Leaderboard

Several months ago I ran across this on YouTube..... https://www.youtube.com/@metcalfmills5679 He is an honest-to-goodness millwright! Besides the things he shows about working on grist mills, he has a lot of other good videos about his gardening, "Fun Fact Friday", preserving and canning, etc. I have really enjoyed watching this guy's videos, and am quite sure that if I ever ran across an old grist mill, I would be confident that I could use and maintain it. If you've never visited that YouTube channel, I hope you enjoy it.

Little Red Wagon Day on every last Wednesday in March, on March 26 this year, is a token of appreciation for those cheerful, airy rides in a little red car pulled by moms or dads on a summer afternoon. If you’ve sailed in a red wagon on Independence Day parades or were pushed in a toy red van in your childhood, it’s time to relive those memories and make some more. The little red wagon is a vivid part of every childhood. Bright, small, and pushed by an adult, the time spent riding in a red wagon is unforgettable. Little Red Wagon Day was founded by the parent company of the red wagon, Radio Flyer, to honor 100 years of manufacturing one of the most popular and favorite toys for kiddos. The history of the little wagon dates back to 1917, which is way before the company was even named Radio Flyer. Antonio Pasin, the founder of Radio Flyer, was a carpenter who made phonograph cabinets and used a small wagon to store his tools. Catching the eyes of many, people were intrigued by the little wagon. The increasing demand for the small cart originally used as a toolbox led Pasin to begin manufacturing the wagons. The first name of Pasin’s newfound company in 1923 was the Liberty Coaster Company. Picking up the pace, it was renamed Radio Steel & Manufacturing in 1930 with its advanced version of steel stamped wagons and finally settled on Radio Flyer a few years later. The booming popularity of the little red wagon increased after the Chicago World’s Fair in 1933, where Pasin built a 45-feet tall statue of a boy riding the red wagon. Known as the world’s largest red wagon, Radio Flyer used it to celebrate their 80th- and then their 100th anniversary to pay tribute to the only outdoor toy that’s been passed down to generations. The little red wagon has since brought smiles, fostered imaginations, and had a healthy, positive impact on little kids. On every last Wednesday in March, we rekindle fond memories and celebrate the classic American toy.

Getting close to done on the she shed. Got all the furring strips down on the side awning yesterday and hope to have roof metal on today/tomorrow. Then on to concrete. Doing a 14’x36’ slab down the front of both sheds. Then a carport. There is a reason I am not on here much anymore. 😂

1995 416-8, was running like crap, would hardly stay running, surging the whole bit. Thinking it was the carb, I took the carb apart, cleaned everything, put it back together, better but still running poorly. So take it apart again, clean check float level put it back together and the same. Thinking I am having the split manifold issue, busted out the carb cleaner (luckily already had some for the carb cleaning) and sprayed around the intake. All was good, except when I came to the front, near the intake port, definite change when I hit it there. So getting ready to remove the intake, I broke loose the exhaust bolts (no issue what so ever) then broke loose the intake, Well, well wouldn’t ya know, get to the one intake bolt and it’s backed out like 1½ turns! Thinking the intake gasket has to be trash, I tighten it up and give it a test. Vrooommmm… Starts perfectly and runs like a champ! Going to add that check to the 416-H, although that one runs perfectly anyway.

Hey, Glen here. Some may recognize me from Facebook if you’re on it. I have an Electro12 that’s in pretty decent condition. The hydraulics work on it, the electric clutch doesn’t, which isn’t a big deal at the moment. My boy has claimed it for the most part. I’m hoping to find a cheap Wheel Horse for him or for myself to give him the Electro. I’m in Central Pa, and I’m hoping to go to the Biglerville show this year.

Only if your wife starts swinging it at you.

My 2 cents as a body shop manager: IF ( IF? ) we were willing to do it , and somebody we didn't know walked in off the street and asked us to paint a complete tractor ( tins, frame , wheels , etc ) minus the engine and rear axle , and assuming these parts are already prepped and ready to spray , you would be looking at around $1000 give or take. No body work , no post paint buffing , just the materials and labor to spray it.

Changed the oil on the 416-8, and FINALLY found why it was running poorly, one bolt on the forward intake manifold port was loose. Tightened it up and running great, of course I cleaned the carb again, but hey at least the carb is nice and clean!

