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Hello Dennis,Kenneth, and TP Members;

Great to hear from you guys again, I'm the one who kind of let things slip so far as keeping in touch. I did send Ken a letter in the US Mail last week one day, so I have been in contact with him. Ok, now my Tractor Point history.

The exact dates escape me now but somewhere about 1993 we were farming about 900 acres and running the furniture shop with the help of our second son and some part time help when we had a set of cabinets to install, then I fell on the ice breaking my pelvis.

Since that happened i have never been able to walk without the security of a walker. We have been to local specialists and the Mayo Clinic several times. After about a hundred X-Rays, scans, and other tests I can't even remember nobody has ever came up with a reason that I cannot walk without a walker. So to this day I follow a walker around.

We decided to sell down the biggest equipment and keep the Compact Deere's, a 4310 and a 4410 and the related compact type equipment plus some restored tractors, and all the furniture shop equipment. In the meantime during the decade of the 1990's Lucile and I both lost our parents, then a bit later we lost our son who was working in the wood shop with me.

Then after I was alone in the shop I used to work on things that I had been saving up to do when I retired plus a limited amount of landscape work with the little Deeres'.

There wasn't much we couldn't do with the compacts, we had about every piece of equipment that Deere made for them, Back hoe, tiller, loader, box blade, landscape rake, trailers, a baby hay rake, lawn sweepers, and other stuff I forgot.

I was a tool collector, lots of tools that I never used. When we had the auction to sell my tools and compact equipment the auctioneer said that he had never saw that many tools in one place before. They started at 9:30 with two auctioneers and sold only tools until 3:30.

Now before anybody laughs and calls me a wacko here was my answer. I never owned a snowmobile, a motor home, a motorcycle, a big boat, any expensive guns or hunting equipment. I did have 14 ft. flat bottom boat that I bought used for a hundred dollars and a six horse motor for probably a couple hundred dollars, that was the extent of our recreational equipment. I'm quite sure there are people who have some or all of the things I just mentioned who have lots more invested than I did in all my tools. Ok that's enough about tools.

We had two homes a new one in the country and a house in town that we bought as kind of a fixer-upper, well by that time about 2007 we decided we had bit off more than we could chew, two yards to mow, two homes to keep clean, so we finally gave in and sold both homes and moved to an assisted living apartment. It was a chore just to run the vacuum cleaner for either of us, and the lawn mowing and snow removal were just too much.

So I guess the reason I stopped posting on Tractor Point is that I am in a different environment now with only one actual retired farmer as a neighbor down the hall who I can visit with about the old days on the farm, the rest here don't know a cow from a chicken.

I'll try to be around to maybe answer something I am familiar with.

My Best to all at TP !

Frank

Remembering when I joined TP
Just For Fun Off Topic
Replies 18 Post by hardwood

Pongoz;

There must be a profit motive of some sort that Deere has selling the cheap made Home Depot mowers. Deere has a habit of staying in the black on anything they sell, but those cheapies can't be doing their reputation any good. A Deere mower bought from a Deere dealership will cost a ton more but not be junk in five years.

Frank.

Kubota T1700HX Review
Kubota Tractors
Replies 21 Post by hardwood

Gregg;
I've never owned a front deck two wheel drive, but was advised by the Deere dealer to avoid them, even theirs.
We attended a Deere mower demo day a few years ago, the dealer was aware of our hilly lawn, they had a side hill for a demo lawn, I drove one, he was right. Even if you could successfully fight it to keep going straight making a 180 turn toward the uphill direction was a struggle. I have no idea the model number, probably 12 - 14 years ago.

Frank.

Best Lawn Tractors for Mowing Slopes
Garden Tractors
Replies 15 Post by hardwood

Just a follow up on the lady who ran the combine from a wheelchair. When they retired her husband built an elevator for her in their new house in town. It stopped at three levels, the main floor, the garage level, and the basement.
Several years ago I was put in charge of having an elevator installed in our Church by a commercial elevator company. A ton of legalities between a private elevator and a public use one. Even just our little Church elevator was subject to state inspection, we passed by the way.

Frank.

Disabled cousin needs a mower
Garden Tractors
Replies 7 Post by hardwood

Yes go to Baldwin. I was a Baldwin dealer, they are a good company with good products, if they don't have it then it almost don't exist.

Frank.

87415600 Oil Filter for NH T2210
Parts and Repair
Replies 4 Post by hardwood

We had a Heinz 57 breed short legged little dog that caused our kids to go to school with one mitten missing pretty often. In the winter when the kids were waiting for the bus "Taffy" loved to grab a mitten off their hand and run with it. She would bring the mittens back to the door after the bus left. It used to make their mother angry at the dog but I don't remember any of the kids suffering any ill results.

Frank.

Ole Dogs and other pets good memories
Everything and Anything
Replies 4 Post by hardwood

Bosco;

Your question brings back lots of school car memories, some good, some not so good.
At the time we had three kids in the drive to school age group so we started with the used Dodge "K" cars. The hundred dollar class of K's were sometimes a good one sometimes not, we had half a dozen out in the trees that usually had cracked the head. It wasn't the cost of them so much as always having to rescue a kid with a broken down car a hundred miles away at a college parking lot.
At the time you could buy a somewhat barebones Ranger pickups for about 4,500.
That turned out much better except a college kid with a pickup is a very popular guy, everybody wants to borrow it to move something and nobody puts any gas in it.
They did take pretty good care of them, the oldest daughter kept hers after college till it had like 180K.
I don't know if this helps but one of our kids recently bought a year old Impala fleet car with 30K miles from the Chevy dealer with a new warranty, and about 10K$ off new list.

Frank.

Car Value Useful Trouble free life Mileage vs Age for Teen Car
Autos SUV Trucks
Replies 6 Post by hardwood

I'd bet my best dog, if I had a dog that if you rounded up a dozen government insurance specialists, ask them to explain Obama care you would get a dozen different answers.

Frank.

Individual Health Ins in the USA
Everything and Anything
Replies 5 Post by hardwood

Kenneth;

Lots of kids sometimes works.
I have no experience digging peanuts but regular potatoes in a garden our size about 1/1000th. of an acre, three rows about 15 ft. long we simply mulched the taters with grass clippings and they would develop right below the mulch, no digging required. Just scratch the mulch over and there laid the taters. Anything much bigger would likely not work, just too much hassle with the clippings plus where would you get that many clippings?
When I was a kid one of the neighbors used to have a regular potato digger that was like an oversize pointed shovel with a cogged wheel behind the shovel the shook some rods to somewhat sort the taters from the soil. There were two wooden handles to guide it while a horse pulled it. I do remember the sandy and dry soils worked the best.

Frank.

Potato diggers
Parts and Repair
Replies 5 Post by hardwood

At my last regular checkup at the Doctor a couple weeks ago he was mp0retty stern about me losing a few pounds.
I had already given up desserts for Lent.
The best weight control method that did work was from a nutritionist at the Mayo Clinic ,a few year ago, but I fell off the wagon.
Her advice was to either use those smaller size paper plates that have the dividers in them. In the biggest section of the plate goes your salad, next smaller, your veggies, and the smallest section the meat, and no seconds!!
I did stick with it long enough probably about three or four months to9 lose twenty pounds.
No diet pills or magic slimming powders needed, give it a try.

Frank.

Getting in Shape for Spring Foods to Eat and those to Avoid
Everything and Anything
Replies 7 Post by hardwood

I'm not trying to hijack the thread from chainsaws to lawnmowers but the air leak thing reminded me of something.
I have a cousin who has fixed lawnmowers for years, he was telling of the biggest problem with Lawnboy two cycles that get hard to start.
After about so many years the lower crankshaft seal begins to leak air, a new seal usually gets them going again.

Frank.

Burnt up stihl 290 chain saw 4 months old
Shop Tools
Replies 35 Post by hardwood

Check the yellow pages or on line for hydraulic repairs. Most any good sized shop would have what you need.

Frank.

Hydraulic Hoses with Metric on one end
Loaders Back Hoes
Replies 2 Post by hardwood

Follow the hose back to where it comes from. From your description I think you will find it connects onto the top of the engine likely the valve cover. It is meant to be left open, this is the crankcase blow by that you are seeing. All engines even a new one have some blow by that has to be relieved other wise the engine oil will be forced out past the seals.
I know little about the latest in government requirements for diesel engines, perhaps they require the recycling of blow by, I've never owned an engine with the latest requirements.

Frank

TZ24DA New Holland turns over but will not start
New Holland Tractors
Replies 5 Post by hardwood

I have to agree with greyhorse, hiring a lawyer is a big buck deal. The legal expenses will mount up fast and that's not guaranteeing you will win the case.
I can't defend the contractor for missing the nailers. If the nailers were 2 X 4's on edge it is easy to miss unless you snap a chalk line.
Is all the roof leakage coming from screw holes from missed screws? My experience with metal roofs is not good. Of five pole type sheds built for me by contractors or myself over a 35 - 40 year period every one of them leaked. It was hard to define where they leaked, sometimes it was frost melting off the underside of the metal when the sun warmed it up. Other times they would leak during a rain and follow the underside of the steel down a ways before it dripped or ran off. I finally gave up on steel roofs so the last two sheds I built had a traditional shingle roof, they never leaked.

Frank.

Barn Roof leaks Contractor warranty concerns
Barns Pole Barns
Replies 7 Post by hardwood

Nortske;

It is hard to give a specific comment without knowing what model you are looking at.
I have owned three different models, the original 4 X 2, an HPX, and an XUV. Each had their good and bad points.
The original 4 X 2 was a good dependable machine, kind of slow on the road but easy to load with the lower box bed. With the standard lawnmower style tread you are stuck in almost no mud at all, a different tread style might help, I don't know.
The HPX was a carbureted machine that was a bear to start unless a diesel, I'd steer clear.
The XUV, a much better machine with fuel injection, it starts every time just like your car, no choke to mess with. A faster road speed is a good point too. If you have any difficult conditions a four wheel drive is almost a must.
Every body and their brother is building a Gator type machine now, some may be better I don't know, Gators are all I ever owned. If I needed another one it definitely would be a Gator.

Frank.

Looking to buy Utility Vehicle is JD Gator Best buy
Utility Vehicles UTV/ATV
Replies 4 Post by hardwood

Dennis;

Yes, I forgot, my father in law taught me that knot for fish hooks a long time ago. I haven't been fishing since Moby Dick was a minnow. so I forgot about that one.
Another knot I forgot is one my Uncle taught me for connecting the end of one ball of twine to the beginning of the next ball of twine for the old time square balers. A regular square knot was too big to go through the knotters without catching somewhere. It was really simple and to look at it you swore it would never hold but it did. First you louped the two ends like you were going to tie a square knot leaving a couple inches of each twine past the first wrap. Next frizz the ends of the twine an inch or so back from the ends then push the frizzed ends together rolling them with your thumbs. When you get it rolled down to a size not much larger than the twine spit on it and roll it some more. Now pull it tight with the spit on parts going into the initial half of a square knot you started with. The first few I did failed, but I finally got on to it and never had a knot catch again.

Frank.

Knot Tying and Uses bowline knot
Shop Tools
Replies 7 Post by hardwood

I had a home made cable trencher at one time, but it was on a 100 HP tractor. The first 18 inches or so don't take much power, but from there on down to 40 inches or so a compact tractor aint going to do it. There was always a rock or two and some roots to deal with so pre ripping to your desired depth is a must to get them out of the way, then pull the cable.
I made mine from some old plow beams and a pipe down the back. It is impossible to build it too strong, tree roots are worse than rocks to cut through. A reasonable size rock will come up, but roots just hang on. A big rock, you backhoe out or just go around.

Frank.

Laying Electric Line with subsoiler
Operating and Attachments
Replies 19 Post by hardwood

That was always my goal to have a rear blower for the 4310, but new ones were getting pricey, so it didn't happen.
When we farmed I had a Case 1070, about a hundred HP tractor with a Westendorf loader and an eight foot blower on the back, so I knew what the loader, blower combination could do.

Frank.

Ready for Titan Snow with Loftness Rear Snow Blower
Snowblowers / Snow Plows
Replies 6 Post by hardwood

My Great Grandfather on my Dad's side and two of his brothers came to the US from Luxembourg in the 1840's. The story goes there was no new land left to farm over there and no industry so the hope of a better life over here drew them. To continue the story one brother stayed in Pensylvania,the remaining two continued on to East
Dubuque where there was not yet a bridge, only a ferry. They crossed the Mississippi and walked to Independence, Iowa about 75 miles west, My GGP heard of work in Benton county about 40 miles south of Independence, the third brother said he was going to the Dakota territory, they say none ever heard from the other again. About 99% of the people who settled in Eastern Benton county were Germans, there he found and married my GGM a purebred German girl born in Germany. On it goes, my Grandfather and Grandmother on my Mothers side were born in Germany, so my Mother and Dad being purebred Germans from that community produced me another purebred German, not many of us purebreds left. None of my GGF's offspring hardly left the borders of Benton County, My Grandfather and his brothers and sisters didn't go much farther. By the third generation, my Dad and his eleven brothers and sisters began to fan out a bit for lack of farmland in the immediate areia. Growing up here I liked it, so I found some farmland and stayed. The winters are sometimes bad, the summers are sometimes hot, but usually there was a reward in the fall. After 50+ years of married life we have gone south in the winter a couple times, hated every minute of it and came back home to the snow and cold.

Enuf of that.

Frank.

How did you wind up where you are living Survey
Just For Fun Off Topic
Replies 14 Post by hardwood

I don't have a tractor or any equipment anymore but when I did the box blade was on 75% of the time.

Frank.

What Rear Tractor Implement Do You Use Most Survey
Operating and Attachments
Replies 22 Post by hardwood