Search results

I found frequent close mowing can eventually pretty much clear it from the mowed area, At least it worked for the road sides & field areas we were working on.

My engine's specification number (FS11 R) was not on the fix list, probably due to having a 20 amp alternator. The fix substitution currently published by Kawasaki specifies a 15 amp regulator. An alternative 15 - 20 amp 3 pin regulator is out there, but the connector sequence is different from...

My engine's specification number (FS11 R) was not on the fix list, probably due to having a 20 amp alternator. The fix substitution currently published by Kawasaki specifies a 15 amp regulator. An alternative 15 - 20 amp 3 pin regulator is out there, but the connector sequence is different from...

Got a letter from Deere about our 2023 Z930M regarding Kawasaki's stop sale notice on some engines. The 21066-0785 voltage regulator has a flaw that can cause it to catch fire, even if not running. Instructions were to disconnect the battery ground until fixed. They went on to say that they...

2020 Ram Laramie Longhorn, 5.7L w/out eTorque. Bought it new. We have various 7k trailers we tow as needed, generally use a trailer for load carrying unless it is something fairly small. Intend to keep it long term.

Just got the same letter for our '23 Z930M.

I use a magnet mounted mirror to see the receiver/hitch connection on my loader mounted 3pt plate when attaching to a trailer.

Look into purchasing a 250 gal above ground tank, probably $1200 - $1500, a 500 gallon would be a few hundred more. Shop around & fill when prices are lowest from whoever gives the best deal while a delivery is possible. Surplus capacity doesn't hurt, propane doesn't go bad.

With the WG24, there is a whole lot of back & forth and left/right maneuvering. I'd pretty much need to build a temporary earthen ramp to be effective. Even ruts in soft ground & ground slant can interfere with 3pt clearance at times.

Did about 6 hrs more grinding yesterday & finished off the wife's "must do" items in proximity to her bordered landscaping, probably a dozen or so of various sizes. A few large/clustered stumps in other locations will probably have to wait til the 3038e comes back from the acreage. The...

Did another 4 hours of grinding this afternoon on the various stumps the wife found & wanted gone. Mostly in one of the "cleaned" woods area & impediments to the free use of her CX gator.

Still working up to some larger stuff. Trim off the top & work down Marie has been helping with clearing chips to see where to work Had to chase roots a bit Finally below grade

Yep, had been printing ASA parts hot & coarse for structural strength. The gauge is pretty small (~ 35mm) & got printed by itself with the same settings.

Got a bit more ambitious & addressed these two Pretty much had to do the tall one from the side. The deflector didn't have much clearance even at maximum lift. But got everything at or below grade.

Finished up the last bits of setup. Ended up having to use a crow's foot to torque the last four teeth. The stubby socket was too stubby & couldn't catch enough of the nut flats. Marked the last four with paint & done. The slip clutch finally got adjusted for 20hp. Setting is done by...

Forgot to include a link. If you want to print this, you can find STL files (& fusion 360 source files) here, as well as Amazon link for mirror: Printables

OK pretty much finished up. Loosened clutch springs to slip the plate. Just need to check/adjust slip clutch spring height with some calipers. Snapped some pics before going in to cool off. All assembled, Pat's installed, driveline in place.. Magnet mount camera on PTO output shield...

I ordered that same bar yesterday for future use. To stop the spin, I just put a spud wrench through the disk cutouts & let it catch on the guard. I have one tooth (or two?) I couldn't do because socket + wrench head were just a bit too much to fit under the guard. I didn't have a shorty...

Getting closer to trying it out. I got the Pat's QH installed. That changed the shaft detent to shaft detent measurement from 33" to 37", so the PTO shaft is good as-is. I did go out & pick up a new torque wrench. My old one topped out at 150 ft/lb & I needed 160 to do the teeth so I picked...

I'll be waiting til next week to try it out. I did the top link bracket install so I could get a PTO shaft comparison measurement. The Carter & Sons EZ Hitch fit fine, so hookup was not a problem. The measurement from PTO shaft detent groove to implement detent groove was 33" for the 1025R...

Fedex Freight just delivered a WG24 stump grinder. Big truck, no liftgate. Fortunately the 1025R w/pallet forks was up to the task & lifted it off the trailer deck without a problem. The cardboard is just a shroud around a steel framework & pallet. Everything arrived intact & undamaged...

4 point chains & ratchet binders for the tractors. If lever binders get used with chains on an additional item, the lever gets tied in place (only have 4 ratchet binders). Ztrak mower or gator get 4 point 2" ratchet straps.

Just continuing the Z930M thread. Still mowing weekly out at the acreage, no problems. Recently added a couple of mirrors to the control arms so I can check for traffic behind me while mowing the roadside at the house. Bought a couple of stick-on convex mirrors & put them on mounts I...

Had the annual service done on the 22kw standby today. Still having it done by the installer (Generac). Still got 3 years left on the 10 yr. guarantee that came with the install. No issues, but the tech did comment on the number of run hours since last year. Not enough to have required an...