My sister had a big Black Walnut tree uprooted by the last storm so put Cyclops on the trailer, used a chainsaw mill attachment to slab out the trunk. Gave Cyclops a workout dragging those Heavy pieces on the yard cart. I am really Impressed with the Wheel Horse C-145. It marched right on up the hill in that back yard out to the street no matter how much weight was on there. I thiMk 1 of the loads was well over 800 lbs & No problem at all. So I gave Cyclops a real workout the past couple days. Been working on the new seat pan but my welds are horrible right now. After a little more practice, I will post pics when those welds are presentable. Also keeping the blade on for now as there are some areas in her yard that could stand a bit of grading same as mine... enjoy the pics more to come when I have more progress on that custom Diamond Plate fender too

Got the front rims painted. And got weights mounted on the landside of the tractor for plowing, the tires are already fluid filled.

It is not a bad Idea to move a seal in or out further than the one you replaced... Seals can wear a groove int the axle. get the new seal on a better surface...

Let @Pullstart give you some loading tips.

Custom version:

Slowly getting the painted panels back on, and the new decals. Super happy with the quality of the decals from the decal guy. Seat assembly is nearly all repainted, just a couple of brackets left. And then I have to strip amd paint the seat pan. Feels good to see a finish line in sight!

New seal in, everything cleaned up nice. Axle, hub, keyway, setscrew & captive nut were like new, (got lucky, plenty of gearlube preservitive,lol).

20231209_095942.mp4

Nah they hurt too ...

After years of trying new-fangled non-stick frying pans, we returned to cast iron. We have them in the house, in the camper and I keep one in the shop. Where I cook fish, mushrooms and the like. I've got a cast iron deep pan-something like a dutch oven that I fry fish in on my Coleman gas cook stove. The heavy cast iron seems to hold heat really well. For the past two or three years we've been using the three legged dutch oven. Below is zucchini bread we baked last year. I think it's better than zucchini bread baked in the electric oven. Kent Rollins is a hoot. I've watched a bunch of his videos. His little "dances" at the end are--uh unique. I see that from time to time he and his sidekick/camera woman wife come to Silver Dollar City near Branson, Mo and do their shows. I never been but would be interesting. First time we visited War Eagle was in the '80's. Pam, I, our two kids and some friends brought our motor homes and stayed there. It seem we just parked in a grassy area. We had a generator and the others didn't so we parked in the middle and ran extension cords to power their lights. Back then it wasn't the huge gathering that has grown into. During the fall show, it can be difficult finding camping at Roaring RIver State Park. The men stay and fish and the womenfolk head to War Eagle. I agree with you about the goods that are sold at War Eagle. We visited there a couple of years ago and bought some biscuit mix. Good Eats!

The 6-speed replaced the 3-speed when refurbishing my 854 (during which, do I recall, I got some parts from you?). Long story, but when the 6-speed came to me it had been opened by an excellent WH tech and the diff disassembled in order to use a press to remove one astonishingly stubborn hub. (All started by wanting to preemptively install all new seals.) Anyway, at that time the innards were showing remarkably little wear and I’ve probably put less than 50 hours on.it since so I have hopes it’ll outlive me!

I have an LSD 10 that is working just fine but after seeing how the one @Achto was running disintegrated I’m keeping a low-hours 8-pinion on the shelf. If I come across an LSD for a spare, I might jump on it.

The bearing seemed fine, no play in it, no noise, nice & smooth. The seal might be a little thinner than the original too, giving it the appearence that it is in further...

Mr. Start is a young'un compared to me, he also has some equipment to help him load and unload. Now if he is doing all of that by hand, when and if he gets to my age he will definitely need help loading stuff. Now if he doesn't mind the 2000 mile trip from his place to my place he will be much appreciated "I will gladly pay him Tuesday for some help"

I am just recovering from nearly 4 weeks of coughing. Many in my area are suffering from the cough. The strange thing is, Mrs. K and her 101yo mother that lives with us never got the cough.

I wanted to update one thing..... they have dropped the amount down to $21.95 for free shipping... cannot beat that with a stick!

