OFF-Topic Anything 2022

i have been playing in the ice and snow a bit got side ways in my 4wd truck in snow it was fun. and i went drifting on the ice with the build off tractor ive been thoroughly testing it and got some goodies for it today after school and then more bashing lol. so far this is the toughest and funnest tractor ive had. also it needs shocks on the front or some kind of anti roll bar that still lets it travel but not at speed LOL. i went around a corner and almost rolled it at 20mph

Weather and health got me like

Snow blowing the driveway was fun cause I came up the hill kinda diagonal like for bout a hundred feet lol

Man, sometimes, you just have one of those days...
Been working on a newer craftsman snowblower (pretty sure it's made by MTD, it looks similar to the other MTD ones i've seen) it's blower belt was not engaging, I think it's because of a burnt spot on the belt. So on saturday I went and got a 37" belt, that one didn't fit, so I went and got a 36" belt, of course that one was too tight so I have to go back and get the 37" belt because the problem turned out to be that the clutch pulley was adjusted wrong...
That ain't even the worst of it, I went to go test the 36" belt and the engine fired up for about 5 seconds and then decided it would attract more of the ladies if it didn't have an exhaust valve. (You can just stuff the exhaust through the intake right?) Wrong, turns out the valve adjustment screw came loose and popped off, leaving the push rod just hanging out in the block.
Half an hour later finally figured out how to stuff that guy in, I have no idea what those (Briggs 9.5) are supposed to be adjusted to but I just sorta winged it. anyway I kinda hate this blower now, can't wait to get it out of the shop, I might have to start charging for this stuff...

You definitely should be compensated in some way for your effort, think of it this way: whoever you're fixing a machine for is saving alot of money by you doing it so it's only fair they give you a little something for the effort! You should never feel guilty about accepting it either for the same reason (they're saving a bunch of money), just don't charge them a ridiculous rate or mark up parts and you'll have happy customers!

If it's someone I don't know very well or a friend of a friend I'll charge them but this one is my grandfather's blower so I don't know, I have fixed stuff for other relatives, and had them stuff cash down my throat, I finally gave up trying not to accept it

Got a bead on a ford lawn tractor, I'm going to look at it today, he's asking $100, it is a belt drive crap that doesn't run or have attachments, I'm going to offer him $30 and I ain't paying a penny over $40, sometimes you have to go look at something fully prepared to leave empty handed, and thats exactly what i'm going to do.

Brianator wrote:

You definitely should be compensated in some way for your effort, think of it this way: whoever you're fixing a machine for is saving alot of money by you doing it so it's only fair they give you a little something for the effort! You should never feel guilty about accepting it either for the same reason (they're saving a bunch of money), just don't charge them a ridiculous rate or mark up parts and you'll have happy customers!

Especially if it's a JD, I heard they charge 120 bucks an hour now... too much, I think most non-dealer auto shops charge $80-$90 an hour, I know 10 years ago it was like $60. And there is nothing wrong with marking up parts, if you have a shop.

A brief off-topic from the off-topic... I realized that because the 1 Hp conveyor is 18 feet long and the belt just slides on steel sheets there is a huge friction load. It gets worse the more stuff you pile on the belt. So a lot of the 1 Hp gets used up by friction and if heavy stuff on the belt gets too deep it probably overloads it.

Ahhh, you might need rollers on that belt then?

Didn't end up buying the ford, but it would have been a sweet rig, still keeping my eye on it, he might decide to take less for it
Pros:
-Lower to the ground, better stability
-Clutch pedal is on the left from the factory
-Also has a double pulley clutch
-I like the look of this rig a lot, very different from the WH 210-5
-Shifter is on the dash, I kinda like this setup
-Has a fuel gauge in the cap (I don't really care that much about this but it is handy)

Cons:
-Motor is barely 8hp (would run it no gov.)
-lots of rust
-Running boards are falling off
-definitely needs some TLC

Anyhow, will see what happens with this rig, something better might come up who knows?

Don't worry man, there's always something else just around the corner!

Yep, too bad I don't have the cash for that rig but i'm sure something might come up, I am currently talking to a guy about trading the 210-5 for an atv, think I might just flip the atv if I get it I don't know...

Also anybody like the case garden tractors? seen quite a few around and they look like real workhorses

Your 210 is cool why would you want to get rid it!? I thought you were building it up!

What I've heard about the Case tractors is they're good but parts are harder to get and generally expensive because they're more proprietary, hopefully someone else can add to this.

The cases are expensive to get parts for and the frames just aren’t that great compared to the other stuff out there. Don’t get me wrong they’re not bad but less efficient and more expensive than a simple hydrostatic or gear drive.