2020 Ram 5.7, 17-18 mixed driving (w/out towing) , 14 w/towing in the mix, 11-12 while towing the 7k trailers (car hauler, dump, utility/landscape) w/average loads.

I took the Z930m out after adding the second mirror & swapping the clamp on the first. No problem with vibration or drastic view shift while operating. I think the fact the mirrors are convex helps avoid those issues. They will definately help with traffic awareness while mowing by the road...

I'm not too good at looking over my shoulder (cervical vertibra fusions), which makes it hard to check traffic behind me when mowing on the shoulder or to check before backing. I put together a mirror mount to attach on the control arm using the 3d printer, a cheap stick-on 4x5.5" convex...

The dump trailer...

Well, it's been about 7 weeks. This is how things look after 7 weekly mows. Grass is starting to fill in a bit more in some areas where other growth was displaced. Recent actual mowing time tends to be about 2 hours & uses about 1/4 tank (from completely full).

Finally tried the Z930m on some of the acreage fields. The area in the pic's was bushhogged about 10 days ago (grass level with the 3038e hood in places). Had the ztrak initially set at 3.5" to see if it would bog down, later changed to 4.5". The only thing limiting speed was rough areas...

13 years on our 2010 3038e. Predates the DPF thing. No issues that weren't self inflicted other than minor dash issues (PTO light goes off sometimes & sometimes the tach needs a couple of taps to come off zero)

In the Ram, tow strap + implements, tie down chain, axle straps, ratchet straps, rope, jumper cables, axe, hatchet, bush knife, crowbars, pack shovel, 12v compressor, airline, tire pressure guage, first aid kits, foil survival blankets, multitools, paper towels, large trash bags, plastic sheet...

OK, after I picked up the Ram Saturday we have had 1.4" rain Sunday & overnight. Checked this AM (Monday) and could not find any damp areas in the rear cabin area. I was trying to blot areas with a paper towel looking for any visual indication of dampness rather than just feeling for it. So far...

Well, got the replacement back glass assembly in. We will see if it does the trick when the forecast rain comes through in the next couple of days. I'm not putting stuff back in the ram boxes until I see if it will need another trip to the dealer.

I dropped off the truck this AM & went home in a loaner. Ended up picking it back up around 5. When their glass people started the window frame removal they found a crack in the frame near the drivers side corner & stopped work. The dealer has ordered a replacement window assembly & it should be...

Back in '93 I had a Dakota they never could fix. I reported the leak before the truck had 2k miles on it. After 3 or 4 failed fixes & an odor issue it got lemon lawed. Got virtually the whole purchase price applied to a replacement truck.

I've seen reports of Ram leaks from brake light, shark fin antenna and various areas of the rear glass, including frame cracks.

That's where our 2008 f-150 was leaking. Fixed it with a new light assembly using an updated gasket.

Taking the 2020 Ram 1500 back to the dealer Monday morning for a second attempt at fixing a water leak in the back of the cab. No headliner stains, but the rear carpet gets damp after a rain, more so on the driver side. The first time they said it was coming from the bottom driver side corner of...

After a couple of days of rain, the winds are here and outages starting. Ours went out a bit after 8AM. Glad the standby generator is here and running properly (3 kids w/families coming for lunch & gift exchange).

Three kids with families coming for lunch & gift exchange and the power is out @8AM. Glad the 22kw standby is running with no problems. ETA: The generator is currently handling a 5 ton heat pump, oven, stovetop, 2 countertop ovens, crock pot, etc. as well as the usual house items.

Got it home. The wife has started familiarizing herself with it. (already removed the other straps...)

Thanks! Kawasaki FX801V 25.5 HP

Surprise! Delivery got bumped up three months. The Z930M just arrived. Still a 2023 model, some minor differences from the 2022.

Well she got a chance to use it today and it put a grin on her face. It wss a 5" redbud, which can be hard cutting for the Kobalt, and the Stihl buzzed right through it.

She wanted an upgrade from her 12" 40v Kobalt, so we got her a 16" Stihl MSA 220 with AP300 battery & charger. She is aware the Stihl is a more 'aggressive' saw than the Kobalt and to be handled with care.

Not too bad around us, mainly scattered outages due to trees or branches across lines. We are up near the VA line in north central NC.

22kw whole house running tonight. Lost power about 8:50pm. Genny kicked in about 15 seconds later. Glad I don't have to get out in the wind & rain to crank up a portable.

I printed up some covers out of TPU filament for the intake & nozzle on mine, mainly to keep bugs out.

Well the order got switched to A 2023 model & delivery in Jan 2023...

Just ordered a Z930M with 60" rear discharge deck & full suspension seat w/24" back. Tried to locate one in the local dealer network first but there weren't any rear discharge machines available ( three in the system but all had been sold). Early estimate puts delivery about 30 days out.

On the generator related side, I installed a replacement battery in the Champion 7K dual fuel today. The 7 year old original was kaput. I also ordered a replacement ignition switch. It has been broken for a while now. The "on" and "start" postions work fine but the "off" position doesn't...

