What are you currently working on??

TAHOE said:

I HATE MICE. The tractor has been sitting 3 weeks and they already had a nest inside

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MICE and dang CHIPMUNKS.

My son's GMC Sierra stopped running going down the highway to work. Once it got towed back home, ($410), we looked at it. HUGE nest all along the fuel rail !!!!

So we've been investigating how to get it running once again. No codes. Either they chewed some wires or the fuel system needs filter or fuel pump.

We got the mower deck hardware in. The Yard Machines might be worked on today.

Started out with my knee hurting this morning so did the chores and that was about it. Did have to pick up a couple Racoon from the yard. Guess Duke went hunting last night and brought his prizes home. Think I have all the mowers running once again. Loader tractor is next up for service and oil leak stopped.

That's getting it offloaded from my trailer... I set it onto furniture dolleys so I could roll it around, got some welding to do onto it

That lift has been the best money I've spent since I built that garage. Built in 06, lift came in 2014. Got a couldn't pass up deal via Craigslist back then...
At the time I bought it I left the lift tarped up on my trailer for the winter then when I needed to get my toolbox to my current job I needed the trailer emptied. My son took it to his then-job where the boss let him set it off for what I thought was gonna be a couple of days. The kid kept telling me that his boss buried it by parking a few tractors in front of it where he couldn't get to it to reload it onto the trailer. I was worried about it being in the way... It wasn't.
The kid surprised me by blasting and powder coating the whole thing before the boss "unburied" it....
Cab is off of a 90 D250, it's going onto my 83 frame. Gotta cut out the transmission tunnel and weld in the larger options one since I'm gonna go from an auto to a stick... The cab came from my son's best buddy in high school 's truck after it got creamed in the bed while parked and they were at the homecoming football game...
The kid parted it out and my kid was gonna put this cab in his own '90 3/4 ton but sold the truck instead. This cab has been on pallets in a barn since about 2012.
Unbeknownst to all of us (there from before my kids buddy owned the truck) for some reason the back of the cab wall has been pop riveted and bondo'd in, we don't know if this was originally a camper, box truck, or something else that would have necessitated an open back cab or if it had been wrecked and whatever was in the bed slammed thru or what.... But all the suspect areas where these cabs are known for problems are surprisingly in real good shape. So I have a bunch of wire wheeling, drilling pop rivets and welding to do on it that I wasn't expecting... At least it's something that won't be seen once the truck is back together. Once I'm done with the welding it goes to a sandblaster guy and then to the body shop for finishing and paint.
I have the whole rest of a solid straight rust free truck in the same barn this cab was in... And all of my GTs too
This is what's been in that guy John I've mentioned, his barn all these years.

Finally got the hydro out today for its first ride since my surgery and changed the oil.

Restoring the deck. So happy the sheet metal is thick! So much rust came off, two coats of primer, two coats of enamel black.

1967Craftsman's said:

Finally got the hydro out today for its first ride since my surgery and changed the oil.

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Wow I’m stupid and forgetful, I forgot to include pictures of my ride. It was the first start up and ride since my surgery and since putting the seafoam in the gas tank and in the spark plug hole, and I gotta say it worked pretty good. Alot of white smoke came out the muffler on start up….

1967Craftsman's said:

Wow I’m stupid and forgetful, I forgot to include pictures of my ride. It was the first start up and ride since my surgery and since putting the seafoam in the gas tank and in the spark plug hole, and I gotta say it worked pretty good. Alot of white smoke came out the muffler on start up….

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Beautiful day for a drive, Eric!

DAC

My SS/16 has been sitting for a while, I finally got it running again. Last time I had it out, it wouldn’t stay running. I was thinking the fuel pump was bad. Recently I came across an old thread over on MTF saying the original composite floats in these carbs are junk, and most people replace them with a brass one. I looked, and sure enough it was the original, and had some big cracks in it. I ordered a brass one, and put it in yesterday, along with a new battery. So far it’s running great.
I took the plow off since I’m not planning on using it anytime soon. I rode it around for a while, then put it to work hauling a couple loads of brush over to the burn pit. So far so good, I think that was the problem.

