Good morning!!!!

[Looking4new]

I've got everything I wanted to do today done. Driveway and parking area rolled, rest of black earth put in front of the east window and grass seeded, small saplings beside the driveway pulled and shoved back into the bush, 45 bags of black earth picked up and 20 of them spread, the other 25 aren't mine.
I know that buying black earth at 30lbs/bag and 5 for $10.oo is expensive but around here if you get bulk topsoil from a supplier you usually get weeds you don't want. Weeds like creeping strangler vine and burdock.

 

[txdon]

May Day is Lei Day here in Hawaii.

"Lei day was established as a holiday in 1929. Each Hawaiian island has a different type of lei for its people to wear in the celebration."

Which type is for your island?

 

[Williy]

This is the worst morning I ever had! I got up and looked
in the mirror and scarred the hell outa me!

willy

 

[Thomas]

Wife is looking for another Craftsman garden tractor . Apparently 2 aren’t enough. But then she isn’t the one who has to keep them alive. They are tough, but the good ones are getting OLD.

Couple years ago or more Mrs. didn't care much for Cub Cadet rider mower and shop around one day sat new Craftsman rider mower in fairness Craftsman has much better seat for comfort.

 

[Thomas]

This is the worst morning I ever had! I got up

willy

 

[Thomas]

53F light wind blue sky.

Good day for outside puttering finally able connect with hazardous materials drop center hours offer only twice year now I have extra room in the shed.Cut up 9 heaping wheel barrow loads of kindling for the Mrs. next winter,need one more wheel barrow load to complete...very soon starts next winter wood.

Plans for this evening...hmmmm.

Enjoy your evening all.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

This is the worst morning I ever had! I got up

willy

Welcome to GM, it could have been worse.

 

[rswyan]

Lower front yard cored - that's probably around 1 1/4 acres:

Went better than I might have guessed, ground was plenty wet. Cores look like they ranged from around 1 to 2+ inches.

No issues with turning, with the unit down, but then I wasn't trying to make sharp turns either. Still need to inspect the unit closely and see how it held up.

Did spot one issue ... you can kinda get an idea from the picture of the unit in "transport mode" before I started:

Notice how the unit is tilted back, even in "transport mode" (due to design of the drawbar, which drops down)

When the wheels are raised ("ground engagement mode") the angle is even more extreme ... and the wheels - even though raised - contact the ground at times ... and probably prevent the coring tines from penetrating even further.

If Yardworks had left the drawbar straight, probably wouldn't be an issue.

So looks like a fab project for an add-on drop hitch is in order for the Cub ...

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Got a couple hrs of sleep in.
Beautiful day.

Lilacs smell so good.
Mowed all but the back field. It’s got a bunch of yellow buttercups, so let them be. Did mow along creek, and mowed other side of creek for first time this year. Used ZT over there since tiller is still on the Massey. Bunch more sticks down, had picked them up a couple weeks ago, mowed around most, did hit one rock.

After late lunch of pit beef, got pole saw out and trimmed low branches on white pines, they were on the ground. Trimmed some on 2 apple trees also, and trimmed a cedar tree and cut wild grape vine in it. Need to pick it up, but will have to switch to grapple.
Need to plant more garden , but tired. Maybe after supper. Was gonna trim another bush but that won’t get done.
Grilling steaks for supper. Need propane, have one from rv on the grill now. Noticed the wind blew off some trim on rv that cover screw heads. It’s been needing replaced, I already bought some over a year ago.

Piece of roll roofing blew off the woodshed roof. Most of it was like the eagles song, already gone. Nails in the sheet that came off. Ran over area with metal detector, 4 places got beeps, but couldn’t find nails in the grass. Didn’t mow that area.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Kyle; I called the company asking about my flange bearings that were due 2 days ago. He said they made a mistake on their end...
And is he willing to overnight the parts to you?

He did offer to overnight. I wanted to hear him say that, to prove that they had them on the shelf, but then I told him ship them 2 day express....It is raining so much here, nobody is mowing anytime soon. I should get them on Tuesday.

 

[RoyJackson]

Good to know ...

I had commented to The Woman that the paint on this unit seems pretty good. Definitely not thin. Dunno if it was powder cost or just regular enamel ... but powder coat can sure be real tough.

Probably one of the biggest things I have a concern with is the "bearings" in the hubs that hold the tines and allow them to spin - they are (fairly thin) plastic (split) sleeves that slip over the axle and inside the hub that the tines are attached to. Menards does off them as a replacement item ($18) but they don't stock them in the stores.

They don't call for any lubrication for them, either on assembly or as a part of periodic maintenance.

Hard to imagine those holding up ... but hey ... who knows ?

Another concern is turning with the transport wheel up and the unit engaged in the ground. They say not to make "sharp turns" ...

I'd prefer not to have to get off Cub and lower the transport wheels after every pass and I'll try to make a "wide (slow) turn" and see how it goes ... what was your experience on that ?

Were you raising the unit every time you needed to turn ?

Or were you able to successfully negotiate the turns without much difficulty with the unit engaged in the ground ?

I operate the aerator behind a Deere ZTR (Z920) and you know how sharp they can turn!
I turn relatively sharp turns, but not acute turns...say, a 5' turning radius. No problems there. Try that out and see how your aerator does. Worse case I've seen is the plug holes will be somewhat elongated
Now, don't run your aerator across asphalt or concrete without the wheels down!!! Trust me, you know when those tines hit a surface they can't penetrate!! They make a hell of a racket!!
Now, backing up is challenging with the aerator...I normally operate to minimize backing up. About the only time I do is when the wheels are down and I'm parking the unit (after the aeration work is done)

As far as the wheels, no zerk fittings on the Agri-Fab, but no problems either...

