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I have volunteered to assess building a well house located on property my church owns. It will be made of brick to match the nearby house and be approximately 4 ft x 4 ft and with an access door. The brick will require a footing and I am drying to decide if the concrete pour should cover the...

It's been a while since I have posted. I have moved to a retirement home and had to give up a lot of hobbies (sawmilling, wood heat, welding). I am thinking about resuming my welding with a 120 VAC arc welder because I think I can do small tasks with a smaller unit whereas the 240 vac 50 amp I...

The little plug that covers the hole for adjusting brakes.

I looked at videos about adjusting trailer brakes and one of them (How to Adjust Trailer Brakes - 5 Easy Steps) said in writing on the screen at 1:55 minutes to never jack on the axle - use the frame. Why? I have always jacked on the axle very close to the drum. I have seen other videos that...

I put in a simple fire pit last fall consisting of a 12' x 12' array of pavers with 4' x 4' hole in the middle for the fire. It has been great to have the neighbors over for an evening around the pit. The land is flat, sufficiently far from trees and I put landscape fabric (used) down before l...

My weed eater has a squeeze bulb for priming the engine. I purchased it in '87 and the bulb replacement has been a regular maintenance item every year because they crack prematurely and their quality has been deteriorating with each purchase. Why can't they make decent quality bulbs?, I asked...

I removed the starter from my Ford 641 to clean the Bendix. I rotated it to simulate engagement and spray with brake cleaner and can't get it back. Take a look. (This thread is a continuation of Starter Issues)

A few days ago I heard an odd sound from (I assume) the starter (Ford 641) when trying to start the tractor. It was sort of a grinding/scraping sound which startled me so I didn't notice if the engine was actually turning over or not. Tried again and got the same sound. A third time it started...

One of my sawmill customers left his tandem trailer at my mill for me to load his lumber on as it came off the mill. Before loading much lumber on it I noticed the tires looked low so I measured them and they were about 20 - 25 psi. Sidewall said max was 50 psi so I pumped them up with my 12 VDC...

We collect rainwater in an underground cistern and when I remove the lid in the summer/fall there are always mosquitoes flying inside or skimming the water surface. I have used mosquito dunks for years with limited success so I am considering alternatives. The only way they can get in is through...

Recently I have been getting solenoid chatter on my Ford 641 tractor when I try to start it. (I converted it to a 12 volt system years ago.) I have found the problem to be apparently poor electrical contact between the + battery terminal and the battery cable. A black coating appears on the post...

I built a barn elevator to move air dried lumber to the 2nd floor of my barn where I have a de-humidification kiln to finish off the drying of lumber from my sawmill. It has been in use over 10 years and has performed very well. I designed it to lift the load 10 feet to the 2nd floor in 1 minute...

Water drains from a bank through a 10" pipe under my driveway and at the entrance to the pipe the bank drops off about 16". I have stakes to hold the soil and never mow so as to not disturb soil or the grass/weeds and that has worked OK for 5+ years but I want a more permanent solution. The area...

I have a 20 gal caddy which I have used to fill all my engines but now I have started using ethanol-free gas in my small engines and am dedicating the caddy for ethanol-free gas. This leaves me with nothing to store the usual ethanol/gas mixture for my tractor. It has a 9 gal tank and I am...

I wheeled out my oxy-acetylene cart and opened the oxygen tank valve and the relief valve immediately opened. Did it repeatedly. Is wiser to repair/replace the relief valve or just buy a new one? It is a Victor Equip Co. unit.

The drive shaft to my Woods mower wouldn't pull back from the over-running clutch far enough to disconnect the mower from the tractor. So, I just drove the tractor forward to free the mower drive shaft. I disassembled the sleeve around the mower drive shaft in an attempt to see what was causing...

I am helping a friend protect the pump for his above ground cistern by adding a water level sensor. It is actually 2 cisterns under their deck connected together via about a 3" pipe. To keep it simple I am suggesting adding a saddle Tee and with a riser pipe attached (see drawing) and sensing...

My tandem trailer tires are showing uneven wear, especially the left front and right rear. (The left rear and right front tires show almost the same wear). Measurements with calipers show more than 0.1" difference with the most wear occurring on the trailer side (inside).The tires are 6 years...

