Machine Builders Network+ Forums Machine Builders Network General Discussion What odd jobs did you do today?

Got the windows done and hooked up the third brake light. Don't want to get pulled for something stupid like that. I'm 2 years overdue on inspection. Have an emissions code that keeps coming up. guess I'll have to break down & fix that. Probably just an O2 sensor But I haven't verified that yet.

NOT BAD for $150 total invested...

got two Argon gas cylinders exchanged..only been sitting by the shop roll-up door for 9months now waiting.."I'll get to it"
got a trailer tire demounted and reinstalled on a new hi-capacity rated trailer wheel..keeps the DOT happy

Convertible had some issues at inspection time. fails due to rear brake issues and a torn boot on the rack & pinion. rack was leaking too so I got a reman from Rock Auto. figured I would go ahead & do Both CV axels seeing I had to pull them to to get the rack out. they both had ripped boots too. back left brake was only hitting one side of the rotor soooooo rotors calipers and pads for both sides on the back. got all of it for $470.

Then back to my truck. 2 years out of inspection... won't pass because 4way switch won't work and indicator lights are out on the instrument panel. on to replace the multifunction switch and bulbs in the cluster. expensive little bastards. $8 for two and they're only about the same size as a piece of puffed rice.

I despise them little bulbs! Having to tear the whole dash apart to fix anything behind it is the worst problem!

yes the instrument cluster lamps on the Chevy I have twist in from the back,they sandwich a printed circuit onto a plastic cluster..easy to damage especially if its going on 45yrs old like mine..you can reach underneath up into the cluster from under the dash but its way easier to do with the cluster pulled..gas gauge needs attention anyway in the spring once it warms up. Totally rust free 1984 GM squarebody K-30 4x4 350 Ive been offered $10k for it already but wont sell it

So Im into a JLG manlift bucket modification, going to mount it on forklift pockets to turn it into a personnel basket to go on a forklift..photos coming when I can

manlift bucket on skidloader????? HMMMM! idea sounds interesting!!

well I guess you could put it on a skidloader, its a brand new basket from a JLG manlift by itself..scrapped, still on the pallet from JLG..god only knows what it cost new..I have two forklifts to use it on, they both go up 14ft so add 1ft for a total 15ft elevation..unless its on a telehandler

the hyd winch is going on the skid steer once the mount plate gets here

Handy on a forklift for sure!

I use my mini forklift around here a lot for stuff like that I just put a pallet on it stand on the pallet. Got a piece of conduit I slip over the control valve so I can operate it from any height. Course my little home built dealy only goes 6 ft. Today I'm working on modifying the carriage cuz it keeps cocking and hanging up with a load on it I'll take some pictures. I've been fighting this locking in the up position for a while couple years ago I made those rollers they helped a lot but it's still cocks sideways so I'm adding some rollers to prevent that from happening as well.

I bought a ancient (1940's)used gas forklift off Craigslist about 20yrs ago,it made work so much easier..it was so worn out,the engine ran strong but the trans(manual shift) had a special Borg Warner reverser box inline with the transmission,worn out..I pulled the reverser box and made new brass bushings for it but it had a big shaft/gear combo that was destroyed..I found the LAST idler shaft/gear on the shelf in the country,it cost $200 but made the lift work good again...sold that lift years later and bought a Hyster pneumatic tired 4000lb diesel lift at auction for $1500..what a sweet machine with 1500hrs and an Isuzu diesel, Ill never wear it out

cut 3x6 tubing sections to length to be welded for a JLG manlift basket mod...yesterday during the Taylor Swift bowl

lookin good!

odd job day today, yesterday cutting up tires with wheels for disposal, today will be welding some D-rings to the front of a lowbed equipment trailer, then moving a spare tire holder
trying to get back to finishing the JLG manbasket

Had the track jump off the mini-ex. ! NOW to figure how to get it back on!!!!!!!! Damn grease tighteners!! How do you release the pressure so you can get some slack to jump the rubber track back over the drive sprocket????

3/3/2024 10:58AM EST 58'degF wet soggy and muddy as hell
all outside operations curtailed until it dries out
Finished the JLG manbasket, had to graft a crossmember underneath it to support the end of the rectangular tubing the forks slide in.
Swept and cleaned out the upper shop floor, now have an old 4x4 quad under the knife for a water pump gasket leaking..easy but involved repair

Been hauling dirt up to the greenhouse and some to backfill the old hotbed by the house.
Damn wind here so cant work up on the ladders so been getting inside of greenhouse ready for planting seed flats.
3/4/2024 9:22 am

3/9/2024 11:30AM EST
Wet and muddy here, cant do much outside
so into the shop I go, cleaning benches off,throwing JUNK out and reorganizing.
good thing the trashman has a hydraulic can lift, shes a heavy one this week LOL.

