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Their uncle has a JD. They have no interest. But the red Wheel Horse … it’s the first attraction they run to at Nana and Pa’s. Must be the color.

We’re just getting back home and settled from a great trip with friends! On Saturday, the 8th, we drove from MI to Winchester, IN with our three campers in tow. We made a pit stop in Angola at the Loves’ Truck Stop and Met @davidtmercer with a 520 plow he purchased a couple weeks prior. Once in Winchester at the Winchester Speedway, we set up camp in the field and stayed there one night. We then battened down the hatches and headed south, 5 of us in one Ram pickup. Once we arrived in Sevierville, TN, we met up briefly with @Willie to exchange another snow plow and some tire chains, then headed south another hour to Gatlinburg, TN. Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and surrounding areas is such a cool place! Bluegrass, tastings, go karts, the Titanic Museum, scenery, and more! Wednesday, we made our way back to the campground in Winchester for the Annual Winchester 400 weekend. Please standby for exciting wheelchair action and more! No @Ed Kennell, I didn’t loose any fingers! The Holler has a nice little stage and a band of rocking chairs, awaiting live performances daily. We have seen Seth Mulder’s band before, when we visited in June. Great music!

Yesterday we came home to find that the left side shed roof and left side vertical roof were both completely covered with sheet metal roofing. The right side vertical roof is around half done. It's raining this morning so I imagine they will be working undercover finishing up the back sliding door by adding the pine boards to the frame that they built last week. Maybe if the rain lets off they'll finish the roof up.

Everyone knows that a miter is a relatively simple thing to do. Wether using a powered miter saw or a hand operated one it is a straightforward thing to do as long as it is on the end of a board. A long miter on the edge of a board however is a not so simple thing to do . I am sure many of you tried it on for example a table saw and found that it is not only a precarious operation but also that it does not yield good results. Regardless of the side of the fence you attempt to cut it there is always lots of binding and burning. If board is not perfectly flat miter will also not be accurate. I always do long miters by hand using a plane. I have made them up to ten feet long this way. Plane is assisted by an adjustable guide that will adjust to 45 degrees or anything in between. It is a stress free operation with full control over the results . Sometimes one wants a mitered joint to be somewhat more or less than a perfect 45 and with this method adjustments of 1/64” are done in one pass with precision by merely adjusting the blade tilt on plane. Plane guides I use are over 100 years old but can be found relatively easily. My favorite one is made to be used with a wood plane. It’s used on a plane I had since I was 20 years old and one of my favorite tools. When not in use guide is removed. They are also available for metal planes. Another example how a somewhat complex operation with power tools can easily be accomplished better with no drama using simple common hand tools with better predictable results. Jointer Gauge attaches to wood plane Jointer Gauges for wood planes are rarer They were mostly made for metal planes Gauge holds plane comfortably at right angle very small adjustments can be made by just tilting blade within plane a very satisfying and controlled process End result a perfect miter predictable perfect results. Miters can be simply glued by using masking tape as a clamp Full contact on both sides throughout entire length The only clean up to contend with . No flying dust on your face, no danger to fingers.

Go to your local craft shop and get a medium sized straw hand woven basket with a lid. Get some ham or other type of luncheon meat… Place the basket in the kitchen floor with the lid off. You will also need a finger flute and a burgundy colored bath towel… Wrap the towel around your head in the shape of a turbin… Sit in the floor cross-legged and play the finger flute . After the snake comes out and crawls in the basket, put the lid on it and remove basket from house… Take the ham or luncheon meat and make a sandwich… Keep the doors closed…

After lunch I painted several doorframes upstairs with Brushing Lacquer. My wife thought the smell was getting strong downstairs. I finished about 3pm. When I came downstairs I saw she had opened the front door for ventilation, so I closed it and went to the shop to clean my brush and did a few other things. Thankfully my wife had left. When I came back in the house I immediately saw a 2-3 ft snake on the floor between the open kitchen living room area. I’m fairly sure it is a non poisonous rat snake. I grabbed a walking staff from a nearby rack. The snake sensing me slithered under the cabinet toe space. I was shocked to see it found a small opening at the top of the cabinet corner toe board and crawled in. Now wanting to destroy the cabinet. I Googled and found a “Snake Removal Specialist” in my area. He’s on a call and will be here in an hour or 2. I m quietly sitting here with my staff and shovel making sure it doesn’t come out and try to go elsewhere. I briefly thought about spraying gasoline - gassing under the counter like they do to rattle snake dens, but decided maybe the snake guy had a better trick. My wife is deathly afraid of snakes and will not be sleeping in this house until it’s removed. So what would you be doing?

I would come in the house tightly holding a shop rag wrapped around ..... whatever with the other hand and she got to where she'd just say --- "do I need to get a band aid or the car keys"

I like'm tight. Installed tight with no air it the tires then air them up for a nice tight fit without the need for any tension springs, bungee cords or anything else. Yes it's a little bit of a pain to get them on that tight but they don't move rattle or roll

Ouch... And I wouldn't count on knocking @Pullstart off his Darwin pedestal just yet... you've got many body parts to go (literally) before you catch up to him...

Looking around outside for more snakes to bring in?? Thank you for posting that. There's way too much negativity toward a creature that does incredible amounts of good for us.

Got the 310-8 some sunshine sweeping up some leaves today. ( I know I know it’s not a wheelhorse lawn sweeper) and my grandfather sucking them up.

The creation of the "Hard Hat Award" 2014

Shadrach, Meshach and Abendigo.

Well the good news is the snake pest guy has found it under the cabinet using my plumbing endoscope camera. The good in that is it confirms its not somewhere else in the house. He says it is a yellow bellied water snake, non poisonous. we used a hole saw and drilled a hole from inside the dishwasher area and a hole from the refrigerator area. The hard part is he's trying to grab it with a long grabber and the snake keeps moving from one end of the cabinet base to the other. With time we will prevail. @ebinmaine I have no problem with snakes that stay outside in their environment I would say the house is my wife's environment. She would hurt someone if that snake came out and surprised her, and most likely it would be me!..

That shot is before my coffee…

Fun thread...kind of?? I hope bringing back some of these memories is a lesson to some to think of being careful when they do things. Look at what you are trying to do first...think about what could go wrong...make sure you have someone there around you...do not be out there alone. Live to tell about it !! We have guys that have had running horses fall on them while trying to load them into a truck or trailer. One bad second is all it takes.

Rat snakes and Garter snakes are great for the environment. They eat varmints like mice and rats. When I lived in Wisconsin, my brother and I would carry them in our pocket...we were like 5 or 6 years old old. Our Aunt Florence would freak out, but we loved the reaction. Now days, I do not like snakes like I used to, but they are more my friends then rats building nest in my horses.

I did fall out of a tree in 2011. Very stupid on my part...fractured left wrist, fractured right hip had a walker for 3 weeks...no stairs. Cut a tree limb and it took my ladder to the left...through the chain saw away and landed on the limb I cut down. The chain saw had no marks...wish I could say the same. Anyway, when I read these additions to this "Bumps & Bruises" thread, I cringe every time. I know that getting older makes it harder to come back. I used to climb telephone poles and live on a ladder sling all day...the arthurites is taking it's toll. Guess what...it will happen to you all. Stop thinking you can keep doing everything you did when you were 18. I used to jump out of perfectly good airplanes...I don't think I could survive that again. BTW, I never landed in a small airplane.

Well the rain never did completely cease so the fellas spent today finishing up the siding on the right side. They also got a great amount done towards the framework of the back wall. There will be 3 windows here going pretty much from one side to the other.

Glad you hadn’t decided to take a leak with that dangerous weapon in your hand, could have been worse. Duck tape it and carry on, you’ll be fine. 😉

You know...we are showing everyone that we have had "Pullstart Moments" before we had "Pullstart" !!

Hodge 71 got the hat and clamped down on it and wouldn't give it back! I got that hat from work as the construction crew left it behind along with a bunch of worn out ladders covered in dry wall mud. Wish I had it back, I'd give it to Waldo. @Pullstart would wear the paint right off the thing!

Looks like we have a new Red Square Darwin Award podium position holder! Chicks dig scars and left hand injuries make me a better golfer!

I wrestled with some old tires for far too long today!

Even kids know what a real tractor is. HOT ROD RED!

The trans don't care if it rolls forward or backwards. All turns the same, just opposite directions. Lubrication also good, so Same Same. One could actually argue that it is under less stress rolling backwards down that hill, than it was going up.

Took advantage of the beautiful PA fall weather and the boys and I took a nice long ride over the hill to check out the scenery!

Ever done that and drilled a small hole in the nail to relieve the pressure and stop the throbbing ?

I am finding it good to laugh again...tonight. Thanks guys...we need more of this.

Sure is a nice shanty EB! Fits right into the surroundings.

Hello my fine people, A while ago I got a PM from a member who was not familiar with packing bearings on idler pulleys. I told that particular member that I would make an instructional thread about idler pulleys, so here we go. Repacking idler pulley bearings only applies if your pulleys move correctly. That may seem obvious, but let me explain further. Pulley movement is a good sign that your pulley is still functional and sound, but that is not the end of the story. If your pulley freewheels, that is, you take the pulley and spin it, and it has no resistance, that means that your pulley is probably good, but needs to be repacked with grease. However, if you lay the pulley flat on a workbench, and attempt to move the inside bearing race side to side, left to right, and there is obvious movement, your pulley bearings are bad and I recommend you invest in a new pulley. Investing in a new pulley does not mean that you are done. You still need to pack the bearings. See below for instructions. If your pulley does not move at all, the chances are that the inside of your pulley looks like this, and you must invest in a new pulley. Step 1 in repacking pulley bearings on an OLD idler pulley is to remove the dust caps from the pulley bearings. You can do this with a small pick, but I have found that a combination of a box-cutter blade and very small scewdriver works perfectly to remove the caps. Be careful not to damage the dust caps when you remove them, or bend them excessively. The next step is to clean the bearings out with the penetrant oil of your choice. My choice is PB Blaster because that is what I have in stock. Bearings before cleaning: Same bearings after cleaning: Much better, right? If you desire, you can take a stiff toothbrush and get into the bearings a bit to clean them even better. Make sure to flush the bearings very well with your penetrating oil. Dry the pulley and bearings as best as you can before proceeding to the next step in repacking. The next step is to get yourself a very small screwdriver, and use the grease of your choice (I recommend Lucas Red and Tacky). Press the grease into the bearings until the bearing area of the pulley is full of grease. Turn the pulley over, and do the same thing to the other side of the pulley, packing grease on the other side of the bearings. After pulley is full of grease, press the bearing caps back into place with 2 small screwdrivers. Ensure that the caps go all the way in, squeezing out a bit of grease around the edges of the pulley bearings. Wipe the excess grease off the pulley. You will notice that the pulley bearings have MUCH more resistance to movement. This is completely normal, and is exactly what you want. You have successfully repacked your pulley bearings! Special thanks to @peter lena for teaching us all about greasing our machines! Don

Got my new solenoid installed today. I also did some wiring condensing... much cleaner. All it needs is a wire from battery+ ...and for the engine ground to be run to battery- I also changed the oil... I've been running it every now and then for testing purposes. Gosh it runs great for an older engine! Don

We may need another Hard Hat !! The bad thing is...these newer guys are dangerous. How do you not know that your knife is not opened all the way?? Watching that video of Kevin pushing around that end loader?? Some of these guys climbing grassy, slippery hills with... I just cringe watching some of this. Sorry...I just hate to see someone get hurt.

2016 Hodge 71

And this is why I didn't bother posting anything about blackening a fingernail with an 8 pound hammer a couple weeks back. Kind of boring in comparison.

Started to sort out the mess of wires on the 512-D.. a lot of extra wires, switches and relais of which I have no idea of what they're for. According to the wiring diagram for the Robin engine it doesn't need much electrical connections, which is good because that is NOT my strong point. I hope I can get it running again soon so I can start sweeping the leaves.

I told my wife this is it. And it will be unless a Pond senior drops in my lap for next to nothing Yeah, like that’s gonna happen. So I was offered this D200 and some misc parts. I drove to Pine Grove, Pa and met up with Brian (SuperC4me) to get my treasure. Unloaded and reloaded, ate some lunch and hit the road. Left my house at 3am and got home at 9:40 pm. Very tiring but beautiful scenery. I ended up with a D200, 418-A roller, spare D transmission and pump, a Kohler M10 engine and two steering columns from different brand tractors. A good haul. A big thanks to Brian for making it happen. I got it running this morning but she won’t move. I see some transmission work is in my future.

Not only are you guys dedicated, you're also all a bit nutz! (in a good way!) Who would imagine mud wrestling with a garden tractor could be so much fun!

A little loose on AG's so they find their place in the tread. Snug on turfs if I run a mower deck. I know on cars the wheel speed and low fender clearance needs them tight. I think weight makes a big difference. Since I went to ATV rear tires, I have not used chains. Plowed up the steep snow cover drive with no issues. It is a good proving ground, pretty steep.

Even kids know tractors are like watermelon: you enjoy the red and throw the green away...

That SK-486 sure is purdy! I’d run to it if it were in a yard too!

I put mine on tight as a drum. I want ZERO movement of my tire chains. I'll be curious to see if there's any counter opinions to that, and why.

Pete, this is @Pullstart we are trying to help, the guy that drills holes in his hands. No way he could open a cross chain link with a pry bar and vise grip without losing a finger or two.

The solenoid opens on 12 volts when the ig. switch is in start or run. It closes off the main jet or fuel inlet when in off. Some idiots idea to complicate fuel delivery. In case the float stuck open. Some you can pull off and plug some you can't. Generally not much of a problem but usually easy to troubleshoot. If you have to choke it and get some kind of run probably not the issue. Dirty carb and or a hunk of crap in the carb.

You did know that they taste like chicken???

Back in 2012 and 2013 we had a Hard Hat that we passed around to whoever got hurt that year. I am thinking that @AMC RULES may still have the hat. @squonk @rmaynard

Tight enough to not fall off works for me! Most of mine, I lay ‘em out, roll the tractor over them, and wrestle ‘em up over the tire. Run for a while, tighten another link or two and call it good. One time ever has a chain come off, or better yet run crooked. My theory on loose vs tight is that I can easily toss a chain under my truck tires and the instant the chain becomes stuck between the earth and the tire, forward progress happens. Like a Wheel Horse drive belt, the chain isn’t being pushed into that gap, it’s being pulled from the back of the tire. I do agree, a tight tire chain all evenly spaced out does look nice though!