What's everybody doing?

Got to use the welding table crane for the first time yesterday.  The tiller I took in on trade got put on a pallet to go outside for a good cleaning the next time the steamer is out.  It didn't strain my back or anything else at all.     

It also serves well as that extra set of hands I need sometimes whether it be holding thing up like the tiller in the pic, or working on a new chain hoist I recently bought.   The chain hoist had lots of grease in it but most of it wasn't on the gears.  The grease got spread out on the gears, the 2 little cheap cotter pins in the chain holder replaced, and a little more grease in other places.  I don't think China cares much if things work right or someone gets hurt using something they made...   

Also got my old C175 Hydro I used with a blade on it until a few years ago to clean snow off the lot.  I may have someone that wants the motor off of it.  It has a super nice Kohler Command 12.5HP engine on it.  As usual the Kohler fired right up and sounds smooth as new.  

 

Had a few spare minutes yesterday after lunch and decided to clean up a little rats nest on the Fastenal drawers behind the counter.  I found some clothing racks I bought on Amazon and wondered how long they've been there...  I looked them up and I got them on May 10, 2024.  They would have been sitting there for 1 year and 5 months tomorrow.     I'm trying to finish these little projects for me around here so they got put up yesterday.  Peeps are always asking about tshirts when they come in so now they are out, one more thing finally off the list other than hanging a few more up if I can remember to bring a few more hangers out here from the house.   

 

Got a start yesterday on the slide out shelf for the rearend tester that can hold a drain pan to drain + refill a transmission or hold tools, parts etc.  Gonna try to finish it up tomorrow.  I'll put all the details in the rearend tester topic tomorrow.

Today was the last sorta warm sunny day for awhile so I got the steamer out.  Cleaned up some misc parts and the nasty tiller.  It cleaned up really good thanks to the Krud Kutter.  It will get drained in the morning and put on a bench to start the tear down + restore next week if time allows.  I'll start a topic on it soon now that it's cleaned up and ready to get started on.

Someone is coming in Monday morning and bringing a 42sd deck to work on while they wait.  Can't remember exactly where they're from, Central IL I think.  Mondays are always wild but maybe next week will be calmer with the cooler temps and rain coming in and I can work on a few different projects that I need to wrap up before the next major job comes in...   

 

The shelf for the tester is done and the topic for it is updated.  The last 4 posts in the tester topic were added today.   

The tiller was drained today, the fluid looked great and looking inside it looks like new.  I may or may not take it apart, we'll see.  The deck parts that were steam cleaned yesterday got blasted and it was a nice surprise that they are all like new.  The spindles are also nice and smooth.  I need more parts you know...  

There was a newer model front belt cover in the mix so it got restored today as well.  A good week but my 65+ hours this week are enough and it's time to go. I'm looking forward to a nice quiet day off tomorrow.  

Had some really nice peeps in yesterday to work on a deck.  I thought they were from central IL but I got them mixed up for someone else coming in, they were actually from N Wisconsin.  They got here around lunchtime and had to do a lot more work than was planned but they were back on the road by 6:30 last night.  They were toting a travel trailer so they said no biggie, they would just drive till they were tired then stop somewhere and sleep for the night and finish the trip today.  

They bought a Toro service spindle from Jack's last year but it didn't even last a year and it was destroyed.  I can see why, it was nowhere near the same as the original parts that I put back on it.  We spent over 6 hours on it with the spindle and a lot of other little things but everything on it is back the way it belongs and as good as new.  It should last another 40 years now like the original did.  

Sorry no pics but they had a long way to go and were waiting so I was trying to get them back on the road as soon as possible.

 

Got out to do some things this morning, trying to get out once per week on Wed mornings no matter what to do things I need to do like go to the bank or chiropractor if need be, grocery shop, eat out and little things like that.  It's not much but once a week is plenty for me, I am a hermit at heart you know...  

I stopped by McDonald's before 10:30 to pick up some bfast sandwiches for the next few mornings and always do the surveys to use the BOGO free any sandwich coupons on the receipts.  The girl asked me if I wanted a receipt and I said yes please, that's my free food.  I saw she had a bunch of them when going to get mine from I guess no one wanting them so I asked if I could have them all.  She smiled and said sure, so I'll do all the surveys tonight.  Hey, that's 7 free sandwiches, or 1/2 price for each one depending how you look at it and it's true that a penny saved is a penny earned, or a lot more in this case.  I get extras a lot but never this many at once.  I have a stack of them already but the more the merrier.  

I have some peeps that were reading the site and saw the front receiver hitch made here.  They want some so I dug out a few with damaged pulley shafts because they get cut out anyway.  I've said it a lot but It pays to keep even things peeps see as worthless around...

Working on some other WH stuff in the shop but taking a little time to make a trunnion puller to pull one off of a deck I'm working on now.  I've decided from now on every time I can make a tool to get things done faster and easier on a job I'm going to make a tool for it right then and there.  It really pays off in the end.  I'll put a post on it in the Home Made Tool section when it's done in case someone else want to make one or have us make one for them.  It will be able to be used with an impact to make things quick and easy, it should be done tomorrow.   

 

Jeremy was gonna bring the Wheel Horse truck rolling chassis this weekend but his daughter is on some type of sports team in HS and they made it to the State finals.  They play tomorrow so it will be a few more weeks before he can make it.  Good dad, he has his priorities in order.  

It also gives me more time to relax and do a few other things I need to do around here, unless something else shows up.   

The front Tach-a-Matic hitches are started on that I need to make for customers, and I brought in another pallet of 4 decks I bought on May 15 this year.  I'm doing better, they've only been out there on a pallet for less than 6 months...    Some look a little rough but the 36"RD I took apart this afternoon is a real sweety.  If it weren't for the idler pulley arm rusting the area under the cover would look like new under there.  The rust had it stuck so it will get cleaned up and blasted tomorrow.  I'll prob put up a post on the work on these in the Attachments section like the 37" that just got finished.

I may even have time to work on the tiller restore, rebuild some spindles, and do some other work on my list I need to do, if everything stays a little quiet that is.  I know, fat chance but one can always hope...

 

What I'm doing is NOT setting my clocks back tonight or ever.  I don't do that, I don't mess up my body clock and life, my clocks will stay the same, I'll just get up and leave here an hour earlier.  Been doing it for years and years, if you're reading this you may want to try it.  I adjust when I eat lunch for business sake but eating an hour later is no big deal.  Getting the extra hour every morning to get to the shop early when it's nice and quiet is good too.  

The only difference that will be seen on here is that I make my evening posts around 6PM (new time) rather than around 7PM.  In the Spring I won't change either so I'll just be back on the time I am now anyway.  If the stupid gov would listen to most of us peeps we wouldn't have this problem but good luck with that...  

The site was fully updated today that I haven't had time to do for the past 6+ months.  Everything from the OS, modules and forum, were all updated this morning.  It all seems good to me but there's a lot of new so if anyone notices anything out of whack give me a shout or put it on the forum.  

Worked on the 37RD a little, it's cleaned up under the cover and painted, the tensioner parts are also cleaned up, blasted, and painted.  It should be ready to put back together tomorrow after the paint drys good.  On the good side the spindles are quiet, the bad news is the spindle pulleys are stuck and I'd like to free them up.  

The band saw got a new little more aggressive blade put on it today.  It came with a 6/10 TPI, it's got a 5/8 TPI on it now.  It made me a little nervous changing that thing but it didn't get away from me and worked out good.  That thing could take a lot of flesh off quickly if it got away from someone while putting it on...  It's 1/4 of the way broken in and the 5/8 cuts a lot faster than the 6/10 ever did.  

I also got a start on the redesign of the front hitch setup.  I have more time on the ones I have to build for some customers now so it seemed like a good time to refine it.  For starters the hole will done on the mill from now on, that will give it a nicer look having rounded corners to fit the receiver.  The one done today showed me I need a little smaller mill bit to fit the corners a little better but still looks a lot nicer than the square hole.  I'm not sure if this is being extra picky, the OCD in overdrive, or the fact I need medication lol. 

The one made today may just end up to be used as a pattern for marking the sides, we'll see.  The next one is marked and ready for cutting out.  I'll start a post on the 2nd design soon.   

 

Nice day today, it reached 70 here and will be a little warmer than that tomorrow.  Since it's so nice I spent most of the day rearranging the lot, moving things to garages, and getting everything ready for Winter.  Tomorrow will be mowing up leaves and doing things outside as well.  Several 25 degree nights this weekend and the high Monday is 40, getting closer to locking myself in the shop when cold weather sets in...