I always liked this one. Lets go..... I just purchased a 2003 Chevy express 3500. It's sweet because it's got the side panels that open. I'm going through it to upgrade it to where I want it to be. Pulled the head liner down to re glue the fabric. And while I'm at it I'm going to mount a monitor in the spot that looks like it was designed for a over head console for a rear view camera. I like having the camera to watch the loads in my trailer...

NEXT...…………...……………….

Been a Hell of a week. Wife's car wouldn't start so got a ride home after services wed (Ash Wed.) No problem we'll go back and get it. start the work van up And put it in gear BUT no GO. CRAP ….. OK we'll take the truck... Nope dead battery... You think GOD was telling us to stay off the road Wed night? How in the world do All you vehicles decide NOT to work all at the same time If it isn't Devine intervention. All is good today with the exception of the work van( 2008 Uplander) still no go and don't have time to mess with it right now. Just got a 2003 express so I'm getting it all set up for work. Uplander seems like the torque converter isn't bolted to the flex plate OR the pump in the tranny exploded.

Know the feeling Jim!---- I never got my oil pan fixed on the 150 pick-up. 350 diesel won't start below 65 degrees, Explorer good til down to 20 above, then forget it! --- That's why we do a lot of stocking up for bad weather, and don't make any appointments in this weather.
On your converter, could the bolts have come loose/broke off ?
Two days ago our well froze up again, the heat bulb didn't last the winter, so We had to call well people to come fix it. Pressure switch , gauge, and a hydrant seal were history. Haven't got the bill yet, I'm sure that will cost a bunch. I didn't have the parts to fix it and can't hardly get down the hole to the well. The tank sits in a 6 1/2' false well and the heat bulb keeps it from freezing. This winter has the ground frozen deeper than usual.

Replaced belts on a Komline Sanderson belt press one of them is 577 inches x 6 feet the other is a bit shorter. They think our machine is the last one of its type running in the World, it is a backup to a centrifuge
That is for dewatering pretreated waste water. Both went down at same time, was costing 5000$ a day above and beyond what City was already charging. That combination generates about 40,000 lbs solids every 3 shifts. It keeps 3 dump trailers tied up round the clock

That's a monster of a machine from the sounds of it! Frank!
Today I did get the sawmill engine fixed for now, and started 4 tillers, then after they got warmed up good I changed the oil in them. Put a bs 900 tiller engine back together, and now have spark, so I changed oil in it, just got this one and engine was stuck, they put a new engine on it and never used it much, then let it set for a long time. Still have to find a small tubeless tire stem for one of its tires then refill the transmission with 90 weight. Hope to get this one going to add in the fleet to go!

I guess you could call it a big machine, its stationary really just part of a system. It mostly fills the entire mezzanine it sets on, when its life is over it will be cut up for scrap where it sets, nobody will remember it fondly or ever care it was the last one. But for the time being its important and they will throw endless money at it keeping it functional. The company will dump 10 grand in it to make it run right now and shut it down tommorow and decomission it next week. Seen it over and over. I could not tell you how many running forklifts i seen dumped right in the scrap hopper.

Frank, I have heard that companies do stuff like that! -- A lot of usable equipment ends up that way.---Kinda sad!

Today I got some horseradish dug up so I can send some plants to friends on the internet . Got another log sawed into boards, moved more logs closer to the mill and now trying to nurse a bad jaw ache! --- seams to be in the left ear and goes down to the back teeth. --- Anyway, I got beat by 6:30 and had to quit for the day!

Well I picked up the stuff and did an oil change on the wife's Toyota Sienna, went to move the motor home and it wouldn't start So new starter. Modified the LP fire pit for Natural gas.. re-arranged the stuff behind the shed so I could put the toy trailer out there so I could move the RV. Just got in.. Did get the RV moved back up to it's normal parking spot. All that and I even managed to beat the rain storm we're supposed to get an hour ago..

Not so much an odd job as a long overdue inspection, looked over the pear trees, they are healthy. I wont get them prunned this year, to much else on my plate. Gave 2 of my Case tractors a once over inspection, made sure the Economy 14 is resting comfortable in the briars. I am about overwhelmed with this miserable cleanup. Everywhere i look there is something that needs chucked. But the bright side of it is once its gone it will never get scattered around my place again. Looking so forward to getting some lathes placed and wired up. The south bend 13 is almost ready to start putting the apron back together, I want to clean and paint it but getting it functional is far more important, (Sonny you have a clone of my SB). I dont mind the change gears part at all, the other option really sucked canal water,, no lathe at all. Besides if your teaching someone to operate the lathe the hands on experience is priceless when they have to read a chart and handle the ratio changes themselves. Wow this really went to long😴

Dragged out one of my big saws today need it to get some 30 in logs on the ground. It has not been run in few years, will see how this goes, if i was closer begging sonnys big homelite would be easier😁

It ran checked it over ajusted carb made some test cuts, o boy that dumb tree is bigger than i thought, and possible hollow😩

I have a 25" for my Stihl I'll probably never use again. Since I quit burning wood I only start the saws to keep them in good operating condition. Every other month I go around and Start every thing I own with an engine on it. worst thing in the world for ANY machine is to sit....

