost some shelf space but all it did was accumulate crap I'll never use. You guys know how that goes! No more jammed up drawers in the other tool chest. You guys know how that goes too! Added a couple of plow day crock pot plug ins! A bit higher than the old bench but actually better to work at.

Next time… if you unscrew one of those 3/8” bolts next to the dipstick tube, that’ll give the air a place to go

He has the machine Craig. Just bring your level and a 2X4 block.

Retirement is for quitters!

Some of the guys I worked with, (and are still working), ask what is retirement like? At first I was unsure, but my best analogy now is "think what it would be like if everyday was a holiday"! I tell them save up and do it! (you will always think you have not saved enough) but it really works out.

Too many moving parts for me. 😁

best move for me was hooking up with a retirement planner in my 40's I thought i knew what to to do and was partially right, but he laid it all out. I remember the first day i visited and he said, "please never use the f word in here" the f word to him was fixed, as in fixed income, said If you plan right there is no such thing. Not perfect but okay for now.

I'm quite well sure that once I do finally get around to retiring I'm going to wonder how I ever had enough time to work. I'm 51 right now. Up until recently I've been planning on retiring around age 70 or 71. We'll see how this new found pain crap keeps going and maybe I'll retire early so I can enjoy some of my life instead.

I wake up, and after a nice stretch I mutter to myself... "Oh no! Saturday AGAIN?" @JoeM

Just picked up half my pole barn and get the metal roofing and concrete friday. Now to unload the trailer.

I resemble that remark. Box of parts to become a chainsaw on the bench, box of parts in a box on the floor to make another chainsaw, and a box of parts under the bench to make a Maytag engine. I dance over a pair of new tires in front of the bench that needed mounted for over a year.

Agreed Ed. What the standard is counter top height is a 36" so work benches too? This one is more to the tall side of 38. Rebuilt a carb on it and much more shop stool friendly and brings you closer to the work whether sitting or standing. That @ebinmaine or @19richie66 will never finish?!?!? OK myself too! I found stuff under there for tractors I don't even own anymore!

Made some good progress today. Finished the engine up this morning. With that done I moved on to throwing a few pieces together on the chassis. Got this far on it & had to quit for the day.

Finally finished the H60 for the 654. Started this before Christmas but didn't think it would take so looooong. Mainly searching for parts then waiting... waiting.... and waiting. Still looking for diodes for the charging. Just can't see myself paying $30 plus $ conversion plus shipping on ebay. Would likely end up costing close to $60 for one. If I can't find them for a reasonable price I just might make my own, encapsulate them and assemble metal plugs on each end. Shout out to Snoopy for providing the crankshaft for this little fella. Turned out better than expected. I misted some acetone on the red paint prior to the last coat to give it a crinkled look for that casting effect. Compression ended up at 78 PSI which I think is pretty good for this little engine. Now onto the tranny...... More parts..... more waiting. Actually just a bearing set, ball and needles I already have a replacement shifter fork.

made up a couple dual wheel spacers. Indoor stuff only today.

When I filled the 8-speed on the Work Horse I used a bottle of gear oil with the cone on top… just squeezed the oil out and it did not flood the dipstick tube which is I guess 5/8ths to maybe 3/4 inch in diameter. It worked well and when the bottle was almost empty I just stood the bottle upside down until the bottle drained. Of course I had removed one of the seat support bracket bolts so it would vent also.

Right behind ya buddy.... Yer nutz!

Too hard for me to get everything lined up and leveled between the two containers. Then I’d have to get 32’ trusses made. This way I have one container for a shop and 20’x36’(for now) pole shed for cover/work under. I’ll add 12’ to the front later and then a 12’x48’ awning down the other side. All in due time.

H.S. Physics taught us that "Nature abhors a vacuum". In later years, I've expanded that axiom. "Nature abhors a horizontal surface. Matter expands to fill it." It's a fundamental law of nature, there's no fighting it! Every single time I clean a shelf or workbench, in three days it's full again.

22F and 25mph NW winds. Make monkey bread, drink coffee, and feed the wood stove.

This 1986 312-8 was in decent shape tin wise but the PO apparently used it as a bulldozer. It was purchased in February of 2000 with a 42''RD deck, 48'' plow, dump cart ,2 rear rims and tires. Parts were bought through WH dealer including 4 Carlisle turf savers , Toro paint and all parts to rebuild the mower deck as well. K-Series engine and Transmission needed no work. Total parts came to $ 873.00 . Sold this in July of 2001 to a friend who recently sold it to his brother. It lives on.

Got the '75 C160 Automatic head reinstalled with a new gasket and bolts. Also added a piece of sheet metal trim to the back of the hood. Looks good and tightens up the connection from hood to hood stand.

Easy and quickest way I've found:

I'm well into the 2nd year of retirement, I have no problem finding enough to keep me as busy as I want to be. It's nice to be able to do what you want to do, when you want to do it. No one has any demands on my time, anymore, and it's great. I started delivering newspapers, when I was 12 years old, by 14, I was flipping burgers and making pizzas. I've worked ever since. So it's time to enjoy the rest of my life.