Fixed the shop stereo amp, re-flowed some bad solder joints, fixed the cutting channels in and out randomly

planted more seed boxes in the greenhouse. Got 1" of rain yesterday.
3/9/2024 7:27pm

Need to dig up a little horseradish in the next few days. I do a little in the spring but mostly fall processing here.
Have to see what is up with a garage power box, --- big air compressor and welder section dead for some reason. Might be old breaker worn out. 9:16 3/10/ 2024

Sonny I'm digging mine up and taking it with me when I move..awesome stuff

Got some horseradish dug yesterday. Gotta process it today. Also took down the panel arches I had up for cucumbers to climb on and pulled the posts with the mini. Carried a big tree section over to the burn pile to cut up and burn. mini sure does a lot of work for as small as it is.
Planted more seed pots too. Radishes coming up in the greenhouse Earthboxes. Had to put little diesel heater in there during these 29 degree nights. Sweet potatoes have plants starting to come up too.

-went to the beer store and bought new beer for the shop fridge..always good to have motivational liquids on hand.
-unpacked a Chinese skid steer concrete mixer from its rusty angle-iron crate..noticed zerk fittings missing and no lube in bearings on auger rotor..gawd knows what else is wrong with it

USUALLY ya gotta re-man. the stuff from there!! lol!
worked on one tractor, got wheels changed, now gotta get the stupid loader off and get rid of it! ( I DESPISE loaders on tractors), Then see how bad the motor is stuck. Did a bit on the cc 127,--now carb gotta be cleaned and I think it will run. worked on 2 chainsaws, sharpen chains and mash bar rails on them. went to town to get more diesel fuel for greenhouse heater. cold blast coming! AGAIN!!!

Just about got the van back together today. I guess tomorrow I will get the grill installed and bolt the shroud together around the fan. Then it will be back on the road with a different engine. Can't complain about the one I pulled it was still running good but does have a head gasket leaking someplace and didn't want to push my luck with it blowing out a hundred miles from home somewhere. The donor engine I put in only had about 70,000 on it. The engine I pulled is sitting right at 357,000 mi. It deserves a little love at that stage.

Thats a LOTTA miles Jim! WOW!! My 97 F-350 has 122,000 and is junk! PLUS they said the original motor blew up at 60,000!-- so this motor has 62,000 and always something broke on it! My 96 F-350 has 80,000 on it. 5.8 gas and so far has been a lifesaver this winter hauling blocks and stuff from the auction in December. The 98 Explorer has around 165,000 on it 4.0 v-6. Been a good one too cept the stupid automatic transmissions in all of them are iffy!!

Got compost spread yesterday,--hauled in 2 more loads , got the cc to run so now gotta fix 1 front tire so it will hold air for more than an hour. Hope to get the JD 420 -c crawler loader running this year( gotta pull the motor out and put a new master clutch in it.) and Get the injection pump off the Case 1835 b skidder and have it fixed. Kinda miss that loader. a lot easier to get on and off of than the big New Holland 781.

rewiring a Bobcat attachment control..Bobcat uses a CANBUS computer network signal from the bucket control joystick,out to the attachment to control its functions..most agree its total BS..I pulled the Bobcat boom harness out and re-fed the boom with two pairs of #12 copper siamese cable,two conductors stranded red/black all the way back to the operators joysticks..with a simple switchbox next to the bucket joystick I can control two solenoid valves or a snowblower chute position motor without a $700 converter module and a $200 wiring harness..easy fix..just another day around here..overcast and cold here in the 40's..glad to be inside the shop and toasty warm today

got a whole lotta friggen nothin done today, waiting on a hitch adapter from Amazon, it showed up yesterday-just an empty box,the hitch adapter musta shot out thru the side of the box somewhere along the line thru FedEx,stupid shipping people should know better than ship a heavy steel ball mount in a thin cardboard box..went back on Amazon and launched a inquest they said they'd refund my money and send a new one..yeah this could get stupid,watch the same thing happen again..anyway its so nasty out,rainy and cold again,so Im back in the shop with the heat on waiting on 4-wheeler parts to arrive-so more time can be spent cleaning up and throwing S#$% out that clutters up the benches and floor for now

Had a guy send a chainsaw to me, --- same deal no bar in the box! nice hole in the side of the box where it got out. -- course why would you pack a chainsaw in a PAMPERS box to start with?? WAY too thin and not intended to be re-used as shipping box. People are stupid. Rain mostly been going around us so far. Got the onions and potatoes planted yesterday. Gotta go mow the farm off today. 2 15' batwings on the job so hope to make short work of it. I HATE mowing,---total waste of time!!

they did it to me again..at least I got the hitch adapter this time..I guess common sense in shipping isnt taught anymore

That sux! Packing stuff to survive the road trips seams to be their least concerns! Sad too!!