Back when Virginia and I sold firewood we bought the last new Homelite made, it was the 8800 and we put a 36" bar on it to cut some 36 t0 48" oak trees. We cut/split/delivered tons of wood over several years. Had to deal with a few weird customers, too.
---Anyway the wood sales kept our bills paid during the winter back then.

I have since come across an Echo cs-8000 and put 36" ripping chain/bar on it to help skin down bigger logs so they fit on the bandmill. I can't run/handle for very long periods of time, but it is handy for the few times I do need it. Right now I need to cut a couple pine logs for a guy that are 24" on the big end,---need to skin down to 18" or so for the mill.
I still have all of the old saws plus a lot of the newer plastics. My favorite is an Echo cs-310, light, starts easy and cuts fast enough for us. --Sis also has a 310 and loves it.
I finally got the Sthil ms-250 that a friend gave me running fairly decent and use the de-barker on it.

This should be in the humor section, if i started all my saws once a month i would never get get it all done. I think i have to many . And Jim is right setting around is hard on engines.

I buy saws every time im at auctions, there are nice ones setting around that I never started. I worked on saws since late 70s, they just accumulate. I like all brands, EVERY mfg made some stinkers along the way. And almost all of them had some outstanding models

The mens group at church did a work day this morning,apr 13, 2019. It was at pastors home to move some heavy furniture in the house and clean up a bunch of leaner and overhanger trees, it started out at 8am with a fabulous breakfast of pancakes, eggs sausage, bacon,toast,coffee, orange juice, fresh fruit. When food and fellowship was finished the outside work commenced and I was given the easy job notching and dropping trees. The work brigade was split in 3 groups to drag limbs, split firewood, tend the fire pile, rake, stack cordwood,ect. I started out with a 455 husky nice saw, chains all junk. One of the guys had a MS170 Stihl, quite small for what I was doing but it was wearing a spanking new chain. Seven trees later it was time for me to find something else to do. My splitter was already there and one of the guys was taken away to haul brush to the fire with a garden tractor and cart, so I stepped in the splitter crew and helped with that task. They sent at least 5 full loads to the woodpile to be unloaded and stacked. At one point I was handed a small sledge to straighten the guide rails on the splitter that keeps the wedge tracked, one of the guys said he had never seen anyone with a sledge hammer in one hand and a chainsaw in the other,,, whatever works

Went to the Western Reserve Federal Cemetary this afternoon, it is a fairly new one open for burials in
2000. There are over 80,000 burials already, the place is massive. And they have just begun. My longtime
Buddy was place in wall 1 when it first opened. Vernon was a WWII USN Vet. Last count there are 36 walls just for urns. The place is going to take up the entire country block eventually.
Last year 60,000 live wreaths were placed on veterans graves during Christmas. That is a sight you will never forget. It snowed right after they laid them. I will be there this year to help place them. I think about 1600 people worked to get them laid down last year, they did it in one day. Sad that is the only reconition some of those guys ever receive. They just went did there job and quietly came home

I did get a few radishes and turnips planted. Dug and made some horseradish, went and hauled home another TB Horse tiller and got it ready to go. then got a couple more logs cut on the sawmill, plus a bunch of other stuff done. Here are a couple pix of the big dig on the horseradish!

Well actually yesterday BUT I did get a few odd jobs done. . I finally got stuff moved around, set my lift up and got the Uplander up on the lift so I can investigate the transmission issue.


tore the engine out of the SeaDoo that was given to me.. this one is dead meat.

picked up another for parts.



AND finally finished screwing down the trim rail on the motor home.

Love that car lift... sure beats the heck out of a set of ramps and a dense foam pad. One of my many plans for out here was at least a nice concrete pad a creeper would roll on.
Doc

it's god for 7000 lbs I have anchors set in three different locations.

I single handedly (literally) tilled up a spot for a garden.

HEY!! a Troy-built!! ---- great machines! we use a half dozen of them. I like the Tuffy for close cultivating, and the Horses for the bigger work. 3 of them are 8 hp, the others are 7 hp.
I use the wd allis and the 72" King-Kutter 3-pt tiller to go over the ground before planting. Then cultivate with the Horse's.

Raining again today, nother 3/4 inch so far, ( over 4" yesterday) so no outside work again today!
Wanted to get mower decks cleaned/fixed, may be able to do a little between rains.

This is the econo horse. 6hp Tecumseh. If this engine ever quits I will lose the reverse feature until I get creative enough to build a jackshaft cuz they don't make engines with the reversed output anymore that I know of. I bought it. New 25 years ago. It's a great me machine. Started right up first pull.

I have a JD front tine tiller, blown motor, 6 hp tech, has a pulley on camshaft for reverse! -- Is that the way yours is set up?
At one time one of the surplus places had the engines for sale, but not anymore! Sad but that's the way it goes!

Yeah boss that's it if there's any way possible to rebuild that engine that's the way to do it I love those rototiller it's awesome Tecumseh has a reputation for being junk because they are but I got real lucky with this one knock on wood.

Ariens used a jackshafted reverser on the later rockets there was a clever way they got the reverse back, if i can find it i will post a picture. Then you can use a 6 hp predator from HF. I have been repowering
Horse tillers with O issues. Those engines will run circles around the old obsolete kohlers and tecumsehs. That is a sad sad fact. Nothing available for either mfg engines any more. All parts easy to get and dirt cheap for the predator.