I added a 10 watt solar panel & waterproof controller to our dump trailer equipment box lid. Does a good job of keeping the deep cycle topped off between uses. No nearby power for a maintainer where it gets parked.

FWIW, I've never had any electronics issues while running from a gen whose specs included < 5% THD. No equipment issues, even including UPS units which tend to be picky about power quality.

No line power in the shed, 100 watt solar panel & deep cycle battery for interior led lights & outside led motion lights. The 7k gets used with welder & compressor when needed.

It's been a while, but I finally got around to pulling out the Champion 7k dual fuel at the tractor shed. The battery was too low to turn it over but the pull start worked fine once I remembered to open the valve on the propane bottle. :rolleyes: It has only been used with propane since the...

This one was right at 4 years, I bought it in 2018. The originals (2) were 7ah & I replaced them with 9ah that have the same form factor. I have a bunch of dead ones I kept around as weights for tensioning the pull points on wire antenna's suspended from trees around the house.

Had the annual service done on the whole house 22kw this past week. No issues, but the transfer test revealed that the 1300VA ups on the entertainment center needed it's batteries replaced. It has been OK on recent power interruptions, so they must have just gone south. Got the replacements in...

I just use a carbon pile style tester I picked up at Tractor Supply like this one amazon.com/Battery-Tender-Load-Tester-Volt/dp/B089GZ3DHZ I think I paid $20 (on sale).

Re noise: Not bad, not much increase from no-load (w/ eco mode turned off). I believe the literature puts it 'low as" 52 db. You can carry on a conversation at normal voice level while standing right beside it. Re THD: Look for < 5% THD. At that point, you should be able to run anything...

Last bit was to get the wheels back on. Found out the conical lug nuts supplied with the new hubs were A bit large on the flat end to fit in the 13/16 socket I was using. Threads were the same as those on the idler so I just reused the old lug nuts so everything uses one size. Torqued all to 90...

Added another gen to the stable. Picked up a Westinghouse igen2500 on sale ($399), 2500/2200 inverter, gas only. Just finishing the break in process with a 3 hour half load, no load run, following a couple hours of quarter load, no load & two oil changes to flush manufacturing debris. It only...

OK, finally got back to working on the trailer. The hubs came in and were correct (even tested wheel fit to be sure). Before starting on the hubs, I finished wiring in the ground line to the junction box & did final layout and brake wire connections. The left side got "in-line" connections...

Well, looks like the replacement drum/hub assemblies should be here monday. I did a bit with the brake wire layout & had enough to include a home run ground line back to the junction box. No need to ground to the frame. The ground line will get ID flags to differentiate it from the brake run.

OK, I got started on the install in the AM to avoid the heat that was coming. I jacked the trailer by lowering the tongue to the lowest position & placing jack stands at the rear. I then cranked the tongue jack untill the tires were clear of the ground. I figured I'd do one side & then the...

Parts came in, but one of the brake assemblies had partially disassembled itself in transit (big box, too much free space). Etrailer is sending a replacement (yeah! I don't have drum brake tools), but things are on hold until it comes.

Getting things together for another trailer upgrade, adding brakes to the second axle. It's our only tandem axle trailer that doesn't have brakes on both axles. Parts should come in next week, will post as things progress.

Any wire length can work for receiving, but transmitting would require a reasonably well tuned antenna to work effectively (& avoid potential damage to the transmitter). Depending on the radio, attempting to transmit, without a proper antenna or dummy load, can cause damage. In an emergency, do...

Forgot to get a front view, but this is from the listing It has a drain hole that the original didn't

The seat on the 2010 3038e was getting past due for replacement. There was a split in the cushion, the cushion was separating from the metal pan, and the metal pan had more rust than paint. Seats for the 3038e have changed over time. My seat used sheet metal tabs for mounting to the seat base...

Another run to the stump dump with the PJ 7K dumper. 1000 lb. of trees, branches, sticks & weeds (per the ticket). The wife has continued her spring cleaning around the place ... The contents are packed in so tight they keep their "box" shape after being unloaded.

I finally broke down & picked up a Fill-Rite RD812NH. Considered a diesel only, but ended up going with the more versitile version. Getting too unsteady on my legs to be climbing up on the 3038e with a 5 gallon jug. After testing it out I felt I needed something to make it easier to access &...

A follow up of sorts. I added a receiver to the front of the car hauler to accommodate the winch on the hitch mount. Not terribly robust, but should do to pull a rolling item up onto the deck. The winch would be powered by either jumper cables with anderson connectors on one end or the deep...

A while back I knocked off one of the rear jack stands on our Aluma 18' car hauler. I didn't pin it up & it caught when that side dropped off the pavement turning onto our developement road. I've finally gotten around to getting it fixed (I've been using car jack stands a for about a year). I...

If memory serves, it released when you clicked the winding crank back down into the storage position.

Yep, made by Aluma. Not sure about the strength of the rails & uprights, it isn't adressed in any of the trailer literature. FWIW, I'd use an axle strap if I was tying down there.

I appreciate the advice, but the car hauler only has 4 deck rings, one at each corner. I wouldn't want to try & DIY additional ones for fear of screwing it up.

Took the 3038e out to the acreage the other day. The 2020 Longhorn Ram is a nicer tow vehicle than the old 2008 F-150 in a few ways w/ backup cam, factory brake controller, self leveling air suspension, etc. I've settled on a tie down routine using 2 10' chains, 4 axle straps & 4 ratchet...

The cables aren't for the gate, they are to keep bits & pieces of spring / fittings from flying around if something breaks while the springs are under tension. You don't want to get slapped by a spring or a bit of spring launched shrapnel.

After using the trailer a few times I decided to add some assistance to the tailgate. With my history of back issues I really don't want to tweek it inadvertantly. So I added garage door springs to help with some of the load. In addition to the springs themselves, I also installed safety...

I loaded up the S4 to go over to the acreage & do some trimming. The front receiver loops made tiedown simple. I'm using 2" ratchet straps on front & rear. Most of the length is rolled up & secured, the fixed strap portion has been replaced with swivel "J" hooks to make use of short lengths...

Okay, the last piece is done. I added a 150A fuse on the hot side of the winch power cable. The fuse block is sized for 4 AWG. A spare fuse went in the glove box. I wanted a fuse mostly because of the long run through the drive line "tunnel" to the front position. Although I routed it (& zip...

I added 43 feet of 3/16 synthetic winch cable. I had to trim the end down to a taper that could fit through the hole in the drum & covered that with shrink fit. No screw, just a tight jam fit, then first wraps over the sideways tail. The cable stopper is one I printed from TPU with a 50%...

About 4 years back I had picked up a 3000lb ATV winch (Traveler) from tractor supply while on sale. I thought it might be handy if I needed to pull something up on the car hauler or dump trailer. 175A anderson connectors were added to the deep cycle "solar power" battery in the tractor shed &...

I've been adding 4 AWG cable runs to front & back receiver locations. I printed TPU enclosures for the 3 way lug connections at the battery. I'm doing it this way to only have one additional connection on the battery posts. The cable is routed through the same tunnel as the coolent tubes &...

I installed a front receiver (JD part # BM23363) on the 590E S4 this afternoon. It is the install kit with the receiver, nuts, bolts & backing plates. Installation was pretty straight forward, but in an awkward location. No real access even with the wheels turned to the stops. The hassle being...

If you have access to a 3d printer (or someone who does) it would be a pretty simple task to produce a fitting for the tube spout that has a belled end to encompass a screw head/washer down to the tin. One squirt to cover the whole thing with minimal (?) waste.

We installed a 22kw Generac about 6 years back. Thread on install here: Getting a whole house genny installed... No problems. Serviced annually. Sized to handle a 5 ton heat pump which it does with no trouble & no trouble with any of our electronics or UPS units. Propane use is not excessive...

No pliers needed, just a hairpin or locking pin. I have an older pair of those as well as pat's. They are lighter in weight than pat's, but no less strong (my opinion). I ended up using pat's on the 3038e and the Carter on the 1025R. Both are better options than doing without (for me). On the...

Added some 3/8" D-rings with 3/8" grade 8 bolts. All attachment points were on frame or immediately adjacent metal (no wood). I wanted 4 at the corners for gator tie down, then added a couple more up front. May add a couple more at the back for symmetry.:unsure: Probably going to add...

Pics of S4 on trailer. No problem moving along between gator & trailer side. Good clearance on approach angle with truck air suspension in high position, close clearance on approach angle with truck air suspension in lowest position (per an observer). Of course this could also be changed by...

Pics of S4 on trailer. No problem moving along between gator & trailer side. Good clearance on approach angle with truck air suspension in high position, close clearance on approach angle with truck air suspension in lowest position (per an observer). Of course this could also be changed by...

Previously, the only trailer of ours that could carry the 12' JD XUV590E S4 was the 18' aluma car hauler, with beaver tail & pull out ramps. Wanted something a little easier to use so we just (as in yesterday) picked up a 14' tandem axle 7K utility trailer with a 4' drop ramp (the red one in...

No doors, mesh side curtains.

A while back we picked up an XUV590E S4. The S4 is 12' long, 56.5" wide and the only trailer of ours that could haul it around was the 18' aluma car hauler, which was not real convenient (big, wide & pull out ramps). Anyway, we went trailer shopping & the wife decided she liked the red Texas...

We've had a PJ dual axle 7K (5x10) for about 5 years. No problems with it, but they probably should have used a longer hose for the lift cylinder as it gets pulled tight (no slack left) at full lift. No visible rust or damage to the paint, but I do see what look like rusty water stains on the...

First of the week, the 22kw got a bit over 6 hours run time when a tree took a line down. No surprises, it cranked up around 5:30am & ran til 12:30 or so. Not enough snow to worry about clearing (4" ).

Yes, it is a JD "flip up". I think it was $600 & that includes the "free" install.

Finally topped off the LP tanks (I'd been waiting for summer rates). The price was much higher ($0.50/gal higher) than last year's summer rate even after calling around to a half dozen suppliers. The only quote close to last year's cost would have been accompanied by a $165 "safety check for...

