Good morning!!!!

[Looking4new]

Good Tractor Morning,

Mostly, Square Gears, is just another way to say the truck shifts with difficulty Bill was a professional truck driver , me, I’m a converted toolmaker/ model maker , who after almost 40 years working inside that I was going to be a truck driver. I was referring to a Mack Cab Over that could not be reved, you had to shift at low rpm and double clutch, although Bill could probably do it without even shifting.
I remember training on that truck and the guy riding with me telling me that it’s going to be a long day if you can’t get the truck into the next gear !

The first two trucks I drove had beveled gears and you didn't need to double clutch or even use the clutch at all.
Then I got an International with no beveled gears and you were supposed to double clutch. BUT if you got the engine rpm and the transmission rpm within 100 rpm of each other the gears would drop in, no clutch needed. If you missed a shift, then you would stop and start over. When you got tired of starting over then you learned. The second one was a 'single axle' (meaning single drive axle), the first one was an imitation tandem (single axle drive but tandem axles the second axle was an air-lift axle and didn't drive, a real P.I.T.A. in the snow). 5X4 transmissions are usually "married' meaning you didn't go anywhere unless both transmissions were in a gear. They are fun to shift without the clutch, but I got good at it and taught it to all the people I trained. I ONLY taught people who already had a license could handle the truck (given its size), just couldn't get a handle on the transmissions and how the two worked together to get on down the road.

 

[Looking4new]

A little frosty this A.M. @ -10 hi 5°F. No wind. A mix of sun and cloud.
Today is dump/town run and then some snow clean up and cat litter dumping.

Time for breakfast.

Have a safe day all

 

[Happy in NC]

Good morning TBN!!
29 going to near 60 today and clouds rolling in for tomorrows rain.

Didn't do very much yesterday.
Finished up the bird feeder (for now), and got it put in place. Hooked it up to the app and now waiting on some birds. Really unhappy with the cable for the solar power cable. Although the pullys work well for lifting the feeder in place the wire has to just kind of free float and makes it look less then neat. I'll ponder over it a bit and see if I come up with anything better.
The talk about miles got me to thinking. looked through my app and found out I got a 2,501,581 steps last year with an average 3.51 miles. App says top 21% for my age group and seems to be well over the average for my bracket. I guess I can feel good about that and see how this year will compare. And give my dog a big amount of the credit.

Time for a second cup
Everyone have a great and safe day!!

 

[ArlyA]

Good morning tbn crew! Hope everyone had a nice new year's day. I'm of course at camp C with mutts but dearest skied out late yesterday to be at work today. It's cool again this morning at 8 degrees with a light breeze. Not been outside yet. With the base being so deep in the woods now, not sure what work I'll do today. The 6x6 operates fine with its psi being so low, but getting hung up on a unseen stump or rock is a concern. Yesterday I pulled the roller down the logging path past our cabin, but later decided that was a mistake. we did get it turned around with minmal grief. Being by yourself, changes the risk factor.

 

[m7040]

Frits, hope your wife is doing better. Does the cold weather affect her condition?

No the weather does not influence it. Rheumatoid Arthritis is basically a malfunctioning immune system that attacks the healthy cells in the body

 

[ronjhall]

The talk about miles got me to thinking. looked through my app and found out I got a 2,501,581 steps last year with an average 3.51 miles. App says top 21% for my age group and seems to be well over the average for my bracket. I guess I can feel good about that and see how this year will compare. And give my dog a big amount of the credit.

Time for a second cup
Everyone have a great and safe day!!

Check my data for the year. 2.2 million steps. Equaled 774 miles. Averaged a little over 6k steps a day. That’s after being under Dr care for 3 months for my bad ankle.

 

[m7040]

good morning, 22 to start with going to 37 feels much better with the wind finally gone.

Driveways are clear from snow so should be able to get some steps in again

It is too cold to get down to the barn and work although could use the torpedo heater but wait for better weather is my choice for now

 

[daugen]

No the weather does not influence it. Rheumatoid Arthritis is basically a malfunctioning immune system that attacks the healthy cells in the body

worse kind than mine, 30 years of osteo, made my spine fall apart and all my hand knuckles swollen.
But I'm still, with difficulty, typing away. I bet someone with rheumatoid arthritis can't type at all...
weather definitely affects mine, drop in pressure I think.

some folks are helped with heating, like me, and others are helped by cold.
cold makes me cramp up

 

[Buppies]

33 low of 31 high in 40s today cold and snow went poof models are all over the place their tweaking has screwed things up. Cold and snow always 10 days off

Great football game last night Ole Miss played very well. ACC has played decent in their bowl games and still have Miami in national championship picture good for them.

Holly is sleeping went to bed at 8:00PM.

Prayers for mostly Kyle and family Dons BIL Drew’s tooth, M7040 and wife. All others silent or spoken our Country

 

[Buppies]

Precious is laying on the heat vent odd

You have educated me on old Arthur m7040 it runs in Hollys family not so much in mine

Be safe in the wilderness ArlyA

 

[Popgadget]

Good Morning.
20° and it snowed overnight. Maybe an inch, but I’ll clear it just to avoid ice until it warms up, which won’t be until next week at the earliest.

Yesterday was a lazy day,never left the property, unless you count going out into the road to turn the tractor around when I cleared yesterday’s snow.

I tested out the new welder, it seems to work fine, here’s the result of the first arc that I struck with it on 1/16” aluminum.

I spent some time modeling, here is a pocket tool that takes 1/4” bits. It works surprisingly well. The initials are for “Upper Bucks Mechanical”, which is my friend’s business. I made him a dozen of them just for fun.

