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Go bananas, because on August 25, it’s National Banana Split Day! Give your taste buds the thrill of delicious ice cream and luscious chocolate covering a fresh banana topped off with nuts, a cherry and whipped cream. Surprisingly, the original banana split wasn’t created in an ice cream parlor but in a pharmacy in 1904. Banana splits were the brainchild of David Evans Strickler, a pharmacist’s apprentice who enjoyed experimenting with new soda fountain sundaes in his free time. They were so popular with the college crowd that students willingly paid 10 cents, double the price of a normal sundae. Try a banana split today and you’ll understand why this amazing dessert is a classic!

Our pool area is in major need of a facelift. I was planning to do most of this myself, because that’s how I roll, but Mrs. p recruited a team for the weekend. T minus two weeks from today we re-pour. Going much bigger with the concrete, and with everything going according to plan we will have no cracks or settling for many, many years. Going with high psi mud and fiber reinforced, 6” thick between the house and pool for future building needs, running some water and a chase pipe to the pump house, that’s moving a few feet and getting bigger too. We got lots of work done, and I began building a loading dock on the side of the driveway for any future loads and unloads required.

Yesterday, I was invited to bring a tractor to the Soo Line 1003 steam train run. Made for some great pictures.

As much as I love my Raider 10, boy is it LOUD! Sometimes I need to grab firewood or move a trailer around the yard at night, and I would like to be considerate of the neighbors. So, I had the idea to make an electric wheel horse. I began the hunt for a non-working tractor for this project and finally found one this weekend! I took some time to remove the engine and almost all of the electric (wires for lights are still in place). Now I have a clean slate to work with for my new build. A coworker had some parts left over from an electric trike build that didn't work out too well. It consists of an 1800W 48V BLDC motor, Battery pack, controller, and the wiring to make everything work. He ended up not using everything because the 1800W motor wasn't strong enough for his application. At first glance, you might thing that motor won't work for me either. But I figure it should be plenty as a drive only motor, not for PTO. These transmissions have a crazy 400:1 gear ratio at the bottom end and somewhere around a 30:1 for high speed. Supplying enough torque should be easy enough. My plan to test this is to rough mount the motor with a pulley, put the nose of the tractor against a tree, and see if I can break traction in high gear. If the motor can't do that, then I will look into a bigger motor for the job. I will also have the benefit of the motor running at 4500rpm instead of 3600rpm, so I will be using a smaller pulley. I am hoping to keep the motor as small as possible for efficiency and longer drive times. My goal (subject to change) is to mount the motor underneath the seat and belt drive the transmission. The controller will go on the shelf the fuel tank used to sit on. The battery...is a triangle (remember, this was originally for a trike), so I am not sure where I want to put it that doesn't look silly. It's pretty thin, so I'm considering mounting it to the underside of the hood, which would make it practically invisible. Operation will be similar to the current setup. key for on/off, throttle lever for motor RPM, and maintain use of the clutch for changing gears. If everything works well, I will look into mounting a motor in the same location as the engine for all PTO implements. I want to keep the two systems on separate batteries, so I can run the PTO as much as possible, without worrying about being stuck in the yard away from the charger. Stay tuned for updates! P.S. While getting ready to make this post I learned about the E-141 (previously, I only knew about the Elec-Trak). When all is complete, I guess I will need an E-100 badge for the side.

Hydraulic cylinder cleaned and sanded. You can see the bolts, nuts, spacers, and O rings used to plug the ports (same setup used on the valve). Cylinder primed. Hydro cam plate bracket bead blasted and primed. Tie rods with ball tightened a bit using a hydraulic press then bead blasted and primed.

Don't forget to clean your deck regularly! Uhhhh .... yeahhhh.......oops! I think it has its own ecosystem!! 😏

Two big accomplishments this past week. 1. For the first time in 8 or 9 years I've been through a week of vacation and did not gain weight. 2. BIG hike this past Saturday. Approximately 7 miles with large elevation gains. Tumbledown Mt via Parker Ridge and down a very technical Loop Trail.

Mowed the lawn with Morgan, the 14-8 with the 42" SD deck. Even though that combination is 52 years old, it still leaves an excellent cut on the lawn. One wonders if one of the modern box store mowers would even last that long, let alone still be performing well. One could probably ask the same a question about some of the current zero turns, as well.

Added to the list of good T-shirt slogans...

I'm making a lot of posts and not much progress lol Got it sanded down. Gotta fill hopefully just one more time.

CLEAN CLEAN points and try adjusting them tighter to .018. Sometimes even tighter as I had one at .016. New points have a coating on them in the package to prevent oxidization. Personally I haven't ever had an issue with the magnet strength but there have been a couple of guys over the years that have had to change the magnets on the flywheel to get spark. Condenser maybe Sometimes the fastest way to get spark is to have @Pullstart hold the plug wire while cranking it! LOL It worked on that old Briggs at the big show!