The cheap mirrors came in. No biggie to get installed. Side mirrors & a panoramic rear view, about $50 total. Didn't want to spring for more expensive til I know better what I need. Not a bad install, just had to unclamp the windshield to allow the mirror mounting straps to get...

With the windshield in:

It's home! Got delivered about 1:00PM.

Just came into the dealer yesterday & went down to sign paperwork today. I had gone by the JD store week before last & asked about S4 availability. None of the in-network stores had any but the sales person found one that was scheduled to be shipped into another store for general...

5 watt panel on the car hauler, 10 watt panel on the dump trailer both with a small waterproof controller in the respective battery boxes. About 5 years use on each with no problems. The tractor building has a 100 watt panel & deep cycle battery hooked to interior LED lighting & exterior LED...

The last NAPA lasted 11 mos. longer than the original...

Replaced the battery in the 2010 3038e again today (wouldn't start without a boost). The original lasted about 5 years, the NAPA that replaced it made 71 mos. so I went with the 7551R from NAPA again. It was also about $40 cheaper than the JD battery (per web site pricing). Fingers crossed it...

I finished doing some mowing down the road with the three point finish mower on the 1025R & went to lift it off the ground for the trip back to the house and nothing moved. Looked closer and saw the rockshaft had moved to the left far enough for the right side lift arm to come off. I guess a...

I was mowing today & noticed the PTO indicator light on the instrument panel was no longer lit even though the rotary cutter was still cutting. It had been illuminated when I first engaged it. Disengaging/re-engaging the PTO worked fine but had no effect on the light (it stayed out). Are...

OK, got the right one. Looks like 1301 lb. Odd how things are out of sync. 5200 (curb weight) + 1301 (max cargo on sticker) = 6501 lb while GVWR is 7100 lb. Load range 113 tires should be OK for 2500 lb. each, so where does the limitation come from?

During the last trip to the dump with a load of brush we noticed one of the trailer tires looking a bit slack. When we got back I checked & it was way low. Inflated it to 50 psi & checked about an hour later to find it at 42. Replaced it with the spare & looked for a leak source, expecting a...

Finally got all the parts together to use some worklight mounts I made a while back for the 1025R & 3038e on the 3d printer. They were done in a semi flexible version of TPU, a material that lets you produce parts whose feel is very similar to tire rubber. These are the mounts done for the...

I decided to put a new set of mirrors on the 1025R. I mow the developement road side out to the county road & mirrors help let me know if something is coming up behind me. The old round mirrors were a pain to use, being attached off to the side on the grab handles via metal strap mounts & I...

I've used a set of "strap-on" forks on both the 3038e & 1025R for 7 or 8 years now. They are a cantilevered set that extend under the bucket & have a chain that wraps across the back side of the bucket & gets ratchet strapped to a catch sitting on the cutting edge. They really helped with a lot...

I'd been looking at these for a bit (3 point/FEL adaptor) & recently Titan attachments ran a 20% off sale on theirs. Normally $299, $239 on sale (delivered price). Got here via Fedex ground in 4 days. The version I ordered works for both the 1025R & the 3038e FEL's and came with a CAT 2 top link...

The factory tow hitch on our 2008 Ford F-150 needs weight distribution (WD) for tongue weight (TW) > 500 lb. and/or towing > 5000 lb. With WD, it is rated for 1000 lb. TW & 10,000 lb. towed. We have stayed under the WD requirement limit with our 7k aluminum car hauler when moving our small...

Finishing up the last outstanding JD installment purchase with the payment on the 1025R FILB this month (nothing owed on the new x394, paid cash for that). Both the 2010 3038e & 2013 1025R had been purchased via the 60 month 0% financing option. (will have to resist going out to look for a new...

No strong reason for me to do this other than it is inexpensive & does make running the dump process a little easier (no heavy cable remote to drag around). Tractor Supply (TSC) carries a Traveller brand wireless remote for use with Traveller brand winches with an 8000lb + capacity (i.e...

I picked up an old Lincoln AC-225-S a while back & been using it for a few small projects. I have finally gotten around to replacing what appeared the original leads. I had (re-)patched them in multiple places with self-fusing tape w/an over-wrap of vinyl tape before using it but the old...

I have wanted an easier way to judge tongue weight (i.e. no bathroom scale & lever), but didn't want to pay for a $140+ scale. I finally put together a "budget" version that should at least get me in the right ballpark when I have concerns using a small hydraulic ram & a pressure gauge. I...

The 17 year old SST18 is getting a bit long in the tooth & held together with pop-rivets & duct tape. I have been looking at two different possible replacements. One is an X384, it has the 48" deck & all wheel steering. The other is the ZTrak Z540R zero turn, probably with a 48" deck. Mowing...

Went into the local Tractor Supply Co. store with the wife to pick up scratch feed & black oil seed (wife likes fat birds...) and stumbled across some mark down items. They were some "unsellables" for various reasons and the manager wanted them off the inventory. It started with a couple of...