I will keep my eyes open for one of those engines sonny, they show up in junk guys trucks and bone rows at auctions. I have had them in my hand before

Have a couple preditor engines. NO COMPLAINTS

Simplicity uses a belt inside out an hits the other side of pulley. ---that does work, or has been working on mine, a model 7016RT. ---I have a couple vertical b&s 3hp that have cam reverse pulley on Hahn front tine tillers.-- these don't run anymore. My parents bought it new in the early 60's for $ 149.95 from Miller Hatchery and Hardware store, paid for it with their egg sales money, and I did garden tilling for town people with it to repay the folks back plus whatever I could get to help the family.
Hauled the tiller around in an old trailer behind the Oliver 70 tractor. ( my wheels at the time since I wasn't old enough to drive legally! )

That was some interesting times back then!
On the jackshaft idea, I need to come up with something for a David-Bradley walk-behind garden tractor to slow the speed down.

Can't you just change up the pulley sizes to get it to go slower

Sonny, old briggs cast irons had 4-1 reductions on them. Those engines are bomb proof. Most of them if complete are easy to get them running. They often show up at swap meet and flea markets

I don't think I have ever seen a 4:1, but I have several with a 6:1.

I have seen two ratios advertised, and that's 4:1 and 6:1 -- I have some old 6:1's that don't run, and if you look at my garden creeper, it has a new 6:1 on it. The problem with that on a DB is that it sticks out too far and no room. --I did a test fit a long time ago and saw that wouldn't work.
Need compact jackshaft of some sort.---David - Bradley did make a reducer for them, but I never could find one, so I know that it's possible to make one!
Another idea I got is to go hydro drive, and pack everything in close. hydro motor on top, pump down low, hyd. tank high, ---well you get the idea! lol!!

well ... I think I'm getting better at my powder coating. these grab rails for the old Harley golf cart came out pretty nice.

Looks great !!

Put a new water pump in the Chevy Express today. Been smelling antifreeze on and off but couldn't find the source, but the other day I had a river flowing from under the van so the source found me. Hardest part was getting the damn fan off.

Thats the worst thing about vans,---hard to work on for the most part.
We had an old 75 Ford 150 with the great 300 in it and it was quite easy to work on.
Sis had a little66 E-100 with a 240 and I took the motor out to rebuild it one time,---dog house off,-- a few bolts later I had the motor drug up onto the floor of the van! lol!
Looked at the newer vans and backed away from them!--- too much junk hung on them in the way!

water pump wasn't bad at all. I was surprised.

Usually water pumps are close enough to the front that you can weasel tools and hands down in there without too much trouble! --- the rest of the motor can be a bear.

Just had to remove the fan shroud, air filter, overflow tank, serpentine belt, fan & hoses. really wasn't any harder than a car. just had to have something to stand on in order to reach over to the front of the engine. Shoulda taken pics

The getting up on the front of stuff is a major problem for me now,---thats why I cant work on that damn 7.3! lol! Might have found a place in town that will at least look at it later this winter. They have our Explorer in now for heater not working, engine slobber when cold, oil change, and see IF they can fix the damn automatic transmission so it will shift like it used to 10 years ago! lol!
I asked them if they did diesel trucks and they said they do pickups but NOT the big boys, so might have something going on that one yet,---still love the truck, just hate the 7.3 and the automatic that dont shift right either, but it drags my big tri axle flatbed around and that works for me.
I sure missed not having it running for the last year!!

Sandblasted some old 8foot lengths of 3" wide C-channel and small rectangular steel tubing from my steel stock rack, they were bare iron and getting scaly rusty..with iron prices out of sight at the local steel dealer I thought I'd at least keep what I have here in good shape..I shot a flash coat of ancient old grey primer on it afterwards to prevent further oxidization..always nice to use clean material for building rather than nasty scaly iron..sometimes you don't have a choice..I have a lot of 8,10 and 12" wide c-channels that need the same treatment but that'll have to wait till spring..now onto the next small task..

I came to the house in Florida to get away from everything to let my foot heal better.....FAIL... got here Fri night & so far I've installed a mini split, Pulled New wire for the range because the insulation was falling off the 80-year-old Al wire. it started sizzling & I saw little puffs of smoke when I was running the feed for the mini split. I installed an instant hot water faucet in the kitchen, which I also had to run power for and re- did the plumbing so the hot water dispenser, the cold side of the faucet & the feed to the refrigerator All come off a filter. ran coax to both bedrooms & connected them to the antenna. that was nice. I was able to watch MY Bills Beat the Pats in bed.

get 'er done Jim..but don't over-do it and reinjure yourself..I have a hard time sitting still myself during times like those..enjoy that Florida weather aside from the tornadoes

well yesterday I cut a tree down with a Ryobi 18v chain saw. Got a LOT done with one battery.

today I put up a powered retractable awning on the Florida getaway.

ckr

looks great!

Well catch-up time. On the 20th I set up the portable hot tub. I got this portable tankless water heater to fill it with so I could use it right away.


I did jump in it & relax for a bit before retiring for the night

21st... I finished cutting up that tree I cut down the other day. Still gotta haul off the brush.


