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Been driving Dodge Dakota's for over 20yrs now. My 4th & latest one has over 265k on the clock & still climbing. With the knowledge that this Dakota won't last for ever, plus the need/want for a bigger truck I finally bit the bullet and up graded to a Ram 1500. It's a 2018 Sport with 31k on the clock and more bells & whistles than any vehicle should have. The 5.7L under the hood gets better fuel mileage and has waaay more power than the 4.7L that is in my Dakota. A couple pictures of my new financial burden. So far I am quite happy with my new truck but I'd like to keep the mileage down on it for a while. So with a 70 mile round trip 5 to 6 days a week for work, I'm still pounding the Dakota back & forth for that commute.

I picked up this 702 from a buddy today, he bought it several months ago, supposedly it had been sitting in a shed for a couple of decades. It now has new points, carb, fuel pump, ignition switch and the rims have recently been painted. It runs good but does puff some smoke on start up. This one’s gonna stay in original patina. The first order of business is to sit, have a cup of coffee and figure out how to get that new white paint off of those rims.

It was woods cleanup day. Should be last time till spring. Weather was nice with highs in the mid 60s here. The c-100 got the fun. Son had out is old rig to take it for a spin and drag some limbs to the pile. After the main area was done we decided to try and claim back this trail that is slowly being overtaken by vines, etc. It was tough going. Even in low range first gear and deck in the raised transport position I still had to stop a few times to untangle vines that wrapped up. such a pain. We'll keep at it though and make progress a bit at a time when we are up for the work. Great day though and enjoyed some good seat time. Still pleased with the $25 project tractor

Was preserving some original patina here today.

What have I done to my Wheel Horse today? NOTHING Just ending a 7 day vacation on the Delaware Bay. No tractors and no work. Crabbing Walking our crowded beach looking for sea glass The hot tub was nice on the cold mornings Mimosa anniversary toast of 121 years of marriage. All in September Mike and Libby 33y Me and Mrs K 60y Mark and Julie 28Y

Well finally got this little side project done. The seat turned out awesome but I’m still undecided on how I feel about it. What do you guys think. I wanted it to retain the toro seat sliders for adjustment

That looks to me like it might be a uterus emoji

Busy time of year at work so the projects keep piling up but I thought I would try to get one off the to-do list this weekend. Acquired this tiller in a package but I think it's from an XI series and wouldn't clear the gear box on my machines. Don't really need another tiller but no hits in the classifieds so it was grinder time! I'll test it soon but I think it will lift just fine now

Been tucked away in a neighbor's garage for decades. Today it saw daylight. Not sure what the plans for this one. Definitely a project but it's got good bones and tires at least. Check out the belt guard, a bike fender and can! If I remember right was there someone reproducing the belt guard and heat shield? I got a bunch of k91s on the shelf to get rid of that big old Briggs. See what happens. A lot of parts to track down.

Almost 1 year ago I picked up this non running 418-8. After much electrical work, paint, and more parts than I care to mention, I got it all put together today. It's ready for a plow day! Still needs some more paint work, but my paint booth is done until spring. Decals and wheels were installed today.

Girlfriend had a girls night out so I got to play horse keeper for the day. Got up early and shoveled some horse cr#p. Cleaned the stables and let the beasties out in the paddock, enjoyed the weather and the quietness (is that even a word?) Let's say I've had worse mornings, life's good.

So when Dan came over yesterday to wrench on the 953 I was on a dump run. I pulled in and just saw a red truck in the driveway. Our buddy Joel has a newer red Dodge so I just thought he came over too. Walked in the house and says where's Joel. He says that my new ride. When you get that I ask. Three weeks ago. F&%$#* holden out on me?!?! Did sound good when you left last nite...

