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So this weekend I turned 40. On Friday afternoon, Mrs. P surprised me with an opportunity to jump out of a plane at 17,000 feet in Grand Haven, MI. It was a blast! No regerts, no hesitations! We dropped 12,000 feet in 85 seconds. It was quick, but totally awesome! Yes, she jumped too! I

Every year, August 4 is celebrated as the U.S. Coast Guard Birthday, commemorating the military organization for its valor and discipline. Since 1790, the U.S. Coast Guard has kept the nation’s waterways safe, playing a critical role in national security. The U.S. Coast Guard patrols our coasts for drug smugglers, human trafficking and both domestic and international terrorism. As the bad guys (and girls) have gotten more savvy with technology, the Coast Guard has developed sophisticated, effective technology to combat crimes on the water and at our ports. It’s a 24/7 job. Today, let’s give the U.S. Coast Guard the love it deserves. The U.S. Coast Guard is celebrating its 235th Birthday in 2025.

My dad was an old barn stormer of a pilot. But he would always say “ he never could understand why people wanted to jump out of perfectly good airplanes”

Homemade hydro foot pedals, with return to neutral function.

Over the past 48+ years my wife has given me the okay to jump out of a plane a few times, just not sure she meant with a parachute though. Looks like y'all had a blast.

We used to sky dive all the time when I was in the service. One time a shipmate broke his leg. I (jokingly) put him on report for destruction of government property. Same guy I had to put on report for dereliction of duty ... passed out when he should have been partying ....

I suppose a three point hitch and narrow front end would qualify as custom.

Oh man, we worry when you climb a 6' step ladder.

If you saw the condition of that pile of garbage, you’d want to jump out too! it was rough!

Got it running and driving today and it did really good I'm glad I save it from a graveyard will put more pictures when I put new shoes on it tomorrow night

Those boots would have acted like drogue chutes! Kevin, I take it the Sky Diving folks had no idea of your history or knowledge of the Bumps n Bruises thread!

This is the last custom thing I did, its too hot in Florida to have fun 8 months out of the year.

Made two batches of 2-ingredient biscuits (self-rising flour and heavy cream), made some wonderful salsa with tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and banana peppers from our garden, then experimented with sauteed eggplant slices to help figure out what to do with what we're getting from the garden..... it was REALLY good! I used olive oil, some Kent Rollins taco seasoning, and some "mixed spices" we got from Grajeda Farms in Hatch, NM, done in a cast iron skillet. Oh, also had several ears of sweet corn from the garden.

Get a bigger plane...

@clueless The Nova 2 will work on your K161 as long as it is rope start or starter generator start and had points and condenser. It will not work on single cylinder engines that have charging systems (multiple magnets, coils) under the flywheel.

For 15 amp stator

There fixed that ...

Disconnect the 2 wires from the stator at the rectifier. Reconnect the battery and plug in a fuse. If the fuse doesn't blow, you now know it's either one of the stator wires chafed or the stator itself. The most likely place for the wire to be chafed is where it passes from behind the bearing plate to the stator itself. Which means you're going to be pulling the flywheel.

I had to look twice. Almost didn't recognize you with sneakers on. Good thing, the boots probably would have gone flying off anyway! Excellent Congrats to both of you guy's.

I flew helicopters. Not much sense jumping out of one of those... Looks like you had alot of fun. Those kinds of memories last a lifetime!

Started thr day at the ma & pa restaurant at the next lake east of us. Drove around that lake. Walked about a mile with the dog. Dug the chipper shredder out and discovered that it seemed to have healed itself, so I got the remainder of the storm debris from a couple weeks back processed into many, many small pieces. A couple of larger limbs got chopped into firewood. Since the new tube I put in the bad garden cart tire is holding air, I got Pack Rat, the AC B-110 out to move the firewood to the wood piles, and move a couple of items down to the lake house. The afternoon had warmed up enough that Mrs 8n and I took the pontoon out to the middle of the lake and took a swim. The neighbors invited us over for hamburgers and hot dogs. We ate too much and told stories. Noticed that the moon is much redder than usual. Probably Forrest fire smoke. Decided we've done enough today, so we are both in veg out mode.

Awesome. About 30 yrs ago I helped my brother fix up a house he was moving into and his wife heard us talking about wanting to jump out of a plane. As an appreciation gift for me and a birthday present for him she got us set up. If I remember correctly we jumped out at 14000 ft. WHAT A THRILL!

Thanks everyone! I had a blast this weekend, and even jumped out of a plane! Sky diving thread

Happy Birthday @GlenPettit, hope you are doing well, we miss you.

Took the grinder with the wire wheel to the front wheels only one of them was bad it's pretty pitted. Would never hold air as a tubeless but with tubes should be ok. Popped the rear tires off the rims those are awesome on the inside Took the seat off the spare pan and the springs off. Looked like the cross pieces put on to get a different seat, was barely welded on so banged on it with a hammer a couple times. Didn't give, so turned it around. And found this looks like I will have to grind the welds off. New seat pan needs work Old seat pan on the right side new one on the left I think there will be some mix and match + welding to get a good seat pan.

Conventional or synthetic oil will work. I use Mobil One Synthetic 10w40 in my C160. Why? While the Hydro works good, after 50 years it deserves a little extra!

Lane, can't help you with the K90, but will the Nova II work on my K161 on my 704?

One question... Why were no Wheel Horses included in the jump???

That should be a 25 Amp Fuse When checking for a grounded wire or component use a 12 Volt test light in place of the fuse. If the light is on brightly the short is present, when the short is removed the light will go out. No need of wasting fuses and the change in the light will get your attention faster than a meter. Have you inspected the wire to the seat switch? Frequently an electrical short will be a matter of chafed insulation or a pinched wire rather than a component.

I wash my deck with the hose after every mow and then light coat of oil after it dries. I get build up every time unless it is draught dry... The oil is to reduce rusting... it doesn't prevent build up in my case...

Looking forward to seeing your progress!

Maybe one of the wires is chafed - look at the wire routing near the flywheel..... if so, that may be a simple fix. Or a new stator.....

That sounds like a LOT of fun. Happy birthday!!!

Thank you all for your responses. I'm grateful for the various opinions and practical suggestions about my tractor's value. I have done a fairly thorough search for similar machines on various classifieds platforms but have found very few like mine listed. I've owned several classic garden tractors over the years, mostly Bolens, so understand the arguments about quality and attachment availability etc. and I agree that this 270 is quite a different breed. As some of you've explained, it truly does make for a compelling example of a company at a time of major transition. The company itself was literally combining the brands of Toro and WH and was also combining elements of old and new. The result could be graciously described as "somewhere in the middle" but honestly, it's worse than that. Of all the deluxe features Toro could have included, for instance, they chose some really strange ones. The electo-hydraulic lift is a premium (if not exorbitant) feature and is by no means an example of cost cutting. On the contrary, it's a ridiculously complex bit of over-engineering. Worse yet, it hogs an enormous portion of the engine space, making access to the battery nigh impossible. I would have MUCH preferred power-assisted steering over an assisted deck lift. One of my biggest complaints with this machine (and one of its most glaring shortcomings when compared to the really feature-rich powerhouses of the old days, is its horribly hard steering. I like horizontal engines too but have no complaints about the vertical Kohler on this tractor. I'm also impressed with the build quality overall. There's really no fair comparison between it and the stuff MTD is selling today. That being said, I've been consistently disappointed in what Toro chose to include for features and what they chose to leave out. Some might appreciate cruise control and power lift, but I'd have traded both in a heartbeat for power steering, or at least way better manual steering like what I've got on my old Kubota 1760. When I posted my question in this forum, I simply wasn't sure how much of a demand there might be out there for the 270, if for no other reason that it's at least the last in the dying WH line of machines made in the US. Now I've got some answers and a better idea what it's worth.

Brought the unit over to a property that I maintain for a friend of mine. Figure he'd get a kick out of it, and he did! Like the Tecumseh smoke haze? 🧐 Plans in the works for an engine swap with a Command CH13 single, keeping everything as original as possible. No sheet metal movement or cutting.

Did up an adjustable assist spring to help keep the underside of the seat from rubbing on the toolbox fenders on the 854 8 speed. Mounts to the existing C shaped seat spring holes in the Unidrive...

Me too. Everything I have is modified and not one machine is 100% factory correct. Very few of my attachments are unmodified, and most are complete fabrications. And let me say I love Wheel Horse equipment. It's just rare to find complete machines here that aren't chopped up already. I've always had to do the best with what I have. Sorry for posting the same old pictures. I'll get new ones when it isn't 102 degrees with 80% humidity. At 10:00 PM last night, it was still 89 degrees here. It's bleeping warm!

@wallfish Caption this!

Happy birthday! ( I turned 62 in June.... I turned 40 as I was divorcing my first wife..... I use forty as a reference of "when I was getting out of hell". !! Life's good now, with my favorite wife of 22 yrs!!)

Happy birthday Kevin! Great pictures of the dive in your other post! I’m not sure if I could do that?! 😂

https://www.oldfortniagara.org/ Pretty amazing place, I'm usually there for the fourth of July encampment.

It just keeps getting better. The cool part is most of the add-ons or upgrades have been from scrap laying around in my garage!

Nice find!!!

@JR Pedersen what ever you get , be a great time / opportunity to do a function detailing on it , get a penetrating oil soak going on the entire unit , also hot sun really draws lubrication into metal , patina is result. get that plow up on 2 milk crates , one up front near steering quadrant , the other , rear of frame cross brace , roller stool , the squeeze lever spring is in the . swing arc of the plow , with lubrication and red aerosol spray grease , that unit will move with ease . also check out the plow WEAR STRIP , turn it over or replace it . done a number of those , like HITCH PIN CLIPS , on rear lever connection , pushed all the way thru to end open , area , that way they will not fall out . done a number of those , always oil the face of the blade for easy slide off , pete

Got one here on the shelf...

Purchased this nice Commando at the 2017 Big Show in PA. It has cut a lot of grass in it's 50 years of service It continues to work all summer at our home away from home.