I am installing D-rings on the floor of my trailer which will connect to the frame for max strength. When loaded on the trailer I want to secure my tractor from tipping so I will put chains around the axles and secure them to the D-rings. My question is how to tension the chains given the short...

I have a '58 Ford 641 tractor and the lift arms stopped working abruptly over a time span of 10 to 20 minutes while using them (the arms fell to the lowest point and wouldn't rise). After the weather warmed to the 50s (from ~20 deg) the arms began to work again although the movement was jerky on...

I have been doing it for 30+ years with no incident. The welding surface is 1/4" steel with bent up edges to keep sparks from hitting wood and there is a canvas apron covering the walls for the same purpose. Ventilation is provided by an overhead fan that draws air in thru a vent. Now I want to...

I use 2 captive air tanks in my crawlspace to get enhanced drawn down between pump cycles. One is a Well Extrol WX202 which has been in use for well over 20 years and is still working well and the other was a Flotec which I removed from service after 18 years because it failed. (I don't know...

Not exactly a tractor job but a tractor did dig the hole for the cistern, so... I put a float switch in the tank to shut the pump off if the water level gets too low. If I ran the hot wire to the switch (as is certainly standard) and the switch ever leaked then I have a potentially dangerous...

I really am asking seriously. Take a look at the attachments from etrailer's webpage: The first is "tire with wheel" Second is "tire" Third is "wheel" There is no mention of "rim". What is a rim and wheel to you guys?

I've been told that the life of a trailer tire is about 7 years regardless of mileage. I presume this is true for any low mileage vehicle - if you don't wear the tread off driving then the tire rubber deteriorates in that time period. Correct? But what about farm tractor tires? I purchased a...

I have an old (1950s) farm house built with a crawl space of only 12". We are having the insulation replaced and a plastic vapor barrier put on the ground. I have been told by a home inspector friend that such a shallow space cannot be reliably ventilated by natural wind/air flow. I want to add...

I made an adaptor many years ago for my Ford 641 (1958 model) and just found out how poorly I welded it. Towing a trailer laden with lumber, one of "V" arm's weld broke. The remaining arm held the load but it distorted the main body of the adaptor. (see pic) I ground off the "V" arms and...

I was driving on our bumpy farm road to pick up some debris and on the return I saw a spare tire in the path I had just driven. "How/when did THAT get there" Oh, that's MY spare. It is held to the underside of my 95 Ram 1500 by a winch and crank system and the cable must have broken! As I put...

I am thinking of making a de-thatcher in the form of swinging blades which will be operated by my 5' cut Woods mower. Specifically, I plan to take a 1/4" x 3" x 20"(approx) steel bars, drill holes and mount de-thatcher springs (maybe torsion springs) via bolts thru the holes and cut a 1.5" hole...

Well, they are tires but are probably not the size you were expecting. Its like the tires rotate but the innertube doesn't. The pics show a bicycle rear tire (stem angled) and a front tire (stem normal). I have the same issue on wheelbarrows, carts, etc. It make it difficult to pump up the tire...

I replaced the oil pump and had to remove the distributor in the process. I failed :mad: to mark the position of the distributor rotor relative to the opening and closing of the points so I tried to adjust it by briefly cranking the engine. I was able to get some improvement (firing/coughing)...

I am thiking about building a shed open on 4 sides for drying lumber. I currently use vinyl siding glued together at the seams (w/ silicone rubber) to make panels which I overlap on the stacks and weight down with waste lumber. It allows air to circulate, is sufficiently self supporting, long...

before I recycle them. I have accumulated 10 of them over the years and would like to re-purpose them if I could. Any ideas?

With the trailer electrically connected the dash lights come on about 30 seconds after starting the engine. It is a 95 1/2T, 4WD and has a Prodigy P2 brake controller and all was working well 3 weeks ago when I last used the trailer. All the trailer lights still work properly - just these dash...

We used to humidify our home with a Bemis Water Wheel console type humidifier which consisted of a porous non-woven filter which rotated on a drum picking up water in a reservoir and a fan to blow air to evaporate it. Since we are on well water we had to clean the reservoir and wash the filter...