Thoughts, yes or no?

My thoughts also after 48 years paying in, time to get a little back.

Got to be a joke there somewhere about flatulation and having a screw loose. Welcome to the mind of the Large Bear.

I've been processing the thought that in 9 or 10 years I may pull a limited social security at 62 and cut my physically worked paid hours down to part-time. Never been one for taking something I didn't earn but at that point I will have had 43 or 44 years of working full-time under my belt... So I figure I've earned it at that point.

Well got to looking and made something work. Found an old bottle of gear oil with the little cone end cap. Cut that small so it would press into the small dipstick tube hole. Then was able to push in a small funnel to that one and it did work. Just slow going with the pouring and waiting for it to drain. But did get the job done.

Poor guy looks juandice!

to the Cutterman. Kinda depends on what you plan to do with the tractor. For mowing 2.5a., you probably want at least a 42" or 48" deck. I prefer my 312Hydro with the 12HP Kohler Magnum turning a 42" side discharge deck for mowing. It is quiet, runs cool, and sips fuel. It turns the 42" deck easily and probably would be OK with a 48" deck if you keep the grass under control. There are usually plenty of used 3,4, and 500 series tractors for sale on the web sites. All the attachments made after 1970 will fit any of these tractors with a few exceptions.... the 60" deck only fits a 1990 or newer 520 and the XI series implements will not fit. I have larger tractors with twin engines, but they like fuel and generate a lot of heat that can be uncomfortable on hot days. The twins also tend to suck grass into the cooling fan clogging the screen. If you plan to run a blower or a tiller, I would look for a 14 or more HP. Fact is you will never stop with one Wheelhorse, so plan ahead. I am one of the lazy hydro fans that only owns tractors that have hydraulic lifts. If you do buy a hydro, my experience has been, the 3,4,and 500 series tractors with hydraulic lift have the better Eaton 1100 hydro. The tractors without hydraulic lift have the weaker Eaton 700 hydro that I would not recommend.

Well I guess I got a little ways to go before I hit retirement. Got up at 4:00. Had some coffee. Messed around on Red square for a while. Looked at some other stuff. Left about five. Got to work at 6:00. Out of the yard with one truck by 6:40 or so and back in the yard by 8:00 to get another one. This second truck will take me through the rest of the day.... Then when I get home I gotta figure out which one of the 7 million things I need to do in between doing my home based PT and 🥋 kata forms tonight. Should be a nice relaxing day.

The last one I sanded I used the magnum magic marker coloring in the surface to be sanded. As to note the high areas that were being taken off first. Then a straight edge to check, I put a flashlight behind the straight edge and noted the light coming under the edge. I do this before I start, many need very little work. And a new head gasket is fairly forgiving. Bush mechanic types! A mechanic that works in the bush! In the words of the Great Mod @stevasaurus "don't overthink this "

Lambert Farmette?? That's a slick little tractor

Sure is a niiiiice restoration. You've done a massive amount of work on this tractor. I've seen folks use the "R" word many times having done much less than this. Far as I'm concerned, you've accomplished a good quality full restoration. Excellent work Sir!!

Got the exhaust finished today. Been a while but got there in the end

Not much water just thought it was there by the discoloration. Viscosity still felt fine. It was full synthetic gear oil I used. When I did a flush last year I did 1 qt marine 90w gear oil, had an old extra laying around, and a 1 qt gasoline. Drove it for half in hour and went through all gears and ranges. Then drained over night lifted up. Then filled with full synthetic gear oil. That residue look may be from the gas from the flush a year ago? I did replace the shift boot last year as well so that was covered. I'll watch it more this next year and maybe do it twice a year if it always looks like that.

Might want to do a crackle test on that oil. A good go or no go test. We did those in the field with a steel plate and a torch. Sometimes we thought it was water but just oil that had been subjected to aeration. The crackle test is a standard laboratory test to detect the presence of water in lubricating oil. A drop of oil is placed on a hot plate that has been heated to approximately 400° F. The sample then bubbles, spits, crackles or pops when moisture is present.

Or a straw on side of funnel… used both - they work.

That was pretty much the drill! I was also working on the 312 so made the back and forth not too bad. Got it filled over about 20-30 mins or so.

Trina and I aren't married. We rarely eat dessert. Don't celebrate any holidays but birthdays. We do acknowledge our anniversary, so to speak. Every month. The second day of every month has become known as Cake Day to us. There's been more than one occasion when we get to the 4th or even fifth day and both of us will look at each other at the same time and burst out laughing because we completely forgot about it until that point.

I had my right knee done 3 month's before the big show in 2014. Pain was pretty much gone but boy did that leg get tired quick! I had to find a place to sit down and that led to @stevasaurus infamous "Homeless at the Bus Stop" pic!