Good morning!!!!

[Eric Salop]

Welding is one of those skills that is best learned by doing, but some preparation is helpful as well. Stainless steel is readily weldable, at least some types are. If you know the alloy, you can pick a compatible electrode. Here are a couple of helpful articles, the first from a US supplier using US terminology and electrode specifications, the other from the EU:

Stainless Steel Electrodes: 滴 Versus 鏑 and Coating Types

http://www.worldstainless.org/Files/issf/non-image-files/PDF/Euro_Inox/BrochureWeldability_EN.pdf

Thanks RNG, I have some unbranded rods that are supposed to be ok for 304 and a plentiful supply of grinding discs, it's a good technique that is in short supply. I'll keep practicing.

One consolation is that, even when my welds are still on the ugly side, stainless does give some pretty colors

 

[lostcreekranch]

Good morning friends. 56 degrees and way foggy here. Forecast is for 81 this afternoon. Still cleaning up from storm Tuesday night / Wednesday a.m. We had winds over 60 mph and 2 1/2" of rain, between midnight and 12:45. Small tree branches everywhere.

Wild flowers near their peak now.

 

[farmer2009]

58 this morning and headed to 77 today. Rain last night didn't amount to much. Doubt it was even measurable.

Need to check chickens and mow. Then service the ZTR for mowing around the tight places. Then go look at a 4-wheel wagon. There's a couple at auction tomorrow but this one is definitely cheaper. It's my grandfathers and has been parked inside a barn for 30 years. It was his feed wagon. Tires are shot and tongue is froze but it still steers. Wanting one to haul hay with. But will also be adding one of these to it. Bergman Manufacturing Inc. Currently use a gooseneck trailer but it's hard on it driving through fields dragging the tail and all.

 

[txdon]

Good morning! 53˚ foggy.
I got too close to my gates push button control with the Z and it tore apart. luckily I just unlocked it remounted it and it seems to work but now the gate's remote exit sensor is going off during the vibrations of starting and stopping. I get to look for a loose wire today.

Whipper was back on patrol last night with a vengeance. I could tell she was mad at herself for letting the neighbor dog stop here during the lightning storm but she was too preocupied with the thunder to attend to the situation. Last night the juvenal coyote was taunting Whipper - coming close to Whip then running away - repeat. All I could see was a black figure utill I hit it with the spotlight, too bad I could not get a vidio of it but it was just too dark.

Ron so you will hit Moab Texas and Moab Utah this trip.

Drew, to find out your average cholesterol go to Walgreens drug store and have them do a blood draw for a cholesterol test 4 hours after your high cholerstrol meal and then average it with your fasting test at the Dr. This is a more accurate way to find out why heart disease is the #1 cause of death.

Way back when I was bullet proof and cholesterol was just being studied I had a un-fasting cholesterol level of 400 at the Doctors after a Micky D's hamburger. . . .Those were my young and stupid days . . . .

 

[ronjhall]

Ron so you will hit Moab Texas and Moab Utah this trip.
.

Had to look that up. You are right. I must have missed it when we drove threw the town.

 

[toppop52]

No obstacles here, other than probably 200+ oak trees to mow around and under on the 8 plus acres.

View attachment 464732

So, you mow around the trees with the tractor? Or do you use something else to trim with? I use a string trimmer about 3 times a summer, I use to have to use it every week with a regular tractor style mower, but what you need or what you like is a very individual thing.

 

[mkr7734]

Nice out there again today, 44 heading to the low 70s. Things are really drying out. Washed the truck yesterday. It had a ton of crushed gravel fines packed in the wheel wells. Glad I cleaned it.

Weeds are taking off. Put the heated birdbath and cat water bowl away and set up both of the concrete birdbaths. Un-covered the AC compressor for the house and put away the snow shovel. Most of the trails in the woods have dried up enough to travel on but two. Made a deal with Jim next door where instead of him paying me for his part of the gravel I had laid down he is going to buy and haul that amount of gravel with his gooseneck trailer to freshen up some of the bad spots on the north end of the lane.

I have both, a small 48" rider that I do around the house with because of all the trees. I also use it to open up the large areas then go in with the 72" finish mower. Anything bigger than 48" will not fit between a lot of the stuff around the house. So that is a limit factor.



Drew, I have also been married 3 times. I just tell people I have had the best years of three woman's lives. :laughing:
Been with the one I have now for 33 years. She was the keeper. :thumbsup:

Well have a good one.

 

[toppop52]

Frost again this morning, around 60° later. I can't use more than 54" in a lot of places.

This was when I first saw the property.

 

[mostly_gas]

Good morning all. 54F this morning, patchy fog. Going to 76F partly cloudy more clouds later today and tomorrow, chance of rain starting tomorrow. Getting ready for trip to Missouri to fix boat seat, need to mow etc. Will have very limited internet access while on trip.

 

[mkr7734]

Got the flail lubed and filled with gear oil, only to find that the supplied PTO drive shaft is several inches too short. The one from the Bushog might work, but the push button releases on the too short one are obscured by the safety guard on the flail end of the connection. Even if I were able to get to it, the one on the other end jams and needs the persuasion of a ball pien hammer and drift to move, so I've got a call into "tech support" and will hopefully gain some insight later today.

TGIF gang!

RNG, I got one of these for my finish mower PTO shaft. It ended up too short after I put the quick connect on the back of the tractor. It adds 5" and you can access the QC because it puts it in front of the shield.

