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Eighty years ago. On this day in 1944, more than 1,000 British bombers drop 5,000 tons of bombs on German gun batteries placed at the Normandy assault area, while 3,000 Allied ships cross the English Channel in preparation for the invasion of Normandy—D-Day. The day of the invasion of occupied France had been postponed repeatedly since May, mostly because of bad weather and the enormous tactical obstacles involved. Finally, despite less than ideal weather conditions—or perhaps because of them—General Eisenhower decided on June 5 to set the next day as D-Day, the launch of the largest amphibious operation in history. Ike knew that the Germans would be expecting postponements beyond the sixth, precisely because weather conditions were still poor. Among those Germans confident that an Allied invasion could not be pulled off on the sixth was Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, who was still debating tactics with Field Marshal Karl Rundstedt. Rundstedt was convinced that the Allies would come in at the narrowest point of the Channel, between Calais and Dieppe; Rommel, following Hitler’s intuition, believed it would be Normandy. Rommel’s greatest fear was that German air inferiority would prevent an adequate defense on the ground; it was his plan to meet the Allies on the coast—before the Allies had a chance to come ashore. Rommel began constructing underwater obstacles and minefields, and set off for Germany to demand from Hitler personally more panzer divisions in the area. Bad weather and an order to conserve fuel grounded much of the German air force on June 5; consequently, its reconnaissance flights were spotty. That night, more than 1,000 British bombers unleashed a massive assault on German gun batteries on the coast. At the same time, an Allied armada headed for the Normandy beaches in Operation Neptune, an attempt to capture the port at Cherbourg. But that was not all. In order to deceive the Germans, phony operations were run; dummy parachutists and radar-jamming devices were dropped into strategically key areas so as to make German radar screens believe there was an Allied convoy already on the move. One dummy parachute drop succeeded in drawing an entire German infantry regiment away from its position just six miles from the actual Normandy landing beaches. All this effort was to scatter the German defenses and make way for Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy.

Watched the Neighbors planting cantaloupe today. Mother driving the two Belgians pulling a wagon wheel planter at a snails pace while Father and 6yo son insert the plants in the holes punched in the plastic by the spokes of the wheel. Their other two sons 1 and 2 year olds watch and learn from their seats on top of the planter. They usually harvest over 150,000 melons plus sweet corn, pumpkins, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower.

I had to do a WMart run earlier - looked over the the shelf where the Grease products are - and there it be !! Yes, @peter lena, there is a Santa Claus!! Pete's favorite Green Grease, Lucas X-tra Heavy Duty is BACK. Woo-hoo!! A tad less than $8.50 a tube....

I likewise prefer camping but some of these trips the hotel/airbnb seems to be the better option. I bought this 1983 Holiday Rambler about 5 years ago. pretty much gutted it adapted it to our likes and needs. The upgrade my wife likes best is the mini split for heating and cooling. Problem is that now I'm retired, I don't seem to have the time to enjoy it. Out first trip out this year will be Sunday evening. With any luck I'll have some smoked trout such as pictured below.

Here's our standard issue setup. All tents are ours. Trina's mom on the far left in the blue one. We were in the orange in the middle. Hard structure is the camp's lean-to. Our friend on the right in our green tent. Full kitchen in the pic center. We have more ways to set up than I could count. At least 9 or 10 tents from a lightweight backpacking rig to the ones below. Mattresses. Cots. Inflatables. All kinds of other gear.

Same here. Hundreds of miles of back packing on the Appalachian Trail. Sleeping bag only shelter on bear hunts in Northern Quebec. A four week tour of eight national parks across Western US in a pop up camper. (best vacation ever) Many summers camping on the water in my 24' WAC (walk around cutty) Twenty years in a 37 footer on the Delaware Bay. Now we pay someone else to do the cooking, cleaning and maintaining and just enjoy the soft beds and bug free climate controlled beach houses.

Just got back from from taking special needs grandson to Children's Mercy in Overland Park, Kansas. I usually ride along with either son-in-law or daughter to help keep Gibson entertained while they talk with doctors. Gibson and I are buds so he likes papa to join them. Normally we make a 3 plus hour trip up to Overland Park, visit doctor then return home same day. This time it was a two day visit. My daughter booked an airbnb room that she found on internet or something. We stayed in a walkout basement of a nice home in a well kept subdivision about 15 minutes from Children's Mercy. Megan called a hotel near the hospital and they were in the range of $150 and this airbnb was $90. I believe I enjoyed it better than hotel. we had a small yard with grill, gas fire pit. Inside was very clean, well kept and the owners had provided way beyond what any hotel ever provided such as baby wipes, all kinds of toiletries, snacks, a couple of TVs. I was impressed. I'm not sure I would want total strangers staying in my home but the husband of the house has cancer and this is one way to supplement their income. This was my first time in an airbnb, I was somewhat apprehensive but Megan had done her homework and we were very happy. This summer on family vacation I guess the kids have scheduled us to stay a few nights in these type of accommodations. Looks like we've got a few more options if a person does a little research.

After my dad passed, my mom remarried at 70. Ed was a wonderful man in everyway. In 1942 at 17, he was to young to join the military but he could join the Merchant Marines. Ed passed last December, he never spoke about those years until his last year. He talked about how the German subs had intel and knew which ships in the merchant convoys carried munitions, guns, etc. They were the first to be hit by the subs. He also talked about carrying all the food supplies to feed Europe's citizens. I had never hear this talked about before. But it made since, with Europe at war farming was greatly impacted. so on american soil the new farm tractors were increasing farm yields to feed war torn Europe. As a side note I've seen some interesting tractor videos of British city girls being trained to farm. This also got them out of the bombed cities. Ed said these ships were targeted less, but not always. While the supply convoys had Navy escort ships they initially only had one or two anti-aircraft guns manned by soldiers and merchant marines when the soldiers fell. Later in the war, merchant convoy ships were equipped with depth charges. The Merchant Marines lost more tonnage of ships than the Navy during the war. He served on ships that supplied D-day, many of Europe's ports, Africa, and the Pacific Islands. Merchant Marine sailors did not receive any military benefits, even though their loss of life was high. Since that didn't count as military service he was later drafted and served on a half track tank dozer in Korea. In Korea, there were very few POW's,. Many times, It was a fight to the last man standing. if you have a Merchant Marine in your family, thank them for their service. they were a vital part of the massive WWII effort. Of course at that time, every American was part of the war effort. From Victory Gardens, Liberty Bonds,, Rationing of every commodity, every business and craft was part of the effort. My mom is 95 and was a teenager during the war. There was minimal gasoline for school busses, and none for sport events. The teams caught a ride to neighboring towns however they could and the coaches pulled youth from the sparse crowd if they didn't have enough boys to make a team. There were very few High School Senior boys around! There was no gas for teens on the weekend. Her uncle took her and a cousin to a few dances with a horse and carriage. They walked or rode a bike to anything local. It was a different America.

Been awhile…but still banging away on this one. Like I said it fires up and runs, but would run good and then run crappy for awhile. Occasionally it would straighten out and then once again start running lousy. Tried a different “proven good” carb from my other 414 but no change. @wallfish mentioned something about stuck valve and/or blocked exhaust. Valves (both) seem fine. Pullled the canister muffler and BAM!! Something big was in it! Had a friend that welds take it to his shop and get into it. Seems the exhaust inlet pipe goes deep into the muffler body and inside it’s welded /capped off and has perforations in the pipe (never knew that). The stub rusted off where the perforations are and that chunk was being pushed up against the outlet when the 14 Magnum was throttled up past the 3/4 mark. My buddy got the piece out, welded it back up and I reinstalled it last night. Fed it all the onions for like 15-20 minutes and it never skipped a beat! Just ran and ran and ran !

@Pullstart - you ever seen anything like these used during your visits to medical facilities?

Stocked our local Rod and Gun Club pond for the kids fishing derby this Sat. I'll have around 300 trout to filet. Beautiful day on Sat. and the kids caught some trout. We fileted over 300 fish.

first time posting but ive literally used any and all information i could have with this rebuild from these forums and it wouldve gone a lot easier if i wasnt so eager to get it done and hear it run. so to start im dumb and used the wrong ignition switch so it wouldnt even click, its old its been in my family for almost 17 years. never worked on small motors but i still cant say i have because ive had trouble finding the gasket kits for it. but i took almost all body panels and wheel hubs off. re greased re painted and changed some springs and bolts refreshed it really cause my grandpa took really good care of it. besides painting the head and top end i re did all the paint, grounds, wires (besides the stator thing cause it looked so consfusing i just cleaned the grease and threw it back on). either way its almost all new wires and gas lines paint and seat. removed the saftey switches because they werent responding but ive kept them and plan to get them working and wire them back in, along with the anmeter which this model never had but id like to put in. its givin me the hassle of a lifetime but because i was dumb i dissassembled and re assembled with new everthing besides the inside of the motor for now. only thing i havent figured out is why my starter solenoid isnt grounded on the mount plate nuit everything else is. even the bolts holding it on have good ground but i have to have a wire from the solenoid to the battery to get it to even click. it works and runs good in high so i gotta adjust the carb....also need to do a rebuild on that and the fuel pump but it runs good so im happy. only thing really neccesary i need to do is fix the throttle issue which is a simple google search away, just wondering really why my solenoid my not be getting ground when the metal underneath is bare with dielectric grease but i still have to use the extra ground it provides. other than that here she is. 1973 8hp 4spd no name. really just looking for any suggestion on things to improve, and if there is a site or seller who knows how to get ahold of a snow plow for it. thanks for looking

@Beap52 oh that Chevy!

Last few years when we travel I've selected to use airbnb. Had good luck every time I used them- i read reviews. Last year for the big show I rented a park model camper in a really nice campground only 10min from fairgrounds. Had access to the campground amenities including a really nice pool. This year for big show we rented a studio apt on a farm bout 20min from fairgrounds. Definitely cheaper than a hotel- kitchen, linens, private patio, grill, fire pit, etc. My days of camping, especially in a tent, are over! I camped with my kids since my youngest was 2yrs old.Initially started with a pop up, moved to a 23ft hybrid, & ultimately had an Airstream. Lotsa miles dragging trailers all over alone w/2 young kids- I had full custody. (now they are 18 & 21) Both kids still talk about all the good times we had. Now I'm all about traveling light. I want my a/c & a hot shower. Getting soft as I get older......

Dee's father (my SO) served as a medic on Utah Beach. Beyond that, he never spoke about it.

Yesterday I came home to find that my son in law had power washed a few of my tractors and put them on display! He brought his C-141 automatic over for a service and decided it needed to be cleaned up, so while he had the power washer out he cleaned up a few more. I have to say not knowing this was going to happen and coming home to see it did put a smile on my face! Since I know you guys like pictures as much as me, here you go.

My wife and I have used AirB&B and VRBO a lot. Traveled through Europe in 2019 and stayed exclusively at airb&b. Every place was different which was fun and some of the "hosts" were really amazingly interesting folks to meet. Just returned from Clearwater beach and used airb&b there. Less $$ than the hotel, right on the beach and had all the extras like kitchen, washer / dryer, etc. Our idea of camping these days is a 35 Ft sailboat.

Good Afternoon Thanks for the responses. Good call on verifying the source of the leak. The bottom of the tank looks like a patch work quilt so I ASSUMED it was coming from one of the patches. I just went out and installed a pipe plug in lieu of the pet cock, and put about a pint of gas in. Will check in the A.M for the results. Simplecity

I have soldered several leaking tanks.

A few images from our community garden D-Day commemorative display.

The ingenuity and inventiveness that went into the decoy operations is mind blowing. The planners even made sure that routine coded radio traffic (that they were pretty sure the Germans could at least partially decode) continued with plausible, but not useful, content to avoid raising suspicion. it is also staggering to realize how much logistical support went into putting those 10,000 people onto those beaches. The supply lines extended thousands of miles back to the middle of the USA. The unity of purpose and dogged focus on the objective are hard for us to comprehend in today’s world.

Haha…..i had the same problem but different symptoms with my 314-8 a few years ago. I had this terribly obnoxious rattle at full throttle. It has always run great and has never burned a drop of oil in the 20ish years I’ve had it. First, I thought the bearing was going out in the PTO bell. Nope. Then had myself convinced that it was internal to the engine and it was going to blow any minute. I parked it for months until I knew I would have time for major surgery. Took the muffler off first with intent of pulling the motor and yup, that was it. Inlet pipe broke off inside and was rattling around in the bottom, but only under full throttle. I made a new perforated piece out of black pipe and welded the original flange onto it. love it when it’s something relatively simple

Glad to se a third generation taking an interest in Grandpas Wheel Horse. Most solenoids for gardentractore need to have one of the small terminals grounded.

I use a 1/8 steel rod with a short hook on the end with a pare of vice grips clamped on it. From behind the tractor where I can see the spring hole in the axle housing' Once the spring is in the hole I turn the rod up and push it from behind the spring. i can see the hole in the axle flange

The brake pedals on my 310-8 and 312-8 had the same thing going on. They do rest on the corner of the foot rest but on one of mine it had bent the corner of the foot rest so much that it was cracked. The small piece of angle iron goes under the tunnel cover and works as a stop on the e brake. I can take a photo of it tomorrow if you would like.

Like anything, there's always some bad ones too. Same for hotels We rented out a place last year on vrbo (which is basically the same thing) in the middle of no where PA for an "all the boys of the family " get together, 24 of us went and we had a blast. 5 days, huge place, private lake with small boats and kayaks, full size game room, the works. No way could it be the same thing staying in a hotel. The owner was easy to deal with, never a problem on anything. Highly recommend this place for big family get togethers or reunions. https://hemlockpointlodge.com/photogallery.html

@Ed Kennell ED , my SIL died when the kids were 5-3 , that was something that changed our lives , had to adapt / help / anything to fill the gap . just the mental / physical support , drew us all together . we were like a sounding board for the kids , that back and forth closeness , only got better over the years . they regularly touch base with any issue , back and forth conversation , is the deal , telling them every part of possible answer. never sarcastic , always talking over the issue , also helps out , to be sitting at grandma's table ! get a food how too / as well as a meal while here , recipes given , help clean up , we are very lucky to have them in our lives . DAN is a welder , building submarines , jenna college , very proud of them , pete / terry

Finally completed my C-175 restoration tonight, when it’s light out I’ll take it outside for some better pictures. I’m super happy with the way it turned out and really have to thank my brother for all his help! I will be bringing it to the show as it is this year’s featured tractor.

Terrific invention and worth every penny to get one of good quality from a known vendor. Also helps to build muscle memory by doing the same steps in order every time you finish the setup and are ready to make metal stick together. For me: helmet, power, gas, gloves, gun.

Same here. Felt fine when I went to bed, woke up in misery. I'll say this- if using an auto darkening hood, it begins to flicker even a little: STOP WELDING!!!! Flash burn hurts. Your eyes heal quick, but you can expect 24 hours of "sucks to be you" time.

Maybe I need to bring them to PA!

Good stuff Don!

regularly aces any course , A+ average , scary at how easily she has done high school , be going to ROGER WILLIAMS university , also getting creds for school costs , just looks at things differently , but it always correct , who are we to question , her success ? happy grandparents , pete

Roger Williams is the only school my son is going to apply. He is set on it but needs back up schools…

We have used VRBO to book vacation rental homes for 10+ years in Pa, Del, and Md. Usually a week in July for my family of 10-12. Then a week in Sept. including my SILs family bringing the total to 20-22. Some were better than others, but we never had a really bad experience. When just the two of us are traveling, we use BNBs and have met some very interesting people all across the US and Europe. I won't go into the details, but one of the strangest BNBs I booked was North of Cooperstown, NY when we were there for a week when two of our Grandsons were playing in a Little League tourney. Some things you never forget.

Absolutely. When nothing else can, these con du it.

I texted the wrong number earlier then called the same wrong number, then I found the right number and called you but you couldn’t hear me. I called back and left you a message, you called me back and Back very helpful. Thanks Richmondred01. cleaned up valve cover parts and I am going to try to order what I need for that. Carburetor is soaking. Oliver 2-44, when we talked the other day you were asking me something about numbers in the carburetor I have it off now if you could remind me again I will look for them. Thanks again guys

There is a guy named Donald that would have one thing to say about this picture; DRILL BABY DRILL.

Good friends of ours have half their house set up as one. They've had good success with it. We've never used one. Nothing against them but we're camping folk.

And judging from the grease, dirt and rust it's a very sanitary facility!!!

I have had two fresh sharpened sets of blades for my 52” SCAG since last spring. I decided today is the day. Wow, what a difference in the cut quality and speed I can run!

No people on it. Throw caution to the wind!

Hoping you do better than NASA and Boeing

This is one of those jobs where you can resign yourself to having to do some dis- and re-assembly and have it take an hour OR you can not take anything apart and struggle, mightily and unsuccessfully, for two hours--and then do it the one hour way.

Don nice line up of wheel horse tractors. Always good to have more. Enjoy them all.

Seller often have wide vs narrow mixed up. Just order the $16 kit with all the stuff and you will have spare gaskets. BTW you have the green one shown above on your C-160.

The 6-speed’s 10-pinion differential may not handle high speed as well as the 4-pinion in the 3-speed. The 10 pinions “float” within the diff housing where the 4 pinions (and 8-pinions in 8-speeds) are shaft mounted. When traveling fast and dead straight, there probably won’t be any issue, but on curves I’d expect greater internal wear--especially if you have a 5060 with aluminum endplates on the differential. I am intrigued by the idea that with the pulley swapping the low range becomes more like the high range and the high range becomes “rocket."

It does. My dad is a huge history nerd, particularly around WWII. I learned about the Holocaust, the concentration/extermination camps and such from about the time I was 10. When I was 16 we went to Germany to visit my uncle who was stationed there and we went to Auschwitz. Reading about it in books or seein it in film, and being in the place are very different things.

We have a memorial in Endcliffe Park in Sheffield to the aircraft Mi Amigo which crashed in 1944 killing all crew on board. Terrible tragedy for those men.