Over did it a bit so I soaked in the spa a LONG TIME. Probably longer than I should have. but it made the foot & leg feel better.

Checked the cameras on the home front. Kinda wish I was there to clean the snow off the canopies. Don't think I could really maneuver in the snow very well right now though So I'm glad I'm NOT. I'm sure I would be out there trying and I would probably break something else.

Got the auction stuff hauled home! 30' trailer staked full! --- Forgot to take pix!

going to PA to pick up another Isuzu diesel engine for one of my forklifts, this new engine is to replace the one I rebuilt two years ago with a split cylinder liner,evidently the cyl head is now cracked on the old one or has cracked as it gets pressure in the cooling system enough to blow the rad cap off..ive redone the head and installed a new head gasket but it keeps blowing,so its easier to replace the whole engine with a new surplus one once I trade all the accessory drives over. This second forklift has chosen to be a really tough nut to crack,EVERYTHING has fought me tooth and nail on it. Patience and drive has always been a strong point of mine but this one is wearing me out

kinda starting to sound like my 7.3 --- ALWAYS something wrong with it! lol! Anyway there comes a point where fix is not an option!

Yes Sonny this second forklift has been a set of challenges,I'm way over the hump of repair and (financial profit if I ever go to sell it),but a diesel pneumatic 6000lb lift is hard to find used in good shape,most are worn out and this one was no exception.I'm too deep into it to give up. So the engine is a Isuzu C240 diesel,about 50hp hard to find in anything anymore because emissions pushed them out of the market,but the military still uses them in an older series of generators,this engine was one of two I purchased while they are available surplus. When they are gone they will get very hard to find,and only the engine brokers will have them at crazy prices.
Ive worked on older smaller 2KC Isuzu diesels before and the ones I worked on are now unavailable anywhere..as they wear out,thats it its scrap.So anyway I didnt do too bad

I watched a YT video of three guys rebuilding one on the side of the street in the Philippines in their bare feet..pulling cyl liners and all,,unbelieveable.

I got it unloaded yesterday when I got back and I got lucky on this one,its a unused new rebuild with the rebuilder stickers still on it..turns over smooth,should be a good runner.We'll see.


Your 7.3L just needs the right person to troubleshoot and repair it correctly; not just throw parts at it carelessly on YOUR dime. The only people I know that repair the 7.3L Ford International diesel are Powerstroke Specialty in Buford,GA

Put the bucket truck back together yesterday. by the time I came in at the end of each day My foot had been too much of a distraction to get a good post up. I'll have to do a catch-up series of the boil down process. on the positive side, the boom stayed in the air all night, so I guess I my cylinder repair is a sucess. also, my foot is getting better. getting around without my crutch and only using a cane when I have to walk a good distance (just in case). My leg muscles still have a long way to go. going up stairs is OK but down is a bitch. stairs seem to be good physical therapy, stretching all the muscles & tendons.

Yes Jim just keep moving, but not too much..easy to say hard to do for us doers who are used to getting a full day's work in.

I moved the Hyster 6000lb forklift into position on the pad for the engine pull, it starts right up and runs good, just blows pressure from the rad cap when you release it. Ran about 5minutes then when I turned the cap it blew pressure like an air tank. We have some sunny warm days ahead so I'll get it drained and pulled ASAP..try to get some pics of that.

Well---- I loafed today! LOL! Actually I went to a sale yard, online auction tomorrow night starting at 4 pm---803 lots, so probably run til 3 am like the last one they had.
This time they have something like 200 old mowers and 300 small engines on the lot,--mostly parts stuff.
Also have several dozen leaf blowers, a few chainsaws, and a TON of odd parts for b&s, Kohler, Tech., etc. A couple gators,---one has a $5,200 bid on it so far.( out of my range)lol!
Anyway our neighbor took me down to the site.
Yesterday we had to go to his daughters place and dig a hole for 13 horses that burned up in her stable a couple nights ago along with 2 cats.
Her bubcat 650 skidloader and 6 tons of hay and several bags of ground corncob bedding was lost.
Building was post construction, 40' x 140' and it was totaled. Also damaged 3 trailers parked next to the barn.
Interesting few days around here to say the least! Stay safe guys!!

Sonny those JD Gators go for big bucks even totalled they bring big money, I guess for the parts..I just did an install of a cab kit for a friend on a 4x4 XUV Gator- the 2 Cab doors with sliding tinted glass windows,glass windshield with wiper and cab heater kit all totalled around $6800..new the Gator goes about $18K..too rich for my blood, I'll stick to my golfcart thats for sure

Odd job#1 today accomplished, went to local welding supply and exchanged two 231cuft argon welding gas cylinders, $51.00/ea..last time I exchanged them was Feb last year, $42.00/ea

Hauled home the auction stuff that I bought last night! 11 small items including 4 chainsaws, 8 and 10 hp Tech. motors,---electric start on the 8,--- Earthquake cultivator, box o manuals for stuff I dont have LOL!

Those manuals are desperately needed by SOMEONE somewhere.
I put gas in the tiller, aired up the tires & ran it out to the shop before the tires went flat again. Started 1st pull. That's the only Tech. engine I've ever had that has been great.

