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Hello All, Found this 953 in amazing shape... headlight lenses are there and nice. The BRASS "horn button" for steering wheel is there... Going to have @grnlark make me a seat Thanks @Retired Wrencher for the heads up. Happy Birthday to me, myself and I ! LOL Tony

I have been a little busy taking care of business...check this out. Had some bad wood, needed paint, we built this back in 1988. Still looks good and is the reason I do not want to move.

Almost 3 years ago we got a '49 Ferguson farm tractor from my parents. Trina and I figured a front end loader would be some handy. We didn't have time to mess with it much so we set it aside for the time being... After inspection and a BUNCH of mulling we decided it would be too rough to invest a lot of time and money into... For OUR needs. A lot of that decision was based on the fact that our forest and yard infrastructure is sized for smaller tractors. Along comes 2022 and we decided to let it go to a more appropriate place. I advertised it as being for sale for the loader in particular. A fine young gentleman named Nate and his dad purchased it with the intention of a minor restoration and putting it to good use. Well Nate and I made a rather unusual deal. He bought the loader for old type cash. The tractor on the other hand was a barter. A trade. A swap. My tractor in direct trade for a pint of Nate's own Maine Maple Syrup. I'm telling you people. I won that trade. Yes Nate I know you'll see this. 😂. Well he sure as anything kept true to his word. Here's some before .... n after..... Nate my friend... Ya done great!!!

I can’t believe how small the round hood looks here! I was looking around for something to mount a squirrel cage on, so I can take our “Snoot” or “Snooter” for short, on tractor rides. The black hood kind of eats valuable belt real estate on the WHRat! Green thing picture borrowed from @Achto / R.S. vintage Steel Show thread

So I'm starting a new project with a 1973 no name @ebinmaine found for me and a series 2 I picked up off another tractor back in the day. As long as it passes the start and run test, but if it does the goal will b to cram it under the hood and make a 1973 no name 17 aka 7317. This may be a slow going project just with everything going on and in the next few weeks having to go under the knife and a roughly 6 week recovery after, so shop life might be limited but it will be picked away at and posted here.

This is a mobile barbeque build by the Amish down east in Lancaster County, PA. We used it for a chicken dinner at a Masonic Lodge near me. Made 600 half chickens in little over an hour and a half (two batches of 300 halves per batch). Only used table salt sprinkled from the box, vegetable oil and vinegar sprayed on with a garden sprayer, to season them. Absolutely delicious. Dave

I prefer the low cost approach. A few pieces of scrap plywood and some salvaged oven racks make for a cheap, quick backyard smoker. We smoke pork, chicken, turkey, beef, sausages, sauerkraut and beans in it. Multi level to take advantage of lower or higher heat. Vented to regulate heat. The electric hot plate has been eliminated over the years since I can pretty accurately control the heat through the bottom and top vents by regulating the airflow in and out. I use dried oak and maple cut-offs from my shop to start the fire and then switch over to apple wood chunks I save from my annual pruning in our orchard. We can maintain the smoker temps of 180-220 degrees for several hours by varying the vents, adding dry or wet wood, and hitting the fire with a little water out of a spray bottle if it gets too hot. I use a cast iron pot for a fire box that I purchased not too far from EB in Maine, many years ago. In the interest of keeping the wooden parts adjacent to the firebox from erupting into flames, I added some aluminum flashing for some margin of protection. When I get out the smoker (it’s on wheels), it’s like a magnet for a couple of my neighbors. They stop over with a beer or five, to share and we hang out in the driveway until the time to sample our current selection of the day. Makes for a very fun time! Cheers! Dave

Now that I have a trailer, I hitched it up and took it up to the top the hill to bring down the branches of the dead cedar we took down and limbed last year (we lumbered the trunk). Gave them to my neighbor with a backyard fire stand to add some nice aroma to their fires. Also brought down some firewood for another neighbor from a wind-felled tree. I am right pleased with the gumption and maneuverability of this 854 and the push/tow poly trailer is just the right size to be a great worker compliment. I do have to get a seat cover, though, that metal is pretty slippery!

Get a hold of @buckrancher his wife makes very nice seat covers. I had mine done like this, she usually makes them red and white

I mostly see light seasoning on the meats and either sauce on the side or very end. Most brisket i have up here is salt pepper garlic and smoked then light sauce of your choice on your sandwich. Then pulled pork is smoked very light seasoning and a vinegar based bbq sauce for a sweet tangy flavor. But it's all about preference. I smoke most of my meats as simple as possible getting the nice smoky flavor and sauce baby back ribs at the end to get the sauce a nice sticky consistency and pulled pork I toss it in a vinegar based bbq sauce once it's off the smoker and shredded brisket sandwiches I make a home made maple bacon bourbon sauce use it on my smoked wings too seems to be a great hit!