I had cleared an area, intending to build a small shed for some yard equipment, but ran out of time before getting serious (winter is coming...). The Shelter Logic 20x12 round top "Garage in a box" is a quick fix so I can get the offending items out of the tractor storage shed so I can bring...

No, not Christmas decorations ... I finally got around to reducing some of the aggravating bits associated with cutting the fields out at the acreage (20 acres mixed fields & woods we inherited). Low limbs have been interfering with cutting more & more lately so they had to go. Bought a Stihl...

We put in a 22kw whole house generator last year, plumbed to our existing self-owned 500 gallon propane tank. Since that time I had been ruminating over run times vs. fill level & finally decided we really needed to expand our fuel reserve. The issue was that we normally wait until about...

Cranked up the truck to take a trailer load of tree trimmings to the stump dump & the engine was running rough with a "check engine" icon on the display. Plugged in an OBDC II scanner to check & read a "coil pack C primary/secondary" fault. OK, we had replaced one about 10K back so knew it...

The wife decided she wanted a flagpole up in the front yard by July 4, so I have been working at getting one made. I found a DIY materials list on a flagpole products web site & used it as a basis for ours. I built a "tip up" version, so it can be lowered if needed for repairs (or whatever)...

I've been doing some updates on our little 6x12 single axle box trailer (fender running lights replaced with LEDs & new tires), and finally got around to addressing the vent cap. The cap on the pop-up vent had degraded over time (12+ years?) and been taped over multiple times. Initially the...

The wife has been wanting a dump trailer for a while, so we finally brought one home :). We had decided on a 7K dual axle, partially because the weighted plates on the F-150 already accommodate the 7K car hauler. We looked at a few of the locally available choices (BigTex, Hawke and PJ) and...

Had some scrap ends of 12 gauge square tube (2" ID) left from the equipment shed install, so I thought I'd do something with some of it. Picked up a couple of cat 1 lift arm pins & made a trailer mover. (My first attempt at stick welding, using an old Lincoln AC-225 I picked up) Consists of 4...

Tractor Supply Co has a sale going through the weekend on their Traveller Premium Heavy-Duty Lithium Complex NLGI #2 Grease, 14 oz. Cartridge (red). They list it as two tubes for $3, it works out to $15 for a 10 tube box. Don't know if it is national, just ran across it at the store today (&...

I ordered some components for adding a solar charging system to our Aluma car hauler's breakaway kit battery. The trailer often sits a long time between uses. I should get the solar panel in next week. It is a 12"x6" aluminum cased 5 watt panel. No blocking diodes, but I have some suitable ones...

I know this has been done a hundred times, but it is my first go at it :) Since I figure I am done moving dirt and gravel for a while, it seemed a good time to get the the CountyLine 6' back blade ready for moving snow off the drive and about 1/3 mile of the neighborhood's private road out to...

We recently had a 22'x21' metal storage building installed to house the 1025R & 3038e and various implements. I had put in some 12v 27watt tractor worklights for interior lighting & just used one of the spare SLA batteries with an Anderson Powerpole pigtail to power them when needed. That was...

We decided to get some projects crossed off the "to-do" list for the house. Since we moved into the house in 2010, the wife has been bugged by the fact that there was not a sidewalk from the driveway to the front door. Both of us were also less than happy with the half-a**ed job that had been...

Getting a whole house genny installed... (pics start pg 4) Up til now, we have made do with a portable generator during outages (currently using a 7k/9k dual fuel) - but it does take some doing to setup & monitor/maintain while it is running. The wife finally decided she wanted a system that...

While cutting out at the acreage earlier this week I noticed that the pond was over-full & starting to back up on the feeders. With just a trickle coming out, it was clear the overflow was pretty much plugged... Today was the first chance to get back out there. I had to deal...

One of those days where what can go wrong does... Was bush-hogging the acreage yesterday, managed to lose the fuel level indicator when opening the hood to deal with a dust related over-heat, noticed earlier that the pond overflow pipe was clogged & water about 2' too high and then, while...

I ordered via Amazon, 1/4" Brass Barb x Barb Ball Valve, LEAD Free: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific It is not specifically listed for fuel use, but the family of products typically has a stainless ball & ptfe seal, which should be OK. I'll know more when it comes in. If not suitable, I can...

With a few projects coming up, we picked up a TSC post hole digger with 12" auger this past week. It looks to be a County Line branded Speeco HD unit. We figure on using it with both the 1025R and the 3038e, but I did the first hookup & trial with the 3038e. My biggest hassle on that first...

Went out, uncovered and started the 3038e this morning getting ready to remove the small layer of snow and ice from the driveway. The seat felt, literally, like a block of ice so I wasn't really surprised to have it die when put in gear, but resume running when quickly put back in neutral...

I recently added some LED work lights to the 2010 3038e. The first added were some fender mounted 6 element floods (18w). I had previously installed a couple of side mirrors originally intended for use on ATV roll bars. To clamp them on the grab handles, I had drilled new holes & formed them...