I did a bit of cleanup and rounded up the trash and recycling to go out tonight, hopefully it gets picked up. Got a carryall load of firewood from the shed.
Cooked some meatballs and sauce and proceeded to watch a pile of logs turn into a bed of coals before retiring for the night.

Today will start with a bowl of special K and then out to clear the nuisance snow. Might be a Costco run in the cards for today, definitely playing music tonight, it will be a pick up group, which is always fun, no telling what genres will get crossed.
Be interesting to see what else comes up.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Buick 225 I drove had a 455.

Also thrown into a ford dump truck at age 19 with the red high low switch on the gear shift. Worse I did in a dump truck was break an axle.

Not much done yesterday. Just stay warm. Too cold for hiking.

 

[Buppies]

Always interesting to see what comes up

 

[m7040]

My truck driving was mostly before I had a license during repairs where I worked in my teen years. There was a WW 2 airstrip close by that was no longer in use that was a convenient test strip for checking out repaired cars and trucks. Also my dad had a trucking business where I often helped out

The AMT transmissions seem to become more common where a manual transmission is shifted with computer controlled hydraulics

 

[txdon]

Good morning! 63˚F heading to the upper 80s with a W wind clear skies.
BIL took a turn for the worse and had to go back to ICU. He still is not breathing on his own.

The girls won at hand and foot last night. At the neighborhood cards club I was in third place last week out of 40. Will see Monday how I placed for the last quarter of 2025.

Hope everyone is having an excellent New Year!

 

[daugen]

more prayers for your BIL Don

Frits, I can see where your engineering and mechanical genes came from.
versus my father who could barely use an adjustable wrench.
one of my closest friend's father was an aircraft mechanic.
oh the wonderful education he got.

with the skillsets of this group, if somehow we got stuck on a tiny island in the Pacific,
Kyle and Popgadget could literally build anything together. M7040 will consult on the big stuff.
But we need Phil to make everything look nice...just think of all those coconuts on the lathe.
And someone who is a really good cook. Popgadget will have a smoker going I'm sure.
probably should have Don be cook so we all live longer.
Bill should probably handle transportation services using Arly's tracked vehicles
I bet they go great on the sand.

 

[m7040]

I tested out the new welder, it seems to work fine, here’s the result of the first arc that I struck with it on 1/16” aluminum

Looks great. Nice bead
I am thinking the skills to use TIG welding is similar to ox/acc welding . Most my welding experience comes from gas welding when repairing cars and trucks in my teens. Lots of brazing and exhaust repairs mixed in with forge welding down in the blacksmith

 

[FriendwithTractor]

Good Morning to All Who Celebrate! Currently 24° heading to a brisk high of 32° cold and clear.

We also had that little dusting of snow, I chose not to do anything about it and just let it melt away whenever it inevitably warms up.

Parents shoved off for the shore on Wednesday and took the dog with them, so I've been holding down the fort. Been doing a lot of nothing over the New Year, which is ideal, at least for now. Got my Pork and Sauerkraut in me for good luck thanks to Grandma who came back from visiting with my aunt. Just got the notification that her Christmas present should be delivered today. So I'll put that together when it arrives and take it over (Hopefully).

Got out for a walk the other day and discovered that we were in fact impacted by that wind: A couple of dead Tree of Heaven toppled over (Good riddance), but now I'll have to grapple them up and push the brush back as well. Might bundle up and get to that this weekend.

Don, Praying for your brother in law.

Welcome to 2026 everyone! Stay safe out there y'all and be well!
Praying for all Ailing or Recovering!

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Good morning! 63˚F heading to the upper 80s with a W wind clear skies.
BIL took a turn for the worse and had to go back to ICU. He still is not breathing on his own.

The girls won at hand and foot last night. At the neighborhood cards club I was in third place last week out of 40. Will see Monday how I placed for the last quarter of 2025.

Hope everyone is having an excellent New Year!

Prayers for your BIL. Wonder if something got upset about attempting to walk? Prayers for healing and comfort.

60F going to record breaking 86F

Still looking for just the right used tennis racket for son on FB marketplace. Hope to find one today, but not looking good. Him and some of his team mates hope to practice this evening. There are plenty of practice rackets, but I want to get him his own so he can get comfortable with it.

Need a haircut or really just a trim over my ears.

Picked up mom yesterday in Temple. All went well.

Buccees was packed. We bought a couple of BBQ sandwiches. I got her chopped beef to help her eat it easily. I got the sliced beef. My sandwich was crap with at least 50% fat. They must not trim the fat off the brisket and I'm Jack Sprat. Her chopped beef was better than my sliced. Also, I saw they now offer "no sauce" option. I will go for that next time as IMO they put too much sweet sauce on it. Good brisket doesn't need sauce.

Cooked baby back ribs yesterday afternoon/evening. 2 racks. They were on sale for $2.99/lb about $8-9 each rack. Came out great. My autistic daughter loves them.

My son took his GT 80 Yamaha for a spin. He's a tad big for it now. LOL. He was just putting around, not too fast.

Hope all have a great day, they are all blessed. Prayers for our team, our nation, and for peace around the world.

 

[riptides]

GM, 31 outside this AM, heading to lower 40's. No precip, am OK with that.

Celebrated New Years with friends. All doing well.

Of interest was peoples step counters. So I looked at mine, even for the past few years. Love the consistency. Last year got in 2.3 million steps. Counter is reporting over 1000 miles yearly, since 2021. Not bad for an office job guy. LOL.

Hope all are starting the New Year off well. Looking forward to a host of changes we have planned. Good health and fortunes to you all. Be safe.

Time to tend to the animals, late start...a boarder is relocating her horse this weekend, so we need to move some animals around. Glad it will be leaving, it was a chewer of fences.