IHCubCadet147 said:

My SS/16 has been sitting for a while, I finally got it running again. Last time I had it out, it wouldn’t stay running. I was thinking the fuel pump was bad. Recently I came across an old thread over on MTF saying the original composite floats in these carbs are junk, and most people replace them with a brass one. I looked, and sure enough it was the original, and had some big cracks in it. I ordered a brass one, and put it in yesterday, along with a new battery. So far it’s running great.
View attachment 95157View attachment 95159View attachment 95156View attachment 95158View attachment 95160I took the plow off since I’m not planning on using it anytime soon. I rode it around for a while, then put it to work hauling a couple loads of brush over to the burn pit. So far so good, I think that was the problem.
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Those composite floats were a bad idea in every application. Those modern plastic ones are better, but can't beat a brass float, Nick!

DAC

I have been putting together Kohler K241 the past couple of days. It was at machine shop for almost 2 months, they were extremely busy with race car engines. I tried to start it Sunday with no luck due to no spark. I changed out the coil and condenser which did not fix the no spark. The points are brand new, I tired the paper bag between the points today to clean them off and still no spark. The new coil ohmed out correct, I started messing with plug wire. I installed one I made which was laying on my bench but the center is not metal wire, still no spark. I put the original wire back on the engine and noticed the spark was intermittent. I ended up making a new ignition wire out of solid wire ignition wire which fixed the spark issue. Trying to start it gas starts pouring out of the new chinese carb, took it off and pulled float bowl and the float is in 2 pieces. The metal part the needle hooks took came off the plastic float. I found a float in a box of old carbs and parts, put the carburetor back together and the engine fired up and ran. I need to get the air cleaner installed and figure out a muffler for it.

Rebuilt the Yard Machines. A few quirks, but it's running and cutting. Not bad for a 24yo machine. We have not had a rider mower in 9 years.

MFDAC said:

Those composite floats were a bad idea in every application. Those modern plastic ones are better, but can't beat a brass float, Nick!

DAC

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It does seem like a bad idea, but it did last 50 years before it was a problem. I’ve never had anything with one in it before, but now I know that’s the first thing I should change if I ever do get another one.

A lot of carbs had plastic floats back then, and were notorious for soaking up fuel and causing flooding. Holley used them in some of their 1 bbl and 2 bbl carbs. and the old Carter Thermo Quad were some that were well known for that happening. I have 2 projects in the works that are getting that Thermo quad (since I have like 4 of them, ready to run) all have gotten brass replacements.

found some bad surprises with my cab. considering options, as to whether to fix, or locate a different cab. I have a couple of possibilities about 5-1/2 hours south.... considering what to do

Got my yard work done this morning before it got hot. Spent the afternoon in the shop where it stays cool. Made a tumbling barrel composter. Went to the hardware store to find something to reenforce the side of the barrel where it pivots. Right inside the door was a clearance table. Pick out 4 exterior lamp holder covers at half off. Cost me $4.
Put one on each side of the barrel wall with the pivot shaft through each. Used two leftover pillow blocks.

working on a bunch of small stuff. Came into the AC for a few minutes/
mostly working on mowers today, got one a neighbor gave me, that was left behind from the last people in that house. I never saw them use it. It ran but was hard to start because the starter rope was maybe the length of 1 revolution on the pulley. I replaced that, power washed it while I had the sheet metal off, went and got a blade for it and an air filter.... I'll be lucky to break even. $32 for a blade and air filter...damn. . new oil, new plug and scraped the deck which looks to have never been done before today (mower is a 1990 alum deck Toro)

I got another Ransomes Bobcat 21" commercial deck last week, left its incomplete Honduh behind at the junkyard. I had gone after the carbs that were on a 115hp Johnson that was sitting in the weeds that's the same as my 115hp Evinrude that's gonna be for sale soon/ and spotted that Bobcat.
2 days ago I had put a used but unknown condition 80s 4 hp Briggs that I had laying around to try it out.... It ran but its a mosquito fogger. I was wanting to see if it ran. Its twin does, that I got the same day, and runs well.... I use that one a couple of times a week between here, my son's rental and the mother in law's. I still have to fix the carb on the Murray he got out of Moms house and get that one outta here...
Since that 4hp I/C motor was a turd, I pulled the gas tank and vertical pull starter and put the rest in the scrap pile (talk about hard to find these days, I now have 3 mowers that have that starter on them and they're NLA last time I checked from Briggs)
I see these old Bobcat commercial ones listed all the time on CL/Marketplace not running all the time for $80-100. I wonder if those people get anywhere close to those prices for them in that condition....