Below is what I saw this morning. Now we can mow and keep the poison ivy, wild rose bushes at bay and beavers won't have anything for housing and food.

Looks like this tractor will be left behind by a tenant. I found the tractor codes as well as the Briggs code...said to have cast iron cylinder walls.. We cranked the 18 HP twin a few times yesterday and took a timing light to check for spark today . That's when we found out it had only one spark plug installed and even that plug was caked with carbon. I found a stranded copper wire and cleaned off a nasty deposit with the wires and a bit of gas. It fired on carb cleaner spray. I had added oil to the engine as it only had a bit on the stick. Checked that today and it was down again. I hope that is due to a bad O ring on the oil port. Vertical shaft things. I need to clear out this storage shed anyway due to the fact that Medicaid has taken my tenants bank account and he no longer will be eligible for assisted housing. Just too bad that the VA transitioned him to Medicaid because they had no long term rooms available That's what they say and it's out of my hands. So I will put his stuff in the shed as I get the house ready for the next client

I have seen a John Deere 30 second easy change oil system. Neighbor brought her machine over for a service and it had this oil change system on it. Well not running anything new, I never seen one of these. After a while and looking into it, wow what bunch of bananas this is. First, it only changes about half of the oil (contained in the filter). Second the unit at Lowes cost just north of $60. I guess changing some of the oil and filter is better than changing none? And it you got the extra cash, oh well, they seen you coming. Needless to say, I am converting it to the old spin on filter for about $20 in parts. And this machine was purchased at a dealer! Just sharing.

@Beap52 - That pie sure looks good to me.

There are Dutch Oven temperature chart and guides available on-line that I have printed out. One thing I have learned is not to leave what I bake in Dutch Oven in the Dutch Oven once it is done cooking. One time on camping trip we baked brownies. Left them in the Dutch Oven to "keep warm" until we were ready to eat them. Shoot! They continued cooking from residual heat in the cast iron that I don't think even soaking them in milk would have softened them enough to eat with taking a chance of cracking dentures. Below is fresh blackberry pie cooked last summer. I make my own crust. (If I can re-wire a 9 pin on a 520H, I can certainly build a crust for a pie!) I lay the crust in the Dutch Oven, put the filling in, the fold the crust over the top of the filling. I'm going for taste not looks.

I just got back from getting my first batch of minnows for the year.

That trip, it was all done by hand in and out of the truck. Ask me to do that with anything but short frames? Ahhh. No.

That bolt and wire guide should be moved forward to the tapped hole forward of the pulley. That should position the guide closer to the pulley like the top guide.

Actually, some of @Pullstart’s loading ideas do have merit. For example, it was he who converted me from using side-to-side straps for holding a tractor on a trailer to using front-to-rear straps. The method is to loop long tie-down straps, one on each side, around both front and rear axles and to solid endpoints on the trailer. The loops prevent any rolling movement during transit and having two straps (either one with the strength to hold the tractor) gives secure redundancy. When well tightened, there is remarkably little side to side freedom, either.

I wished you wouldn't give people Pullstart's ideas Richard...

I also replaced the LSD in my 1971 Bronco, after seeing what happened with the 867. The hydro in my Bronco is strong and very fast. I want it to stay that way. Nothing against them, just personal preference.

Thanks Don... Mild steel (cold rolled) is rather soft as steels go and runs .003 to .005 undersize. The 4140 is a great choice, one of my favorites. It runs true to size, has a better surface finish and comes already "toughened" with a low heat treat thru, not just the surface. It machines and taps very well, and is only a bit more expensive than cold rolled. The Speedi-Sleeve is a tad pricey, but restores that worn portion to like new. Good choice. On the other hand S-7 Bearcat is brutal to machine and is expensive. Your choice...

I recognize that old Electro...........

Yesterday was lawn prep day. Dethatched using the Snapper RER (it dethatches, vacuums, and shreds in one pass!), aerated (854 pulls it nicely), and spread pre-emergent crabgrass preventer/grass fertilizer. Today bundled up the 4-foot heavy cuttings from the privet thinning for DPW pickup next week (the small stuff went through the chipper/shredder last week) and hit all the onion grass with weed-b-gone.