Finally added a new worklight to the 1025R ROP. I had been bugged a bit by the way the FEL blocks the headlights on the few occasions I'd had to be working at night (& usually in bad weather ...) and wanted to mount something high enough to shine over it. I picked up a 22" flood/spot...

The bucket only curls about 1/2 way. This just happened while I was moving some rotted deadfall material from a trail, one minute everything normal, the next no curl from the (then) current position. I can dump to the full extent, then curl back - but only to this half way point. What I...

One last update on the Champion 7K dual fuel. After 5 more hours runtime (fast moving thunderstorms knocked out our power again...) I dumped the oil for a second change - no sparkles - no particulates, oil looks pretty much the same as when filled (maybe darker?). Also, I cranked up the old...

I had forgotten how well the MS290 could cut. Finally picked up a new bar and chain (oregon 20" set) to replace a much sharpened chain and 18" bar that was looking kind of blue around the edges (good oiling but still getting hot during a long cut). Did a quick honeydew job on a 5" cedar after...

Just got back from the final post surgical followup from the work I had done back in February. The bone graft is solid & I am cleared for all activity. Yeah!:dance1: Been on light duty & gnashing my teeth at work that couldn't get done - no chainsaw - no hooking up implements - no...

Bro-Tek makes both a mechanical thumb & ripper for the 1025R's 260 backhoe. Nick

With the warmer weather, we've started seeing some of our less favorite woods denizens moving around, ticks & snakes. Last night I made up a batch of snake medicine (ticks get chemical warfare...). 50 rounds of Speer .38 caliber shot capsules filled with #8 or #9 shot over 3.8 grains of...

He was about 15 and had been going downhill pretty fast the past year. Probably 80 - 90 lb instead of his former 100+. The wife was really down after finding him gone this AM. He had apparently died in his sleep laying in his favorite spot under the shed on the hill. She was already distraught...

...so things are going to start looking pretty rough around the house and acreage. I rolled the dice on another spinal surgery, this time a L1-L5 laminectomy with an uninstrumented fusion on one pair. Some long term issues had started getting more extreme with guicker onset. The surgery was the...

Back around Christmas, I decided to get serious about getting a ham license. I'd kicked around the idea for quite a few years but never got around to actually doing anything about it. My dad had gotten a Technician license just a few years before he passed & I have had his equipment boxed up...

I find myself in somewhat of a catch 22. We bought an 1100 lb., 18' Aluma car hauler w/ tandem 3.5K axles. We have a 2008 F-150 that came with the factory tow package, including the hitch. The F-150 hitch indicates a max of 500 lb. tongue weight & 5000 lb. towed weight unless weight...

I was getting the MS 290 ready for a trip to the rental property this morning to drop a couple of small maples. I sharpened the blade, filled gas & oil tanks, cleaned & adjusted the bar and intended to crank it up to check the idle speed since it had stopped while idling during use yesterday...

I put a set on the 3038E a while back, & finally got around to adding a pair of Ken's bolt on's to the 1025R bucket. I've been dragging a fair amount of dead wood out lately, often using a tie down chain secured by wrapping it onto a pin on bucket hitch. These should make things a little...

I was considering doing the 1025R's 50 hour HST fluid & filter change rather than drop it off at the dealer where it might sit for anywhere from 3 days to a couple of weeks before it bubbles to the top of the service dept's to do list (a "first in - first out" list for those without an...

It didn't go exactly as planned but ended ok. We had some concerns about how safe it was working around it since it appeared partially hollow at the base & was missing big sections of bark along the length. The main trunk was 50' + in length and there was another 20' or so of sub divided trunk...

It wasn't a tractor though. We got a couple of Stihl items, an FS90R trimmer and a 18" MS290 "Farm Boss" chainsaw. Add a couple of smaller additional items & it was an $800+ package after tax. Recently a couple of equipment items, a Poulan "Wild Thing" chainsaw & a Honda powered 4-cycle MTD...

I really like the Aluma 18' tandem we recently purchased, but it is worse than the little SnowBear tilt utility trailer for bending up a license plate. The plate mount was under the back at the lowest possible location. Since the trailer is low slung, with a moderate beaver tail, any change in...

We recently picked up a trailer with a 2 5/16" hitch where our other two smaller trailers had 2". I picked up a multi-ball mount for the truck, so the old 2" ball & ball mount were surplus as the other tow vehicle uses a different size mount. Since we now have three different trailers...

We have been talking about getting a trailer since we bought the 3038e in 2010 to use at the "farm" after moving back to NC. Then this year we picked up a 1025r FILB for use at the house & have already run into jobs where transportation of tractors/attachments between the two locations would be...

My package from Bro-Tek showed up the other day & it was good timing. I had ordered a thumb & ripper for the 260 backhoe on our new 1025R (the "house" tractor...). Just that evening before delivery we had a fast moving storm go through and a few trees go down. A dead one fell across the...

Supposed to get delivered today 3:30-4:00 PM. Yeah! Pictures after delivery ... Forgot the pics until already in the garage. Nick

Looks like we will be bringing a 1025R FILB home. While cutting & loading a couple of trees at the house the other day, the wife commented that a loader equipped tractor would help out with stuff like that ... so we decided to size something for the house (4+ acres w/ 3+ being wooded) to help...