It's a reminder to clean off that debris around the transmission and to replace that shifter boot!

A word of caution. Make sure it is adjusted properly. If the belt is too long, it can allow the contact plate to pass below the piston pin. The spring loaded piston pin then pops out and locks the clutch in the engaged position and will not allow the clutch pedal to be depressed. And of course the clutch pedal switch prevents the tractor from starting. How do I know? I bought a 310-8 sight unseen for scrap price. The ad said the clutch and transmission are locked up and the tractor will not start. It took about an hour to replace the worn belt and clean and adjust the damper. Oh, it came with a 4yo 42"SD deck. Runs and mows great.

My 875 developed a leak a while back. Sometimes big sometimes small. ATF isn't cheap anymore and it was keeping the transaxle from ever developing rust spots. Degunked it once and searched for the source. Then the frame broke also and repairing that finally found the leak source. The control shaft seal. I would like to thank @pfrederi and @daveoman1966 for their assistance and insight. The actual repair was simple but the journey was not. Reminded me of working on a K Car in the early 80's. Things weren't adding up as you will see. Learned a little on the way. Also got the hydro control to stay put and not move on it's own. As I found out. 65 and 66 Hydro's are 310077 "Wheel a Matics and are different than the later Hydrogears. First the leak. You can see the fresh oil on the frame under the control arm ATF cleans well: The control lever has to come out and the tensioner pulley has to come out anyway to fix those. And might as well de gunk it again. The bushings in the sheet metal and control lever were in great shape for a 60 yr. old machine Plastic cam was in good shape but the screws and tension plates have left the chat Used 4 long 3/8 bolts in place of the 4 trans to frame bolts and slid the trans back. This exposes the hole you use a 7/32 punch in to drive out a roll pin that holds the control arm on. Control arm with neutral adjustment eccentric. In theory I won't have to adjust this. Aluminum housing for the slide plate had these spline drive screws holding it on. I needed a 1/4 12 pt socket to fit them which I didn't have. Good thing I had a 7MM that fit. 1 screw wasn't super tight. More on that later There is a recess in the back of that housing that an o-ring seal fits in. Seal was worn square and was a little " stiffy!" Now this is where the K Car reference kicks in. The Hydrogear manual shows a 2nd o ring seal on the shaft. The was no evidence or remains of this o-ring. The o ring I got from Paul was too big. Paul noted the "Wheel a Matic diagram did not show the o ring. Contacted Dave and he confirmed that and sent me this pic of the later used Hydrogear. I put it together with just the 1 o ring. I replaced those spline bolts with allen head bolts. 1 bolt hex was a bit worn and I couldn't get it real tight. Slid the trans back together. Cleaned up the control arm and tensioner shaft bushings. Lubed them with dry graphite. Replaced the plastic cam tensioner plates, added a couple of flat washers for more tension and replaced the slotted screws with 8/32 allen head screws. put the belt back on and guard. Started it up and after about 10 minutes I had a good sized leak still. Downloaded the " Wheel A Matic" manual. It talked about those spline screws and how later they switched to allen head bolts. It also said if a leak develops at the shaft tightening the bolts to 70 inch pounds would cure it. I found another allen bolt in my used parts so I had to tear it all back apart to not only replace that 1 bolt I couldn't get real tight but tighten the rest of the bolts. I probably went to 90 inch lbs. but what the heck. Put it all back together and ran it for 20 minutes with the wheels off the ground then another 10 minutes up and down the road. Dry as a bone. I think it's FIXED!!!

It's my 60th birthday tomorrow, so we went to watch a game of cricket at my home stadium of the Yorkshire County Cricket Club which is 50 odd miles away in Leeds. It was a treat for me to watch a couple of top teams with international players going at it hammer and tongs. It's all sport here at the moment as we have the women's rugby union world cup just starting. The first game was on Friday and the English team beat the USA pretty convincingly. But we are number 1 in the world at present.

Made a visit to Racinbob to pick up my new one. Had a great trip. Post more later. Steve the steering wheel is in my jeep. I know someone was going to ask. Lol

Sometimes I come up with some good ones. Hopefully, I've got another 55 years so there is a chance I may out last them.

My parents have an early 2000's Cub Cadet. I'd guess its 20 to 25 years old. It doesn't seem to do a better job than my tractors. The deck sounds like its going to come off while your mowing. Everything on it is a mix of plastic and fairly thin sheet metal even the deck attachment points. The newest tractor I have is 10 years older and has none of the wear related issues of the Cub Cadet, and does just as good mowing wise. I'm a bit biased now but I'll probably run my tractors until they die, or I do.