Tried out the $170 plasma cutter I got on amazon. 120VAC version..... I'm impressed... Perfect for in the field. doesn't weigh anything. I have another of these mounted to a HF air compressor for portability. have to plug them in to different circuits but I can do work in restaurants a LOT easier now. Only cut thin stuff until now. just wanted to see how good it would do.

Now that I finally have the ends of that square tube dressed up, I can start building the Tank/Axle for the splitter. I have way too many projects started. I really need to finish a couple before I start any new ones. Yeah Right!!! something always comes up that requires immediate attention.

I know how that goes --- I have 3 chainsaws apart waiting on parts,--then like a dummy go buy 4 more at the auction! LOL!!

LAZY DAY... didn't do anything except cuddle with My Valentine.

Doctor appointment today ------ they confirmed I got Parkinsons! --- guess that x'plains why I got feeling so shitty lately! Another referral to a hi-end doc. is on the books.
Other than that we sittin here waiting for that big storm that we S'POSED to get Wed. and Thursday! hope to get lucky and dodge this one! Gittin tired of this crapy weather cause most everything I gotta do is outside!

got neck deep in the Isuzu diesel forklift engine, the original engine is toast, so I found another C240 Isuzu engine,brand new surplus from RitchieBros.auction. Luckily I pulled the original engine out of the forklift during the warm weather spell we just had here, so it's a good inside(toasty warm)shop job for the next few days.


So the new engine is made for a genset with a different injection pump and governor and no provision for the forklift hydraulic pump to mount on the front of the engine.The head and block is the same,so I have to completely disassemble the front of the engine to swop over the accessory drive and keep everything in time..so far I have 6hrs in it today due to a pair of stubborn index pins that line up the accessory drive and front cover to the block. What a PITA.But I have to say these engines are built nice,they do last a good long time with proper care. Not really impossible to work on with basic tools and patience.


I flipped the engine up on the rear bellhousing so everything is easy to get to when stripping the gear train off the front of the old engine and over to the new..

spent the weekend cleaning up the yard. lots of leaves & gumballs. sent a bunch through the chipper vac & burned a bunch of it too. it'll be good in the garden

Burned up some more stuff and watched tv on the Back yard theater while I was doing it.

Did a bunch of raking in the garden today----burned a ton of dead plants and whatever I could rake up.
Love your outdoor tv Jim! lol!

well time to finish rebuilding the hydraulic motor drive for my small articulated loader,the original setup used a Char-Lynn hydraulic motor side-driving a Suzuki Samurai 2-range transfer case with a morse chain and sprocket drive..this allowed me to tune the input rpm for max torque and ground speed of the loader..the morse chain drive was problematic and stretched a lot over time and use so improvements were necessary..I used the stock Suzuki driveshafts for input drive,they are smaller than most Spicer driveshafts but are strong enough for this machine. The Suzuki shaft yoke ends are soft,when pressing the u-joints out in a vice I bent one yoke and had to get a bit inventive to straighten it but its all slow speed no balancing required..

I turned the transfer case around in the loader frame to rear-drive it this time,with the input flange facing the rear of the loader..it made for easier connection to the hyd motor..only difference is in 2WD the front loader axle drives only,which is good,thats where the weight is with a load on it. The hydraulic motor has so much torque it ripped the transfer case clean off its mount brackets..so I made an aluminum sub-frame for it to strengthen it up and provide bigger mounting pads for it..I welded right to the aluminum transfer case itself,kinda risky to do so but it worked out OK to mount it into the machine frame. I had to replace the shifter bushing with a polyurethane one as this is a common problem with the Suzuki 4x4 transfer case. Shifts easy in/out of 4x4 and neutral now even after welding right to the case.

Looking down into the loader at transfer case input flange..I also had to cut out the old crossmember and add a 6"c-channel to provide for a hyd motor mount plate.pictured is the old crossmember with holes cut in it to clear the mount ears of the older Danfoss hyd motor. The hyd line in the forground is the steer cylinder rear line.


So I changed hydraulic motors for a better speed/torque range and elimininated the morse chain drive altogether..direct drive the transfer case with a supershort driveshaft / cv setup.

Machining the 1-1/4 keyed drive coupler on the lathe to fit on the hyd motor and driveshaft end to weld together


So then I made a flex CV type joint to allow flex between the hyd motor and the transfer case input as everything isnt perfect and if I need to change motors out again it will allow for some adaptability


So the hyd motor had to be tipped down in the rear to clear the hyd pump input,kinda hokey in looking at it but the motor doesnt care what angle it's on..I made a strong mount out
of the old hyd motor mount,recycled it and turned it up on edge to bolt to the 6"channel crossmember. Shaft connects to the transfer case input..now just waiting on a 1/4"swivel for
the case drain line and she's back in action..at least 'till it breaks again LOL..this photo shows the motor being set into the new 6" channel crossmember and aligned as best I can while smoking a nice cigar.
The mount plate bolts to the crossmember with (3) 1/2"grade-8 bolts so I can remove it easy in the future for repair or adapting it.
You can see below the stub remains of the old 3"channel crossmember clamped to the new 6"wide one as I fit the motor mount to it..


We'll see how long this drive setup lasts..it's always being modified so it works better..I'm not OCD about it but more functionality driven..so on to the next job for now.

