great day plus some seat time!

[Soundguy]

I just had a great day and wanted to share it with my tractor buddies.

Today I finished up a bunch of honey-do's and farm chores, including a good amount of seat time.

First I eradicated 11 more wasps nests I found around the barn and house. ( My wrist is back to 95% from fridays sting ).

I pulled all the tractors out of the barn and cleaned it up. I had all my tools scattered around from the last two weeks of tuneups on the N's, and the lawnmowers. All gas engines now have stabil in the fuel. I sat down and rebuilt a spare carb I had for a B/S engine. It came off my 8.5hp unit.. but i see that it is the exact same one on my 12.5 ( different jet? ) So now.. courtesy of sears extended service replacing my old carb last year instead of rebuilding it.. I now have a good spare. It had the float needeld glued tight like the last one I pulled apart.
Next week I tackle the tsx 241 from my 8n and try to remove the broken idle screw.. etc. I've got my dremel charging up for that problem already.

Lets see... Hooked up the box blade to the 8n and boxed up the maneuer pile.. fiddled with the NAA and brush hog.... Boy.. I would rather have the boxblade on the machine with live hyds.. but the mower goes a bit better on the NAA as it has turf tires.. and the box blade machine really needs the aggs to dig in around the soft pile. I got pretty good with the tranny and hytrol lever... In the end I had pushed up a pile about 3.5 feet tall, and 5' around.. which had been spread out to about 10' and 1-2 foot tall... that old 8n is running better than ever before with the other carb I put on it. Starts on the 1st rev, and has way more power and better top rpms, and smoother idle at lower rpms. I still think I have her running a bit rich.. but I drop it an 1/8 of a turn every time I use her to see where she wants to be. I'm trying to ballance power out, and still not get any smoke. I think I peffed it today, as I got a few good hours on her. Was noce to see that even at hot idle after hours of work she still holds 18 psi.. and 35 at throttle.

Naa still has it beat with pressures in the high 40's at throttle, and high 30's at hot idle.

Lets see.. rebuilt 3 battery chargers that have been setting in the 'fix' pile, and also put an old kmart 'benchtop' cordless drill back together that has been apart in a box for oh.. 3 years... it is now charging up and seems to work fine.. for an 18$ drill that is 9 years old.. he he..

Tended to 2 turkeys that I just pulled out of the incubator today... they're big enough for a brooder box and lamp now.

One of my hens is setting on eggs.. so looks like I'll be moving chicken pens around and possible building another..

I finished the evening off with mowing for about an hour.

Well. I'm whipped. I'm gonna have a glass of tea, and a hot shower and hit the bed.

later...

Soundguy

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

Glad to hear you had such a good day. I had a good one, too. I got my mowing done. I used my box blade to rework the drive and get the gravel up nice and level. I put a couple new 1000 amp batteries in an F-450 diesel service truck I just got and put a new 1000 amp deep cycle/starting battery in my tilt bed trailer to power the hydraulics and the winch. I also bought an older F-350 crew cab dually diesel and got my little riding mower within three parts (battery, ignition switch and belt) of being back in service.

Not nearly as productive as yours, I'd say, but I'm happy with it. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Cliff_Johns]

There's just nothing like a sucessful day of hard work and accomplishment, especially if some of it is on the tractor.

Me, I only got an hour and a half in on the tractor pulling bush stumps and stuff like that. First I had to put the BH back on the tractor for the first time, which wasn't too bad. Anyway, glad you had a good day, we all deserve them once in a while.

Cliff

 

[MicroPilot]

Same here.

I did my 50 hour service!! Drained the transmission/hydro fluid, cleaned the suction screen, and replaced the filter. Then drained the front axle fluid. Then drained the engine oil and put a new filter on. This went a lot smoother than I thought it would. Final task was to grease everything and make sure nothing was dripping.

Then took it out for test drive/leak test. Went over to the neighbors house and he was mowing grass. He says, why don't you hook up your finish mower and we'll knock this out then go out to eat. When your cutting 12' swipes it doesn't take long to mow 8 acres.

Got home from the restaurant after dark and sat out BS'ing and looking at the stars!!!

It was a good day today.

 

[PineRidge]

Sounds to me like you had a good day too Soundguy....

The wife and I took the day off and visited the Medina County Fair here in Ohio. At 5PM we were ringside for the tractor pulls. It was a great day weather wise and a really good show, who could ask for more?

 

[Soundguy]

I've only seen one tractor pull.. but would love to see more. I keep misisng the local one here due to work. They don't advertise it till the month before, and byt the time I see the sign on the side of the road it is too late for me to get a day off.. Oh well.. one day..

Soundguy

 

[BigEddy]

Geez - I drove my kids to soccer tournaments and watched them play all weekend, then got home to watch one cutting the grass on one tractor (for the first time in 3 weeks), 2 raking it up, and the 4th loading and removing it with my other tractor. Me - I was stuck painting some doors I haven't been able to get at for a month. Seems to me the kids had more fun than I did! Still it was a good weekend. Kids did well in their games and made me proud, and even though I didn't get on my own tractors, it made me feel good to see the whole crew out working together and they did a good job to boot.

Plus my 7 yr old got to combine 10 acres of grain with the neighbour, so that was the the highlight of his weekend.

 

[Soundguy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Plus my 7 yr old got to combine 10 acres of grain with the neighbour, so that was the the highlight of his weekend. )</font>

Awesome experience.

My first tractor experience came from riding to the pasture with my grandfather on his old ford tractor, and then watching him disc or plow while I played with sticks and rocks.. etc..

Soundguy

 

[PineRidge]

Soundguy I have taken the liberty to include a link to the NTPA National Tractor Pullers Association. Maybe you can get lucky and locate a pull near you that will also fit your schedule. The local Ohio Association has been going strong for some years and it's always been a real adrenalin rush to see all the different classes compete.

NTPA click here

 

[Soundguy]

Most appreciated!

Soundguy

 

[SPIKER]

hi all Soundguy: sounds like you finally got a good weekend there!

PR you too: Medina has the best demo around, (where I first went to fair all time since i grew up in Lodi!) haven't made it there in a long time though /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif Hopefully make it to the Richland and usually the Ashland demos, and to check out the new equipment found in the fairs...


personally only thing I got done was getting the grass mowed, (which was actually done by my brothers kid as payback for his soaking my woman wiht the hose! lol)I built a nice work bench for the shed too. sanded & painted it, saterday it was so bright the white paint caused blindness! lol... fired up the grill and ate some chared hotdogs humm good!! other than that I spent too much time cleaning for todays inspection (re-apprasial for womans house for consolidation loan) had to FIX a lot fo stuff that has been on th ehoneydoo list for oh a FEW years... /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif got the dehumidifier running, patched termite ate beams/holes, cleaned up yard form old tree branches and garage of old swimming pool and engine parts from 3 or 4 mowers ect. (stuff that has been here since her EX left too.) I think it was OK, but the house is too small I think to get out of it what she needs?

anyhow now time for a good old nap!

Mark M /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[MMM]

Sounguy,you make me jealous! I'm stuck in North Sea dreaming about my to do list. After adding it all up maybe it's more like a nightmare.

 

[fire72]

Sounds like you all have been getting some good seat time. Seems like the only seat time I'm getting lately is in my truck running back and forth to the firehouse for work. Normal schedule is 24 hours on duty, then 48 off. Last week was seven days straight of work, with multiple 36 hour shifts and a 48 hour shift. Several nights of drive 1 1/2 hours home, get home at 9:00, then back on the road by 5:30 for another shift in the morning. I set a new personal record by working 122 hours in seven days.

I did manage to get home long enough to bush hog a couple acres with the New Holland and finish mow the yard with the little Deere for the first time in two weeks. Oh well, the overtime helps pay for everything else. Pay a few bills, buy a few toys... Will be nice when gas prices drop a little again - 130 mile round trip to work x 16 mpg x $1.90 a gallon = /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

Seems like a lot of Medina connections here. I grew up on the west side of the county near Litchfield. Just took kids up Saturday to see the grandparents and went the Medina fair for the first time in about 15 years.

Happy tractoring to all.

 

[frank_f15]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( 130 mile round trip to work x 16 mpg x $1.90 a gallon =
)</font>

OUCH!!!!!! THAT IS ONE HECK OF A DRIVE not to mention the cost.

 

[SPIKER]

Fire72:

litchfield is where my grandparents were from: "ERB's" some of the uncles are up that way still. most are in the lodi/medina areas though... with the gas prices I've been staying put too, and i get 22+ for my car & trucks ford 6 cyl 5 speed manual and crown vic with 4.6 v8. what are you driving that's getting 16 hyw? 4x4 hevy duty? I think with that trip I would look at a beater 4 cyl manual trans just for gas savings. my old EXP escort got 44 after a tune up with split fire plugs and oil change all hwy... it averaged 32~35 combo driving.! (thinking I GOT to get a new CLUTCH in that soon!!) /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Mark M /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Mark4510]

So what did I do Sunday?
got back from a horse show pretty early so started right in to work. But before I got too involved I spent an hour cleaning the dumb dog that got sprayed by a skunk....again(I must have the only black lab in the US that hates water. Pond, pool, hose, dew on the lawn.....it doesnt matter).

Once done there I went back up to the barn and dissinfected the trailer, all the tack, and the inside of the stalls to get rid of any chance of harboring a nasty nasty bug that was running around at the horse show.

After dissinfecting, I cleaned all the plants and furniture off the back deck only to remember that I had lent my pressure washer to my brother in law.

And then, I had just enough time to figure out a way to pull the lawn tractor out of the creek bed where it had landed when rolled down the hill 'cause the brake was not set. I knew I was in trouble when the boss walked up offered to put all the deck furniture back if I would get the lawn mower "unstuck". /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

That was enough "productivity" for one day so I got a coke, a magazine and sat out by the pool.

I may not have been as productive as Chris but perhaps I got a run of bad luck out of the way for a while....... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[fire72]

Finally getting some of the work done around the house with a couple days off. Finish mowed again, but now it looks like I need to bale it. I'll catch up sooner or later.

Spiker, my gas hog is an F150 extended cab 4x4 with the 5.4 V8. Would get a little better mileage, but Ford didn't build the F150 with the manual trans and that engine. 16 is my normal combo mpg, although I did get 17 on an interstate run coming home from the Carolinas a few weeks ago. I'd like to add a smaller vehicle for commuting eventually, but other things have priority right now.

It's a long drive to and from work, but that 130 miles round trip is the price I pay for living in the boonies while keeping my job as a suburban firefighter. I knew what I was getting into when I moved out there, so I can't complain much.