Here’s my smoker and grill

Just kidding! Dropped a whooping $10 on this pumpkin, plopped it on my yard art rig and called it DONE! That’s about all I’ll be doing this year

I like meat. And many different foods of the world. And smoking everything! My favorite pig is my brown sugar maple glaze (and injected). A close second lately has been a loin that I stabbed a ton of holes in, shoved garlic cloves and onion chunks into, injected it with salsa and rubbed it with salt and pepper, then covered it in salsa. Oh. Yum. And juicy. I’ve been on the beef chuck roast train for a while. You can have your brisket, Texas. Give me Chuck. I kind of found it by mistake, having a 1/2 cow in the freezer and having a bunch of chuck roasts waiting for something to do. I figured I could try smoking it, then found there’s a pretty decent following already! The rub that has stuck out the most is coffee rub for the cow parts. It was a big hit in Wisconsin too! Not too often, but lately I’ve been adding chicken, various cuts, whatever it takes to fill the Traeger. It has extended cook times, but always worth it! I haven’t tried them on a smoker, but I used to grille radishes quite often. They were like a baked potato with a kick of spice. Not too hot, just right. Maybe I should try the pig loin once with radish chunks in it too!

Depends on the meat for me. I like a nice cooked on glaze for ribs & chicken, if I sauce them. With brisket or pork butt I set the sauce out on the side. Most people taste the meat & forget about the sauce. Not offended by those that choose sauce though. I'm pretty happy with where I'm at with my meats in the smoker. Now I have been working on the sides. Smoked mac & cheese, smoked beans, smoked lemon pie... Always trying something new.

Oh you bet it does!

I have rebuilt a few dozen Sundstrand power units. Yours would be model 90-1136 which is nearly identical to the 3 or 4 Sundstrand '90-xxxx' series. Internal components are virtually identical. DIAGNOSES; (1) change oil and filter. Take EXTREME care to wipe off ALL surfaces in doing the oil change & filter. The slightest particle of debris can tear up the brass internals of the Hyd pump and Hyd Motor. (2) There are 2 accelleration valves on the Hyd Motor section. Before refilling oil, remove both of these valves... (front and rear of the Hyd Motor). Inspect for faulty O-rings or stuck passages. (3) With any luck, you'll be able to open the Tow Valve. If so, work it back & forth to (maybe) reseat the valve tip. (4) The motion control linkage MAY be worn to the point of retirment... OR... there is a broken weld on the TAB of the motion control shaft (left side of Hoodstand). VERY COMMON, but removing / repairing / refab can be daunting.

I had to work a night job tonight so I just got home at 2:50 am… I just knew Bailey would bark when I opened the door, but he did not even wake up… got his little jammies on… sleeping so peacefully… The second pic is one Libby sent me before he dozed off. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz……

In North Carolina (Nawth Care Lina)… Bar-b-que = what you get when you cook/ smoke a piece of beef or pork on a grille. Cook out = the event where the cooking and eating are happening. Grille = the device that the food is cooked on.

Good move EB ... me thinks me thinks you just need something like this... didn't the hoe have an FEL?

Just noticed in the pics it's cracking my cement!

Manufactured June of 1965... rebuilt September 1981... 16 Cubic Inch Twin Cylinder Continental Hp? I dunno... but its a cool setup. Gonna see if I can get it running again. TEAD = TOOELE ARMY DEPOT which is in Utah

Shed roof rafters installed. The stairway was started too.

For lack of time, I might toss a generator on a trailer and strap the whole Snooter blower right onto the WHRat’s hood! After all, it makes a great work bench, drink holder, or all around catch all. Might as well use it to hold Snoot upright and suckin’ air!

Hhhmmm… I’m gonna say hood size matters to the delicately designed and aesthetically precise lines of the WHrat WHrod… I mean, seconds, maybe minutes, were spent lining up that beauty so as to accentuate it’s supple curves and linear features… On the other hand, meh… Throw it together and run with it… but save the “this side up” sticker…

You need a few Flamingo's in the yard! Nice job. Now come here and side my garage. I'll supply the

I was about to I was about to say, up here in NE all my friends with smoker trailers and restaurants they dont specialize in 1 cut but many. Whole chickens pork butt and brisket belly ribs and babybacks seem to make up most the menus and back yard parties around here. Last 1 I went to they smoked a whole alligator. But 1 of my friends takes most of his notes and passion from Texas smoking styles and swears by it other loves north/south Carolina style and swears by that. So at least in maine Eric has the right idea the best of all worlds and what ever lands on the cutting board.

I can't speak for the whole region but my preference is pretty much whatever lands on the heaterizer.

When was the last time you changed fluids/filter on it or checked the drive belt and idlers. Perhaps a slipping drive line?

Didn’t realize that was what you meant. They are the tools for hand spinning wool or flax. The large one holds the wad of wool and the small tool is the gage that determines the thickness and holds the yarn. One has to simultaneously use the two hands in a coordinated manner to achieve this. The large piece holding the wad of wool is held under one’s arm while with that hand fibers are plucked and twisted. At the same time with the right hand fiber is guided through the “auger” point on the other tool while it is spinned like a top and a ball of yarn is formed on it. Many times the wool was mixed with flax fibers the end product being what is called here “linseywoolsey “. This all requires a lot of hand coordination, concentration , and patience. I watched my grandmothers and my mother doing this many times. The photos below are of my mother demonstrating this process for my children years ago before Parkinson’s robbed her beautifully talented hands of the skill and dexterity needed to do this. She used these very tools and materials demonstrating with the flax also.

