Good morning!!!!

[Looking4new]

65 degrees this morning, going for a high of 87. It's been raining off and on since midnight and I just went out and dumped about 1.25" of rain out of the gauge. It's not raining at the moment, but more MAY be coming.[/url]

Only for 8 days.:laughing:

 

[Buppies]

Ron it would appear we are about 3 to 4 weeks ahead of you on flowering trees and bushes

 

[ronjhall]

Ron it would appear we are about 3 to 4 weeks ahead of you on flowering trees and bushes

This has been a slow spring. No leaves on my weeping mulberry trees yet.

 

[rswyan]

Looking good on your project there toppop ... :thumbsup:

What's slated for the wagon wheel planter ?

And where did you find that handsome fella to operate your tractor ?

Watched your son's reel for his "side gig" awhile back ... very professional looking ... :thumbsup:

 

[rswyan]

Dogwood flowers.
View attachment 656789

Beautiful ... :thumbsup:

We've tried a number of times to plant pink dogwoods here ... never had any success getting them to survive.

No shortage of native white dogwoods though ...

RS, good idea on the other cylinders.

They're probably due ... :confused3:

 

[RedNeckGeek]

Good Morning!!!! 61F @ 5:15AM. Sunshine to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 86F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.

Looks like you're enjoying your new tractor, Randy. Is that gonna be a fire pit under the wagon wheel?

Pretty dogwood blossoms, Ron. Makes me wanna sneeze!

The winds were really tossing the van around yesterday on my way into town, Eric. Sorry about the ash leaves...

Can't you just roll the windows down and get some cold air, Bill? Doesn't it snow all summer up north?:confused2::laughing:

DHH, RS. ???
Oh, and here's another idea, one I haven't tried (yet), for a pin wrench. Drill holes in the jaws of an adjustable wrench, and use drill bits as pins.

I've seen forklifts at boat yards with hitch balls on one tine, but wonder how they made the hole, Ron. Those tines are HARD! So is railroad track. I know because I told a neighbor if he let me borrow his three, I'd put holes in the ends so they could be chained together to make a longer drag. Burned up two carbide bits before I broke out the plasma cutter. Learned that starting a blind hole is a great way to nuke the nozzle with blowback, but after several face fulls of sparks, I got'er done...

Drove a half hour to Oroville yesterday morning to get the 2" electrical sweep HD cancelled on my last order because the Chico store's inventory count was off. Then drove another half hour to get to the Chico store to pick up the metal cutting Diablo blade on the same order, and they couldn't find it. And there were none on the shelf. This morning I found a survey from them asking about my "recent experience". Felt good to unload.:irked:

Took back the recalled jack stands to HF, they didn't have any in stock. I got a refund instead, telling the clerk I didn't feel safe under HF jackstands anymore anyway. Picked up three cans of 134A refrigerant (have to redo the ex-mechanic's A/C installation soon), and was charged a $10/can deposit "to ensure their return".

Tried Tuesday to pick up a tire for a neighbor they were having repaired, but it wasn't ready. It still wasn't ready yesterday, so I picked it up anyway so the neighbor can try fixing it himself. It's a hole in the sidewall, and I don't think he'll have much luck. When I dropped it off, he was still out on the road trucking, and his wife was going nuts trying to get ready for opening day of her you-pick cherry orchard. She had the wrong size hitch ball on her tractor's draw bar, and asked me if I could help her find the right size and swap it out. Found her husband's dial caliper, used that to locate the right ball on his King Ranch Ford, then found a 15" Crescent wrench and a piece of pipe to get both balls off and make sure the right size one didn't come off. Was rewarded with a bowl of cherries, and in invite to come back and BUY more???

Was gonna drop off a dead battery at Walmart for the core charge, but found I left the receipt in the truck.:duh:

But I did remember to bring my Costco paperwork so I could retrieve my yearly membership rebate. :thumbsup: Only took three tries. Everybody there had masks on; almost nobody at the big box grocery store I went to next did. Three new cases of CoVid-19 in the county yesterday. That's gonna happen with more testing (120 new tests just yesterday), but I also think people are getting lax with their countermeasures.

Was hoping to get some mowing in once I finally made it home, but it was blowing hard enough that the county had issued a burn ban, and I didn't want to be "that guy" who's mower started a forest fire. I'll try again this morning, but the wind woke me up earlier.

Hope everyone enjoys the three day weekend, and takes a moment to remember those that gave all for our way of life.

 

[txdon]

Good morning! 75˚F, cloudy, heading to 90s chance of rain , but probably not like every day this week.

While walking the Whip a Garia pulled beside me and we were talking about my "The Who" t-shirt and his Garia. His golf cart had a glovebox refrigerator and a lot of little nice things about it. I need to keep my eye open for a used one, they are a bit expensive new for my use. I did see on their website they are coming out with an off road model.

EGO warranty let me down yesterday by not returning a call. They said by leaving my number, instead of staying on hold, I would not loose my place in Que, but no call after 7 hours and when I called back after lunch they were not taking any more calls, just a recording saying call back tomorrow and hung up. I'm trying to get a three year battery replaced that failed after a year. I was still able to finish the yard with my 6 year old battery that has about half life in it still.

While my wife was giving me my second covid haircut she dropped the trimmers and now they are very loud and kind of pull hair. A search for a new one and they are mostly all sold out of the ones I want.

Went to Walgreens yesterday everyone had on mask, but this was the walgreens at the entrance to our "mature" neighborhood.

A few covid cases added every day but still the recovered outnumber the sick and usually under 20 in the hospital.

 

[ronjhall]

While my wife was giving me my second covid haircut she dropped the trimmers and now they are very loud and kind of pull hair. A search for a new one and they are mostly all sold out of the ones I want.

Hmm, second haircut failure. Maybe you need to find someone else to cut your hair.

 

[rswyan]

In the past, I've had some luck using twist drills as pins, then match drilling holes in a steel plate to hold them to fit the holes in whatever I'm trying to unscrew, and a big Crescent wrench on the plate to exert torque to the drills. In one instance where the holes were radial instead of axial, I just put some gloves on and used my hands. I also made up a similar tool to keep the transaxle output flange from turning from some 3/4" x 1/4" bar stock. A long piece to act as the wrench handle, a shorter piece bolted to it to form a "Y", the bolt acting as a pivot. Holes in the end of each accepted bolts that went into the flange, with washers on the "Y" to make up for the gap. Could do the same with drill bits instead of bolts, and weld on a piece to the end the "Y" to fill the gap. But probably better to just buy the tool, since you appear not to be in a hurry. I'd have been tempted to buy both sizes, because you never know when you'll need the one you didn't get.

The thought of fabricating a tool crossed my mind. I think I have some 3/16 rod up in the shop ... but it likely came from Home Depot, is chromed, and probably is pretty soft. I think I even had a small tool (or two) around here somewhere that was used for adjusting spring preload on motorcycle shocks that might have fit ... although it's likely too light-duty.

Given the cost of the parts I'm working on, their age, and unknown availability status, spending $40 for the correct wrench seemed to me to be the wiser move.

In talking with my neighbor, it seems that gland nuts developing corrosion internally on their threads and being a bear to take apart isn't terribly uncommon ... at least in his experience.

I don't at all blame you for passing on the dealer's "friendly" offer.:thumbsup:

The place is really a mixed bag ... the interactions range from being friendly and helpful ... to sort of a surly indifference. Just depends on your luck of the draw on any given day.

Supposedly, at one point, they had an "in" with ODOT and were supplying the State of Ohio ... and the word was they weren't really interested in non-commercial business.

But that was just something I had heard ... and overall, I can say that they have treated me ok.

While I was checking the price for them to do the work, the service writer and the mechanic who was standing there offered up some of their thoughts on the part failure, and some things to check for (pooched piston, bent rod)

 

[ronjhall]

Buckeye, RNG. DJI has a new APP update.

 

[rswyan]

DHH, RS. ???

Discount Hydraulic Hose | Your Online Hydraulic Shop

Oh, and here's another idea, one I haven't tried (yet), for a pin wrench. Drill holes in the jaws of an adjustable wrench, and use drill bits as pins.

I like it ... :thumbsup:

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Good morning to all! Low of 40, going up to 82, sunny with afternoon breezes to 25 mph. Cold front moves across tomorrow, bringing temps down to the low 70s. Still a chance of showers for Monday.

A big THANK YOU! goes out to all our veterans.

Yesterday was successful, I got the shed area all prepped, it is ready for the arrival of the prefabbed building..... this is very weird... first time in my life that I am not building from scratch.... strange indeed.

Well, to satisfy my craving for building, my two sons are starting another project that I am only allowed to supervise. The old house has a small shop / shed that I built 27 years ago. It morphed into a more of an excess material storage and was allowed to fall into needing a serious makeover. It is now empty and they are going to dismantle it, repurpose the materials, and build another shed for one of them for storage. It will be nice all working together, hopefully I will withstand the urge to pickup some tools. They want to do it on their own with just some direction on what to do...

Ron, beautiful dogwood. My parents place back East had 4 dogwoods, when I see them, always bring back memories... we tried growing a couple out here... no way for them to survive.... high heat, very low humidity, and alkaline soil. The odds are stacked against them from the start.

I really Hope Drew is doing OK. Has anyone been able to make contact?

LFN, sleeping on the boat... getting gently rocked to sleep... nice way to relax before months of working. Be safe when you get out on the road.

Well, I have to go rally the troops... time is a wastin...

Everyone have a great weekend!

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

The shakedown cruise with the truck went good. Only one problem, the AC didn't work, blew 101°F. Barked about it to the shop and they recharged it. Now it blows 34-40°F. Much better. We will see how long it holds. Right now I am on my boat. I took today off and am off on Monday as well. The way I figure it, I will be running my tail off all summer long, so every day I can get off between now and the northwest work is a bonus. The company is squalling about fuel consumption and yet they won't spend 5 grand to repair the APU on my truck that they damaged a year ago. Guess what? I will be running the truck ALL summer long whether they like it or not. I can save them 3/4 of a US gallon of fuel/hour with the APU.

glad you got your AC fixed...no fun without it. Stay safe.

