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If it were me, I would back the nut off until it covered the bolt threads completely at the end and smack it with something heavy, but I guess that you have already done that. So you have a bolt putting up a fight. My next step would be a penetrating oil, a little time for it to soak in, then...

I do know some things, but I wouldn't claim to be the expert. The reason that I suggested considering 240 over 120 is not about the voltage, it is about improving the quality of the DC on the internal bus, which has been shown many times to affect the quality of the output power. I know of...

Here's the discussion of the homemade line reactor; https://www.practicalmachinist.com/forum/threads/shop-made-line-reactor.177428/ Unfortunately, the photo is not there any more. All the best, Peter

I think the suggestions above are great. I would think about using 240V Personally, I would bolt it up and see where things are. Inverter driven motors have a tendency towards leakage current from the usual sources, plus of course the stray current induced in the rotor. I've seen larger motors...

Can you post a photo of the bolt head? Thanks! All the best, Peter

If the operator puts the lip too far into the soil, the force required to cut the soil loose increases to the point where the tractor will ride 70/over the bucket. So, if you find the tractor rising up over the bucket, I would try raising (curling) the bucket front edge slightly, to push the...

You might try a morel some time. Even store bought dried they are, at least to me, pretty tasty. All the best, Peter

@beowulf Good luck today! All the best, Peter

Nice to see your apiary thriving! Any insights as to why you have had such a large number of swarms this year? All the best, Peter

I'd check on the detection tape for power, because, if it is not locally required, there is no need as @grsthegreat pointed out. I still would put down a plastic warning tape identifying power. If double trenching is an issue, could you do a wider trench and put power on one side, and water on...

Looks brand new! Congratulations. All the best, Peter

I would do your future self a favor and use the detectable tape. As cost saving it is, if it were me, I would use two trenches, both with a way of tracing them. It makes future work simpler. On the future work thought, I would also upsize the conduit. All three are definitely in the future...

Pretty! We have newborn calves walk through barbed and electric fences with no deterrent. I think it takes a while before all systems are functional. All the best, Peter

FWIW: Many routers have failover capabilities to pick up the internet service on a secondary system (WAN1 vs WAN2). Some can be set up to keep both on and the load shared between the two so that if one drops, there is almost no impact. All the best, Peter

Most water heater owner's manuals suggest an annual or more frequent inspection and replacement depending on condition. It might be worth looking. All the best, Peter

I'm not, repeat not, an electrician. Isn't the underlying issue where the neutral to ground bonding occurs? A panel with a meter and a breaker at the pole needs a ground. A panel at a separate building (sub panel or not) needs a ground rod grounding the building wiring. If the ground to...

Not entirely. There is some scientific evidence for antibodies against tick saliva anticoagulants, which causes the blood not to flow into the wound the way ticks need to feed. That causes the ticks to relocate, and drop off. Whether I have them is a different story.🤷 Totally unproven. All the...

Garlic has helped me in the past with ticks and mosquitoes, but it doesn't agree with everyone. I do wonder if over time one builds up a certain immunity to ticks, and they can't get enough blood to feed, so they keep going. These days, I catch ticks crawling on me occasionally, but I can't...

I saw a funny video a while ago about some scientists trapping and studying ticks. Their tick collection method was to drag a white cloth behind a remote controlled toy (jeep?). The ticks apparently leap on quite successfully, and quickly. If I remember correctly, they had a follow on use by...

"Chainsaw trailer"? Any photos? Great of you and your church to help out. Good luck on the trips. All the best, Peter

I think the only way is to talk to lots of local hunters (and non-locals who come for the hunting) and landowners to find out the going rate, but even then it is going to depend on what you land is like for the target species, and what you do to promote it. I think that these sorts of leases...

Yikes! If it is that bad, I would be thinking about using one of the permethrin sprays for clothing that are said to be effective. All the best, Peter

Wow! That's quite the artifact collection. Personally, I can't imagine what it would take to get something like "Immuno-Oak" through an over the counter approval today. Times change. All the best, Peter

How about a Power-Trac 1845 or 1850? Great on slopes. https://power-trac.com/tsmclass.htm 90" rough cut and 96" flail mowers available. (Have a look on the Power-Trac forum here) I would not use a zero turn on slopes or irregular surfaces. Of course, there's also using something to make a 20'...

😲😲😱

As bees navigate in part by the sun, relative to the sun, what is the motion that worked for you? All the best, Peter

@John0829 I agree that tornadoes are nothing to sneeze at, and I suspect that you are correct that "tornado alley" has now expanded to more areas. I don't know if tornadoes are any worse than a hurricane, but I think that the unpredictability of their path is hard not to be concerned about...