My portable sawmill has a 3500 lb axle (2.375 inch dia) with brakes and 13 tires. Trouble is, the axle is bent on one side (see pic) presumably due to bouncing over roads over the last 12 years. I need advice on replacing it. Obviously a heavier one is needed or the present one straightened and...

I got a pretty good deal on a Milemarker SEC8 winch. It is touted as a no frills winch and I cannot agree more. To freewheel it you are not suppose to use the "out" switch on the tethered controller because the brake is on in that position and it will overheat. (Ask me how I know.) So, you have...

I built this coop 2 yrs ago with the goal of having no opening larger than the 1/2" hardware cloth grid. I still think I succeeded in this but twice we have found a large (1.5" dia and 5' long) corn snake enjoying the eggs. The first time we think was due to the door being left open while the...

I recently had driveway work done which included installing a 10" corrugated plastic culvert under it. Since the phone line was in the path the dozer operator said they normally just cut it and then call in for repair. I asked him to avoid cutting it if at all possible because we did not want...

I have a friend who has has asked me to help install a rope around 3 large trees in his yard for his 5 yo daughter to play on. The idea is to have 2 parallel ropes around the trees, the lower one to stand/walk on and the upper one to grab hold of so she can walk hand-over-hand between the trees...

That's the only answer to my problem I can come up with. I am pumping from a rainwater cistern 5' deep to a pressure tank for watering a garden. Pump is set to cut in at 30 psi and out at 50. Cistern does have fine sediment in the bottom so I have inserted the dip tube/footvalve assembly in a...

I bought a box of 5/32" 7014s just to try. According to the description they are used for low penetration and high deposition rate for poorly fitting parts and the slag is suppose to be very easy to remove. Anyone have experience w/ them? I will be using them with an AC buzzbox.

I need need to drill 3" holes in 3/16" a steel plate with a hole saw in my 1/2HP Jet drill press but the lowest speed is too fast - the saw just chatters and shakes the whole drill press. I think if I could go at a lower speed I would be more successful so I am considering this AC gear motor...

I have a 30 foot cistern overflow drainpipe (6" dia) and mosquitoes fly all the way up it to lay eggs in the water inside the cistern. (The cistern collects rainwater from the roof for the garden) I need a way to allow overflow water to exit but stop mosquitoes. I have thought of slipping an...

I have a cistern jet pump w/ 1" and 1.25" PVC fittings screwed into cast iron and they have developed pretty good size leaks. I screwed then in all the way in and used Teflon paste on the threads. I exerted almost all the torque I could to seat them and STILL got a leak - on both. What is the...

I have a portable sawmill onto which I added brakes about a year ago. After returning home from a saw job recently I noticed my brake controller was flashing a code indicating shorted brakes. Inspecting the brakes, I saw that the electrical brake wire was wrapped around the axle (see pic). :eek...

I have a 40 year old SD Lee ac buzzbox which has served me well until yesterday. The locking lever will not hold the current constant at high amps, say ~200amps. This unit has a sliding encapsulated iron core that slides between the primay and secondary coils to give the selected current. I have...

I have read several threads on building a log arch but can't find one that addresses my issue. I'm building a small fetching arch (24" wide, 39" tall) which I plan to pull with a drag line via a truck or tractor. I am about to attach the draw bar and hooks and a design issue has come up: the...

Seems to me that if you have a bottle jack with a gauge on it and know the diameter of the lifting piston you can get the tongue force. (Pressure=Force/Area). Has this approach been used before? It would be a lot easier than the lever arm and scales. Bob

Before I describe the problem I need to give my experience with trailer brakes. I installed brakes on all wheels of my tandem (2000 lb empty) trailer. When I pull the brake-away cable the brakes engage and the truck will not pull the trailer without all 4 wheels skidding. When I am pulling the...

When our garden finally gets underway it will place a demand on our cistern to supply water without pumping it dry and damaging the pump, so a switch to sense the water level is needed. The cistern is 5' deep and has an unused 1" PVC pipe going from the headspace in the cistern to the crawlspace...

Say you have functioning brakes and breakaway kit and the unthinkable happens: the trailer breaks loose someway. The trailer front will dig into the highway, the brakes will lock but I can't imagine it will come to an orderly stop. And if it did how safe is a "parked" trailer on the highway? It...