Good morning! 75˚F, cloudy, heading to 90s chance of rain , but probably not like every day this week.

While walking the Whip a Garia pulled beside me and we were talking about my "The Who" t-shirt and his Garia. His golf cart had a glovebox refrigerator and a lot of little nice things about it. I need to keep my eye open for a used one, they are a bit expensive new for my use. I did see on their website they are coming out with an off road model.

EGO warranty let me down yesterday by not returning a call. They said by leaving my number, instead of staying on hold, I would not loose my place in Que, but no call after 7 hours and when I called back after lunch they were not taking any more calls, just a recording saying call back tomorrow and hung up. I'm trying to get a three year battery replaced that failed after a year. I was still able to finish the yard with my 6 year old battery that has about half life in it still.

While my wife was giving me my second covid haircut she dropped the trimmers and now they are very loud and kind of pull hair. A search for a new one and they are mostly all sold out of the ones I want.

Went to Walgreens yesterday everyone had on mask, but this was the walgreens at the entrance to our "mature" neighborhood.

A few covid cases added every day but still the recovered outnumber the sick and usually under 20 in the hospital.

Don, I did not know you're a "Who" fan. Me too......I looked up the prices for a 7.5 Ah EGO battery....OUCH....$349. I hope you can get it replaced. Looks like it has maybe 34 individual (probably 18650 Li batteries). I wonder if some enterprising individuals are repairing batteries DIY style yet?

Hmm, second haircut failure. Maybe you need to find someone else to cut your hair.

Maybe a subliminal hint about having to do haircuts???

I went to Sportclips for a buzz. Looked online and they have 3 locations in Bryan College Station. Went to the one with "Zero" wait time. As I drove up, the manager invited me in and cut my hair. I just wore the "around the ears" type of mask, and all the gals their had masks on.

I got about 8-9 acres cut yesterday. It was hot, but a decent breeze. I bought a new anti solar, long sleeve pull over shirt, with a hoodie. It zips up with a turtle neck, to keep the sun off my neck. And I can pull the hoodie over to keep it off my ears/face when needed. I got it at Sams Club for only $16ish. Bargain. Sewn in Kenya. Not China.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Well, to satisfy my craving for building, my two sons are starting another project that I am only allowed to supervise. The old house has a small shop / shed that I built 27 years ago. It morphed into a more of an excess material storage and was allowed to fall into needing a serious makeover. It is now empty and they are going to dismantle it, repurpose the materials, and build another shed for one of them for storage. It will be nice all working together, hopefully I will withstand the urge to pickup some tools. They want to do it on their own with just some direction on what to do...

We call that "Gold Hatting" down here. Good luck with it. Something tells me you will sneak a tool in your hand.

 

[lostcreekranch]

Around here, law enforcement loves to pull over guys pulling dump trailers. They're almost always overweight because the drivers are either trying to cut corners by making fewer trips, or they don't know any better. The fines are pretty steep. For as little as I would use one, it just works out better to just hire a trucker.

I’ll see if I could park a non-existent dump trailer next to my non-existent back hoe and non-existent wood chipper? I guess the non-existent wood chipper could sit in the non-existent dump trailer .. to save space???

 

[Thomas]

Ron.
Another good feature when it comes to internet can keep pet interest,Mrs. will put laptop on Kittens Meowing and watch cats will lay there watch sometimes fall sleep.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Don, here's a guy who fixed his own battery with a new fuse. He mentions checking the individual battery's green plastic sleeves for overheating. But there is always more to it as far as possible problems.

EGO 56V 5Ah Battery Repair - YouTube

EGO 56V Battery Cell Replaced - YouTube

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

So I really have some motivation now to fix the hydraulic bucket curl rams on the 541 loader.....While cutting yesterday, the steering started acting up. Not going to lie, I went and bought a 5 gallon bucket of oil. I had to put the WHOLE bucket in to get it full. It holds 10 gallons....



Well, the steering works fine again for now. I was able to buy some aftermarket oil at a great price from our local B&B auto supply. 5gallons for $34 and change.

 

[RedNeckGeek]

At least Ian of London is taking advantage of the strong English winds to test his new drone, Eric. Hope it dies down over there soon. It was a blustery 10-15 MPH here this morning, with one gust to 20, now it's between 5-10MPH.:thumbsup:

 

[RedNeckGeek]

I’ll see if I could park a non-existent dump trailer next to my non-existent back hoe and non-existent wood chipper? I guess the non-existent wood chipper could sit in the non-existent dump trailer .. to save space???

You forgot the non-existent concrete mixer, but it would probably fit into the non-existent dump trailer with the non-existent wood chipper, so I wouldn't worry about it.

Can you tell I'm procrastinating on ditch digging?:laughing: