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Decide that pine needles are the latest look in landscaping and leave them there. I'm serious. It's a Zen thing.

Picking-up Pine needles
Garden and Landscape
Replies 14 Post by Ken Tajchman

Buy a sharp shooter shovel, a spade, a four point, a pick axe, a three pound sledge, a 6 cube wheel barrow, gloves, knee pads, hedge shears, pruners, a cooler, a truck to haul it, a wife that loves you, a chiropractor, and get started on the weekends. Notice nothing there cost more that $100.00 Work one weekend a month for six months, mostly for friends and co-workers. Do volunteer work, network. Work for little old ladies, they bring you nice cool tea and sandwiches. Then re-evaluate. This is a back breaking business, and contrary to popular belief you don't need a loan, you need little if any capitol. You do need a vociferous want and a desire to work with the earth. You need motivation to get out of bed when every muscle in your body hurts, and it is going to be a hundred and two today, and you are still dehydrated from yesterday. You need to start small, and ONLY buy tools and equipment when the need arises, or WHEN yours break. Henry Ford didn't start out building the model T, he built a crappy little single cylinder converted horse buggy with a wick carb. Reset your sights lower and work into it slowly, before you know it you'll be working more than you want to. Then get that business loan.

Help for a Newbie
Garden and Landscape
Replies 10 Post by Ken Tajchman

There is something wrong with the genrator, look at valve timing or spark timing if it backfires. That means lots of unburnt fuel is finding its way out the exhaust port. The dealer is right you can't change the jetting without violoating the law. The carb does not need to be rejetted. It is jetted properly for the operating RPM of the generator. Unless you are at an extreme altitude there should be no need to rejet. A geneator won't be able to tell if it is at a Denver altitude or a Miami altitude, and it will run fine either way. The mfr's are good like that. Get a Generac, they rock.

TECUMSUH GENERATOR CARB ADJUSTMENTS
Shop Tools
Replies 8 Post by Ken Tajchman

I am in the critical power industry. Call the local reps for Caterpillar, Onan/Cummins, Generac, Square D, Siemens, Russelectric. They sell the really big stuff but might know who to call. They are usually in the phone book, or available via the manufacturer's website. Call the closest motor rewind shop, they will know who to call, or more likely will have something. When hooking a generator up as back up power there are tons of codes, refer to a code book or manual. Most importantly, be able to isolate the utility feed, so you don't backfeed the entire grid or parallel it when it returns, or kill the guy sent out to repair you downed line. Be able to isolate the generator too. Pay close attention to grounding, this is very important, remeber, less than 1/100th of one amp is enought get a conversation with St Peter. Pay attention to where the exhast goes, so you don't wake up dead one morning becase the exhaust was blowing into an environmental intake for the house. Be aware of prevailing wind direction. Mother nature is on a first name basis with Mr. Murphy, if it is stationary, construct a weather shelter. Since you never have to repair a backup generator in good weather make sure stucture is enough not to compromise your safety and make repairs/refueling easier. When the power goes out... get a good flashlite, isolate the utility feed first, turn EVERTHING in the house off, connect the generator and get it running, begin placing load on the generator by turning the essentials on first starting with the largest electrical load and progressing to the smallest and least important. A heavily loaded generator will drop in output frequency, you would be suprised at how much of today's equipment will sh*t the bed if faced with as little as a 2Hz drop in frquency. Keep plenty of air and fuel filters handy. Bad fuel is a residential back-up generator's biggest enemy. If you don't expect to need the unit shut off the gas and drain the tank. Run/cycle the generator unloaded once a week 10-15 minutes, place load on the generator for the same time once a month in the bad weather season. I am not trying to scare you, I just want to help,and I hope this has helped. Get a good book on hooking up generators from the web, or look to one of the self reliance/ back country living magazines also available on the web for additional resources. They have all kinds of great services and ads for all kinds of rural folk.

I have the diesel engine but no generator
Shop Tools
Replies 4 Post by Ken Tajchman

Thanks for all of the responses. I am much less concerned with the brand. That will be decided by whichever local dealer is the best. The biggest obstacle now is price. It's like Johnny Cash said, "I'll get it one day at a time... baby that's how I got mine..." Alternate crops... Sweet corn, veggies, sunflowers, herbs, etc. Harvesting would be me on the tractor, he he, pulling a cart with my mother in law... er... relatives hand picking them. I don't foresee any forage type harvesting, although you never know. I am developing a business and marketing plan, but suggestions would be nice... How long does it take to hand pick or plant or..., an acre of this or 1/2 acre of that? The sales and maketing end is definitely a strong suit for me. I am very familiar with plants, and getting them to produce abundantly, just not on a large scale. My cousin will give me an old IH 300, that 'MAY have last run in 1985'. I know my way around an engine, and I have the time. Would rebuilding that be more of a headache or worth the time. He just bought a new JD combine, REALLY BIG with a buddy seat so he can show off. I was impressed. I'm kind of all over the map, but thanks again for the responses. Keep 'em coming I am trying to learn as much as I can from those who know.

What Tractor do I need
Parts and Repair
Replies 13 Post by Ken Tajchman

I run in engineering cicircles, and have extensive experience with heavy industry equipment (not tractors). No manufacturer makes a hydro that is as reliable as their geared tranny. Hydro's are nice, very nice, but they are a trade off when it comes to reliability when compared to a gear. Some people will disagree, but I don't know an any mechanical engineer who would stake his P.E. license on a hydro outlasting a gear.

Decide if the niceness factor of the hydro is worth the headaches. If not talk to your dealer/rep about a hardship trade for a unit with a geared tranny. Who knows they might be willing to make some sort of deal.

If you are hard on your tranny's, or if you do a lot of constant speed work, or work with heavy loads, the gear could be for you. As for me, I will not own a hydro, JD got famous for making great engines and great tranny's. Their hydro is one of the best I've seen, but their gears are almost as good and cheaper (usually) and more reliable under heavy loads or adverse conditions.

The most relible tranny's are in Cats, Toyotas, and Nissans, I've never seen one of those down for tranny problems. The weekest are TCM, Komatsu, and Clark. I realize those are not manufacturers of compact tractors, just FYI.

4400 hydro leaking
John Deere Tractors
Replies 5 Post by Ken Tajchman