I don't think it's the packaging as much as the I don't give a shit delivery people. I watch them on my cameras and they just throw stuff.

Ya we get packages here that have been ran over with a forklift. -- then some dont have a scratch on them! figure that one out! lol!
Been transplanting plants in the greenhouse to bigger pots.

Well, it happened sooner than I expected.

My yard fences are past their use by date, so I need to work on swapping them out. I am tired of replacing wood posts, even PT doesn't last. The 6x gateposts are not immune. So this time around, I am thinking of going panels on brackets mounted on chain link end posts.

But what to use for the gates? Mmmm...Pipe, maybe 3 to 4" or so? Cheaper than box section, anyway. 3" sch 40 is almost a 1/4 thick, and 3-1/2 OD. Cool. I can get 8' delivered. Would have preferred 9, but I can do a deeper hole with concrete and rebar. Rain inside would be a problem. Can I find caps?

Yes.


Okay, so how are we going to do this, I have the rotating ground clamp already. Now I just need some roller stands. But do I really need to make stands? I see the pipeliners have roller heads they can drop on their existing pipe stands. Okay, that could work, I could use one of these, and work at "chair height" to do weld prep and paint prep.


Getting somewhere. Maybe start with some fixed casters and some bits from the scrap heap archive. Um...like so?




That should work. I was thinking I'd need a brace leg which would then get a u-bolt around the thinner part of the jack stand...but I might not even need that. I set one of these on the jack stand and it set right there all stable and happy. I can still make a brace...or clamp the leg of the angle to the jack stand with a welding clamp.

So I have yet to hit the pipe with a flap disk in anger, nevermind the welder. It may take a bit for it to bubble up to the front burner again, watch this space.

That should work to hold the pipe!

Yup Gly I made one from casters as well, just used plywood and 1X wood to make it from, used phillips drive screws+fender washers to put plate casters onto the wood so I could (move) align them to get them to track straight..worked like a champ..gotta use what ya got..finding a set that were alike wasnt easy had to shim one up but got it to work OK..was just for a one-time weld job

mixed 40 bags worth of concrete mix in a skid steer concrete mixer, did three lifts of 12-13bags each to fill a front step on a house..did footers for it last weekend..amazing how fast that many 60lb bags goes..buying it by the pallet is cheaper especially when you give them a pallet so no pallet fee. This will all get a bluestone top over it so surface finish isnt that critical..too hot for working on a Sunday

Speaking of concrete, I've been meaning to fix my HF mixer for a while. The wheels have always been atrocious, but the last time I used it I bent one trying to dump the mixer directly into the forms. It is both bent at an angle and the flange has been bent away from the tread. Not to mention the most horrible metal on metal "bushing" ever.


I was at HF again yesterday, and noticed a couple of wheels that would probably do for a price I liked, so they followed me home. One little problem, the existing wheels have ~1" holes. But the axle id is 3/4, and the new wheel ID is 5/8. I can work with that. First thought was find a chunk of 3/4 in the scrap buckets and turn down the ends. Too much stuff in the way, the one piece I did find lying out was too short. How about turning the heads of some 5/8 bolts down to 3/4, and maybe welding them in? Ones I have on hand are too short, and didn't want to make another trip. But one of my other hidey-holes turned up a chunk of very pitted 1". Bingo. Cut off 2 6" chunks and commenced to whittling on the lathe. (When your size gauge is an open end wrench, it's not really machining, though I did check it after with a dial caliper.)


Then a couple of 3/16 holes for cotter pins (just re-used the ones that were on it).


I thought I had a pic of it all going together, but apparently I was too excited to stop, so you'll just have to settle for the finished product.

got a lot of stuff here that needs re-manufactured but no time to do it. Right now cuttin/burnin trees at sis's place to get town fathers off their high and mighty bullshit!--- never an end to this crap!!

I needed to cut the ends out of two fuel oil tanks that had been sitting open to the elements for many years. They had rust holes in them, so they were well washed out and ventilated. They were 300-gallon round tanks, moderately heavy and very awkward. Rolling them would be great but how? Years before I bought my boys skateboards. With the board on the floor, wheels up made the perfect rollers. I was using a cutoff wheel so heat or a ground wasn't a worry. The boards had a kick up tail so a couple of pieces of 2 by 6 stabilized things nicely. I was only 1/8" off when I got all the way around. Luck, pure luck!
LOL!
Cheers guys
Terry