That was a lot of work!!! looks great!
I went on a road trip to get a couple wagons and a corn dump,---got soaked loading the stuff,---will un-load tomorrow ,--OR when rain stops!

not really a LOT of work, just a bit here and there,couple hours at a time..that way I have time to think about it and change things as I go..drive parts are expensive,the Suzuki driveshafts are hard to find cheaply..10yrs ago I bought the Suzuki transfer case AND driveshafts together for $75.00..now just to find the transfer case alone is $1200.00 and up.. I used to make a lot of parts here on the lathe but have found that for $15.00 I can buy a keyed shaft coupler thats perfect and save hours of work on the lathe,wear and electricity making my own..FWIW

Not just today but over the weekend .....
Finally got the mini hoe tore apart for proper repair.


Sprayed some Paint.


Loaded the Harley in the truck for my trip to Florida ( Yep another one ) foots healed enough to ride so.....


Tight fit.


And cleaned up a bunch of scrap Aluminum melted it down and poured into metal muffins.

a lot of rain here for the last 3 days,--BUT I got the motorgrader back home and almost have the hoist off the wagon gear. Put the onion plants in storage til the ground dries enough to plant, had the ground tilled before the rain so it should dry faster.
had to order a carb for the little earthquake cultivator motor,--waiting on that.
Got the 4 big pine trees out front cut/burned. They started dying a couple years ago for some reason, ( probably pine beetles).
Trying to fix the hyd. pipe on the 340 so I can till the rest of the gardens later on.

odd jobs done? went to bank and paid off loan on car,now that its worn out its actually mine..put some electrical supplies away from a project, then tore apart some old sawhorses and made new legs for them..(2) 2x4-8's with tax $16.91 good gawd I havent bought lumber in a while..swept up the front shop floor and put tools away from the loader hyd motor refit job..got leaf raking/yard work to do today if it doesnt rain again..got bulbs to plant too

Did an internet auction again,---this time I had to go haul home 2 loads of stuff. 4 more water pumps, 3 generators, 3 push mowers, 3 chainsaws, radial arm saw, old table saw, some other odds-n-ends! ( gotta stay away from internet auctions!--get in trouble REAL fast!)

Back in Va. got started on the Mini hoe today. got too dark for pictures. I'll get some tomorrow.

Got neighbors dump truck home,---then used it to haul 2 big loads of horse manure home! Moved some stuff around with the skidloader.

sounds like a shitty job again Sonny

Ya,-- it kinda is,--BUT it grows some killer veggies!! The onions love it!
Rainin today. Got the Toro push mower runnin, seller said it ran, but you know how that goes! lol! anyway it does run and mow. The blade is sharp too! That is a first!
Getting some seed flats started since I cant do much outside right now.

To enjoy a properly sharp blade, you must have decent soil and a good patch of grass.

Dad's was like that growing up, mostly kentucky bluegrass on river silt. You needed a sharp blade, and even then we couldn't keep up (he had two teenage boys and the dump guy used to sell mowers). He bought a rider when we moved out.

I have mostly thin grass on sand, and probably half weeds at that (hey, at least they are green). If you got rid of the switchgrass and sourgrass I'd have hardly any fescue showing until the crab grass comes in, in june. They all erode my blades like crazy, especially the sand...so if I dared sharpen them, which would have to be every time I mowed, I'd have nothing left before the season was over. As it is, I'm not terribly concerned with the health of the crabgrass so just let the mower club everything. Sad thing is the fescue looks vaguely happy this time of year before everything else takes off and laps it. At least everything that's there holds my sand from washing away.

We have a garden bed where my wife used creeping thyme as a ground cover, and turns out it is quite happy in sand. Can stand to be walked on occasionally as long as you don't beat down a path in it. Smells nice when you mow it, by intent or accident, some has spread into some parts of the back yard and I don't mind. Mowing it doesn't kill it. So when we put in the pool I moved a few clumps of thyme along the slope at one end, and it not only survived it spread and took over the whole thing. Looks nice as long as I keep the worst of the switchgrass and sourgrass pulled. Just have to warn swimmers not to step on them when in bloom, not a fun way to find a honeybee.

And there's always some fresh somewhere in the yard when you're making soup.

Beefed it up with some gussets.

Wire wheeled it and shot it with rust converter.

Now I'm debating whether to paint it Black or Orange.

preliminary barn cleanout today..torched a old mobile home axle up for scrap, found a lot of old mobile home tires on wheels to be scrapped now that Ive converted everything over to 8-lug radials on my trailers..tires get cut off wheels and go to landfill for collection, steel wheel scrap in my scrap bin..found two push mowers too,locked up will get scrapped maybe next week,decks are rotted out,not repairable.

Hoe brackets look good with some paint on 'em Jim..I see lots of triangle gussets-looks like you built it well..

One of the big brands out there just switched from painting their boom yellow to black, because a properly greased machine always seems to get black streaks on it anyway. Sounds like a good enough reason to me...?

Yeah... I'll probably leave this part black and the rest I'll hit with the Orange to match the tractor.
Opened the pool yesterday. Figure by the time I get the chemicals right it might be warm enough for the grand kids to jump in. the heater sprung a leak so I'm waiting on the replacement.

WELL I went to Home Depot & purchased 6 bags of composted manure to turn into the gardens. Gotta get up with one of the 100's of horse stables around here. I think they all have contracts with the landscape suppliers around here. every where else I've lived there was always a sign some where for free manure but not here ........Nothing I can find inside of 100 miles any way.

finally getting somewhere with the Mini hoe. Decided to keep the tractor orange and paint the attachments Black.
Got some DOM tube welded in with Zirk fitting for grease where feasible.

And drilled passages in the bolts that I used for pins on the pivots with Zirks..

I should get a lot more years outa this thing now. Still have to do DOM on a few more parts. I wont know how to work it without all the slop it developed over the last 8 years.

Starting to look like a backhoe again.

Lookin good Jim! I did finally get some of the gardens tilled the first time with the neighbors 706 and 72" tiller. still trying to find brazing rods so I can braze the fittings on the hyd. block.

I use HARRIS BLOCKADE #45535. It sticks to pretty much anything. got tired of the flux falling off the stick or drying up in the can. I have all kinds of rod, but I like the blockade the best. I finally got those Elderberries in the ground.

brought the bucket truck home and trimmed some branches off the trees out by the shed. tomorrow I'll clean up the mess and work on getting the mini hoe back together.

Did a small mod on my garden tractor I have been meaning to make pretty much since I built it...I extended the trailer hitch. I also included a chain slot.



Bolted on my tooth bar to try and uproot some blue rug juniper. Got a few good bites in, now I need to rake that out to see how much more needs to come up.


Moved a bucket of dirt to fill in next to a patio, and a half dozen scoops of mulch to get at least one bed covered before the weeds take over.

Mowed some of the yard, worked on the Sthil 025, moved water to the bigger holding tanks, transplanted a few hollyhocks.

Got the old girl put back together.

Nice work Jim, now a real-world dig test is required

Looks like a new one!

When I click on the link I get the mighty wheel of wait nothing is happening

spent the last two days cleaning benches off of C-R-A-P..lots of small pieces and parts and cups full of screws and bolts..amazing how much leftover hardware I accumulate taking salvage items apart for scrapping..tons of 1/4,5/16,3/8 and 1/2" bolts,sorting thru it all takes time..Im strictly SAE hardware around here, all metric goes straight into the trashcan. Two days into it all day,and it might take two more days LOL..great to do on rainy days

went to another auction on the computer. Got a bunch of stuff to go get on Friday. also Got the 340 KINDA working on the big tiller. still have a hydraulic problem to sort out. Mowed part of the yard.

took 1500lbs mixed steel scrap in to recycling; engine blocks,iron transmission cases,wheels,clips,strips,unusable plate scraps-got $110 cash to spend..doesnt go far anymore..then turned around that afternoon,went back to the scrapyard with two 5-ton package unit air conditioners for scrap, $45/each..units were already evacuated; pulled the compressors out first, sold separate, got $28 for each compressor..separate your scrap and earn more at the scale..$256 for about 3hrs work, -$30 for diesel fuel to get it there. Coulda made even more if I cut the evap cores out and sold seperate but it wasnt worth the time..gotta keep rollin'

I opened pandoras box.. NV3500

Thats not good! --looks serious for sure!

well... Been busy as hell. still working on the truck, RV and 100 other things and still working stupid long days. Got the ceiling done in the Motor home and on set of cabinets back up. and got the Syncros & bearings all replaced in the Tranny. Built myself an assembly Jig.

Now to get it all back in the case!! I always hated to work on them, only got into a couple ford van 3 speed ones for sis years back. Guess it wasnt too bad after 2 times taking it apart to get rings in the right direction! lol!
I stick to dozer and tractor trans.! LOTS more room and less parts to mess with!!

Still workin on my cc Z turn! Cant get belt to hold-- it gets hot and comes apart for some reason!

Got this far. had to stop because my form a gasket stuff was hard in the tube. gotta get a new tube.

This things kickin my butt.. I've had it broke down 4 times now. It's locking up when I get the case halves bolted back together. had to walk away yesterday. I'll give it another shot later today. Last thing I did was give the bearing races a good whack to make sure they were seated in the case fully. I can't see anything else that would cause it to bind.

Well got it all back together. Got the tranny in the truck and took it for a test drive. So far so good trucks moving again...,..yay

Well got it all back together. Got the tranny in the truck and took it for a test drive. So far so good trucks moving again...,..yay

glad ya got it going again! ya they are super picky about the parts being just so--so and if not they wont work!

Ive blown some engines in my time but never blown a tranny..Dah-Dum

I never had a manual go out,---sis was hard on Ford van 3-speeds! lol Automatics is what always dies on me!! Guess its cause I despise them with a passion and they know it! lol!

I think they used to call them "three on the tree" meaning with the steering column shifter lever..them old 70-80s Ford vans with the 300ci 6cylinder had them..I drove one in high school for an electronics company delivering TV repair modules..back when things were repairable..the shifter lever and linkage was so worn out the lever kinda floated and you had to feel it into gear

Tranny didn't go out, but the rear seal did, and it blew out all the oil. Started whining a bit so I decided to go through it. Had a 63 Chevy 1/2 ton step side with the 3 on the tree. that one was so worn the shift pattern was damn near from 6 oclock to 12 oclock

working on an old Chevy K-30 (1-1/4T 4x4) squarebody pickup..surplus ex-military truck..engine swop (from a 6.2L diesel to a 350/4BL) then unbolted and lifted the bed off, stripped the frame; sandblasted and painted the frame,suspension and rear axle with black acrylic enamel,-added a bit too much isocyanate hardener with the paint..gawd I hate working with that stuff but it does give good results. cleaned up the mess afterwards,put everything away..that's enough for one day..wiring and new radiator tomorrow if I can find the gumption

Added a small HF hoist to my new-to-me pickup.