@ri702bill is a great source for an answer to questions about machining & materials, but @Achto's answer makes sense: It looks like there are needle bearings that ride right on the shaft so it should be surface hardened & polished in that area at least. If it uses a regular bearing & race set up, then you can use common cold rolled stock.

Actually, the team did well, considering that we were up against an alliance that contained two teams currently ranked in the top 20 in the world. Most of the kids were pretty happy with the results. Last i checked, we are ranked 88th out of about 3700 teams worldwide, so i guess we could be considered to be a minor elite. This level of competition is one reason that we wanted to go to that meet. Kind of a practice meet for what we will run into in the world championships in a few weeks. The kids were inspired by the competition. I stopped by the robot shop yesterday to see what was going on. The robot was stripped down to the chassis, the climber mechanism is undergoing another redesign, and the elevator mechanism is getting a faster gear ratio and more power. These changes were inspired by what we saw last weekend. The weekend after next, we have a competition in Oklahoma City where we can run the changes in 'battle' conditions to shake any bugs out. With things running faster, the work for the controls programmers will be to keep the actions smooth. The old road racing idom applies here - 'smooth is fast, and fast is smooth.'

It was actually a snug fit, I had clean motor oil on the axle, seal, & rubber gloves. The seal itself was all black rubber with the metal ring encased inside it. I've got a special homemade driver for both the 8 speeds & hydro's, one tap satisfied my OCD. The seals with the metal exposed on the outside edge do take a bit more to seat but it's what I had. I replaced one on a different tractor with the same seal years ago with no problems. I'll definitely keep an eye on it though.

I guess the Kohler single cylinder engine is what you are seeking information on, if so the service manual below will come in handy.

Well Mike I have a 1056 that has Ben running poorly. I think I will have to get some valves from ISave: Thanks for the tip.

Gotta be very careful doing that. Sometimes causes thawwts. As with plowing snow or dirt, traction is the limiter fuse here. I built my '74 C160-8 Cinnamon Horse to be a Heavy Stuff Puller. I'm quite sure I've pulled at least 1200 to 1500 pounds of firewood up outta the forest 🌳 on a few occasions. No hesitation.

We (Mrs. 8n and I) flew out to Sacramento last Thursday for a robotics meet. We flew out a day early and wandered around Sacramento for a day. Spent several hours in the California State Railroad Museum and wandered around Old Town Sacramento a bit. We did Ok at the competition, ending up as the captain of the #5 seated alliance. We made it into the final round of the 8 alliance double elimination playoff. Unfortunately, we did not win. High level of competition in this meet. The #1 seated alliance who won had a 5 time world champion team and a one time world champion. In our alliance, we are one of the 2024 world championship teams, and our first pick was a world champion in 2015. My wife and I caught some sort of a bug while we were there, so we didn't tour San Francisco with the team after the meet. We had planned to stay in San Francisco a couple of days after the team. We did manage to get to the aquarium on Pier 39 and have a nice lunch there. Got a kick out of watching the sea lions there, too. The bug gave us both a severe cough, so we opted to cancel our return flight and rent a car to drive back to Kansas City, as we are currently in our Missouri winter quarters. Our route took us through Barstow, Las Vegas, Denver on our way back to reclaim our car out of long term parking at KCI. Wonderful scenery along I-15 and I-70. Bad traffic on I-70 between Vail and Denver on Sunday afternoon - seems like about 1/3 of Denver decided to go skiing in Vail that weekend and left to go home Sunday afternoon. When we started out, we thought of a Thelma and Louise type trip. Turned out to be more of a Kermit and Fozzie the Bear sort of trip. We enjoyed it enough that we want to make a similar trip in the future when we are healthy, and have more time to stop at some of the interesting looking things that we had to pass up this time.

Boston has some of the best doctors in the country! Good choice. Wish him the best.

I always use canola oil to season all mine. I also set oven to 450 for an hour. You want the temp higher then the smoke point of the oil you use. Polymerization is baking that layer of oil into the pan. Gives it its non-stick and nice black finish. You just need a small amount of oil. To much makes it sticky. Also when I get a pan at an estate or garage sale I clean them with oven cleaner. Spray them with the oven cleaner and put then in a garbage bag for a day. Wash them off. Then season them 3 times or more. Before and after of my square pan.