I believe I've mentioned in the past that there's a part of human basic survival which makes us keep a few pounds of body weight after a very serious physical exertion. Many MANY of the hikes I've done over the years have made me do just that. Perfectly normal. It occured to me this morning that, to the best of my recollection, Saturday's hike was the largest I've ever done after which I have not retained 2 to 4 lb of body weight for a few days. I find that very interesting. I'm now coming up on 24 hours fasting. I feel better than expected! I'm aware of my stomach being empty... but really not hungry. I'll go overnight and see how I feel. 🤔

That would take the "roast" out of the Nut Roaster!!!

I didn't think about it until just now but I have a vacuum pump I use to change the oil in my boat. I'm wondering if that would remove more of the transmission fluid? The rubber in my dip stick is so hard that it will never seal so I made one.

Item #53 on this page. I call it an air shock. If you take it off and clean it out it will likely function OK. Debris plugs up the holes that allows air to enter and exit. https://www.partstree.com/models/31-12k801-312-8-toro-garden-tractor-1990/clutch-brake-and-speed-control-linkage-4/

Probably one of several Wheel Horse ideas where the benefit did not justify the cost. Anti vibration shaker plate engine mounts are another example.

i took the fuel pump apart, and the 1/4” elbows off, and cleaned the fuel pump out with carb cleaner….ALL GOOD!!! Put it all together and took a Piece of clear hose and stuck on the “IN” side and the “carb” side, pumped it…it pumped up good!! Put it on the tractor, and fired it up!! The M12 ran so good!! Thanks guys!!!

In over 30 years of plowing snow, all on 8 speeds, I have never seen, much less installed these on my tractors. Tractors include C-120, 310-8, 416-8, & 312-8.

https://www.delcity.net/store/wire-connectors-quick-splices/packard-56-series-electrical-connectors/female-terminals/ You can replace the old connectors with new ones, they are a Packard 56 connector.

Please share what works for this. My FILs Charger creeps from neutral and I'm gonna have to replace the seals due to a leak here as well. It would be nice to correct both issues at once.

Clean the old paint off and I still have to pull the oil pan and clean the inside of motor and going to reseal the motor too

This is how the wiring is connected on my 416. Colors are slightly different but hopefully may help you.

@Brockport BillOkay, so I’m still not sure where they go? I tried putting them on my C-101 and couldn’t figure out how they went on, got frustrated and installed the axle bracket without them. I’ve installed them on 8-speeds before not even knowing about those little pieces and never had an issue.

Unfortunately the plastic connection holders do become brittle over time. If you have as multi meter you can find out which half of the stacked switches is closed with the PTO OFF and connect the purple and tan wires to those terminals. The Orange and dark Blue wires will, go to the half that is open with the PTO OFF. Put some tape around them to protect from shorting out and then when you inish mowing call TORO for new connector sleeves.

These diagrams should help. When one switch makes a connection the other switch breaks a connection. The wiring is likely OK. It is the wire holders that have failed and these were still available from Toro last time I checked. The terminals themselves can be removed from the holders and inserted in new. If you need help on how to change them let us know. Connector body https://www.partstree.com/parts/toro-111498/

I disassembled and cleaned both and surprisingly the original Craftsman 3 prong grounded cords and restraining grommets are like new.. Very pliable and no sign of cracking.

Thanks for the positivity guys I appreciate it!! I am definitely spending more time on this hood, then I thought I would. But I also realize its the focal point of these tractors, it's also what has the most paint showing. So today got all of the paint stripped off, cleaned it really good and got some bondo on it. It's been a little while since I did bondo last, so it might take a little more sanding, but it's also hard to get it on the small curved areas as well. Shiny hood!!! I was slightly tempted to clear coat it and leave it as is, lol!

Tractor lost some more parts. Some of the parts cleaned and sitting on the bench. Hydraulic tubes and hoses cleaned up. Front wheels cleaned up. The other side unfortunately does not look as good. Wire harness as pulled. I got a few little parts bead blasted.

Today I finished up some loose ends on the C-141 and took a group photo.

Finished a new front hitch. Total cost $30.

C-85 cleaning is essentially done…back on all fours wheels. This one might actually get waxed!

Probably, but you'll have to make up a new mounting bracket for the spool valve. The cylinder should have the same dimensions, and be rebuildable.

