Posts have fallen off lately

[Gary Fowler]

Looks like folks have run out of subject matter to discuss. Little to Nothing new in many days now.
As for myself, I have been busy buying stuff like welding rods, clamps, sanding discs, refilled my Acetylene tank and new whip hose for my cutting torch. I made a Habor Freight walk thru and only found $85 worth of stuff to buy. I did kind of like the Chicago Electric welding cart with 3?drawers and a covered storage section for $169. Maybe later. Already spent almost $100 at the welding supply. Wife is getting suspicious of my welding purchases lately.
Next purchase is going to be a stack of steel to build things with. My scrap pile is down to just that, SCRAP.

 

[California]

Wife is getting suspicious of my welding purchases lately.

"My biggest fear is when I'm gone my wife will sell all my stuff for what I told her I paid for it".

With this site inviting amateurs and beginners, I expect some readers are holding back on describing their newbie fumbles.

We do need more posts! Folks show us your projects, past or present. And most important, any advice you can share with others.

 

[CA_Bgrwldr]

"My biggest fear is when I'm gone my wife will sell all my stuff for what I told her I paid for it".

With this site inviting amateurs and beginners, I expect some readers are holding back on describing their newbie fumbles.

We do need more posts! Folks show us your projects, past or present. And most important, any advice you can share with others.

Maybe split the "Project" section into "Current" and "Previous".

 

[Aczlan]

Made a HF run the other day and picked up a 3/4 ton lever chain hoist.
Works really nice compared to the cable come alongs that I have used previously.
Used it to winch the backhoe I bought onto the trailer.

Aaron Z

 

[poncho62]

When this forum started, I had 2 projects on the go. Lately, nothing much, but I do check in every day.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have been raiding my limited scrap pile to build a table for my wire feeder. I had an old ROPS top from a go-cart that my neighbor was throwing away. It has a 1x1 tubing frame so I cut it in halve to make the base and the top shelf for the welding machine. It is bigger than I needed but the way the frame was welded with one brace directly in the middle, it worked out pretty good.
I bought wheels at HF (mover dolly for $10 and removed the wheels) and welded them on the bottom of the half frame. I found a few pieces of thin shapes from my shop shelving than was left over so that became 2 of the legs and the other two are from the mounting post from the ROPS.
I dont have any more plate to make a middle shelf, but I do have some plywood so that will have to do for a middle shelf to store things.

I am thinking that I may swap my Everlast plasma/TIG / Stick machine over to it and then put my Airco MIG on the HF welding cart. That little cart is a bit crowded when I get all the equipment rolled up and I dont like the chain bottle holder on it.
Some pictures to follow when I get some time.

Today my new CV joints came in for my Kubota RTV so that is the next project, replacing both CV joints. I still have to drive into town to the Kubota dealer to pick up the new O-rings just in case I have to replace them. Of course the Kubota dealer had to order them from another dealer since he didnt have them in stock. So far in 10 years of dealing with him, nothing I have ever needed is in stock except filters.

 

[California]

I had an old ROPS top from a go-cart that my neighbor was throwing away. It has a 1x1 tubing frame so I cut it in half to make the base and the top shelf for the welding machine.

A neighbor's tenant moved out and didn't want to take a huge complex exercise machine like in pro gyms. Bonanza! I made a mast with pulley at top that fits on my tractor quick hitch, with the end of the cable anchored low on the back of the tractor. This gives 2:1 lift to raise the spike harrow. Lots more pulleys, levers, cable, mystery shapes. Twenty 10 lb weights the size of a book, with holes to bolt on where I need ballast. Lots of square tubing, the dimension that will fit in a hitch receiver, for future projects. Not a bad trade for some labor loading her truck.

Here's a picture I posted over on TBN (TractorByNet) several years ago to show practical use of the HF 110v - AC flux "Mig100" welder and showing the harrow lifter.

I finally ran out of patience trying to do decent work with that 110v AC flux welder and replaced it with a used DC Century 130, similar specs, a far better welder. Then replaced that one with the two modern welders I've listed below.

I've kept my first welder, the big stick 'Wards PowrKraft'. I still like it better than any of these subsequent welders. But it's a bear to rassle it out of locked storage, to weld right where this tractor is parked. So for small projects I usually use the little ones.

Come to think of it, I did use the 230a AC PowrKraft for an older project where I spliced together rusty scrap for the drawbar, that pulls the harrow via four short chains.

Typical ugly weld from the HF 110v flux welder. Good enough for my hobby-farming use, not pretty enough to do welding for anyone else.
Everything I've ever welded has stayed welded so there's that.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Well another project partially finished. I got up at 5am and after coffee and cookies, I headed out to the shop to fix that CV joint. It took about an hour to do and with the 95% humidity, I was soaked. So I called it a day after the first one, filled it back with oil and will get to the other one in a few days. It wasnt as hard as I thought. The Youtube video really helped me decide to do it myself. It only takes a few long extensions for your socket, a 24mm, 19mm and 13 mm sockets then a 17mm boxed in wrench, a pair of pliers and small hammer to remove the cotter pin then a big hammer to knock out the swing arm after removing the 19mm bolts from each side. Then it is just wrestling the CV joint out of the front end and replacing with the new one.
When I saw that video, I was really surprised by how easy it was to fix.

Now if we could just get another cold front to come in and lower the temps a little I will get on the other side. The boot is still good on that one, but it is a bit clunky. The oil was a bit rusty so I guess it did get some water in it when it went for a swim last winter. Gremlins still showing up from that bath it took. That is another reason I wanted to wait a while to fix the other one. Put in fresh oil and run it a few days then drain it again which will happen when I pull off the other cv Joint.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Now I can get back to my rolling table for the MIG machine. As someone said, creativity is the mother of invention, also the invention when you live on a fixed income.

 

[Bearskinner]

I wish I had more time to create, weld up goodies, make tools etc. unfortunately all the sunshine and rain has helped everything grow at an accelerated rate. Most of my spare time is used up mowing, bush hogging, limbing , trimming, planting, them maintaining all the equipment.
Life has a way of getting in the way of having nothing but fun.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Tell me about it. I am mowing about every 5 days now. It is a 3 hour job but I cant do all of it because of so much rain, I have some low areas that still have standing water. It rains just about every day in the afternoon. Sure makes the grass grow well. Also seems like all my stuff is breaking down. First I had to repair the hydraulic cylinder for my back hoe thumb, then I had to replace both CV joints in the Kubota RTV. Now I am having to short circuit the starter solenoid on my Ferris lawnmower. Awaiting parts for that. Cant find a new PTO clutch for my Craftsman. It has a Ogura JD-11 and no one seems to have one. The Craftsman is my lowland mower because it is really lightweight and I have bar lug tires on it so it goes right thru most mud.

Yesterday my new HF welding hood started on the fritz. It keeps blinking dark then light then dark again. I had to break out my old one that takes a second ot darken because of an old battery but at least it stays dark when it works. The new one seemed to only do that when TIG welding yesterday but today it did it a couple times MIG welding also. I have one on order from Tool lots that supposedly is much better and has a replaceable battery.

 

[CA_Bgrwldr]

Now I can get back to my rolling table for the MIG machine. As someone said, creativity is the mother of invention, also the invention when you live on a fixed income.

I like to say, " if creativity is the mother of invention", "poverty is the mother of creativity".

 

[Gary Fowler]

I like to say, " if creativity is the mother of invention", "poverty is the mother of creativity".

I like that. So very true.

 

[Dirt Guy]

Gary, I find you can go for months and nothing breaks. Then all of a sudden everything seems to break at once. Then you spend the next few months fixing it all. I guess it is just live, What else would we be doing,I can think of lots of things.

 

[Gary Fowler]

The fixing I can do, finding the parts is hard on 10 year old lawnmower. It seems they become obsolete quickly. I bought it and used it one season then bought the Ferris because it was much smoother riding. The Craftsman has about 100 hours on it from use the rest is just setting in the shed. I found all kinds of PTO clutches that look like they might work but all have not return policy and I dont feel like investing up to $250 for something that might not fit.

 

[CA_Bgrwldr]

The fixing I can do, finding the parts is hard on 10 year old lawnmower. It seems they become obsolete quickly.

This is what I find so annoying, it is a fricking lawnmower, you don't need to reinvent the wheel with each new generation.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Gary, I find you can go for months and nothing breaks. Then all of a sudden everything seems to break at once. Then you spend the next few months fixing it all. I guess it is just live, What else would we be doing,I can think of lots of things.

My always says that bad things come in sets of 3.

 

[sonny580]

Still need to make a steering handle and linkage for my power buggy, --- things hit the skids when garden time came! --- haul water to garden every day for 6 weeks, now that rain came mow every 2 or 3 days, also now busy harvesting the garden and putting up our winter goodies so time is at a premium around here. We can a lot along with running our freeze-dryer round the clock for the last 5 weeks doing some of the onions, summer squash, potatoes, sweetcorn, etc. Have several projects started/planned but cant get to them right now.