I think that it is important to compare apples to apples with ping / latency numbers. I used to use okla's speed test, I was getting 7-9ms on our old DSL system that converted to fiber about four miles away, but I spent many moons working with our ISP provider to get the kinks out of their side...

Poison ivy/oak/sumac, mango skins, and cashews all have very similar chemicals, generically urushiols, but not identical. So, some folks can tolerant some of them, but not all. I used to have great trouble with green mangos, and grew out of it. Allergies can change with time and exposure to...

I think that it is still impressive. All the best, Peter

I guess I think the first question is are you up for fiddling with it a bit? If it didn't create a large pool of oil in the decade that you weren't using it, I personally would bet against a pump seal, especially given the hours, but it could be. If it were me, I would gently try to use a...

@ultrarunner Chemistry tip: I add Oxi-Clean to anything that might be contaminated with poison oak. The peroxide in Oxi-clean (and its non-bleach competitors) attacks the urushiol, decomposing it. Trivia: the black smear on your pants is how black lacquerware is made. Urushiol is the base for...

Around here, they get mounted on a trailer, usually with a sink. Just make sure the door stays shut, and be careful over bumps in the road. https://diamondprovides.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/VIP_single_trailer_restroom_rental_toilet.jpg If you plan to detach the tow vehicle, watch where the...

Before I got the poison oak down to a dull roar here (the quail always drop of new seeds), I used to spray, or use the front forks to pry the live plants out of the ground, and then wait a year or two before coming back to brush hog it or rototill it up. Full zip up coveralls, chainsaw face...

Whatever works for you! I do think that the immune response is at least somewhat variable. I will say that for me, poison oak is 50 times as potent and itchy as poison ivy. I could ignore small poison ivy outbreaks. Not an option with poison oak, for me, and the poison oak outbreaks, last much...

Congratulations on getting fiber! Fiber should have much lower latency. Much. To be fair, I try to measure ping times to some site that is physically close, or to the end of the ISP's network. It can take some poking around to get that. Or have both tests to something consistent like 8.8.8.8 or...

Why are some of your hives strapped down, but not others of a similar size? All the best, Peter

Sorry about the mishap. Is a local body shop a possibility?(Where is the tractor?) All the best, Peter

Got any photos? All the best, Peter

Me, no, I don't think it had anything to do with Plum Island or the research that may or may not have been done there. Sure, sunspot rates, hemlines and the stock market gains or losses all correlate, but that doesn't make it a causal relationship. I enjoy fiction reading, just not when it...

Before a couple of drought years, here we used to have two or three overflights of swarms every year. I love watching the swarms move and hang out around the house, before finding a how and drifting away. If you are interested or fascinated by swarms, I really recommend this book; "Honeybee...

Nice story, although actually Lyme disease has been found in 5,300 year old mummies; it just took the health professionals a while to work it out. (In the 1970s, due to a cluster of younger arthritic patients in Lyme, CT. The actual organism, Borrellia burgdorferi, wasn't discovered until the...

Yes, well, there are lots of feral dogs in India, and by definition they are almost all unvaccinated, so they develop rabies on a regular basis. About 1 in 143 Indians are bitten by a dog at some point in their lifetimes, and account for 20-30,000 rabies deaths per year. India’s rabid dog...

That's a not an atypical tick reaction. Some folks develop an aversion to red meat, usually permanently. X10! The doctors around here seem to think Lyme disease doesn't exist locally, based on blood draws from urban populations. To me that is a drunk searching for keys under the streetlight...

Wow! That's pretty specific and detailed planning on someone's part. I'd be watching my step and sleeping with one eye open.🤣 All the best, Peter

I would put something waterproof under the sills to help them stay dry. Urine plus damp is really tough on even treated wood. Even a layer of tar is better than nothing. We use ground anchors here to anchor our run in sheds. (Shelter-logic). All the best, Peter

In my experience, some times all it takes is a tiny increase in wind speed to make all the difference for black flies. 🤷‍♂️ All the best, Peter

It depends a great deal on where you live. Some areas of the US have so much Lyme disease in the ticks, that the recommendation is now "treat first, ask questions later". Maine is definitely one of those areas, and I think that I would not wish chronic Lyme disease on anyone. All the best, Peter

Ok, not an MD here, but I did live for a time in an area with packs of feral dogs, some of which became rabid on a fairly regular basis. Scary. The employees were all vaccinated against rabies to slow the spread of the virus, and give us time to get the full treatment. One of the employees in...

I'd ask Morton. Sorry. All the best, Peter

I think that a small difference in air sealing might make a 50% difference in heating needs, so I would not want to offer up a number. Put a different way, if whatever you choose isn't enough, or runs too long, I would see about controlling air flow around doors and around insulation. All the...

Yes, I agree the replacement isn't that hard, but I think that it has a needle threading aspect to it. @ernemats here is the replacement video that I found most helpful; The differences in the solenoids; All the best, Peter

Thanks for the explanations! Sand bags to facilitate welding makes complete sense. All the best, Peter

Nice photo! Any idea why they picked the route that they did? Also, is the pipe on perpendicular supports in the lower part of the photo, and if so any idea why? All the best, Peter

Do you have a favorite repellent? All the best, Peter

You are a lucky man. I've had more than a few growl and go "ape sh--", and I wasn't doing anything but walking by. And yea, a mountain lion is a fair description in my mind. All the best, Peter

@ultrarunner, I should clarify that the thing that is most toxic to fish is the chloramine, which is not a problem for air breathing animals. It is harmless to hummingbirds. All the best, Peter

Thanks! That's pretty much the way I have always done it, except on Deutz engines that have stop pins and manufactured stops on the flywheel to match. All the best, Peter

No, it was the pallets crying...!

Does this help?

I'm sure that there is a story behind why you were vacuuming up ladybugs in the first place. Did they invade the house? Your truck...? They migrate and overwinter in a couple places near here, and it is wild to walk down the trail and see what looks like all of the trees and shrubs around you...

For those of you with additional vermin beyond raccoons such as possums, opossums are a carrier for a disease called EPM that can cause debilitating disease in horses if left untreated. Unlike raccoons, opossums rarely carry rabies as their body temperature is too low for the virus to reproduce...

Not in my experience. FWIW: Most of the disinfection byproducts are removed by boiling. All the best, Peter

And I suspect that we both hope replacing it works. There is a maddeningly tiny angle to angle the solenoid into the housing. I watched the Foley how to video (great video) a dozen times, and it still took me a slew of tries. You are probably more coordinated and will hopefully have better...

I would check the fuel shutoff solenoid, my usual suspect when I don't hear a click (the shutoff solenoid contracting). Sorry to hear about the mouse nest. They must have been pretty wound up to chew through the return line. All the best, Peter

The devil is in the details...

@bmaverick Thanks! All the best, Peter

I think I would rephrase that last line as "Modern ATF is not designed to be run in yesterday's engines" There are friction modifiers in particular that aren't supposed to be good for injectors and pumps, but I don't know first hand. All the best, Peter

Basically, it comes down to cost of the engine and how much has to be paid to get a reliable diesel; Kubota, Yanmar, Deutz. If it is not reliable the service costs to PT would be too high. That Kubota is about as cheap as you can go for a reliable diesel in my experience. There are less...

I suspect price. Still, I think it looks like a great little machine. I'm a bit surprised on the low machine hours and low hours to engine replacement. All the best, Peter

Those look very nice, almost like split slate! Is there a reason not do an online order, ready for pickup? I do that at the box stores when I am in need of large quantities. I just get nervous about the potential for color drift and variations in things like tile. All the best, Peter

I agree- they look nice. Larger ones (2x2' or larger) might work as something that you could pull up and put down after cleaning, but in my experience they tend not to be dimensionally stable, especially outdoors. You could do solid parquet, with a flood epoxy or multilayer varnish surface, but...

@5030 Thanks!

:ROFLMAO:

I confess that I'm with your wife on that one. I wouldn't sign up for something that is going to be high maintenance, and I think with those cracks outside are an invitation to dirt. I've had both vinyl and ceramic/stone tile. They both work well, but watch out for the slip hazard if vinyl or...

Around here nobody seems to offer the service. I asked several commercial operations and they said that they don't resharpen the blades; they just buy new, flip, and toss. I've donated my old ones to a friend who makes knives and tools. (Hidden chunk of steel did in one set) Thanks for sharing...

I would just use a UV zapper in the screened area. As you wrote, by the time the bug is in there, it's in trouble. However, CO2 based traps are much better at attracting killing mosquitos. I haven't used one in a zillion years, but there are electronic mosquito repellers. I used one for a bit...

Sorry to hear the saga that you are going through! However, as you say, Frderick's seems to be really trying to make it right. All the best, Peter

How did you get the swarm in? Did you tap the stick to drop them in the hive? All the best, Peter

Best wishes to your Dad!

Yes, the accurate and timely sampling was (is) one of the important items that had to work for CGMs to function and for them to be approved. The electro-osmotic extraction method was not direct enough nor fast enough to be accurate. I think that the bar for the regulatory approval for glucose...

The newer sealed combustion versions allow horizontal venting, usually at a downward slope to let the combustion water drain easily. All the best, Peter

@sixdogs If it were me, I'd go search the internet for the manual, but yes, the idea is to get them up high enough not to ignite things in front of them. Generally speaking, the greater the BTU output the greater the distance to other items, but similar Lennox heaters want 8' or more above the...

Wow! Nice job. All the best, Peter

There was a company decades ago that tried to use an electrical current to draw out the liquid between cells to the skin surface to provide a sample glucose testing. It worked, but the time it took to get glucose from the blood into the tissue to the surface of the skin was a several hour delay...

Run, don't walk, the other way. There are no entries at the FDA for Laozik products, nor non-invasive blood glucose. They would be required by law to have a 510 filing, or a 510(k). There are also no endorsements from the ADA. Finally, I would place 99.9% accuracy in fantasy land, unless they...

What do you use to sharpen the blades? Any tips? All the best, Peter

I wonder why the pipeline work would trigger trespassing. Any thoughts? All the best, Peter

Every EV that I know reports range, which is a proxy for battery capacity, and there is usually a way to get the data from the BMS about the fraction of battery capacity/ degradation. Even most phones report it somewhere. As far as resale, from what I have seen, it depends a lot on the vehicle...

What kind and size of generator(s) do you have? Single, or three phase? All the best, Peter

Congratulations! DSL has gotten pretty miserable in a lot of places, which is no surprise as many of the parts were last manufactured 10-20 years ago. You might also consider the Starlink mesh access points. All the best, Peter

I agree with you about the need for generation sites to drop off when the grid gets out of specification, i.e. go sideways. The articles above list grid instabilities as the cause for the nuclear plants drop off line, and therefore have a crash shutdown. (Which has its own issues, including...

The aquifer under @strantor's area is large, and has some ionic gradients in it, but from the Texas and Louisiana maps of water quality for the aquifer, it seems unlikely that a local well would be significantly different. Stranger things have happened. Houston to the NE is on the same aquifer...

Well, given the local salt air, what seems like a relatively porous house, and the likelihood that the home insulation probably gets at least damp, if not wet in storms, it would seem that you have some real issues there. I hope that you don't have any mold. I find moving to be a bit of a...

My read of that study, which has a fair few bits of extrapolation to my mind, is yes, you are in the "moderate to severe" regions. However, given the indoor issues that you are experiencing, I would have expected far more issues outdoors, e.g. door handles, window trim, down spouts, outside AC...

In my opinion, I think that there have been lots of denials and foot dragging in Texas on this one. The first major freeze out was because the natural gas facilities weren't frost proof as ERCOT had asked, after years of foot dragging by the generators, and the second blackout was made worse by...

Part of the issue appears to be that the Spanish nuclear plants responded to the grid instability but shutting down, thereby causing more disruption. @Runner which Texas blackout are you writing about? All the best, Peter

I'm not sure I understand what off-road is supposed to cover. Rock crawling up stream beds? Across a flooded bog? Up an unimproved logging road in a national forest? Getting to the back of the back 40? Getting to a remote cell tower? Based on my experience and observation, I think that decent...

Not my Focus, but I can tell you it isn't a horrible car off road as it has good flotation and a great HP/Torque to weight ratio, but it isn't going to rock crawl that's for sure. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Focus_RS_WRC All the best, Peter

Lest any of us feel too complacent; https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/may/02/blackouts-energy-outage-risks-europe-worldwide-spain-portugal-france All the best, Peter

I've been following the story since it occurred. As some of us (e.g. Texans) know first hand, stabilizing an isolated or relatively isolated grid can be a challenge. Anybody who has overloaded a generator knows this first hand. In terms of sequence, it seems as if a grid instability occurred...

😂 Looking at the last two photos, I was just thinking it was a brave of you to stump grind adjacent to a transformer pad! I'm glad that you had a call out to 811 to along with the photos. Thanks for the post and photos! All the best, Peter

I'm sorry for your loss, and I hope that can go forward carrying the great times that you had together. All the best, Peter

@strantor I think based on my very limited experience (n=2) that your location is close enough to count as close to the Gulf for getting some salt in the air, but not enough to explain the fast turnover of your evaporators. All the best, Peter

You are welcome! I used to work on delivering high purity water for research work, and perhaps that makes me especially allergic to the hype that I see many places around water. I do understand not wanting to be taken advantage of. Nobody wants that. When you write "silver", you mean real...