If you’re looking for something in a garden tractor I recommend a 200 series john deere; they’re pretty much everywhere, dirt cheap, strong, well built with a good frame, 1” front spindles, an actually reliable variator, and parts are everywhere. They also seem to be immune to the hood cracking issues on the 100 series and it’s the same tractor underneath. Lot of guys like to go to pulls with em.

I like my white as well but they can be tricky to find. But again ridiculously capable, the ol gal’s pulled well near a ton of gravel up my hilly 1/8 mile driveway.

I’m sure @Brianator can tell you about the Bolens stuff and I know they’ve earned a great following too. Stout tractors and you know that anything with a husky on the hood is the best you can get

Sorry for the tangent. Hope that helps

Brianator wrote:

Your 210 is cool why would you want to get rid it!? I thought you were building it up!

What I've heard about the Case tractors is they're good but parts are harder to get and generally expensive because they're more proprietary, hopefully someone else can add to this.

Honestly, and I think I said this in another post, I actually do like the 210-5, it's a really nice rig, but my financial situation is getting pretty bad and I think I would have an easier time selling a quad than a mud mower type rig...

And yes I have noticed they are ridiculously expensive, I haven't seen a good one for under 2k

I probably won't sell it until I get the rear hitch/toolbox bracket done, I'm still waiting on a receiver, I got someone to cut it off an old truck or something but they are doing for free so taking their sweet time...

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know anything about crankcase pressure fuel pumps? I have a 19hp vertical shaft V-Twin on one of my mowing tractors, and it has the sump type (If that's what they are called) fuel pump, It got parked in my barn at the end of the mowing season, and a couple of months ago I went to fire it up to move it, had a real hard time starting with it and it blew white smoke every where, I normally check the oil every time I mow as this is the tractor that I run, and before it was parked the oil had been changed that spring and was still slightly brown like new oil and was very clear like it should be. When I went to fire it up and it was blowing smoke I checked the oil and it was very grey and watery and looked like it had gas in it.
my theory is that the pump is mixing the oil with the gas, that would be why there's oil in the gas and gas in the crank case?
My question is, should I rebuild/replace the original pump or just convert it to an electric one?
I would assume the factory replacement pumps would be upwards of 100 bucks, does anyone think this china one would work?
 
>>>LINK HERE<<<

well i think i got murraymountain beat on clapped out pickups LOL i scooped up a 77 gmc serriagrande c10 in trade for a drift trike my build off craftsman and my GT aka willard. i had about 200 bucks worth of effort and trade in exchange for a truck valued at about 200$ lmao motor runs a ton of new parts but it needs stripped to the frame and the cab repaired luckily it came with most of the parts for the repairs but ill be investing in some other bits like a bed fenders doors and headlight bezels

@TechnoChicken moving our thread jack over here lol.

TechnoChicken wrote:

And @Murraymountain (I promise the thread jack ends here lol) do you cut said 10 acres with a zero turn or a rider?
We have three, I run one my brother runs the other and the third one is for when the other two break down... I think we cut close to 6 acres, takes half the day with a 42" and a 46" I have no clue what we spend on gas as it's my dad's property so he obviously picks up the tab for the gas...

Actually both. My dad has a zero turn that came with the property. But it actually didn’t get used very much last year. Because of new riders coming and going we usually just cut it with whatever we have on hand. I have my Wizard which gets used a couple times. Other than that we usually just use ones like my Troy Bilt until they sell (cause we have about 7 acres in fields, so we use bigger equipment for that (46” decks and up, usually twin cylinders) and for the rest we use normal light machines). And if we ever run out of machines we can usually just go get the zero turn or Wizard or something. Basically whatever machine is the easiest to just hop on and mow or whichever one I feel like using or if there’s one that needs testing before selling then I’ll use that one.

Either way it takes the entire day and sometimes more to cut all of it.

TechnoChicken wrote:

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know anything about crankcase pressure fuel pumps? I have a 19hp vertical shaft V-Twin on one of my mowing tractors, and it has the sump type (If that's what they are called) fuel pump, It got parked in my barn at the end of the mowing season, and a couple of months ago I went to fire it up to move it, had a real hard time starting with it and it blew white smoke every where, I normally check the oil every time I mow as this is the tractor that I run, and before it was parked the oil had been changed that spring and was still slightly brown like new oil and was very clear like it should be. When I went to fire it up and it was blowing smoke I checked the oil and it was very grey and watery and looked like it had gas in it.
my theory is that the pump is mixing the oil with the gas, that would be why there's oil in the gas and gas in the crank case?
My question is, should I rebuild/replace the original pump or just convert it to an electric one?
I would assume the factory replacement pumps would be upwards of 100 bucks, does anyone think this china one would work?
 