Thanks for the explanations lads. BBQ and grill are the same. Smoker a different kettle of fish. Over here herring are cooked in smokers. Big ones. They come out as kippers. Very tasty.

Just picked up this 312-8 from an older gentleman local to me. Plans are to use it to snowblow the driveway this winter, fix it up and make it look nice, and basically run the heck out of it when I need to. I feel like I got a decent deal on it- I got the tractor, blower, plow, deck and bagger for $850. I am going to play with it a bit more this weekend and see how it comes out. Thanks for looking.

Had a L157 in pieces just laying around with no transmission bought a 8 speed transmission going to put it end it and give it a trike front end and maybe put a twin kohler on it too or a k181 don't know yet will put picture when I get started on it

Spent a rainy Saturday putting our newly acquired NOS 314 back into showroom condition after 20+ years of un-covered indoor storage. Took it to the shop , carefully removed a few pieces & gave it a thorough soap and water bath, followed by a blow dry and 2 bake cycles in the booth to remove any hidden moisture. Even though it was stored indoors, time and dust had made the finish less than pristine , so some corrective measures were needed. A light color sanding and buffing brought the finish back, followed by a complete ceramic coating. PTO assembly was removed and re-greased, along with a cleaning of the clutch mating surfaces. All the wire connections (plugs) were cleaned and re-greased as needed, oil was changed, gear oil changed, cup holder was installed. Deck chute and battery are here too ( not shown ) . Now it looks like a new machine should.

The door wasn't a problem for mine either ..... but the cloths line wiped it out twice before I cut it down to size.

@Docwheelhorse Tony, have a Briggs kind of day! Happy Birthday!

No, I dont mow with it. I do have a like new 48" deck that has barely been used. I work 6, sometimes 7 days per week so I pay the local landscaper to hit my lawn once a week just becasue I dont have the time. I do pull the snowblower off every season though and its fairly simple. I'd say it takes me around 30 minutes to attach the and detach the blower and tire chains. I made a makeshift crane and harness that attaches to my front tach and I carry the blower to the sheds with that. It is a heavy SOB. In the spring, summer and fall I use the tractor to pull a dump trailer for cleanup, and also pull a dethatcher, aerator.

Happy Birthday kid , man only 56 , think of all the years of collecting you have a head of you.

No offense taken. It makes sense as to what you are saying- I wasn't sure why this had this blower on it as I thought it was a little big itself.

A dual stage blower, deck w/bagger, and plow, and a 312-8....you got a deal. Here's the but...IMO, the 312-8 is not a good machine to operate a twin blower. The 12HP is not enough power to efficiently run the blower and the manual lift will be a challenge. Changing this tractor from blower to deck w/bagger will not be something you will want to do two times every year. I would keep the 312-8 and use the deck and plow. Sell the blower or look for a tractor with a hydraulic lift and a minimum of 16 HP as a dedicated blower machine. Please don't take this advice as a negative. We are here to help and offer opinions based on our experiences. Again, you got a real deal. to the

Nuff said.

Squirrel!!! On topic: Stack of washers… easy.

@ebinmaine well they seemed to have made short time going over the Ferguson. Looks very nice now! And home made maple syrup is almost worth its weight in gold so you definitely won on that trade lol

Gotta be like my missus Sparkeye and buy plastic and metal ones. They last for years...unlike my back for hauling them out of the attic....

This guy has been snowing us fellas he's a pro!

@Pullstart @Achto you catching this? Interesting notion there Jim... Me thinks you touched a topic dear to our hearts Norm...

I'm moving into the loft if I find it unlocked!

They saw your deep pockets coming. Probably that Hawaiian tropics tan of yours tipped them off.

Cleaned up these IH wheel weights I picked up this summer. I use these as inside weights on my plow rigs, gives me an extra 50#’s on the rear. Went with red for this set. Last set I painted up are black and in my sons 314-8.

So with my gas grill, charcoal grill, & smoker combo the to big sections are what we use as grill like @ebinmaine said direct heat from either gas or charcoal. And the small box on the very left is whats called a fire box. I use that to build a fire ive been using charcoal for a fire sorce but ill add half logs of hickory or apple ontop of the embers and close off most of the dampers and allow the wood to smolder giving off the large amount of smoke and flavor, most meats only accept so much smoke flavor hence why I use the charcoal for the heat and depending on what type of meat and size will determine how much hard wood I'll use for flavoring. Most smoking is done at around 225° fahrenheit or 107 celsius. The trick with most smoking is indirect heat and low and slow. Causing the meat tissue to break down and becoming very tender without over cooking the meat.