Good Morning!!!! 54F @ 5:15AM. A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 71F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.
How well does the EvapoRust work in the ultrasound, Rick? I've had problems with other cleaning agents depositing what looked like a copper plating, or with discoloration of aluminum parts.
Last couple of flats on the old tractor I had to resort to starting fluid to get the beads to seat. Man, I really hate doin' that...:grumpy:
Hope you don't get stuck, Don.
Weed eating and shoveling after an outpatient procedure? Randy, you hit the jackpot with Ellen!:laughing:
There's not much modulation in the foot pedal that controls the thumb; it's more or less all on or all off. Maybe some lubrication in the pivot would help?
Took my time dismounting the backhoe yesterday, not being exactly clear in the beginning about what would move where. Two large steel pins hold the hoe in place, and as expected, neither one wanted to come out. They work like the ones that hold the loader on the old Kubota, with captured cross pins at one end that drop into a hole in an adjacent plate to keep the pin in place. Ended up using a short section of pipe on the cross pins to get the big pins turning, and was able to work them free. And as expected, both were dry as a bone and rusty. Once the hoe was off the tractor and on the ground, the hydraulic lines decoupled easily, losing only a tablespoon or so of fluid all told, and there was no need for a chair under the hoe to hold it up. The best part is the tractor is a whole lot more stable without all that high weight on it. And next time, it'll go a lot smoother.
Took my time putting the three point hardware on, too. The directions were pretty clear this time, even to specifying torque values for each of the bolts. Had more rust to deal with in the bores holding the pins that the front of the 3PH arms pivot on, and in the threaded holes the bolts engaged. Used a tap to clean up some of them, but I didn't have a 12mm tap for the biggest ones and used a copper bore brush in the drill for those, and lots of anti-sieze on the threads. All the pins and bores got generous doses of spray on lithium grease as well.
Most of the assembly I did was a one-time only thing, and won't have to be repeated next time I want to use the backhoe. And I won't have to crawl under the tractor to bolt anything on, either, as is the case with the old tractor. I have yet to add the top'n'tilt cylinders, as the valves to control them won't ship until the end of the month, so the verdict is still out on how difficult the mount/dismount procedure will be.
I was half thinkin' I'd have to purchase a larger box blade, but the old one is as wide as the rear tires and will be fine, at least for now. I will have to alter the mount for the receiver hitch that rides above the top link connection though. The new Class 1-2 top link eye is so large it won't fit under the mount. I'll need to check the eye on the hydraulic top link to make sure it's not even larger.
After lunch I ran into some measurement errors on the solar panel rack braces; I guess that's why they make welders, right? But the tractor had no problems at all with the steep hillside or moving two 16' lengths of pipe at a time. I was a little worried about slipping on the gravel, but once I remembered to engage 4WD, it was a non-issue. And it was nice being able to use the box blade as a sort of land anchor to back up the parking brake.
The propane man is due here at 8AM to hook up the generator, and so far, he's always been early. And not just a few minutes early, we're talking a half hour early last time, and it cost me a breakfast.:irked: So this morning I'm allowing plenty of time for morning chores, and will have the gate open early, too.
Hang in there, gang, Friday's comin'!
