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Tackled a bunch of smaller tasks on the 510-8 today. Charging system repaired. I don’t think the volt gage has moved in a looooong time! Check out how it isn’t faded where the needle has been sitting. Wiring cleaned up (about 96% done) All gages are working (volts, hour meter and fuel gage) although I dont know how accurate the fuel gage is yet. Steering wheel center cap glued on. Front tire resealed (leaked down in 24 hours)

Our property consists of "something over 10 acres". Actual size unknown. We know exactly where the borders are. We know the edges aren't negotiable. We pay taxes on 10. I originally bought EXACTLY 10. The reason we don't know the actual size is that back about 12 or 15 years ago there was a logging project done on the 16 acres that surrounds me on two sides. At that time the permitting process required them to get a legal Land Survey done. My back border stayed put. My side border however moved AWAY from the house building 65 feet ONLY at the front (street) pin. I gained a wedge shaped sliver of land on the long side. Hence.... "something over 10 acres". The front 3+ is separated from the rear 7+ by a mountain runoff stream that has a wide marshy area. This year one of our main projects is to construct and improve the access to the back 7 ish acres. In the past we've gone by foot or machine over to the far left side and crossed the temporary pallet bridge near that border. Note I wrote temporary. After 6 or 7 years it's time to replace or relocate that bridge. We choose to relocate the access to a more central point of the acreage. Over the years we've had two good sized clearing and flattening projects done. We cut and harvested the trees for firewood. Then the stump clearing was done by the excavator. He also relocated a bunch of rocks and boulders along with flattening out the ground surface making it passable by machine. We built the garden in the first cleared area a few years ago. This new bridge location happens to align with the garden access as well. Double positive. The span distance is pretty short. If stones were set on both sides of the stream most people could jump across. The bridge dimensions will be: 48" span by 50" or so wide. The widest tractor we have is 42". The splitter has a slightly offset pull. This should be just fine. While delivering to a lumberyard several months ago I noticed a piece of 4" x 6" x 16' PT setting on a cull pile. It was wickedly curved. Perfect for making bridge beams. I cut that to four pieces just under 4 feet each. For the top boards we're using some pieces of rough cut 2" x 8" red oak. This isn't the ideal outdoor wood but it'll be able to dry in the sun all year so it should last many years if treated. Yesterday I spent a few hours reorganizing in the barn again and part of that was getting the lumber out from its buried hiding spots. I cut the 2 x 8s to an even half, about 50". I sanded the edges of the red oak and used a wood rasp to deburr the PT. Then I started painting. I'm using the solid color exterior stain we originally bought for the barn. That color is being changed this year so we had leftover paint. Here's where I left off...

A customer saw my tractors and asked if i wanted another one he was about to scrap, i said sure. I picked up this early 1985 318, no deck, but had a 3pt, brinly cultivator, and breaking plow. He said the tractor last ran in 2002, it had a substantial hydraulic leak and the starter had been failing for years, that he wanted it all gone. I got it home, pulled the fender, tank, cleaned it out, put in new pickups and grommets. Found the main fluid return hose off the control valve had rubbed a hole on it..easy fix. Pulled the engine, replaced the starter gear/bendix with one for a Johnson outboard, degreased the engine, painted it, fixed some wiring and an oil leak.. rebuilt the light harness, cleaned the carb, oil change...cleaned the points. It fired right up, no smoke, 1108hrs. I put my deck on it, mowed about an hour with no problems.

I didn't a little test fitting and a few little things today. I stuck wheels on it just to make it look sorta like a tractor. Rears are in primer and the fronts are the tires I'll be using but the original wheels are a disaster. More on that later... I repainted the tank using Rustoleum clear. I guess it's decent, but doesn't compare to the luster of the 2K clear. It may get a coat later. I really like the lineup of the wheels front to back with the wider axles. It's hard to see in the picture, but the wheels are perfectly online from front to back. Added a little bling on the oil fill plug. Now I can hold the extention with a wrench when removing the plug. I always hated how the extention always breaks loose first! The front wheels... Somebody did some hillbilly engineering from way back in the swamp on these. The bearings were replaced with a bronze sleeve and full length bushing in both wheels. One was damaged a bit and I had to round the hub back out. Test fitted a crap bearing just to see if it was snug. These wheels are really rough. They will get the workover in the next few days. Anyway- she's coming together. She has her flaws, but will look decent when finished. The pits just add character!

Spent some time today cleaning up the bottom of the barn from all the dirt, dust, and everything else that came down. While pulling up the floor up above.

They are called MANHOLE COVERS!!!

Did somebody say sockets?

I’m sorry Jim!! But I didn’t want to post anything until I knew the purchase was going through and it is. Besides a C-161 Twin 8-Speed this tractor will make my collection of 1978-79 C-Series tractors complete. This C-101 appears to be 100% original, a true barn find. I’m very happy to be able to add it to my collection. Shows no wear at all on the PTO pulley or the drawbar. The nubs are on the original tires and the original seat has no cracks or tears. The gentleman I purchased it from couldn’t have been nicer, and really wanted it to go to a good home where it would be cared for properly. Honestly I can’t wait to give it a thorough cleaning and service, where it will live happily amongst its C-Series peers!

Just those holders cost a small fortune these days! For a piece of plastic! A 94 year old guy once told me how he wanted to get rid of a piece of furniture so he put it out by the road with a sign “FREE FOR THE TAKING.” Nobody took it. So a week or so later he changed the sign to “FOR SALE: $5.00.” It sold right away. People are funny.

Eastwood also has a 2K clear with the hardener release on the bottom of the can. It would be interesting to get a can of both and compare ingredients... So many products nowadays are just re-badged from one company to the other. Might be worth a look...

Madge @AMC RULES says he sets the can of red down and picks up the can of clear. I think he uses a Eastwood clear.

For as quick as I put this together, with scrap parts, I think it came out pretty good! It's easy to take on and off and roll around for storage. Have a look.

Getting some more work done, got the bad beams cut out. Getting the whole area beefed up. Used the beam I had from the loft as a extra support beam going across underneath the other beams and under the support posts that were just being supported by the beam itself. I ended up cutting the entire beam out it was dry rotted all the way. I am going to glue, nail, and timber screw together some of the floor joists from the loft to make one long beam probably going to do 6 wide. Got this threshold replaced with a new treated ground contact board.

I had a nice maple kitchen table with a built-in leaf to move along. I set it out at the end of the drive with a “FREE” sign. I also left a wrench on a string tied to the table and a sign that said “Use this wrench to disassemble the table to get it into your car then please leave it in the mailbox." Not an hour later I looked out and the table was gone and the wrench was in the box. Success!

National Peach Cobbler Day on April 13 celebrates peach cobbler, the undeniable American classic — it even comes from early European settlers in America! Something we love about cobblers is that there’s basically an endless variety. From classics like peach- and blackberry cobblers, to crisps, crumbles, Brown Betties, and pandowdies — if you have juicy fresh berries and some kind of dough, you have a cobbler! Varieties of pie and cobbler have existed for thousands of years, yet peach cobbler is distinctly tied to early European settlers in America. As Americans pushed into the West and settled the frontier, fruit could be difficult to come by. Simple and easy fruit cobblers became popular dishes for breakfast as well as dessert! It was in the mid-1800s, as westward expansion in America took off, that peach cobbler rose in popularity. These pioneers had to make do — though preserves and foods with baking powder added weren’t considered fine cuisine, the settlers didn’t have many options and often relied on these ingredients. They would cobble together fruit filling with plain biscuit dough on top, and the result looked like a cobbled street! Lacking real ovens, settlers would use campfire ‘Dutch ovens’ to heat up the dessert.

FINALLY!!! Got a decent day to install the X-Tracs and power wash HHHOOOWWWAAARRRDDD!!!'S carcass. It was # 5 in @857 horse's collection. Now I can start installing the Fireball 8! Also degunkified the hydro on the 875. Got a punch list of things to finish up for mowing season.

We were having a yard sale and had a wicker couch and chair with torn-up cushions, had it marked FREE and no takers. There was a brief rain storm and we drug everything into the garage, the free sign got lost in the shuffle and a couple offered us $ 20.00 for them. OK

They are good using sourdough bread, and I sometimes put bacon crumbles in them.

I have used it and found the3 results are very good. It is nor the two part "2K' that @kpinnc was referring to though, just a great clear rattle can.

