Fiercly Independent!

 We are coming up on Roland's second birthday and with the warmer weather, Roland has become so much more independent in his playing in the yard.  One of his favorite things this spring has been the tractor that we got Roland for Christmas. 

The tractor has a remote so we can drive and steer it for him and all winter we have been navigating him around the indoor but now that he is able to wear shoes instead of boots he can finally run the gas pedal himself!  He piles all of his treasures in the trailer and goes off exploring. 

If you look super closely along the tree line you can see the little red spec of Roland and his tractor just out for a cruise!  Unfortunately, sometimes his steering is not so great so we have to rescue him and get him unstuck.

There are also some times when Roland just stops and contemplates whatever it is that he contemplates while sitting on his tractor in the bushes, though I do tend to do the same thing sometimes so it's okay!  Our little boy is also becoming a big help in the barn when Allyssia is doing chores. 

Typically he is hauling arena dirt out of the arena with his very own wheelbarrow and sometimes dumping it all over the clean swept barn, but he tries to be just like his MaMa that the extra mess is just fine.  So needless to say we are all so happy for spring and summer to be here, Roland has even been jumping for joy (pun intended)

Until next time stay tuned and check back often. 

Another Honda in the Garage

 In a stroke of luck I went to pick up some parts at the shop of a carpenter that we work with and sitting in front of his garage was a Honda FatCat.  I have been looking for a FatCat since high school and have always been a day late and a dollar short on acquiring one.  During my lunch break I made a phone call to our carpenter and in a second stroke of luck our carpenter told me that he had pulled it out to clean it up and sell it.  

Sporting a 200cc motor and 5 speed transmission that is clutch-less this thing is easy to drive.  The big four wheeler tires make it ride smooth and combined with the big seat the ride is pretty comfortable.  Also being a semi-automatic it is easy to shift making it smoother for Roland to ride around with me, and he absolutely loves it!

Almost every day when I get out of work Roland comes out to the garage and gets his helmet and waits to go on a ride on the FatCat.  Even if I did nothing but drive Roland around on it it was well worth buying just to see how happy and excited he gets when he goes for FatCat rides.  Stay tuned and check back often.  Thanks for sticking with me!

Longingly Dreaming of Warmer Weather

 Here we are, March of 2021 already.  Though this winter has been pretty mild it has still been very busy for Allyssia, Roland and I.  Work has been very busy for me and Allyssia has a full barn with 9 horses.

I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea, we like winter and do have a lot of fun playing in the snow.  Tonight Roland did some high speed sledding on this wonderful crust we got with the last snowstorm.  Roland's runner sled flies right along on the crust.  

By the time we got to sledding tonight it was quite late and getting cold but once we started sledding we practically had to drag Roland in and away from his sled.  This sled has come in so handy in the winter and even before the speed sledding Roland loves to ride around in it.  

By this point in the winter we have a nice little sled/ snowshoe path all around the property and the whole time we are snowshoeing along Roland is in his sled chirping, giggling, or eating a big chunk of snow.  Eating snow chunks by the way is his favorite outdoor pastime in the winter, not sure what we are going to do when the snow melts.  On the weekends when it is really cold though Roland, the dogs, and I have been spending quite a bit of time in the garage.

While I am usually trying to work on something, Roland is wandering around carrying the broom or some other implement of destruction and Emily takes the best spot in the garage and sleeps directly in front of the furnace.  At the end of the day though nothing beats coming in the house and snuggling down to watch Frozen with a snack.  

Overall we all are enjoying this cold freezing time we call winter but we are still waiting for the longer warmer days of summer.  I hope to be back to my usual self posting blogs weekly but I have been quite behind lately and have a good many projects that need to be shared with you all.  I hope you stay tuned for more and make sure to check in in the coming days for more updates.  