You can pick up an automotive 5 pin relay and socket at any auto parts store for less than $ 10.00. Even Walmart has them available for shipping. https://www.walmart.com/ip/2-Pcs-Relay-Harness-5-Pin-5-Wire-80A-12V-Jd2912-1Z-12Vdc-Spdt-Socket-Plug-14Vdc/15626767431?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=101294820&selectedOfferId=567C13C0CDE0304291AB5B31213A3048&conditionGroupCode=1&wmlspartner=wlpa&cn=FY25-ENTP-PMAX_cnv_dps_dsn_dis_ad_entp_e_n&gclsrc=aw.ds&adid=22222222297567C13C0CDE0304291AB5B31213A3048_0000000000_21407473164&wl0=&wl1=x&wl2=c&wl3=&wl4=&wl5=1026125&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=736876983&wl11=online&wl12=567C13C0CDE0304291AB5B31213A3048&veh=sem&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21690411341&gbraid=0AAAAADmfBIrx-4ZCbXsUFuN9-TN1OuVai&gclid=CjwKCAjwk7DFBhBAEiwAeYbJscTnEXWRAktYgqPENNerZqqlWbQS8sAuIRs52CjMXZ_vHRL0KLezeRoC7gMQAvD_BwE I did this post a few years ago when they were only $ 5.00.

Got you, the spacers self center with the tapered seat and lug nut, and the outside will be fine even though my wheels don't have a tapered seat. So the jeep ones with a 80mm center bore that will slide over my hub is fine, just need tapered 7/16 lug nuts to attach the spacer to my hub?

I’ve learned to fill using a funnel linked to a tube much smaller than the filler tube and long enough to almost reach the bottom of the transaxle. Yes, it takes a long time to fill but no “burping” of oil out of the filler. Also, something to keep in mind with hydros is that when draining, a substantial amount of oil remains in the charge pump, motion pump/motor, and the plumbing to the lift valve and cylinder which is all but impossible to extract. I always measure the oil that came out when figuring how much to put in to avoid accidental overflow.

She’s together, quick spin around the yard and back into the shed for today.

Ohh boy... So started welding up cracks and holes. So the hood is a lot rougher then I realized it has a good bit of bondo in it. It's fixable I believe but gonna be some work. Already hammered some but it's gonna be a lot of hammering and then bondo as thin as possible. Might look for some hoods locally as well. One of the hood mount brackets was welded on at one end. So cut it off and got that part of the hood fixed as well. Next is the seat pan had a bunch of cracks and holes that needed filled. Seat mount had cracks as well. Thinking about taking those metal bars that were on the seat springs to strengthen the whole seat pan mounts Also welded the sleeve hitch. Wire stopped feeding halfway through the weld so its got a little clump in the middle but good enough.

Ohio has a sales tax holiday and TSC has a sale on heating pellets. The limit is 500.00 So i bought four tons for five hundred and got some rewards points Stacking them in this heat was two tons a day. Not bad from an old guy

Ruger LCP .380. one of the older models. I've painted the tiny fixed sites to help me in alignment, Green laser and Sneaky Pete holster. I also have a Ruger LCP .22 with same set up. The .380 is my CCW. The green laser allows me to cluster shots about size of paper plate at 21 feet. Which for me, who not a good shot, and 2.75" barrel suits me. I have carried this holster for more than two years. On the net, many poo poo this style of holster but it's exactly what I like. Comfortable to wear, pretty easy to remove for locations that personal protection is not allowed. I have never been asked what it's purpose is (even at church) and I have adapted it for other uses. The holster came with a plastic liner that helps hold the pistol in upright position. The liner wouldn't allow the pistol with laser installed to be inserted. By removing original and making my own liner, the gun fits and as an added benefit, my New Testament Bible slides in perfectly. This covers my needs as well as I can expect. I normally carry my phone on a belt holster, When CCW, the phone goes to shirt pocket and Sneaky takes it place. I purchased the .22 a year ago. I have access to a large lot of ammo so when I go to the range or to the farm, I get much more practice time. The .22 is not nearly as reliable but for plinking and practice, it works.

For quite some time I've been wanting a way to monitor my BP and pulse on both a daily basis and in particular, while exercising. Such as hiking. Trina bought the same blood pressure monitor that her traveling nurse uses. Wrist-mounted detector with velcro strap. Obviously medical grade. Yesterday afternoon after I was moving around quite a bit I took my blood pressure and it was 124/80. Likely would have been a fair amount lower if I had been resting as I should before taking a BP. That's a good strong 20 points or more lower than I've seen it in the past before I lost weight!

For the past couple of hours I've been watching videos on make morel slurry. Pretty interesting and I'm going to make some as I have been pouring the water I wash them in whereas the slurry has other ingredients that may help it be more successful. One fellow's video "how to grow morels at home" looks like he has been really successful. I've got various species of oak trees, several rotting (17 years) stumps along a fence row which I hope will be a good place. I'm also going to try to "seed" the dedicated asparagus bed as someone suggested that would be a good spot. I could provide shade in the spring with netting if I see fit.