So I went in the attic and got the brand new 1984 4hp Briggs I/C that I have had in the attic for probably 10 years, and put that on. First time since it left the assembly line, to ever have gas or oil in it.... I still have the warranty tags and the "WARNING" donut thing from it that they held in place with the gas cap from that engine they used to put on them to remind you they were shipped without oil.... I put gas and oil in, started 2nd pull and let it run long enough for the stench of the paint burning off the muffler to go away... That one's staying/ I have 3 of those mowers.
Actually 5, 2 decks are blasted primed and up in the attic.... but 3 that are runners. I like the old "fertilizer spreader" handles, and the greaseable wheels, they push soooo easy. I'd like to find a catcher basket or 2 for them. Unless I hit something and bend a crank I'm guessing these 3 will last the rest of my life and then some..... and seeing some of the couple of year old junk at the 2 small engine shops I was at today that were waiting for service, I'm glad to keep these old tanks going. and Ill gladly do my own maintenance til I can't anymore.

That new, never fired engine I just "spoiled," was the display on the counter at the local small engine place when the old owners had the place, for what seemed like forever.....
I also have a 1974 Briggs 3-1/2 hp 92000 that's never had gas or oil in it too but that one has too short of a crank for this deck. Remember that cool copper color some of Briggs' engines were painted back then? Yeah that's what this one is....
Power washed the Ariens GT16 I have here and had the kid take pix and list it for sale today as well, I just have too many. Hate to let that one go.
I guess he's on a couple of Ariens "pages".... I don't want to be a part of Fakebook so I'm not a member of any such pages...
Had to order the stepped air filter bolts for another mower that will be joining the Toro and the Ariens in the "for sale" row... I'm getting down to my Bobcat 32" commercial and those Bobcat 21" push mower for mowing gear, i if it kills me.... I'm buried in stuff. The money's going towards both my truck project and the new windows were getting for the house.... we had Renewal by Andersen out a couple weeks ago. were doing about half of them this go round including the Bay window the wife has been bugging me for 10+ years.... That front window does need to go. but Im not a bay window fan. We don't have one now/ but shes 'gotta' have one, because her mother has one....
got the aftermarket trans temp gauge working in our white Durango.... I thought the gauge was dead. Come to find out I had pulled the wire off and it was laying there, too short. Going out to swap the AC compressor in the other Durango when I'm done posting this.... Ive had a new one of those since I found one on clearance on rock auto a couple of years ago. so I put it on the shelf. I think all that's wrong with the old one is a problem with the clutchl but I have the whole works so that's what Im putting on

Got the one side of the garage cleared out, backed out the 78 Fury and moved my cab into position so I could work on that today, but that's as far as I got there....

getting pissed because nobody who says they'll call me back, well, aren't standing up to their end of those "bargains" Between the paving guy, the town, and the guy that told me Wed by way of the wife's Fakebook that he'd call me yesterday, I'm still waiting on all of them to do as they say they would,,,, and none are responding to my messages whether hunted and pecked or voice mail..... I thought I was headed to KY either yesterday or early this morning at the latest to go after that truck cab.... but Im still waiting for contact back... and the guy with the sandblast cabinet I want for work, (found on Marketplace) and 2 other people via Marketplace, add them to that list.

That is the way the "younger" generation operates any more. NO respect for themselves or anyone else. And one wonders why this country is in the shape it is in.

Today I put the carb from the kids mower in the ultrasonic for a bit and put a couple of tack welds on the sloppy front wheel adjusters. Their retainer bolts are as tight as they'll go and the back part of the adjusters still flop around. Not the part that holds the wheel in a particular groove. It's a 1994 high wheel 22" Murray side discharge push mower, that was my mom's that I've used at her house for years to mow at her house... Has a Tecumseh that won't die. Being it was Grandma's I'm sure my kid will run it for all its worth.
Those were really good mowers. Not like the new one at Menards I saw yesterday with a bent rear wheel adjuster on display.
Today I also switched my MIG over to 0.023" wire from 0.035.... new drive roll and contact tips... plus the roll of wire.
I ground off the Bondo and ground off both the heads and tails of 66 pop rivets and drilled them out.... If the guy in KY don't get ahold of me soon about his cab, I guess I'm gonna be busy hammering, welding and grinding. I bought some deep vise grips for the job but not deep enough. They make 1 that's a deeper reach than these, I have one coming. Still won't reach the cab floor/back wall junction but that's the closest thing I can find.
Vise grip "24r". 15-1/2" reach. I need almost 10" more. I've had a neighbor and others on a Mopar forum im on, suggested to cut those new ones I got today apart and weld "extensions" to the length I want. I don't really want to do that to brand new tools ... the ones farm and fleet had were "Milwaukee" brand. I found the bigger (biggest ones made) on Amazon and will have them in a couple of days.