In an other thread I was working on a friends GT550 (522xi) that has a burned out muffler. She was loud. I added a extension pipe to throw the noise out in front and it helped. but still loud. Then it hit me, just add another muffler onto the pipe. So out to the inventory area with a cutoff saw and viola! Fit right out and made a huge difference. Threw a deck on it and tried her out. IMG_7330.mov

Using a Wheelhorse 10hp as the power plant to run a hydraulic pump that will operate a wood splitter. I am waiting on bases and fittings and thought I would share what I got done,Thought someone would like to see how else a wheel horse can be put to use. I am building a wood splitter using a 10hp Wheelhorse let’s call it a power unit. I stripped it down to just the frame which left me the motor, electrical system, gas tank and clutch assembly. I built a jack-shaft that I mounted where the battery box was to run the two speed hydraulic pump. The jack shaft has a double clutch pulley on it to match the one on the motor but is reversed so I could run two matched length belts. It should be splitting wood in a week when my hoses and fittings come in. I like the clutch setup on a hydraulic pump, it makes starting the gas motor much easier when you don’t have to turn over the cold hydraulic pump in the winter and should make the pump last longer if it is disengaged when actually not splitting wood.

That is a goooood lookin truck, got to love all the bells and whistles. My wife's SUV is loaded with all the goodies but my 2009 Dakota has AC, automatic transmission and an AM/FM radio, nothing more. My 2009 V6 Dakota is my third one and I get about the same 16mpg unless I'm running empty on a long trip, averages about 24 mpg then. First one was a 1987 V6 long bed with a five speed, 15-16 local and about 25 on a trip. After 270K miles I replaced it with a 1996 four cylinder short bed five speed that got 20 mpg local, 30 mpg on a trip but couldn't pull much of a load. At the time I was putting on a lot of longt trip mileage on flat land in Florida and the 30 mpg was great. Once I retired and moved to the mountains the fourbanger was not quite up to the task. Plus it was already well over 200K and starting to cost me some money. The "I've got to have one" part of me would love to get a new truck but the practical side of me knows that the 2009 only has 50K on the odometer and will outlast my need for a truck.

..... said everyone who ever met me. @JoeM Nice work!

A lot of things would probably be better. This was a "in the moment" let's see how it goes kind of thing. Plus when your 11 year old son is cheering you on to try it's hard not too. We'll probably hit it hard with weedeaters and a gas hedge trimmer and pole saw on the next go round. The mulching blades would be interesting though to see the difference it would make. I may have to check into options for that. That would be awesome! If one pops up in my parts it'll probably find its way in the back of the truck

Dakota's always got 15-16 MPG no matter what. The only time they got better was when they were attached to a hook! The good old days. The Friday after T-giving we would clear a space out back for the Dakota's and Power Wagon plow trucks to line up waiting for their new transmissions and rear axles!

At least it’s the right color! Congrats buddy!

Knew a girl like that in the old neighborhood...........

I don't normally show off my nipples. But this time I make an exception for educational purposes.

I’ve had some luck removing that new paint on the first rim using paint remover but not letting it sit very long before washing it off then repeating the procedure. Gonna do the back side of the rim tomorrow.

I made these. Not solid mounts but a lot stiffer than the dry-rotted rubber ones.

Still looking for tire chains but the 875 is ready and waiting.

I’d have had to leave at 4:40 to get there by 6:30. Nope. I was sure I’d find you guys here...but no.

I love the Ram trucks! When I was shopping for a new (used) truck at the end of 2019 it had to be a certified used Ram or a Toyota. I’m not a Ford guy and GM quality has just taken a big dump since like 2014. Stumbled on a Tundra and that’s what I bought. And I love the color

I’m not sure the tires are original. The rears say “Turf-Saver” but nothing else except the size, ply and made in USA. Not sure who made them… The front knobby tires are not in good shape, I found a nice set of Generals that I just got cleaned up and painted with Millers tire paint.those will go on eventually.

Technically it's not but your idea is funny so I'm going with it.

The Ram ♈ brand has come a loooong way toward better reliability and quality in comparison to the 90s Dodge. If I was in the market for a later model truck right now it almost certainly be a 🐏 Ram. Fair idea. Likely I'd do the same.

Kid satisfaction is a requirement!!!

Just for future reference Denny.. The Rust-Oleum 2X Navajo White is a dead match for a mid 60s Wheelhorse rim. We've had a few with original rotted tires that had good paint inside. Dropped a bit of that paint and actually lost sight of it.