Added a boat winch to the top, and a snatch block to the end, like the bigger HF hoist has.


Bracing I added to the angles it came with. Rear is on the left, it angles down to a hitch mount on the frame.


Like so.


The forward brace goes straight across, with one welded on chunk of angle to drop to a large hole next to the spring mount.


The far end is about amidships, and bolts to the crossmember and the spare tire hoist mounting plate. Stopped just short of the access tube for lowering the spare. While I have that out I am brushing off the rust and repainting it.

Also got two quad outlets installed over my garage workbench, now I have plenty for chargers and such.

Got one in my old truck. Couldn't do what you did because it's got a dump kit in it. Ended up with a couple over sized pieces of plate. Been in there for years... Lesser model tho without the winch. Hook the chain in the center stake pocket so it doesn't rock back & forth all the time.

I see a lot of service trucks around here with the lift booms in them! Looks like it would be real handy!

I made something silly.

The new truck is a little higher off the ground, between being newer, a 4x4, and with bigger tires. So I decided to add a step...and had a little fun with it. I could have bought something mass produced cheaper and had it sooner, but what's the fun in that?






3/4, 1/2, and 3/8 rebar. 3x3/16 plate, and 1-1/4x1/8 strap, and about a pound of 7014 and a half can of "hammer" finish paint...and a few cheapie marker lights and a trailer pigtail off that south american river site.

Oh, and the hitch stem is 1-1/4 x 1/8 square tube, with 2" strips of plastic cutting board top and bottom, so it won't rust in place (I should pull the pin and throw on some never seize, maybe...)

Nice.. you could just rub it down with some Marine grease. Accessories go in and out of my receivers so often they don't get a chance to rust in. Being down here where they don't salt the roads don't hurt any either.

nice build GLyford..silly? i think it's nice..effective and strong,now Im gonna have to copy the idea..lights were a good idea

I'm going to enlarge the pin hole. If I can find some nylon flange bushings I'll drill it for those, otherwise I'm going to shoot for a 64 or 32nd oversize. Should have done that from the start.

When I do, I'll grab some photos of the other side for you all...

That is a neat idea!--- SUPER job on making it too!

moved the '85 GM pickup bed (off the truck presently) from the storage spot out back to up front of the shop here..flipped it up on end with the forklift and started to assess what needs to be done to bring it back..was going to sandblast the underside and get a coat or two of paint on it but found the bed under rails are rotted out, have to get a price Monday on some 2"x3" 1/8"thinwall rectangular tubing to replace the rails with. The rails go from side to side across the frame to support the bed floor,spotwelded to the floor, easy removal just drill out the spotwelds

Backside

Angle shot


The lower crossbar is 3/8, and happened to be where the bottom plate frame would run, so I just ran it long under the stirrup.
The upper crossbar is 1/2, and runs from the intersection of the hitch tongue and the two L supports. The L supports and crossbars are there because I wasn't sure the plate with the lights in it could support me without twisting. If you used a thicker plate and wanted a cleaner look, you could delete them. You could also run the supports directly into the back of the stirrup rather than under if you wanted. Lots of variations here.

Because the 2nd crossbar is behind the L supports, it moved the whole thing out 1/2" when it hit the end of the receiver tube and now you could see the crossbars in the gap at the bumper (cool) and the back of the lights and mess of wiring (not so cool) so that's when I decided to add the strap behind the top and down the sides. So mostly a valence panel but it also adds stiffness to the plate.

Made a new inner door panel for this little fridge. The plastic panel that was on it was broken and the gasket wouldn't seal any more. Cut this one out of a side cover from an old Sonic slush machine & got a custom gasket made for it. we use this thing when go and stay at the campground all summer.


Fridge & stainless panel seen in this picture just taking up space in the shop.

the door is the table for the generator rack picture..

Space recovered in shop. I put the fridge out in the back shed where the projector is for the fire pit movie screen. Now I just have to put all the crap away that accumulated on the horizontal surfaces that aren't there any more.

Working on getting back to work on the MG.

Jim,---when ya git dun in your shop,---come help me find the floor in mine!!!!!!!!!!! LOL! You are right ,--the MG is still there!!! Right where ya left it! lol! LOVE it!!

stuff just accumulates..I fully understand,one thing gets leaned on another and before ya know it you have a pile-in layers..I have two HD workbenches,both 8ft long and only have 2ft of usable workspace on both..more often than not I wind up working off the top of something else in the shop..very aggravating to be knocking over stuff everywhere

I need to QUIT starting new projects and finish a few of the ones that have been sitting for so long. The MG has been in here for 9 years now..

I keep buying non-runners cause I cant afford the new stuff! Thats how I get snowed under here,---waiting on parts also makes the problem worse!

got enough crap moved to be able to shove the car over & see the Passenger side.