We are considering picking up a 1025R FILB for use at the house for cleanup & landscaping activities. We have 4.3 acres at the house, 3+ of which are wooded & needing cleanup for full access & use (& the 3038e is kept at the "farm" about 15 miles away) . Does anyone here know the total overall...

Well, spring has definitely arrived. I had to remove the first latched on ticks of the new year... A dog tick & a deer tick. I don't think I was past the tree line for more than fifteen minutes or so! Nick

I don't recall seeing this being posted, but thought it might be good for a chuckle (& make some of us non-professionals feel better about their construction skills by comparison). The following is a link to a forum thread started by a guy whose landlord decided to diy a shed for his...

Well we had a fast mover roll through, high winds, hail, etc. & a bunch of scattered outages. Power dropped here around 2:00 PM, followed by phone (& DSL) a half hour later. Phone (& DSL) returned around 7:00PM but the power is still out and no ETA on the fix yet (Progress Energy outage map...

When I put our 60" Tarter tiller away for the winter, I knew I had lost a couple of tines off the same side of one flange probably to a hidden chunk of concrete in a relative's yard. I put away the replacements to be installed this spring. Getting the replacements was a story in itself - nobody...

I thought I'd share pics of the 59" Caroni rear discharge finish mower (model # TC590NSRD) I just got from Agri-Supply. The pickup price for these is $1299 there, assembled & ready to work. The price includes a remote lube kit so you don't have to pull the covers to grease the 3 spindles. It...

While we were in Raleigh Saturday to visit child & grandchild, I took the opportunity to head over to the Garner Agri-Supply to pick up a 59" Caroni finish mower. The loader went out, picked one up & loaded it in the truck bed and I headed on back. My fault for not thoroughly checking it out...

I had the JD folks pick up my 3038e to check out the loader cylinders (things seem to be leaking down a little too quickly for a machine < a year old) & decided to use this down time to make a little change to the EZ-Hitch I got from Carter & Sons. I do like the EZ-Hitch, it has made hooking up...

We've been having some odd behavior out of a 2010 Gator CX (the smallest of the 4x2's). On a number of recent occasions it will suddenly act like the gas is running out, slowing then dying even though the throttle is wide open & the tank is nearly full. It is generally happening after about...

The pond on our 20 acre site has an overflow pipe that (apparently) the beavers plugged up before moving on a year or so back. The level is now about a foot or so too high & ground on the upper side of the pond, which normally would drain into the pond, is getting pretty swampy with the recent...

I just received a cat 1 EZ-Hitch set from Carter and Sons and tried it out hooking up to the chipper I got from Ronald at Ranch Hand Supply. That one item has been the toughest for me to hook up by myself for some reason (probably due to uneven ground), so I thought it would be a good test...

Just thought I'd let anyone who might be considering a County Line branded Tarter Gate tiller at TSC know that Tarter Gate will not talk to end users about parts. I picked up a County Line 5' tiller, made by Tarter, at the Danville VA TSC last week. When doing the assembly & initial lube I...

After running the rotary cutter over all the saplings I dared to drive over, I still have a bunch that were too thick to try that - & a bunch of stumps that have been a pain to try to grub out with box blade scarifiers & FEL bucket. I thought I'd try a different tack and look into pulling...

While tractor shopping, the wife saw the compact Gator and just had to have one. She's planning on using it for yardwork, the 2/3 mile round trip to the mailbox & carting her mother around the farm... Notice what is being garage kept while the beloved AWD Magnum RT sits outside in the cold...

As the cleanup continues, I'm finding more locations where I can't just drive over & through. The problem with backing the cutter over the material is because, literally, looking over my shoulder is a pain in the neck. After having 3 vertebra (C5-C6-C7) fused, I can't even get my chin close to...

Saturday I had been doing some bush-hogging on a long neglected property. The weather had been driy for a while & it was a pretty dusty time as the dry plant material was getting minced. The area I was cutting was really grown up with briars, brambles, tall weeds, etc. Now I was certainly...

Just delivered today! 2010 3038E w/305 FEL, a Frontier RC2060 5' rotary cutter, and a Frontier BB2060 5' box blade. Primary use (at least initially) is to try to bring some (about 10 acres) neglected pasture back into productive use, & clean up routes through another 10 acres of wood lot...

We just pulled the trigger on a package deal today. A 3038E w/305 FEL, a Frontier RC2060 for $19,940 w/ 60 mo. 0% financing w/10% down. Breakdown of pricing was $17,500 for the 3038E w/ FEL, $1650 for the 5' Rotary Cutter & $790 for the 5' Boxblade. We were budgetting for about $20K, so...

Hi from Person Co. NC! We just relocated back to NC after 20+ years elsewhere and getting settled in. Aside from the house site, we inherited 20 acres of property nearby that had previously been 1/2 pasture/field & 1/2 wood lot but which has been nearly un-tended for the last 10-15 years...