Ive probably posted to this thread earlier, but Nostalgia and all that... Kemp's was right on the border of NY-PA , Ceres, NY was split on the border (there's also Ceres, PA but it's really a Shinglehouse, PA address) and it was actually Kings RUN Road (keychain is an early typo) Kemp retired and sold his business to my late boss, Patrick Canfield , and it became Canfield's Lawn & Garden Center of Shinglehouse, PA. (Same location) - I went to work for Pat right out of High School shortly after that, and worked for him for many years (It's where I became the "Ace" tech I was in my later years) Sadly Pat passed (heart attack while pulling a snowblower into his shop) but the business had been incorporated by then and his kids took over , It is still in operation (Now a Husqvarna dealer) at the same location. I have many fond memories working there not only for Patrick in the shop, but running Pickup & Delivery (Olean, Salamanca, Portville, Bolivar, Bradford, PA, as well as my hometown Roulette, and all over that region) and working with his dad on his farm (when shop was slow, it was something to do..) We converted the warehouse into an auto repair shop doing P.A. State Inspections and repairs (and took on overflow work from his brother in law's auto repair shop in Portville, NY - Fisher's Auto) Watched his kids grow up (and "helping" in the shop.. LOL!) I believe the phone number is still active (or it was some years back). Lots of great memories and Experiences from way back when! Competitor locally was E.E. Tucker Sales & Service of Coudersport, PA , When Tucker retired, it became Howard's Outdoor (and they expanded into Toro and Kubota as well as Ski-Doo) Somewhat recently Howard's retired and closed up shop, selling the remainder of the business to AJ's out of Wellsboro, PA (And they built a new shop & building at the top of Denton Hill where they are now, former location of Mountain Valley Sales & Service, which is across the highway from what used to be the Potato City Motor Inn - Great restaurant back then, it's now the PSP-Coudersport Barracks) Dang... The 1980's really were the last of the Good Old Days..

Shredded horseradish aged white cheddar and shredded smoked aged Gouda. and yessir some protein of your choosing. this week was brined/ smoked chicken. Always hot or cold L.T.O. Grilled cheese uh not so much but darn tasty! I enjoy A. Brown. I would not do that method. I prefer toasty cheese. Not gloop

Got this off of CL for free. Owner said it hadn't run in 10+ years. Got it home and sprayed the linkage down with some penetrating oil let it soak a bit. The choke and throttle were just stuck. Couldn't move them. Worked them back and forth until they moved freely. Gave it a squirt of carb cleaner in the carb. It fired on one pull and this nest and debris came shooting out. I need to clean or replace the carb. No gas is flowing. Hey for free it's worth it. 9hp Craftsman Chipper.

You bought it sight unseen with no ???? C'mon man...

Grilled cheese sandwich is good. Grilled ham and cheese is better. Last week I made grilled cheese and smoked brisket--now we're talkin'

I've learned a little about the Spray Max clear coat pictured above. It definitely works well with DRY Rustoleum paint that has been lightly scuffed with 600 grit (wet) and allowed 24 hours to reset. The clear dries very hard and has very high shine. It does not require a heavy application. Enough coats to barely look wet is all it takes. It also does NOT work well with paint that is still soft. Unlike Rustoleum crystal clear, it doesn't like going on over a wet color coat. It shrinks and roughens if the base coat is wet. But it does dry into a very durable finish. On my 701 aluminum tank where I failed (like a dummy) to use etching primer, it was so tough that I had to use a scraper to remove it, and it almost came off in a single piece. So going forward I'll have to allow the base coat to dry, then scuff it lightly. I never paint over freshly scuffed paint, as whatever you spray tends to reactivate the base. I wait 24 hours after wet sanding to apply anything. That seems to work with this clear coat as well.

Just barely I have to say. You'll notice the tailgate is not up. Only way to close it would be to deflate the tires a bit. Thank goodness for ratchet straps!

Today's find: Craftsman from the good times, SK, Stanley from good years... several socket holders...

Drug out the old work stand. Got quite a bit more done.

All refurbished, modified and meticulously calibrated! Locktite for sure! Ducar 212 “desired for better internals” over Predator. All Honda clones anyway Engine is “uncorked” so main jet mod will be used for air compensation (Stage -1 kit) should produce 9-11hp at 3600 rpm additional 9hp torque Run about 4400 max! Stage-1 kit racing intake & pulse pump off valve cover , not the breather vent! Straight exhaust opened up, part of the “uncorked”, will add a muffler. Such thing as too much air & noise! Throttle mod with return spring assist Cantilever assist over single speed coaster 1/4” steel laser cut mount to be Tig welded

I hope you're wearing a mask while cleaning the dust off of the floor. Too many years of not wearing a mask has me with breathing/congestion and coughing that I attribute to sucking in too much dust, such as you are dealing with, as well as "clean" sawdust especially from tropical wood when we were living in Asia and sawdust from old wood and walnut. Some of the new plywood really gets me coughing. I don't know if it's the species of wood or chemicals in glue. Also, we were working in an attic of a house a few years ago. It had coons and squirrels in there at some time. We were trying to patch up holes that gave access to these creatures. Later, talking to owner, his insurance company paid big bucks to have his old contaminated insulation removed, the attic sprayed with some solution, and new insulation installed. Apparently feces from these animals can carry disease that's not good for a fellow. I really am enjoying watching all of your hard work. Good job!

I got the mower deck back on, still need to do my Spring lube job and get a pipe elbow to reposition one of my hydraulic hoses. The hoses I got from Lowell are nice and high quality, but the one has me locked out of 2nd gear. I need to put an elbow on to raise it an inch or so.

I've got a set of those Commando wide rear axles like you have on this one. Your project has got me thinking it's time to use them... maybe when I finish the 701.

Saw your short on YouTube. That machine looks great!

Check your auto supply store for a circuit breaker. Put a fuse in when you find the problem and save the breaker for next time.

Research completed.

So even though it's far away from running I thought I would give it a rub down with some boiled linseed oil. Sun is out today to warm the metal up to bring this original paint back to life. Came out great. Really looks good. Hard to tell from photos but it has a really nice patina. Hope it's going to run as good as it looks.

The long arm and weight of the hoe plus the tractor should be sufficient leverage and weight for the ground to be the log stop but had also thought of something if it wasn't. I realize you're not going this route but just throwing out ideas anyway.

Thanks, he messaged me not to long ago

ALL the edges and corners and ends will be painted a minimum of two coats. Maybe more. I figured on repainting the top surface every two years.

I've been getting these ones from a company called Olsa tool: https://www.amazon.com/Olsa-Tools-Portable-Organizer-Sockets/dp/B073QMWYGK/ref=pd_lpo_d_sccl_2/143-8391420-4770050?pd_rd_w=0dxUQ&content-id=amzn1.sym.4c8c52db-06f8-4e42-8e56-912796f2ea6c&pf_rd_p=4c8c52db-06f8-4e42-8e56-912796f2ea6c&pf_rd_r=80W1YP10C5A6AP0DHRZA&pd_rd_wg=9khwP&pd_rd_r=bc513ae0-7a9d-4e3b-bf8c-ec32d29fba03&pd_rd_i=B073QMWYGK&th=1 They are higher in price than what those little plastic ones are, but they are durable. I originally found a very similar one from Matco. The big differences were Matco has different color selections, a magnetic back, and costs twice as much. But they are very vice.

This is excellent! I like the double pulley idler. What size screen holes did you end up buying?

With all that food know how and the cooking you do, one would think you would be a bit more "overweight" LOL There's not one thing you have ever mentioned about cooking or food that doesn't sound good. Those taste buds are always on point just as much as the WH knowledge!

GROOOOOVE tires man!!!

Yes, I went back and forth with the bike mechanic and the front is 36 as well. I will be test riding this next week, been tuning the carb and tightening everything. The 12 ga. should be used on the rear, regardless of the old Amish mechanics protests!

I have a full set of tools, I had a full set at work when I retired. My Dad had a full set when he passed. Wood and mechanic tools. You name it. I had no space for all, so sorted and kept what I wanted and put the rest on an 8' table at the end of the driveway with a "Free" sign. Put a box marked "Donations" on the table. Made $6.00.

I'll add horse radish, mayo, and dill pickle to mine.

The tank will be turned around, needs modified to do so, too much exposed fuel line.

Haven't had much time to tinker lately, but I did get some parts from Brian at K&B. Got a nice adjustable single tie rod for the 701. Also he has a "newer" shift boot that works very well on the 701. It has a flange on the bottom that fits into the hole in the sheet metal nicely. It is very heavy duty and should last a long time.

Well, a few steps forward and one back... Welded and ground the notches out of the front spindles. Turned out great. Got the front axle all done up. Got the clear coat on. But then I did what I always do: I failed to leave well enough alone. The entire frame and tranny and front axle look fantastic. But some idiot put 5 coats of clear on the gas tank, and it lifted the paint. I guess I made that tank too shiny during sanding for the paint to hook up. Oh well, I'll strip the tank down and do it again. At least the rest turned out decent. I'm using a 2K clear coat. It's a two part spray that comes in a rattle can. It has a button on the bottom that releases the hardener. Pretty cool stuff. Downside is you have 48 hours to use it once you mix it, and it's not cheap.