@Ed Kennell my son recently picked up a Mercedes from his FIL , got a base line service don on it , to verify status , all oils dropped and refilled , new brakes , 2 gallons of mineral oil , creep , and an OPEN GEAR LUBRICANT OVER SPRAY . also gave the body a mineral oil rub down , made the paint , look fresh , sheds water like a duck . go oily , pete

Thanks, Pete. I’ve followed your advice in the past and now use Lucas grease. I’ll follow this advice on the zinc whenI get to that point and see what happens…. I scrubbed this belt guard with an SOS pad then lightly wet sanded it with 400, then wiped it down with WD-40. I’m tempted to do the rest of the tractor like that….. I found there’s no original paint under the bright white on these front rims so I’m gonna use 4 original paint rims from another tractor instead.

@Achto nice looking unit , be a good time to think about a mineral oil creep in every closed / seamed body area . especially closed doors , door opening / floor seams , fender well lips and tailgate . you can pick up a gallon of mineral oil , for that , to easily apply with an air compressor spray wand / etc. inside hood seams , base line thought , the higher you get it , the more space it will cover in the run down . doing that forever , zero rust / rot , frame , suspension , get that oil creep going , don't let rust get started . pete

Here is another wonderful idea:

built for comfort and speed! I had one of those old Dakota's, 200k plus 50 when it went by by, anemic v6 but ran and ran, 16mpg loaded or empty.

what does the RTV in rubber mean - Search (bing.com)

Or maybe that excuse he's been seeking; buy a sickle bar

Thanks, Bill. I have used one of those and they do a great job. On this project i'm wanting to remove the new bright white paint and leave as much of the original paint and patina as I can.

And we have lights!!!

I adjusted the odds there for ya Bill.

Looks pretty good The citrus based paint remover works pretty good for that too and especially good the more recent the paint was put on. It's not strong but seems to attack newer paint better than the older paint whereas some of that solvent based stuff will eat through both. If you tried to strip all the original paint with citrus stuff you would be frustrated.

Off n on rain today so it's an indoor shop day. A few months ago we installed temporary lighting on the first floor. A few weeks ago I ordered the permanent lights. 8 foot. Super bright. 10 lamps. Here's half of them installed. 3 one side, 2 on the other. And the upstairs as lit up. BBT... and what that stands for... will be expanding the dojo soon too.

Been a long time coming to have the 520 set up for plowing somewhere in the time frame of 20 years. I bought this plow new in 1990 one year after the 89 312-8 was purchased and used it for a couple of years plowing the driveway. Back then I had no idea that the 520 required a front extension kit so the front tires would clear the blade when angled. Only used it twice and decided to buy a 44'' two stage and set that up on the 520 instead. I was able to locate an Original Cab Co hardtop soft cab,and misc parts pile, basically all new , slightly used. In that pile was brackets etc of which the seller and I had no idea what their purpose was. Those were in the garage of a new house he bought and the PO left them behind. Also a rear Kwik-Way rear weight box with attaching parts etc that I still have. Last year I repainted the front side of the 48'' dozer blade and cutting edge with Rust O leum regal red. Last weekend I repainted the rear of the blade with Toro new red. Have not used the Toro paint since the early 2000's and here are my thoughts and opinions. The regal red seems to spray a wider pattern than the Toro so the overlaps are much closer when using Toro. The color has that less orange look to me than the Toro. The Toro dried much faster and able to handle it much sooner. Taking into consideration last weekend was absolutely perfect for painting and drying outdoors. I feel the Toro is a closer match than the regal when trying to get close to the original panels on the rest of the tractor. Here are some pictures as it sat today. This will be used to clean up after using the big tractor and for smaller lighter storms.I consider the 520-H semi-retired after performing flawlessly for the past 21 years. Forgot to add a big Thank you to Mike and Eric for help with the NOS rear weights Mike and the offset plow lever Eric . Chains will go on when the snow flies. Enjoy the pics all.

Hauled my new ladder out to my deer stand… I’m so glad to have a safe way into my favorite tree again! Happy hunting season! 🦌

that bush is resting peaceable on it's own limbs down at the brush pile.