Double HH Quick Release PTO Adapter Extender at Blain's Farm & Fleet

 

[lostcreekranch]

RNG, I got one of these for my finish mower PTO shaft. It ended up too short after I put the quick connect on the back of the tractor. It adds 5" and you can access the QC because it puts it in front of the shield.

Double HH Quick Release PTO Adapter Extender at Blain's Farm & Fleet

Here's same for $10 less. I bought this one for my LS.

PTO Adapter-PTO Shaft Adapter | Agri Supply #11971

 

[rswyan]

65.7F and very sunny @ 11:20 ... forecast is for a high of 73F ... should be able to get some good drying going over the next few days.

Worked on wiring for the diverter until around 01:00 or so, didn't actually hit the rack until after 03:00.

Got the instrument cluster and the fuse block pulled ... (carefully) removed the wire and terminal for the work light from the fused side of the fuse block. Will probably solder a piece of 12 ga onto to that as the power source for the diverter and run it up to the top of the dash just under the instrument cluster, where I'll locate the relay. Should keep it out of the weather and it shouldn't be too difficult to change there if need be.

Also got a hole carved in the dash for the rocker switch, so I can turn the diverter on and leave it on, without having to hold the momentary contact switch on the joystick in.

Have to run out to Summit Racing later and grab some solid loom and some terminals, after UPS delivers the hoses and fittings.

Gonna be hard to stay on task with all this nice weather, since there are so many other things that need doing. Probably going to have to mow in the next several days, if I don't want the grass getting out of control.

Hope everyone has a nice day.

 

[mkr7734]

Here's same for $10 less. I bought this one for my LS.

PTO Adapter-PTO Shaft Adapter | Agri Supply #11971

Yes that looks like the same thing. Guess I got hosed by Farm & Fleet again...:mur:

 

[txdon]

I do not have a ZTR. . . . Did test of a ZTR when I bought front mower. Ride on them is terrible. I am with Drew, ZTR's are bad for the back.

That is why, when I went shopping for a ZTR, it had to have 13" air front caster tires and a premium bolstered internal-suspension seat as standard equipment. Mine rides smooth. Also avalible as an option are flex forks for the front casters but the salesman talked me out of it saying I would not need it with the seat it came with. He was right.

 

[barko1]

Drew, I have also been married 3 times. I just tell people I have had the best years of three woman's lives. :laughing:
Been with the one I have now for 33 years. She was the keeper. :thumbsup:

Well have a good one.

That's a nice looking place you have tho and spent nearly 10 years in Bloomington before heading to MN, NM, and now GA. Congrats on the 33 years!

 

[mkr7734]

That's a nice looking place you have tho and spent nearly 10 years in Bloomington before heading to MN, NM, and now GA. Congrats on the 33 years!

Thanks barko, we like it. Where we are now is part of the Illinois and Fox river valley, put here years ago by the glaciers. Lots of elevation changes and woods. Not like the vast part of Illinois, Flat with corn and beans everywhere. Where I grew up was in Plainfield IL.. Much the same landscape as the Bloomington area. I have a close friend that has 900 acre farm just east of town.

 

[daugen]

Welcome Barko. Stick around, we'll get you buying a tractor...:dance1:

Spent hours walking downtown with guests. I am so sick of windowshopping, am a buyer not a shopper.
so seems like huge waste of time to me. But then one finds little gems, that clearly one could have lived perfectly well without...
But I was looking for a print for the travel trailer, need to get something on those bare flimsy walls.

Anyone have an extra flocked velvet nude painting?

 

[lostcreekranch]

Welcome Barko. Stick around, we'll get you buying a tractor...:dance1:

Spent hours walking downtown with guests. I am so sick of windowshopping, am a buyer not a shopper.
so seems like huge waste of time to me. But then one finds little gems, that clearly one could have lived perfectly well without...
But I was looking for a print for the travel trailer, need to get something on those bare flimsy walls.

Anyone have an extra flocked velvet nude painting?

Drew, you need one of these, for your trailer, too!

 

[barko1]

Welcome Barko. Stick around, we'll get you buying a tractor...:dance1:

Neglected to update, bought a nice shiny Kioti 2510 that now has 34 hours on it. Been mowing, raking, grading, lifting, draggin. Getting ready for the 50 hour service.

 

[mkr7734]

Neglected to update, bought a nice shiny Kioti 2510 that now has 34 hours on it. Been mowing, raking, grading, lifting, draggin. Getting ready for the 50 hour service.

barko, My neighbor has a Kioti he seems to like it and it is like 9 years old but he only has 120 hours on it. He has a very steep driveway and needs it to grade after wash-outs and plow in the winter. The dealer he got it from went upside down in 08 and the other one quit the Kioti and went to selling Kubotas. He has a 54" Sears he uses to do the grass. But he has not had any issues with the Kioti other than no dealers around here in North Central Ill.. His machine is about the same size as my JD 3203 not sure what # it is but seems to be a nice unit.
We went from winter on Tuesday to summer today. dusk and still 74 degrees.
Here is my today story.

Well the wife shows up home early, Guess they only had a half day. She had 4 bags of mulch in the back seat of her SUV car???I asked why didn't you put it in the back,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,oh well the latch won't open up..*&%#@#$% How long has it been that way ? Oh awhile,,&*^%$#@ Okay so I tear it all apart check fuses, check for power pull the hatch all apart to find the switch is bad. SO I ordered one from Rock Auto and should have it next week. She will just have to drive it as is for now. Always something!!!!!!!!!!! :confused2: