What's everybody doing?

Got to do actual tractor work today, it was so nice to get back to normal Horsing around.   

You've prob seen this one in the background of other pics for a few weeks and it was finally time to get back to work on it.  The steering was worn out so it got good used upper + lower steering shafts, and the original steering support rebuilt with the new bushings in it.  It also got a complete custom rewire with a 2 piece harness, an engine disconnect was added in the wiring channel, and a system fuse behind the dash.  It also has all original new connector housings, terminals, and correct factory wiring color for everything.   It's not quite done yet but I'm happy with it so far.   

 

Kevin was here Sat so he helped me get the forks on the Kubota and get the spray tanks out, someone is coming after them this week, more space yay...  

The blaster developed a small hole somewhere and Kevin helped me find it as well.  It was in the pressure line a few inches away from where it hooks on the pressure pot and that also got fixed Sat.  Now I just have to start getting everything out from back there to get the aluminum swept up and put back in the blaster.  I got a start on it today.

I have a pair of Walker jack stands that dad bought in NJ before we moved here that he brought up here last year before he passed.  I took them apart and they got blasted today and are ready for paint.     

Other than that today was ordering some parts, cleaning the rats nest on the toolbox, and doing some little things that were way overdue.  

 

I had to go out and get some Diesel for the steam cleaner and filled an empty forklift tank.  Either tomorrow or the next day will be steam cleaning day while it's warm.  It was 65 today, supposed to be close to 70 tomorrow and over 70 on Thurs so I have some outdoor things planned.     They're calling for some possible rain during the day (not all day) tomorrow and Thurs so everything will revolve around that like finishing up the blaster mess and working on some decks in here.

When I got back today I started on finishing up 3 decks Kevin and I found outside last Sat that were never completely parted out that we brought inside.  The shells don't stack as well unless they're down to just the shell and I like to keep other parts in the building since there's places for them in here on the pallet racks.  The first one was easy and had the spindles out, but the next one with the one spindle left in it is a different story.  The one with all 3 spindles is gonna be tough as well.  It has a plate added to the top but I'm not sure why, the deck looks great underneath.  I'll find out after it's apart I guess.  All the spindles are free and the shells look pretty nice.  It has to get done sometime so it might as well be now.  

The other 2 tractors sitting in the floor in the background need steam cleaning and parts cleaned up then I can get back to them.  There's always stuff to do around here so everything gets planned mostly according to the weather.  As long as I keep busy and plan everything ahead I'm a happy camper.  

 

Too windy and cloudy to steam clean today, maybe tomorrow.  Did some small jobs and played with the last 2 decks some more.  Another one is done minus getting the cut off bolts out of the spindle.  The other got the excess bolts cut off from the bottom to make things easier when they do come loose and the spacers are off.  These last two are being a real pain, now I know why they were never finished...  

 

To listen to the local weather and some other places today was a day of thunderstorms, heavy rain, possible tornadoes and all sorts of doom.  I watch the Weather Channel online and it was supposed to be over 70 and sunny this afternoon, and it was, and still is now.  Weather channel goes against everyone else a lot but is usually always right...   

The steamer was out by lunchtime and as you can see it was sunny and dry, except where I made things wet with the steamer.   

I did a little blasting on the Air Horse and C-120 parts and it seems the 120 was blasted before with that good ole damaging coal slag.  The last 2 pics show what damage it does.  The one that looks new is done here with my aluminum shot, the other with the dull appearance, hard to read numbers, and damage was done with coal slag, most commonly called Black Beauty, the popular brand name.  My work is a beauty and the other is anything but lol.      This is why my work looks as good as it does.  This damage is also permanent and it can't be fixed as I just blasted the paint off and found this little surprise.  It does come at a cost though, the aluminum shot in my blaster costs more than what most peeps pay for their tractors.     On the bright side, I charge less than 1/2 as much to blast something than anyone else in the area while doing a much much better job...  

 

Warm weather is on the way after today, so I started cleaning up and burning a bunch of wooden things in the wood stove yesterday.  It sure felt nice being around 80 degrees again.  

There's also another good looking rearend in the shop again. 

I was also running low on used throttle cable holders for the older tractors so they are now being made here.  The top hole was always too big for the clamp so it got changed to a smaller hole for a 10-24 machine screw, and new SS clamps that have a smaller footprint and hole size.  We'll see how it all works out before I make a bunch of them for stock.  

 

The last deck is now down to the shell, but it like other things came the hard way.  One thing I'm not lacking in is determination...  
One bolt head was almost gone by the time it came out and, another had one of my allen sockets broken off flush in it, that was fun but easier than the melted one.     All of the spindles survived, bolt threads and all so that's good.  I'm not sure why the extra plate was there, that shell is pretty much perfect, no rust and no cracks in it anywhere.  The only thing left is getting the 4 bolts out of the last spindle.  That will happen tomorrow, if time allows.  

I also have someone coming after a lot of parts from Cincinnati, the magnum air cleaner cover is one of them so I spruced it up today.  

 

The frozen cut off bolts in the last spindle were taken out yesterday, and all of the grease fittings and pipes loosened up.  The bare metal on the deck shells were primed and the shells put back outside.  6 more hard to find good spindles and 3 more good deck shells now in stock.  

Started on another customer tractor today but the pics are still on the camera.  Will try to get them posted tomorrow.

 

Started doing a little work on a 310-8 for someone in Frankfort yesterday.  I've been doing work on this one since 2018.  It got a starter sol, some rewiring, made a new pos cable for it, drained some water out of the fuel tank, and some other little things.  In the pics you can see it also needs mule drive pulleys and a belt, no biggie.  Finally something easy...  

Also started making a few more throttle cable holders for the Kohler engine tractors before 1980.  Other than that a lot of time was spent outside today doing things while it was 75 degrees and sunny.   Getting ready for a small building mod, I'll fill everyone in next week.   

 

Ran out of one of the Toro mule drive pulleys so ordered a bunch more, they will be here this week.  Meanwhile I went on and saved the mule drive.  The cuts from the pulley went right through the weld for the inner collar and I thought once the nut was put back on and tightened with the impact it would break loose so it had to be replaced.  Everything got cleaned up, old collar lined up and marked, then a new original Toro collar welded on.  Good as new and another part saved.   

The new building mod is gonna be a double door set going to the front waiting area to get bigger tractors up there.  I had another hardwood door I dug out of the 4 car garage last Sat that used to be on a storage closet when I built the building in 97.  When the back addition was put on the shop the closet was removed and the door put up along with some other doors.  I keep everything you know...     The main thing I want to do is finish painting the Articulating tractor and put it up front, that will free up a lot of space in the back.