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The first notes are on papyrus ... that's an indication of how long @ebinmaine's been "working " on it... Trail cam of Eric ordering the first parts list...

Personally I would tap the holes but another way is to buy a pair of self tapping screws.

Definitely. Part of my being neurodiverse is a terrible short term memory. I use a couple phone apps to help with many things. Calendar 📅 Notes 📝 I keep a list of "To-do" for every tractor (and many other tasks).

3 day snow event here finally over. Went to my mom's today to clean up driveway after her plow guy. Used dad's Troy Bilt GTX 20 w/Bervac. He bought it new in the 90s back when Troy Bilt was owned by Garden Way. Don't remember exactly what he paid but I know it was alot for tractor, 48" mower deck, 2stage Bervac, & plow blade. Really nice tractor. 20hp Vanguard, hi/lo rear axle, hydro, power steering, cruise, electric pto w/all implements shaft driven. Wish he would have got the available front loader. So at least this winter I get to use a one, just not mine yet ☹️ Sorry @Ed Kennell its not your old Bervac..... 20251215_132155.mp4

Yesterday we got some snow. Saturday I put the blade on the c-145 since my C-120 that is supposed to have a plow on it is in pieces. Yesterday morning put a new scraper blade from a public works snowplow on. That should last awhile! Then it was time to shine. Love plowing fluffy snow! And today did a bit more cleanup. IMG_1281.mov

I have run those before without that support being bolted to carb without narry a problem. Of course, it would be better to have them in there but not absolutely necessary.

I got one step closer to putting the snowblower on my 522xi. I replaced the flaky old PTO clutch (which slipped intermittently when it was warmed up) with a new aftermarket unit. As far as I can tell, the build/fit/finish looks as good as the old clutch, which I assume is the original, since the machine had very low hours on it when I bought it years ago. The only difference I noticed is that the new clutch hub doesn't extend as far forward as the old one, making it a bit harder to get a good grip on it with a 1-1/2" wrench. The new clutch came with a 1/4-inch-thick washer to make up for it (based, I suppose, on the assumption that the user would install a replacement bolt of the same length as the old one), but instead of using the thick washer, I opted for a 1/4-inch shorter replacement bolt of the same grade as the original and torqued per the service manual instructions. After installing the clutch, in hindsight it occurred to me that I 'might' have been able to swap the old hub for the new one to make it easier to get a wrench on it, but it's in now and working fine, so it will stay that way.

One of the advantages of working at a large company (DuPont) and having my site shut down after cutting the maintenance department down to just me as the sole millwright is I got to take home truckloads of hardware. This is a bit of it.

Front fender bracket ready to install. Note the large washers that will hopefully prevent the Hoodstand from cracking again. Front fender bracket bolted into place just loose enough that it will move around. Fender sat on to verify bracket placement. Turns out front fender bracket needs to be moved forward as far as possible for the holes to all line up. I then removed the fender and checked to be sure the front fender bracket is square by measuring to the hoodstand as shown. Both sides were 7-7/8" so good there. I then measured side to side from hoodstand to outer edge of front fender bracket. Just over 2-3/4" both sides. Front fender bracket bolts torqued to 204 in/lb. Shown here are the large washers installed. They are different only because that is all I had on hand.

Parking brake lever assembly ready to install. I am installing an early style as I do with all of my builds as I don't like the later style with the plastic knob on the left side. Parking brake bolt, washers, and spacer installed. Never seize on the SS bolt. Parking brake lever assembly installed and nut torqued to 30 ft/lb. Parking brake lever spring installed. Shift cover plate sat in place to verify parking brake lever location. I cut out the slot for the parking brake earlier this past summer. Adjusted brake spring according to manual.

I used to work witha guy who flew scout helicopters for the Army in the middle east. One of his sayings was "spare parts are life".