>>>LINK HERE<<<

Don’t know anything about the electrics but the Briggs ones are about 20-40 bucks if I remember. Not too bad

Rustbucket Garage wrote:

TechnoChicken wrote:

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know anything about crankcase pressure fuel pumps? I have a 19hp vertical shaft V-Twin on one of my mowing tractors, and it has the sump type (If that's what they are called) fuel pump, It got parked in my barn at the end of the mowing season, and a couple of months ago I went to fire it up to move it, had a real hard time starting with it and it blew white smoke every where, I normally check the oil every time I mow as this is the tractor that I run, and before it was parked the oil had been changed that spring and was still slightly brown like new oil and was very clear like it should be. When I went to fire it up and it was blowing smoke I checked the oil and it was very grey and watery and looked like it had gas in it.
my theory is that the pump is mixing the oil with the gas, that would be why there's oil in the gas and gas in the crank case?
My question is, should I rebuild/replace the original pump or just convert it to an electric one?
I would assume the factory replacement pumps would be upwards of 100 bucks, does anyone think this china one would work?
 
>>>LINK HERE<<<

Don’t know anything about the electrics but the Briggs ones are about 20-40 bucks if I remember. Not too bad

I will look into getting a new one when a get that machine is the shop, I have a bit of a waiting list right now

Murraymountain wrote:

@TechnoChicken moving our thread jack over here lol.

TechnoChicken wrote:

And @Murraymountain (I promise the thread jack ends here lol) do you cut said 10 acres with a zero turn or a rider?
We have three, I run one my brother runs the other and the third one is for when the other two break down... I think we cut close to 6 acres, takes half the day with a 42" and a 46" I have no clue what we spend on gas as it's my dad's property so he obviously picks up the tab for the gas...

Actually both. My dad has a zero turn that came with the property. But it actually didn’t get used very much last year. Because of new riders coming and going we usually just cut it with whatever we have on hand. I have my Wizard which gets used a couple times. Other than that we usually just use ones like my Troy Bilt until they sell (cause we have about 7 acres in fields, so we use bigger equipment for that (46” decks and up, usually twin cylinders) and for the rest we use normal light machines). And if we ever run out of machines we can usually just go get the zero turn or Wizard or something. Basically whatever machine is the easiest to just hop on and mow or whichever one I feel like using or if there’s one that needs testing before selling then I’ll use that one.

Either way it takes the entire day and sometimes more to cut all of it.

Do you prefer a specific type of machine for mowing (Newer MTD's hydro etc) or is it just whatever? 
We used to have a 5spd Craftsman for mowing, and while gear trannys are great for mudding even the vari drives (Pedal type the sh*t-on the go ones are terrible, I hate them...) are defiantly better when you have a lot of trees to mow around, the one I run is defiantly the best of the newer MTD's it has the foot pedal hydro and it goes through about 1 belt for ever one of the vari drive's belts. Also, do you mow by you self or with someone else?

OK so at my work we have a lot of EXmark zero turns and they are built very well and do a decent job of mowing, easy to operate limited use for hills though.

Then they put me on an old jacobsen, 4wd, 11'-12' fold out wings and could probably mow fairly well when it was new but the one they put me on was 20+ years old and beat up but it would still climb the hills.

They bought two new TORO's 12' span (wings) 4wd very sweet to mow on, all we have seen of them so far is the demo's and the fact that they have been approved for purchase 140K for both.
They should roll in this spring but I doubt I'll be mowing with one of them.

As for what I use at home it is pretty much whatever I feel like keeping running, up north I use a SS18/6 and it is pretty good and down state I use a LT2000 that my nephew gave me. The SS18 is a heavy machine and rides better than the lighter machines and I can mow across the little hill at the road the best on it.

I got a little 50" zero turn that I want to get my wife on because I think she'll like it and then she can help me mow up north as it takes me about 3 hours on the SS18 to just mow what I mow and I'm always pushing nature back and adding more mowing but the stump grinding is taking out some obstacles and making everything look nicer.

I've chewed up a few belts on the SS18 and they are times I just want full hydrostatic drive and NO belts but money talks and empty pockets walk LOL.

Yeah, I've always wanted on of the shaft drive cubs (probably something similar to an 1864) with power steering an the big 50" decks, one of those would be sweet and probably more reliable than the MTD belt-driven chinese made crap we have now...