Good morning!!!!

[rswyan]

69 degrees and partly cloudy here @ 04:00 ...

Slept like a log ... but not before getting sucked into txdon's "Texas Grapple Shootout" thread ... lol ...

Good stuff right there ... will have to finish that before I get up and get moving ...

Snagged the Sawzall case and my old Black & Decker 3/8 drill from down in the pole barn yesterday ... still need to grab the "construction" toolbox for clean up. The Sawzall case is a project for this winter ... the handle and clasps, which were plated, are rusted up pretty bad ... and the case itself needs some paint touch up.

Cleaned up the drill which had a lot of dust on it and then tried to get the chuck off so I could install the Jacobs chuck I bought for it a number of years ago ... but no joy. There does not appear to be a screw at the bottom of the chuck holding it on ... the only thing there is, is a small, three lobed recess which does not appear to a fastener.

I squirted some PB Blaster down in there and then tried tapping on the side of the chuck with hammer ... a little too hard evidently, because I dented it. Still works fine though. Will try closing the chuck and then tapping on the end of it with hammer next ... if that don't work, then I guess the next thing will be trying to heat it a little with the propane torch.

I've also got a 1/2" reversible (corded) Craftsman drill that has lost it's variable speed feature (and sounds just absolutely horrible when you run it) ... from what I can gather from reading online, the variable speed functionality is usually provided by the trigger switch ... I'd sure like to fix it ... need to see if parts are still available ... if not, maybe try one of those Harbor Freight Router Speed Control devices.

The flow on electric fuel pump/Motor Guard filtration system on the parts washer has improved substantially ... not sure exactly why that is ... could be from channeling in the filter media ... or just that the pump, which is probably 30 years old, needed "exercised" a bit to achieve optimum performance. I think there is just a snot load of rust in the solvent (the inside of the tank was discolored orange/brown) ... be interesting to see how much of that the filter takes out. It's filtration efficiency should improve, the more the filter loads up.

I ran one of these filters as a bypass filter on the Sprinter's transmission ... after 60K or 80K miles, the fluid was still clear and looked like it was new. Seemed to really work on removing that fine sludge that normally occurs in an automatic tranny.

Got the last of the lower teeth cut for the grapple/root rake ... have a couple more to cut for the upper ones. Now that the wife has finished up the front lawn, I can pull the MMM and stick the loader and pallet forks back on and move the frame for dump cart I was going to build into the shop to be cut up for reuse.

Hopefully will be able to finish up cleaning off the oily/greasy stuff today. My hands seem to have survived yesterday's cleaning session none the worse for wear, even without the Corn Huskers ... must be the NAPA Orange Hand Cleaner ... lol ...

Hope everyone has a good day.

 

[wngsprd]

56F. Another unbelievably nice start to the day - millions of stars out. Likely get up to 84.

Bush hogged a field of sunflowers yesterday for the birds - although the goldfinches had eaten much of them while standing - amazing how much these little birds can eat. It's also nice to see the number of bees that show up when they are blooming - and I love their fragrance. This year I had a weed problem - some sort of invasive, fast spreading weed that I need to research.

Roy, glad your job got off to a good start.

Riptides, what kind of battery did you pick up for your Kubota? Mine is still the original, over 10 years old, and so I'm thinking this winter I may be facing a replacement, but fingers crossed.

 

[daugen]

Roy good luck today. Hope it's a great shoe fit for your foot.

up early, staring at a house of boxes. Took my last shower, have some time to kill before van shows up around 9am. am thinking I may get a chance to run some errands today because while they are packing, best for me to stay far out of their way. After my first walkthrough where I emphasize what NOT to take.

If I lived in a colder area, I think a ten year old battery is a frustration in the making. At the wrong time.
Of course smart chargers seem to make batteries last longer now. Maybe AGM last that long, the Surette/Rolls batteries do I know. To me it's like running with bald tires. Yeah you might get there...
or a gas tank on E with the red light on. Or...or...
now that's being a nudge.

 

[Buppies]

57 outside now high of 82 later today and now looks like no rain all week. That would be odd for sure. Ground is still very wet from weekend downpours so that limits where we can work. The cardinals have been doing lots of talking each morning and all the birds are eating like there will be no tomorrow.

Next serious chance of rain for us is over the weekend and it's a holiday weekend to boot

 

[rswyan]

Bush hogged a field of sunflowers yesterday for the birds - although the goldfinches had eaten much of them while standing - amazing how much these little birds can eat.

Yup ... the goldfinches are the most numerous bird I see at our feeders ... and around the property. They often arrive and depart in little groups of anywhere of 6 to 12 individuals. And they are there on and off pretty much all day long.

Seems like there is plenty of whatever they need or like around the property to attract them ... not real surprising I guess, we've got a crap load of thistle growing up out of the chip piles up by the shop from when they cleared the area for the gas well. The goldfinches are all over that ... to the point where if you drive past it and disturb them you'll almost always see a bunch of them take off and scatter.

Also have a bunch of thistle growing in the planting bed directly in front of the house that we just haven't been able to get to, to clear it out ... same deal there.

This year I had a weed problem - some sort of invasive, fast spreading weed that I need to research.

Post a pic ...

 

[Buppies]

Roy the last time I worked in manufacturing eons ago ISO was just getting started in the steel fabrication field. Hopefully the new job works well for you and leads to a long lasting relationship.

My luck with batteries is mixed some last 10 years others 3 or 4. Z-Turn is 8 years old and going strong. The poor Kubota hasn't been started in over a month hope it's still ok

 

[ronjhall]

Drinking Iced coffee. 70° with mostly clear skies this morning. Heading to 87° with possibility of thunderstorms this afternoon. Got two new batteries for motorhome that need to be installed today. Plan to get it done before heat builds up.
rswyan, someplace here on TBN I have pictures of the grapple I built for my B2910. Great tool for hauling logs and yard cleanup. But not much for grubbing out shrubs. Need a bigger tractor for that.
wngsprd, my OEM battery lasted 12 years. Replaced it with a new Kubota battery. It was expensive. But if it last as long as the original. It is a good deal.
Good Morning All.

 

[rswyan]

The cardinals have been doing lots of talking each morning and all the birds are eating like there will be no tomorrow.

Got to watch an interesting little show about a week ago ...

There were a pair of cardinals out on top of the suet feeder cage ... one was clearly a female ... not sure about the other one ... might have been a juvenile ...

The "juvenile" would sit there and chirp ... and then female would then tip down on the side of the cage and grab a mouthful of suet and feed it to juvenile.

This went on for probably over 5 minutes before they took off ... was pretty cute.

 

[Thomas]

60F..little more humidity w/temps upper 80" may reach 90.
Hope there light breeze today to break the air.

Not much happening up here which can be good thing I guess,

Enjoy the day all.

 

[riptides]

Good morning, 60 out. Looks like hot and humid is kicking in this week. I got home last night, and started cutting grass again. Push mower, I think this year is the first in my lifetime that I have seen plush green grass at the end of August around here. I planted seed not long ago, and it took really well. More grass time when I get home.

The B is dead in the field. No battery yet. I milked it for all it had, but with over 1k hours and it sitting outside its whole life, I cannot complain. It was OEM. I may just go to batteries plus, they have a replacement for like 100 dollars. Seems to be the low price for that type.

Riptides, what kind of battery did you pick up for your Kubota? Mine is still the original, over 10 years old, and so I'm thinking this winter I may be facing a replacement, but fingers crossed.