A Bucket Tractor to Save the Day

In a strange twist of events Earlier in the summer I was offered a bucket tractor.  Of course I could not say no to wanting a tractor, but at what cost you might ask??  It was not cheap, at the high price of hauling it out of someones back yard.  My new homely looking tractor that Allyssia has aptly named "Massey" is a 70's Massey Ferguson 135. 
My Father and I went to get it late in the evening so I was in too much of a rush to get pictures but amazingly it loaded superbly well, without any problems once we pulled the bucked, weight box, and chains off from it. . Even after sitting for 7 or 8 years it is in good shape and within an hour I was driving around the yard looking for something to do with it. 

Within a few hours of having it running I had the bucket on it and was pushing the manure pile up with ease!  Since getting it running initially I have done a number of things that have gone undocumented on my blog but I did an oil change, put new plugs, wires, points, coil, and condenser as well as clean and rebuild the carburetor,  I still need to replace the seat as it has rusted through, but I may or may not get there before winter.   

On this tractor, unlike Old Smokey, I am going to be able to put one of the fender mounted sunshades and before next summer it will have a sunshade.  This style tractor is also easier to get on to since you get on in front of the tire rather than have to climb up the back. 

Speaking of tires, The tires on this tractor are excellent!  From the looks of them I wont have to replace the tires on this tractor for a very very long time.  Already I have been using this new tractor so much, so you all will be seeing it a lot in future blog posts.
Until next time stay tuned and check back often!!

The Big One

In a scary twist of events our cute little boy turned one!  It just doesnt seem possible that my little helper is one.

It definately does not seem like a year since Allyssia and I were at the hospital with a new little bundle of joy but in that year he has grown so much and has an amazing personality of his own!  I know that I have shown before but he has already started to love hiking with us and always is on the go just like his mother.

Roland had a wonderful day with grandparents, great grandparents, cousins, Aunts and Uncles.  We had perfect weather to sit on the lawn and be able to visit with everyone! 

I just cant believe how big he is getting and how happy he is all the time!  Now rather than me ramble I am just going to finish this up and leave you all with some extra pictures of baby Roland. 

                                                   Enjoying his much deserved cupcake!

                                          All of the great Grandkids with their Great Pepere

Old Smokey's New Implement of Destruction

For over a year now anybody that has followed my blog has seen that I have been plagued with more problems concerning my sickle mower than you can shake a stick at.  The sickle mower is worn out and rightfully so as it is from the fifties and has been used hard.  The sickle mower is also a bit of a chore to run and very slow to mow with.  This spring when I hooked onto the mower after working on it this winter I had problems I would care not to discuss.  In a great stroke of luck Allyssia's hay supplier knew I was searching for other options and sent me a Craigslist link for a tow behind bush hog. 

This gem was located right in Livermore so I did the reasonable thing and towed it behind my pickup truck the 5 miles to my parent's until I could get it on a trailer to haul home.  This little 5 foot bush hog is in decent shape with practically new tires and brand new blades on it.  The front of the bush hog is a little tender but it is still in great shape for its age. 

Knee deep grass in 2nd gear and it mows through like there was nothing there.  In what would have taken me 2 weeks with the sickle mower took me one afternoon with NO BREAKDOWNS!!!
I am so happy with this bush hog but I will keep my sickle mower and play around with it from time to time.

  Even through the lower field by the stream where I hadn't mowed last year I was able to mow with no problems.  While out mowing I am again so thankful for my sunbrella that I bought last year, it's no fun doing anything in the beating sun.  Until next time stay tuned and check back often! 

A Month Slips By

A month seems like such a long time, but a month can slip by without notice and here we are already at June 1st - a month since my last post.  As I sit here typing this it's hard to believe that it is June and we have done so much in such a short time.  Most importantly Roland has been enjoying the outside and started furniture cruising.

We have spending a lot of afternoons just sitting on the lawn and having fun!  We also got a ride on toy for Roland from a second hand shop and it has become his favorite toy!

 Another fun thing that Roland has been enjoying is hiking.  For Mother's day Allyssia got a carrier backpack to bring Roland Hiking with us.

 He has the easiest time hiking and even finds time to nap while going down the mountain.  The napping is an incredible feat because I in no way have a gentle walk and I jostle him all around.  

Cricket has also been hiking up a storm with us and has even gotten her own backpack to carry her water.  We borrowed a dog backpack from my sister and it actually slowed Cricket down a bit so we ordered her one of her own. 

Now don't be fooled, this is the only time Cricket is super photogenic and this picture is not an everyday occurrence.  The last little snippet I want to touch on is Roland's love of steering wheels.  In another blog I will talk about the fixing of the Bongo truck but for today I just want to say how much Roland has appreciated it.

A smile like that is contagious! He just loves the steering wheel and it's hard to go on rides in the field with him because he is always trying to climb over to get it.  The problem is that he does not just want to hold it. 

The steering wheel becomes some kind of climbing course for him.  For tonight, that will be all and with a month gone by that just makes a dent in the things that have gone by, but sometimes all you need are some cute Roland pictures to brighten the day.  I have much more to share soon but until then, thank you to everyone that supports me by reading my blog and I hope you will continue to read it and leave some comments!

Another Chicken Coop

This may seem a little bit overkill but I went and got myself another chicken coop this week.  Technically I purchased it back when I brought the Super A Farmall home but never hauled it home.  The property that the coop was at is up for sale so it became time to move the little building home.  My father and I were able to drive both of his tractors down to where the coop was and quickly jack the shed up and push it onto the trailer.

Once home it was almost too easy to unload.  I built a set of skids from telephone poles and 4x4's, and gently pulled the coop off the trailer and onto the skids. 

After it was on the skids Old Smokey and I pulled it over next to the chicken fence so it can be tied in to the fence and the chickens can move in. 

Until next time stay tuned and check back often. 

Rebuilding the Maytag Ice Cream Maker

Buckle in folks because this is going to be long ride but we actually have a project start to finish here.  For a while now I have been having a hard time typing blog posts.  Truth be told it has been awful hard to get the motivation to type blog posts late in the evening and I think the winter slows me down as well.  With winter coming so rapidly to an end I have had renewed invigoration to work on some projects and quite frankly get my rear in gear.  The most important project for me has been rebuilding my Ice Cream Maker onto a cart. 

The design here is simple and usable but very ugly.  Everything was done with rough unfinished wood, lag bolts, and plywood.  For the price I paid for it, it was everything I wanted but once I started bringing it places and running it more the design needed fixing and a cart was put into the works.

Once I got it off from the plywood, everything was put into one big pile and the planning began.  Being who I am this cart is going to be well overbuilt!  Given the amount time I have before I need the cart done, I acquired a  couple of ash 2x4's from Trevor and with a bit of guesswork chopped out a rough frame.  After an hour with a plainer and a countersink drill we have something resembling a frame. 

I think this was the hardest stage in the build so far.  Trying to mock everything up and figure out where my braces need to be to make things look good and still work.  The real hard part about the mock up was making sure I had it 100% the first try because everything is countersunk so if I was wrong the frame would have 1/4" holes that did not belong. 

Once I got the countersinks done I needed plugs to make it look a little nicer. Roland came to help me plug all of the countersinks.  More like he just wanted to play with the dowel and the glue.  The two of us plugged all of the countersink's and then let it dry with sanding and polyurethane to come. 

After letting the plugs set and glue dry, we started with the first coat of the polyurethane.  It looks so much better in person and when it is done it will look much better in the natural light.  While I have been woodworking and putting the final touches on the framework Grampa has been making me a set of brass bushings to adapt the wheels and axel to the pillow bloc bearing. 

The bushings are gong to be a simple brass bushing that Grampa machined down from a solid block of brass.  I would have loved to have been over there working on it with him this weekend but with the Corona Virus and the fact that I work for the public I am trying to keep my distance from everyone. 

And just like that we have two bushings ready to go.  When Grampa finished with the bushings I still had a few coats of polyurethane to go before I could begin the long awaited assembly process.  After four coats of polyurethane and three days to dry I started stage one of assembly.

