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Last day on the Delaware Bay. Back to Pa tomorrow to concentrate on deer hunting. Hard to believe MRS. K took some of her first steps on this same sand over 75 years ago.

Me n BBT and several friends spent a long weekend up in Andover Maine to celebrate Trina 🥳 🎉 🎊 turning 50! She and our friend climbed Puzzle Mountian in Grafton Notch State Park ME on Friday. All 5 of us hiked a loop around the incredibly beautiful Dunn's Falls trail Saturday.

Got the fellas out for a breath of fresh air today. Been a couple weeks for some of them, and it’s always better to run them than not. The 523-H is in desperate need of a bath!

I rent mine to all my neighbors.

Today the 257-H got new shoes mounted. I received all my parts from scAmazon & I also got my replacement rim & Transmission cooling fan from A-Z Tractor. A-Z Tractor is a Great place for parts with excellent service. I am Really happy with finding that resource & I highly recommend them. Anyway, The new tires went on pretty easily & I have to reinstal the transmission tomorrow. I had to remove it to get the tire off the left side which was a real chore but it is done now. Gonna put my new drive belt on & see how things go. Hopefully it was just a low fluid situaation with the Hydro pump transmission. I will know more tomorrow. Also I found a C-145 with a snow Blade & mowing deck for $200 so I will be going to get that tomorrow evening. On my way to growing a "Herd" I can hardly wait. gonna get some zzzzzs for now

The C-120 is one of my favorite tractors in the herd, she is a worker & this is how she's dressed this time of year, as stated by others she will get the job done!

Here in Indiana also. We had 5 very large ones in the front "side" yard that were almost dead and dropping limbs. They were within range of the power lines, so the power company came in and cut them down for free a few years ago, and left most of the wood for me to cut up and split for firewood. I still have enough left for several years, just need to get back to cutting and splitting again soon. I've usually done the splitting by hand but my shoulder has been bothering me so I'll probably rent a splitter. I don't use enough or want to bother selling any to justify buying a splitter. Wish I had one I could just attach to one of these WH tractors sitting around watching the whole process.

Not really...gives you some time to enjoy a bev.

I didn't to it my horses, bur for them plus some other benefits. The 520h was used in process. I put up a 10x20 "garage in a box" aka the the "tractor shed", cheena branded from the jungle website. For $269, I'm not disappointed. it will provide shelter for the 310, 520, as well as other out door stuff. took 6 cinder blocks, buried them halfway ish, plus filled back with local soil to top, red clay, packed tightly, then liquid nails a peice of 3/4 treated plywood coated w/ Thompson on all sides, to make a "pad" for the air compressor. its stout, tight, elevated, should last for the a while. i get to move 2 tractors, 2 generators, shovels, rakes ladders. rims/tires, all kinds of stuff out there. working on running a dedicated 20 amp GFCI circuit on exterior shop wall there. inside tractor shed, 3 amazon single tube led plug in 4' lights, and air compressor on electrical load, setup to terminate w/ male plug in end. I will run a 15' 10/3 outdoor cord to connect them, shed sits 34 inches to the side of shop. all of this has been done using existing material other then the garage in a box. none of it is perfect, but it will give a few years of shelter for my stuff, outside of my shop, plus the noisy a** compressor out of the shop. That is its own blessing. A proper pole barn lean-to, w/ a small walled in section to store my 2 prized WH's, walk behind mower, and air compressor, (small huh?) will come eventually..., maybe..., i hope so...? pics to come

Seems like I'm always taking this thing apart as I learn more about how it's been put together vs how it should be put together. While I don't have plans to do a restoration, I figured I could freshen up the paint along the way. It appears to have been painted with a brush at one point (and actually not all that bad). After reading several threads, it seems color choice is somewhat discretionary, depending on the owner. With that said, I found what looks like a good candidate for my needs. I've used Rust-Oleum's "Custom Spray" on some other projects and really like the adjustable spray patterns it offers. The fan pattern lets you lay down nice even coats. When I saw this color at the farm supply store, I thought it was worth checking out. Turns out it is almost a dead-on match to the red of the hood decals. Of course, when I put on new decals, they'll probably be a completely different shade. I've done body and paint work since I was 14 (49 years ) so yeah, I could go full resto on it but that's not what I'm after. "Satin Heritage Red". Not glossy, not flat. I did a quick sanding on the belt guard, a little primer, and laid on a few coats. I think this will do nicely!

Don't need a chip... turn off the tv.

Worked on the 308 for a bit today. I peeled off the old hood stickers and got it ready for paint. I’m also waiting on some Amazon landscaping headlights.

I have voted early and have selected my 2025 Medicare supplemental and pharmacy coverages. Now I need to have someone invent a chip that can be used to block all of these political ads and Medicare ad on TV. Looking forward to seeing heemraad cream and ambulance chaser attorney ads again.

Frame painted! Slowly but surely going to start putting this thing back together !!

The "hitch" is specific to that model of Trac Vac, more of a carrier really, it bolts to the top of the axle on both sides & one down through the stock hitch hole. Does your Cyclone Rake have wheels on it like a trailer setup? If so you'll only need the stock drawbar hitch. Here's what this one looks like anyway.

Tasty critters, but mostly a PITA to get the meat out. New Englanders will tell you it's a balance of workin' at them and going hungry at the same time!!

Swapped out the solenoid on the C-160 and put away the hammer.

Would you prefer that chip be embedded in your brain, or somewhere else?

Slowly moving along. Got my frame in primer. Hopefully will get color on it and a few other parts during the warm temps over this weekend. Fingers crossed !! man is it a lot of effort to get these parts ground down and cleaned up. Credit to all of you who have done this multiple times.

I decided to try these out. These look much better that what you see else where, because of fitment. Others have to be retap the holes on the bladder. Also the T has to be filed to fit into the 1/2 turn notch. I think these are so far and looks much better that aftermarket junk.

Did some trading with my buddy Ken b. He ended up with a really clean/mint 417-8 that I got from him a while back and I got a really clean, low hour 523dxi. I have not had much more than a little while this afternoon to start to mess around with it but I did manage to swap out the stock rear meats with a set of trails I had from another xi I had. So far this thing is strong. I have a nice 60” deck she will spin next summer and maybe back up snow machine this winter. As always great doing some trading with Ken!

It was castration day for my lawn today. Sixty 5gal pails full of black walnuts from one tree. I personally do not like the taste of black walnuts. The removal of these nuts from my yard has most likely upset my local squirrel population, but I hear tell that there is a colony of squirrels that live about 4 miles from me that feel that they have hit the jack pot.

Thanks Eric...you know I consider Maine my Second State since we lived there for 3 years. It never fails to remind me how beautiful it is each of the 4 seasons. Most people go there for vacation, but to actually live there for a period of time, you get to experience the 4 seasons that Maine gives you. Happy Birthday Trina !! My birthday wish would be to play 10 pin a few more times and go fishing at Flander's Pond out side Winter Harbor.

Thanks man!! She says, I am two candles short... for sure...

Here's what I did on my 1974 C160-8 Cinnamon Horse. Note: I have NOT YET added a 90⁰ brace as some of the later model HD spindles had. Still a future plan. These front wheels are 12" trailer wheels ordered from etrailer. The hubs are 2,000 lb axle rated trailer hubs. Same bolt pattern as the rears. 5 x 4.5. I bought a pair of the least expensive trailer axle stubs I could find. Like these: As you can see I cut the "trailer side" off. Had a friend with a lathe drill 3/4" holes (3" deep??) I used JB Weld to fasten the drilled trailer stub on to the stock Wheelhorse spindle. I know this Pic is a little tough to make out. The seal rides on the plain steel part where the stub axle was cut off.

HOLY CRAB! Wow it has been a minute since I have tucked into something like that! Enjoy sir!

Rub it down with some boiled linseed oil and it will look like it does when it's wet and stay that way. Some like to clear coat, I prefer to use the linseed oil. Good luck with it.

I'm gonna try that. I'm sure the penetrating oil will love that.

I figured I'd do the heat thing but all I have is a propane porch. I guess any heat will help. I keep filling the hole with Cre-oil and have been tapping it. I suppose it wouldn't be as fun if it was easy.

Yum, Yum

Finally have a place to hang this now….thanks Ed! @Ed Kennell

After it dried

I'm not one to give my tractors a name but this one just seems appropriate to call Dino. Some of you will recall the post on my road trip to Elgin a few weeks ago and came home with this. After a period of pondering what I wanted to do as well as fighting a 314H problem child I decided to tear it down for a mechanical restoration. I've got high hopes on this one. Most likely replacing that 314. I'm doing something different with the paint (no, it will be Regal red) so we'll have to see how it works but that's a ways down the road. I'll either elaborate on that or hide my head in shame. All indicates are that this is a solid machine. I guess just for some quick gratification I decided to get the engine spiffed up. Really just a good cleaning, rebuild the carb and a bit of paint. And of course, Terry's decals. The frame is dirty but solid. No repairs needed. The transmission seals were shot. The hitch pin came out by hand and I had hopes that the hubs wouldn't fight me too much considering the leaks. No such luck. I pushed the limits of a 3-jaw pulled. Something I should have done decades ago is make a good puller. I'm finally doing just that. I have maybe a half hour to finish it when I get a chance. I think this will straighten out without much trouble. No metal is cracked. That's it for now. This is going to be an all winter project. The inferno wobble mounts will be replaced with solid and a complete rewire will be done. Now if I can just get the paint right.................

Although I have a drill bit sharpener that I inherited, I have always and still do sharpen them by hand on a grinder. I can do it quicker and more reliably accurate than using a machine. It’s a matter of habit and practice. Also when drilling , wood, steel , brass, bronze or aluminum, ideal bit edge angle is a little different from each other. One can do that quickly by hand. Just need to know what to look for and have a steady hand. I know that some of you will not agree with me but I use the side of grinding wheel to sharpen them. It’s easier and more accurate than using the edge and in 40 plus years of doing it I never had a problem with it. Before all of these gadgets became available, everyone I know did it by hand. Their availability took away one’s ability or desire to learn how to do it by hand .

I'm 70 years old and try as I might I never mastered hand sharpening drill bits. Finally last year I bought the Drill Doctor and sharpened all bits from 1/8 to 1/2 inch and they all now work. As good as new? No, but they are now able to drill a hole through metal which they would not touch before sharpening.

I do large bits by hand, small bits I used an old Sears bit sharper it goes up to 3/8". Still does a good job, was given to me used might be 50 years old. Sears had some good tools back in the 50. 60 and 70's. I have all metal Sears drills in 1/4" and 1/2" that just won't quit. I bought that 1/4" drill in 1956.

Happy Borned on Day, Tony.

I now have my phone on IP over voice...that means...the TV shows the phone # that is calling me in the upper left hand corner. When I am watching TV now, I can click on and off if I do not recognize the caller. One ring...on and off...no 4 rings and an answering machine with a hang up. Love it...and it seems to cut down on the junk calls. Where is my soap box !! You would think they would at least put new comericals on this year...but no...it is the same ones as last year. While we are at it...it is the same drug ads for a few years...and I still can't afford them if I needed them. If you read the fine print, they may be more dangereous then the drug itself. WTF would I take that for. Let's see...will my nose stop running if my heart stops?? I can't tell you how many times I have won the Publisier's Clearing House scam !! 8 to 10 times Or the package that they want to deliver to my house from UPS, and wonder if I am dressed for pictures. I always ask if I need to wear socks !! And what about the drug ads that look like the State Fair from Oklahoma.."with a big story to tell"?? I can't hit the mute button fast enough. Remember, early health registration ends December 7...but it will be well into January before we get a short break...if we get one at all. I recommend taping what you want to watch and fast forward through the BS. The best way to watch!!

Motor looks just like an old 6s Briggs motor I have. It does not sit that way though. Very nice rusty gold there!

Before and after. more pics below.

Tapping the neck of the flange with a hammer while under tension can be helpful. When it decides to move it will sound like a gunshot and have only moved a 1/16" or so but it is a start. I guess you could do the slots in a pair of the targets like @ebinmaine is planning and drill ten more holes. That should save a hub.

Yep. lotta work. they do taste good though. Marv

My ‘71 raider 12 had no springs. (Just for the record)

Dropped a really tall “standing-dead” ash tree yesterday…GT-1600 hauled it all after cutting up to the front yard to be picked up.

This may get me into trouble, but Don’s post was accurate. Hundreds still unaccounted for. There are no military field hospitals, no chow halls. No temporary shelters. No engineers clearing or building roads. It’s nearly all civilians doing the work. It’s been 8 days now… National Guard (sadly most from other states) has made attempts to assist. But not nearly enough are here. This state has one of the largest Guard presence in the nation. They are not here. The civilian population is flying supplies and feeding people. They are sacrificing and doing it right. They are paying for it. The state and federal government are not. Their largest contribution has been to stand in the way. Most air rescues are civilian as well. Restaurants are feeding folks on their own dime from all over the state. I am so proud of the civilian outreach and sacrifices. They have shown that the American people are still good and selfless. We take care of our own regardless of our differences. I am disgusted with the emergency agencies response, as are many more. You should be too. And one last thing: This isn’t a political rant. Nobody cares which party you’re a member of. These are Americans helping Americans. Power companies and first responders are coming from all over the country. There are more than 50 private helicopters in use that cost thousands of dollars a hour to operate, and civilians are footing the bill. State and Federal agencies have the capability and resources to literally move Heaven and Earth, but they haven’t. There is no excuse.

That's what I thought too Eric. I've looked at the steel targets at Rural King countless times and never gave it a thought to use one for the puller. Fortunately I don't have to feel too bad because the price I paid was about the same with shipping.

Some of the stupid law was turning away people with privet helicopters and threating to arrest them if they didn't leave. Most areas up there the roads are washed out and not accessible. There one area that was using mules to get to people who lost everything. These reports were on Monday and Tuesday five days after the storm and very few government helicopters were in the area. Some of national guard units could not get orders to go help. The locals people up there were reporting that any food, water or money should be donated to local churches so it would get to the people who needed it. I-40 is closed in Tennessee until the end of next year and I-26 until the middle of next year. Local roads about all bridges and culverts are washed out, The road and towns were built along streams and rivers these areas were completely washed out. This is also happened in the Tennessee mountains.