I converted my Ford 641, gas, 134 cu in) to 12 VDC about a year ago and that was the best thing I have ever done to it. I did not change the solenoid switch or the starter - they are still 6 VDC - because most on line instructions indicated that was OK. It starts in anout 0.25 seconds so I...

I have a sawshed which gets too much morning sun this time of year so I am planning on adding a pull down shade on which I am looking for comments/ideas. I am thinking of using a 6" PVC schd 40 pipe which will be mounted between the front posts so it will rotate. (Posts are 21 feet apart and...

I got a lot of help on this forum when I was building my trailer including the importance of proper torque on the lug nuts. I bought an adjustable T wrench that clicked at the "proper" torque. I tested it by torquing a 1/2-20 nut at 10 ft-lbs. I stripped the bolt and it never clicked. Took it...

The road I live on intersects the highway at a blind hill and curve. I was approaching my road with my truck loaded, slowing down, signaling left and had to stop to wait for a dump truck to pass. I notice the car behind me rapidly closing in on me, skidding, decides to pull into the dump truck's...

My 5 HP 3 ph planer's power source is a rotary conveter from WNY (model RK07) with a 7.5 HP 3 ph idler motor. The planer is operating fine but I have questions about the observed phase voltages upon startup. The voltages for L1-L2, L1-L3 and L2-L3, respectively, are: Upon turning RPC on...

Can you use auto wheel bearing grease for high speed (4000 - 5000 rpm) shafts? A cruising auto wheel may be turning at 750 rpm while my planer cutterhead spins maybe 5000 rpm. Seem that would require a different grease. My old planer does have zerk fittings so it is supposed to be greased but I...

When I turn off my 16 HP 2 cylinder Kohler I get a shock to my fingers from the ignition key. Only happen when shutting down, not starting or running. Bad ignition module? Any advice on replacing/repair? Engine is on a portable sawmill. Bob

I am extending underground power to a saw shed to operate a handheld blower to blow sawdust off of a sawmill. I have 12 ga 3-wire removed from a well years ago which I will use. Should I bury this directly an avoid cost of putting it in pvc conduit? It's 110 feet long. It obvioulsy can take...

I'm in the process of roofing my 30 x 20 open-sided shed. The front slope of the roof faces the driveway entry and will present a contrasting glare against the forested background so we want to paint this portion so it not so obvious. The roof is new galvanized steel and I haven't yet installed...

What's available for this? I deliver lumber from my sawmill to customers and the binding straps encounter sharp corners which over time may degrade the strap.

I need to pump water from a cistern that collects rainwater for garden watering. The cistern is only 5 feet deep and I have installed a foot valve at the end of a 1" pvc pipe by which it draws water which is filtered and sent to a captive air tank. I then use the water via a garden hose just...

Not about tractors but definitely about safety unless your tractor is in a barn where you have the problem I had. I had a roof vent fan quit operating. I removed it, found a nearly frozen bearing AND a short between ground and hot - just a few ohms. Why didn't the 15 amp breaker trip, I asked...

When first turning on the fawcet the water would come out with great pressure and after prolonged use the pressure would drop very low with the flow almost stopping. I took the pressure switch off and noticed the standpipe (the short brass 1/4 inch pipe connecting the pressure switch to the tank...

I didn't want to hijack a nearby thread to digress on this topic so I started a new one. When I built my barn in 1985 I nailed the 5V roofing thru the top of the V with roofing nails with pre-mounted rubber washers. My brother-in-law just had is home re-roofed with 5V and the installer put the...

I've read many threads on the subject but can't find how you determine what shackle length you need. I have just finished replacing all the MH running gear on my tandem with commercial stuff from e-trailer. The old shackles and equalizers were worn but in spite of that I found replacements that...

I am helping build a 12 x 12 studio/shed for a friend. Does anyone know of a source of free plans for such?

In my barn I installed a ceiling fan on the same circuit as a series of fluorescent lights and when I flipped the switch the nearest light wouldn't come on. I figured inductive loads and fluorescent light ballasts are incompatible so I relocated the fan to a circuit with only motor driven...

I can't find out much about them. eTrailer sells them Loadstar ST225/75D15 Bias Trailer Tire with 15" White Wheel - 6 on 5-1/2 - Load Range D Kenda Tires and Wheels AM3S870 A set of 4 with wheels would be $600+ delivered. Bob

At our church community garden we need to support a fabric sun shade (18' x 18') made by Cooleroo. One side should be approx 14 feet high and the other 9 feet. According to Cooleroo we need a 4" dia schedule 40 pipe (or a 5 x 5 wooden post) set in concrete 1/3 of its length for adequate support...

I just replaced the volt regulator on my Ford 641 tractor (1958, 6 volt) because the old one wouldn't register a charge or discharge. The new one showed charging at about 10 A immediately after I started the engine. Ah ha, I thought, solved the problem. After a few minutes of driving I noticed...

I just replaced the volt regulator on my Ford 641 tractor (1958, 6 volt) because the old one wouldn't register a charge or discharge. The new one showed charging at about 10 A immediately after I started the engine. Ah ha, I thought, solved the problem. After a few minutes of driving I noticed...

I'm planning a pole shed and will be using old utility poles. They will probably be 13 -14' long and set in 30 - 36'' holes. I have a tractor with boom which will lift to about 8 feet and winches and come-alongs. How can I set these poles in the holes safely with this equipment? I've built sheds...

I just got an air die grinder for grinding welds and was hoping to use tomorrow but I don't have an oiler in the air line. How critical is this for short grinding times? Will I ruin the grinder? And what about dry air? Is an in-line condenser essential? Bob

I have 2 axles with 74.5 inches between spring seats which I am going to put on a trailer that requires 74 inches. A lousey quarter inch off on each end!. Is it necessary to relocate seats for such a small difference? Is there an alternative to grinding off the old and re-installing the new? Bob

I'm still new to trailers and axles but here is a simple observation on the axles I have used (MH and commercial, AL-KO). Axles that route the brake wires thru the tube have the access holes in the side of the tube. This allows rain and splash to get in and not get out. Why aren't the holes on...

A rear spring hanger on my trailer has an extremely oblong bolt hole. To replace it I plan to grind off the old and weld a new one in its place. My concern is drawing the frame when I weld the new one. Any tips here? I have welded before on undersides of beams and have drawn them - I do not want...

My Ford 641 tractor lift will occasionally make very small incremental jerky lifts when I raise the lift lever. It comes and goes; I first noticed it maybe 5 years ago during cold winter but returned to normal operation after a warmup. It was not low on hydraulic fluid but I added some anyway. I...

After 3 years my TACO 009-BF5 hot water circulator pump failed apparently because of a frozen bearing. I had the pump replaced with a stainless version but kept the old one in an attempt to repair it. The BF5 is no longer available but I can get the "cartridge" for it ($100) which is a sealed...

On my sawmill I have a boom loader which is motorized to slide in and out. To achieve this, I put a 3/4" threaded rod into a sprocket with 3/4" hole. It was a sloppy fit so I wrapped it with shimstock to tighten the fit, drilled a hole thru the assembly and drove a roll pin thru it. It was...

I have a 6 x 16 trailer which I put MH tandem axles under for hauling log(s). I spent a good deal of effort scrounging MH axles, parts, etc. to get sound parts. The axles have flanges and universal backing plates and new brakes, seals and springs, etc. It pulls well with light loads. I added a...

I bought a brake controller to go on my used 95 RAM P/U. The truck has a 7pin RV receptacle for the trailer and all 7 pins are wired. In the cab I see evidence that it once had a controller: mounting holes under the dash and a tap onto the brake pedal switch which goes to +12 VDC when the brake...

On my Ford 461 tractor (1958 model, 6 VDC starter) the red gen light is on bright when idling and rather dim when at operating rpm. How do I determine if it is the generator or voltage regulator?

Most parts assembled with bolts have torque specs to assure proper tightening. These specs must assume that the bolts have a certain pitch. I have wheel lugs that are to be torqued to 90 ft-lbs and some of the lugs are 1/2-13 and some are 1/2-20. Torqueing these the same wiil give very different...

I have a 3 inch MH axle with a damaged welded-on backing plate which I have cut off in hopes of replacing it with a welded-on flange for mounting a universal backing plate. I know the alignment of the flange is critical for the brakes to operate properly and I have read that if you can稚 weld...