The bearings, axle and wheels went on first and were the easiest.  I had pre-drilled the holes for the axle bearings making that a cinch. The handle is something I acquired the day before I started assembling so with much measuring and care I got the handle on there securely as well.

 At this point I was again at a standstill until I figured out the legs for the back of the cart.  I had not been able to make them yet because I did not know how tall the cart would be sitting on the wheels.  This was actually one of the toughest decisions in the whole build - trying to make it practical yet leaving it looking good.  Ultimately I went with the typical wheel barrow stand design for the best look and it seemed the most sturdy.

I bent the legs out of some 3/16th steel and as with everything else, I lag bolted them.  We were in the home stretch at this point, so off I went to assemble the ice cream making parts!  In very short time I had the whole thing put together and ready to go.

On the front I added a bumper to keep the wood from getting beat up.  One other noticeable thing is the use of make-a-belt.  This product is one of the handiest things in lower speed v-belts.  The belt consists of separate links allowing you to shorten and lengthen the belt in half inch increments.  Without further stalling here is a nice short video of the Maytag Ice Cream Maker.
                                                        Maytag Ice Cream Maker Video
 The last part of the cart came as an afterthought.  A homemade project is not complete until it has a tag.  I came to a realization that I had some nice brass plates from Grampa and had Allyssia make me a stencil on her vinyl cutting machine.  After trying to engrave it with a drummel tool I stopped and researched some other options.  I decided to try an acid engraving method and man am I glad that I did.  After cleaning it up I filled the lettering in with black model paint and when it was dry I cleaned and polished it again. 

 I hope you all enjoyed this and before I go I want to thank everyone that helped me pull this together like my father for the carpentry advice, Grampa for making the bushings and supplying the name plate, Trevor for all the lumber for the frame, and Allyssia for the help with everything and not killing me for talking about this thing non stop.  Until next time stay tuned and check back often!

Engines at Work

Working for the public sometimes has its perks for a guy like me.  I see quite a few people in my travels during the week and every once and a while one of them is interested in or has some of the same old junk as I do.  A few months back we did some work at a customers new house and in the back of one of the outbuildings there was a few engines.  My boss saw them first and set me on the chase.

The first engine that I found in the barn was a small Detroit marine engine.  It seems to be complete though it is stuck.  This motor would have been used on a small boat and they were used all over the country. 

Like many marine engines this one has quite a bit of brass on it that when polished up is going to look very nice.  Since getting it home I have filled the cylinder with marvel mystery oil and at some point I am going to try to get it freed up.  The other engine is not in nearly as good of shape.

When it is all set together like in the picture it looks nice but the whole engine was disassembled and the cylinder was sunk in the mud.  The bore is very pitted and the piston is stuck tight. 

A few people have told me that it is still saveable but it is missing a handful of parts and quite frankly I haven't decided what to do with it.  Eventually it may end up as a stone wall decoration.  The last thing I hauled home was a simple pulley set.

It is nothing special but it is old iron so I ended up with that as well.  Until next time stay tuned and check back often!

Semi Catastrophic Failure

With the way things go on the farm there is not much that can surprise me.  However, I was awful surprised when I was pushing the manure pile, I felt and heard a curious noise.  Curious is never a good noise to hear around the farm.  With a cringe I backed off from the pile to find the loader tilted off at an angle that was most definitely not normal. 

I can not say that I am overly surprised with how much I push and lift with the the little bugger.  The worst part is that it broke so close to the lift point so I am going to have to sleeve the loader arm internally which is going to be a little tricky.

To make it easier and to beef up both sides at once I pulled the porta-band saw out and chopped the other loader arm so that I can sleeve that side as well.  I need to get the diameter of the loader pipes to make a sleeve on the lathe.  I have not had the time this last week to work on it between work and other projects but I as soon as I can, I will get on the lathe and make the parts I need.

So until I get to working on the lathe the skid steer is just a goofy looking six wheeled buggy with no bucket.  Until next time stay tuned and check back often.