@Huntinguy I agree with you about corrosion in metal valves, though our brass valves seem to be doing ok. Around here, stainless components need replacing ever so often, 15+ years, even longer if the valve is used more frequently. I think water trapped behind the seal in a ball valve is most...

@RMarshall I use an IR transmitter with an integrated receiver, so it doesn't require wiring to the "far" side of the driveway. When we got a new gate the old OMRON units were much brighter (more powerful), and easier to adjust, than the newer units with an integrated safety. The reflector above...

As required by law.

It is good to see the attached water quality report. I think that data really helps decision making. My takeaway from that report would be that in my opinion your well water has pretty high TDS (Total Dissolved Solids), with a fair amount of magnesium and calcium, in addition to a lot of salt...

I'm not the OP...

In my experience, lease rates are highly, highly local. If it were me, I would browse the bulletin board at your local feed store/coop, and FB marketplace, but I wouldn't consider things that aren't local. All the best, Peter

@bmaverick If you have the OP blocked, you won't see the thread. I will confess to do that intentionally for a few users on a very limited number of occasions. All the best, Peter

I wouldn't overlook YouTube for the mechanically inclined. In many locales, there aren't alternatives, but I do know of a few 3rd party companies that specialize in EV repair. (e.g. Leaf, Tesla) But the after sales repair may be only batteries and hardware. Software is a different ball of wax...

The wonders and strength of TBN! All the best, Peter

@EddieWalker one more thing; if the vents are on the door side of the enclosure, then the force on the door is minimized. All the best, Peter

It arose as I recall from pushback from the big three about not holding the (higher profit) trucks to the higher standards, and the above loophole was the lobbyists workaround. Could it have been done? I don't know, but heavy trucks in Europe and Japan do seem to have better mileage for the same...

Putting the exhaust vent and the intake vent on the same wall/ceiling minimizes differential pressure effects. I would put inverted "P" or "U" traps to keep out wind driven water. On the door, I would be mindful of the total force on the door anchors at an over pressure of 1-2psi. I think it...

@ning what are you pointing out in the "you did this in an hour" photo? I can't tell. All the best, Peter

Congratulations on getting it running! I would see if you can find a job or two to get it hot under load for a while. You didn't mention where you are, but if you have access to SeaFoam cleaner, I would put a bottle or two in the fuel tank for a dose of cleaning. I would also consider that...

Sadly, easy to get to is a big deal for many. I know of a study that showed a 1/4 mile trail dissuaded 90% of State Parks' visitors from visiting. For better or worse, I think that those buried shelters really do benefit from being exposed so that there isn't debris on the door after the event...

Regulations for light trucks is the same as passenger cars (CAFE). It isn't 60mpg, or we'd all be driving a 2cylinder Prius. The fleet mpg does rise over time, but a fuel efficient vehicle is a fuel efficient vehicle as far as the regulations go. All the best, Peter

@EddieWalker I hope that you feel better soon. ---------- Having lived in tornado prone areas for decades, I appreciate the ability to retreat to a basement or shelter during tornado probabilities. Perhaps it is just an old habit, or an artifact of family brushes with tornados, but I found it...

Check my math and logic on this, but here goes; Cylinder head volume at minimum volume (i.e. max compression, 23x) on the 186D 3 cylinder 0.9L engine is normally 13cc (300cc/23). Your adapter/pipe volume is (4.24+0.636) 4.88cc So,... a measured psi of 310 needs to be scaled up by...

You might have a look at "hydrotreated vegetable oil" diesel. It is made from vegetable oils, but it doesn't oxidize or absorb much of any water. https://www.neste.com/products-and-innovation/neste-my-renewable-diesel...

How narrow is the inside bore of the adapter barrel? (I'm thinking of the dead volume.) All the best, Peter

Not being a routine engine rebuilder, I don't have a valve spring force tool, but if it were me, I would probably just fab something up to compress the spring with a scale at one end of a lever. Or maybe be not, there is this (I've never used this); https://www.ebay.com/itm/135670749069 Plus a...

Great attitude! All the best, Peter

I will be interested to see how loud the interior is while driving. I noticed the SUV expansion kit seems not have any headliner, which makes me wonder about road noise generally. Lots of things are in the TBD category.

Great point. I do wonder how severe the valve seat pitting that @ajaukema mentioned is. With new rings and the correct ID sleeves with limited scoring, that leaves pretty much the valves and springs for low compression. In my experience, Yanmar normally has pretty stiff springs compared to...

It seems as if you have made progress. Has this tractor always been hard starting, or is this a new behavior? What color is the smoke? Once started, how does it idle? How is the power at maximum throttle? How hot does the exhaust get when working at maximum throttle for ten to fifteen minutes...

As described, yes. Personally, I find that on my PT, the PT still tends to ride up over the bucket when doing as you describe, probably due to the differences in where the FEL is attached relative to the bucket lip. For me, picking a slight angle to the bucket and then adjusting the height as...

What are you using float for? I only use it for things like dragging a bucket backwards to level the arena. I do not use it for forward motion because the tractor tries pop over the implement. Just to confirm: does your new 425 control lever stays in float ok? All the best, Peter

Nice article on the chargers from the Walmart perspective; https://insideevs.com/news/757648/walmart-ev-charging-network-revealed/ The photos and video don't seem to show the new chargers at the front of the parking lot, but the article does quote Walmart on a measured deployment, which is...

Roof rack (partial) Extension supports; https://www.slate.auto/share/UJ747X Might not be that bad for a few sheets of plywood...

Not too hard to do, but if it were me, I would do it hydraulically with a second function solenoid. However, I admit that I rarely need a 4th function, and the few attachments that I have that use the Q/A hydraulics, need the circuit very rarely. (Post driver mainly) All the best, Peter

There is a roll cage option and a pretty extensive roof rack option. I'm reserving judgement until the actual launch, but I like simple, and the option of being able to unscrew a body panel or other component is appealing. As the design seems rather dependent on DIY screw assembly and...

Great points and I would think about continuous poly pipe for the long runs. Lower flow resistance, and fewer joints to fail. Personally, I prefer segregated home / animal / ranch systems. That's partly for isolation reasons, and partly not to hear the house pump coming on at a random time...

The worn engine ("high mileage") additives do tend to be thicker, but I've never heard of a thermal issue with them. Cleaners, like SeaFoam, tend to be thin, as they are usually a combination of solvents, and detergents to get gunk off of surfaces. Even in an air-cooled engine, I don't really...

Wow. I've never seen that. What is the roofing material?

👍👍 At a guess what do you think that the demand is? Kerosene heaters? Lighting? All the best, Peter

@goeduck I see a couple of issues here. Speaking as a former roofer, roofing from the top down is not a reasonable way to roof, and it is absolutely going to be prone to wind damage and water penetration. I think that you are likely playing roulette with the roof. I don't know if the roof is...

They are close in hydrocarbon composition, and in some places may be identical, but I don't think that can be relied upon. In earlier times, when fuels were less refined, and defined by the boiling point of hydrocarbons, the composition could, and did, vary substantially by the incoming crude...

Generally, I've only seen it in select stores in the very northern states, and it was more common in my experiences many many moons ago, like kerosene. All the best, Peter

Personally, I would ditch the cycle stop, but that has been thrashed extensively elsewhere, and I don't want to get into it here. If you don't have the space, I'd go with the 26 gallon tank. All the best, Peter

A little reminder that today's ULSD is not what old timers remember as diesel, and ULSD is a very different fuel in many ways. Importantly for older engines, it has much less lubricity. Yanmar recommends against straight #1 here, and quoting a huge drop in fuel efficiency...

Put the filter before everything, especially your pressure switch. If you have space for larger, I would go larger, if the well has enough drawdown to reduce pump cycling. A 26 gallon tank has about 14 gallons of capacity going from 38psi to 70psi. Not to derail things, but why 70psi? The...

Pretty classic. I've seen manufacturing addresses at suburban homes, with different owners. One "company" didn't have a business license in the state, and the city manager had no records of a local business license. Another tip off: a number of the shoes had molded on soles, not exactly "hand...

All's well that ends well!

Thanks, this put a smile on my face. Ideally, sure. But...the farm we had as a kid had galvanized water pipes with lots of bends in them, and when there was an issue, we had to dig end to end because there was no accounting for the path it took. I strongly suspect the original farmer used bent...

Classic response from many manufacturers, and car manufacturers especially in my opinion. They ship so many high price pickups here, that our local dealers won't take money in advance to order a lower end model. We ordered from a dealer two states over, flew there, drove back over two days, and...

That seems rather like "do not listen to what they say, read what is in the contract...", but I am glad you are ok with it. Why the temporary water line in the first place? All the best, Peter

My bet is that they would graze around the butter cups if they have other forage. If you go the vinegar route, I am sure that they would leave it alone. Arabians tend to be pretty savvy, but there are exceptions to every rule. We've dealt with a few with Cushing over the years. Perhaps borrow a...