 

[Looking4new]

He did offer to overnight. I wanted to hear him say that, to prove that they had them on the shelf, but then I told him ship them 2 day express....It is raining so much here, nobody is mowing anytime soon. I should get them on Tuesday.

Then he is a supplier to keep, provided they are the right bearings.

 

[sodamo]

"Lei day was established as a holiday in 1929. Each Hawaiian island has a different type of lei for its people to wear in the celebration."

Which type is for your island?

Lehua, Don

The Big Island Lehua blossoms grow on the native ohi'a, the first tree daring enough to sprout from a new lava field. The pom-pom stamens are sacred to the volcano goddess Pele and were used by the ancient Hawaiians in a potion to lessen the pain of childbirth. The red, salmon, pink, or yellow flowers are quite showy and energetically participate in the Big Island of Hawai'i's official lei.
By Hawaiian standards, the Big Island is HUGE. It's almost twice the size of all of the rest of the Hawaiian Islands combined and four times the size of Rhode Island on the mainland. And it has an active volcano as a major attraction which you can visit by car, tour bus, or see from above you as you take a helicopter tour of the island.
There are two major "sides" to the island: Kona, where you will find major resort accomodations, golf, horseback riding, tennis, and sport fishing; and Hilo, which includes Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, Rainbow Falls, and Waipi'o Valley, the valley of kings.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Wife just saw a humming bird on her flowers, we don’t have a feeder.

 

[Alien]

Good to know ...

I had commented to The Woman that the paint on this unit seems pretty good. Definitely not thin. Dunno if it was powder cost or just regular enamel ... but powder coat can sure be real tough.

Probably one of the biggest things I have a concern with is the "bearings" in the hubs that hold the tines and allow them to spin - they are (fairly thin) plastic (split) sleeves that slip over the axle and inside the hub that the tines are attached to. Menards does off them as a replacement item ($18) but they don't stock them in the stores.

They don't call for any lubrication for them, either on assembly or as a part of periodic maintenance.

Hard to imagine those holding up ... but hey ... who knows ?

Another concern is turning with the transport wheel up and the unit engaged in the ground. They say not to make "sharp turns" ...

I'd prefer not to have to get off Cub and lower the transport wheels after every pass and I'll try to make a "wide (slow) turn" and see how it goes ... what was your experience on that ?

Were you raising the unit every time you needed to turn ?

Or were you able to successfully negotiate the turns without much difficulty with the unit engaged in the ground ?

I was concerned about those plastic bushes over 20 years ago and guess what, they are still working. They told me at the time they were trouble free, not like bearings.

 

[Alien]

Got a hopeful text this a.m. Couple of offers coming in for the NZ farm. Fingers crossed.

 

[rswyan]

Done down down around the house, heading for the upper front ...

 

[toppop52]

Wow, the hummingbirds are plentiful this year, mostly males so far for about two weeks. Females just started showing up. They’re emptying the feeders before they need changing. A few butterflies but mostly hummers.

I towed my 900 lb (filled) spike aerator behind my Kubota ZTR before I bought this tractor.

Sometime after dark yesterday the wind blew one of my deck chairs with cover, off the deck and out into the yard. Also broke bungee on the grill and drove it about 12’ across the deck. Never even had that in tropical storms.

 

[MoKelly]

Wow, the hummingbirds are plentiful this year, mostly males so far for about two weeks. Females just started showing up. They’re emptying the feeders before they need changing. A few butterflies but mostly hummers. .

You’re making me jealous. We put the feeders out on Easter and not one bird yet! We had lots last year.



MoKelly

 

[Rich B1]

Couple years ago or more Mrs. didn't care much for Cub Cadet rider mower and shop around one day sat new Craftsman rider mower in fairness Craftsman has much better seat for comfort.

When we moved to our home 23 years ago, we had a small rider from the previous place. It was way too small. Quickly decided we needed a bigger tractor fast. The local Sears had a 24 HP Craftsman GT with a 50” deck in stock. The other local lawn and garden type power equipment dealers all said ”we can order a larger one for you and it will be here in a few weeks”.

So we ended up with the Craftsman GT. Overall, it was a good tractor.... not thrilled with the engine....I have gotten good at replacing Kohler head gaskets. The original tractor cracked a cylinder sleeve. At 1400 hours, I wasn’t fixing it.

Bought a slightly older 22.5 HP with a blade and no deck for the engine. But it turned out to be a low time tractor in very good condition. Just moved the deck over. It has worked very well, I actually prefer this one. Used it today for the slopes and some tight spots.

She found a decent Craftsman GT3000 shortly after I bought tractor #2. This one has 25 HP and a 48” deck and has been a decent mower. Just has a wonky charging system that charges when it feels like it. So far this year, it has mostly been charging. I actually suspect the ignition switch is the problem. But since I don’t like it as well, don’t use it very often. She does tho, and at some point, gonna have to figure out why it sometimes won’t charge. I have already had to do head gaskets on this one. The engine in this one and the original with 24HP never have sounded as smooth as the tractor with 22.5 HP.

But she seems to think we need another one....