I'd keep a big truck, but for a couple of sheets of plywood, and sundries from the local lumber store, it would work just fine for me. The range isn't off the charts, but the typical 20-80% charge rates these days are about my typical rest stop every 3-4 hours, so it would work for me. But I am...

🤣 Effective, but not my preferred method. I use a trencher to excavate the wire by spooling it up! 👍👍

Black smoke is overfueling, and I would not sweat a puff at startup. So, I don't think it is an issue. If your other tractors are fine, then I agree, it isn't the fuel. If you were having a coolant leak into the exhaust, I would expect you to notice other things besides a smell. Could your...

I think that starts getting into what you are trying to locate and how deep you need it to be. My need was buried power wires, with a faint hope of finding metal pipe. I have a Progressive Electronics Model 501 System Cable Locator (basically an AM transmitter with a clamp on antenna, and a...

🤣🤣🤣

I'm with @grsthegreat and own my own locator because here 811 only locates the utility lines. Locating natural gas lines around here can be something of an issue as the recent pipes are all plastic. All the best, Peter

@jyoutz Yes, I saw that too this morning and had a quick browse on the website, SLATE. It seems like an interesting concept, taking a page from GM's Saturn line for composite body panels, and claimed support for a slew of DIY features and enhancements. Personally, I wouldn't mind an EV that...

😱 I'm glad your wife is ok. A skipper that I was racing with did that to me once, pinning me under the boom vang as he lost control of the main sheet and turtling the boat. I had to wait until the mast was underwater to get free, and then get myself out of the mainsail. Fortunately, I was a...

Exactly!

They are great! I use the Stihl equivalent. Mostly, I get done with a chain and think "that's it? Done already?".🤣 Too many years doing it by eye I guess. All the best, Peter

Do you follow Kentucky Equine Research much? I think that they are a good group with lots of resources. We have found them quite knowledgeable in equine nutrition and metabolism. https://ker.com/equinews/buttercup-toxicity-horses/ With that preamble, per KER, horses tend to avoid buttercups, if...

Sorry, I didn't quite have the name right. "Grandpa's weeder" Basically, you stab it at the center of the weed by stepping on a small foot bar, pivot the handle which crimps the weed and pops it out of the ground. Not much survives the treatment, but it can be a fair amount of work. I used one...

Those are wonderful photos to go with the story! We used to have a cat and dog like that. The dog would lie down somewhere to watch one of us, and the cat would come by and knead the dog's belly and then curl up to snooze. The cat was pretty much fearless. She loved to hunt, and then play with...

Hmmm. Ok, a few more questions; Do you see any smoke in the exhaust, and if so what color is it? What is the additive that you add to the fuel? What do you add to your oil? Where do you source your fuel from? (Where are you located BTW?) Thanks. All the best, Peter

Seems like she's well trained, or you are, or both of you are.🤣 She sounds very sweet, and your cat sounds pretty amazing as well. All the best, Peter

I guess depends on how many you have. I have spot removed them with a propane torch, and a "grandPa's puller", but a whole field full is a different story. Sometimes you can get ahead of them by over seeding / drilling pasture grass mixes. For herbicides: Feb-Mar application recommended...

I'm glad to hear that it is not cherry. Good luck with it. All the best, Peter

Just to avoid later finger pointing so that everyone is clear, and yes, a prickly neighbor makes things more challenging. If it were me, I would go ring his doorbell and try to talk to him first to get things straight and then follow up with the written material. Some folks are great at face to...

@RSKY sorry to her of your acquaintance's misfortune. I think that the regulation around here is one alarm inside each bedroom, plus one smoke/CO outside of the bedroom(s), and one on every level of the home, including the basement. It always seems as if our ten year battery smoke detectors...

We do it only in command to try and prevent that exact behavior, but wow, what a tolerant cat! We also have treat toys that erratically dribble kibble as part of the training for seeking, but that is an outside only game. All the best, Peter

@Fuddyduddy1952 We do pretty much the same as @grsthegreat. If it falls on our side, we cut and dispose of it. If the limb is still attached, high up, that would put it in professional territory for me. As your neighbor seems a bit crossways, I would reach out first, and get whatever the answer...

@Jjpbe Can you describe the smell in more detail? Is there a chance there is a dead animal somewhere that is the smell? All the best, Peter

I do think lots of non-PT owners underestimate the PT capabilities until they see one in action. Probably true for lots of things... All the best, Peter

As @Richard posted, the paddle is a regulatory issue as well as perhaps utility...

@Richard Congratulations on the new boat! Perhaps it is just me, but I find sitting on a pontoon to paddle gives me a fair bit of leverage. Personally, I'm not sure I would want something longer unless it had an oarlock. And no, I have never really mastered the SBS rope oarlock trick . YMMV...

I also have good luck with the old school Victor traps, as well as the newer self setting versions using a bait mix of oatmeal and peanut butter that is stiff enough not to be easily dislodged. I use tube traps for rats and squirrels. All the best, Peter

There was a decade or so when I was losing a young colleague or acquaintance a year to sleeper waves. It felt a bit like Cassandra as I was repeatedly telling folks to never, ever turn your back on the Pacific around here. 50-54F is cold water, and even excellent swimmers get into trouble pretty...

FWIW: I used this reflector and it has a much stronger signal than some others I have tried; https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Y7L2SPD All the best, Peter

Around here starting is $120k/yr, plus overtime. As they are locally chronically short staffed, the average is $225k-ish. Then again on the job risks are more than paper cuts...

👍👍 👏👏👏 I have to admit that one of the first things that I did on my PT was to run grounds to the "dash", front & rear frame and engine. I've been burned too many times by intermittent grounds. Congratulations! All the best, Peter

It is important to check the air pressure at zero water psi. Other pressures are difficult to interpret. All the best, Peter

That's quite the story of Mr. S. I wish him a speedy and hopefully full recovery. Having grown up around old machinery, and lost several neighbors to tractor accidents, I have an appreciation for at least some of the risks. I try to make a habit of FEL as low as possible in motion, and on the...

Like @WinterDeere, I have a fondness for older machinery. I do think that the comment he wrote about temperature dictating duty cycle is spot on. To unpack that a bit, these days different motors are designed with different grades of insulation, and different temperature ratings. E.g. There...

@jimjumper I also remember reading a Yanmar torque sequence that had something like the usual inside out opposite bolt spiral torque setting, but in three or so sequential rounds of 18, 72, 110 (made up numbers). I'd never seen it before, (or since), but I can see the mechanical sense of it...

Nothing much in my opinion. While I've seen bentonite spread in the water across the whole pond with water in it, I do think that what you suggest, and what @jk96 did, of compacting the bottom, adding bentonite, and then more clay and compacting that is better. I have a spreader with a built...

Great business advice! Reminds me of the oldie, but goodie about grocery stores: "Get the customer in with low cost milk and eggs and sell them other items to make up for it." All the best, Peter

👍👍 If you drain the tank at each use, I'd say there was no need for a valve. :) All the best, Peter

Looks like a hydraulic hose from this armchair... I think this is really your call about fix before it breaks versus fix after it breaks. A new hydraulic hose from Baileys or Surplus center isn't that much. If you were changing things, my only $0.02 would be to put a valve on it where it...

I did wonder about the two bottom plow. Sandy soil? Potato harvesting? I did note the lack of any sort of cutter wheel ahead of the moldboards. All the best, Peter

I had one of the originals. It has/had a small cup below the teflon coated filter to catch debris and water. So if you didn't have much water (2tsp?) and poured the fuel really slowly into the filter to not disturb what was in the bottom, it kinda sorta helped. I've used exactly twice, but only...

The local diesel is now hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO, by Nesté for many brands) which burns more completely, less soot, reasonable lubricity, and no oxidation, so it has better storage characteristics. A big step up from ULSD, and from B5/B20 blends in my opinion. It has slightly lower...

Speaking of tiedowns, anyone ever seen or used one of these? Apparently self locking under tension, and standard down under, often called a "Swan Hook".

That's impressive on farm fabrication ingenuity, from the car tire to the blades to the counterweight. I bet that tractor has stories to tell. Belarus? Ukraine? All the best, Peter

Sadly, none that I know of, I think in part because there are so many ways to go bad. (Oxidation, evaporation, algae, water...) I'm also on "the buy from a station with high turnover" page. All the best, Peter

Yeah, gunky fuel did a number on a car of mine many moons ago. Chevron or Shell for me ever since. I've got a fuel tank to clean of some sludge that I think came from a lubricity additive that I used in the fuel for some older engines that had biodiesel in it that I think turned to a gum. What...

I think that should work. I used something very close to @WinterDeere's for the braided cover, but hydraulic hose is definitely rated for oil and pressure. All the best, Peter

My current hay supplier really knows hay, and it is usually awesome, and I tell him so every time. He knows that I used to grow hay, and so I know life on the other side as it were. I don't argue with him on his prices, either. My view is that the price includes his expertise. In thirty years...

I'm curious: what kind of horses do you have? Photos? Which Yanmar tractor do you have and how long have you had it? How long have you had the arena? What do you use it for? What is your routine for maintaining the arena footing? All the best, Peter