my weekend




i hate IFS. Did for a friend.

 

Truck looks good though. Plus you got to play with your lift!

 

The learning curve on the bars is not that steep Rodney. Of course in the beginning there may be that mowing the rock garden, trying to nudge a tree over etc. Either way have fun. I'm sure given MaryAnns background she'd catch on pretty quick too. But, since you already know how the steering wheel unit works, why not find a local dealer and demo one with the bars? Nothing to lose and you just may like it. I'm heading out soon to push some green bars with a smile on my face!

This weekends frankenproject. John deere front mount dethatcher with hydraulic lift on the Wheelhorse. Nothing a drill and welder can't fix! Since the concept turned out I will order the second extension for the dethatcher to make it 56".

 

We're a ways off on making a purchase Scott but that's a fine idea about letting her demo a bar unit. That said, the old grey mare ain't what she used to be. Having her try my manual shift Spyder after riding her auto for years almost ended in disaster. She was a quick study before Elyse. Since she came along, all Maryann's free mental energy goes into her and there isn't much left for learning new tricks...

 

 

Glad it's not just my wife that's like that...

 

Nope, ExMark for me, plus one Husqvarna commercial unit that has done surprisingly well. Husky is another company that definitely has different levels of quality as we were discussing earlier. But I think ExMark leaves the best cut. I might buy a Ferris next year to try it out - I like the suspension idea too - but I worry about ball joints and things wearing out with the higher hours my crew puts on. I will talk to the competition in the area that runs them and see what they think.

 

Wonder if that's what is described as "Mommy Brain". I don't have any experience in that world and have no comment.

By hanging out here for years, I do know what "Daddy Brain" and "Grandpa Brain" is:
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• I need a truck. Biggest and most powerful on the market. It has to have every possible factory option on it and then we need to tune, lift , and add crazy huge wheels and tires. Once my truck is perfect, I need to trade that truck in on another new truck and repeat this process as often as possible. I will use the increase of 10hp on a 450+ hp truck to justify this.

• Guns, we are going to need guns. Old guns, new guns, any kind of gun. There is no limit to the quantity, we just need more of them. Maybe some ammo too.

• Have to have an RV. Always a new one and huge in size. We will never stop shopping new RVs and will be prepared to upgrade at a moment's notice.

• We need a boat. Pontoon, speed, bass, house, canoe, jet-ski, it doesn't matter. Maybe two of them and can I tow it behind my ridiculously large RV?

• ATV, Sled, horse, dirt bike, golf cart. We are going to need off road vehicles. One for every member of the family. I would like to bring these items along with us on vacation, in our ridiculously large RV.

• Tractors, tractors, tractors. Orange, green, red, blue, they are all good.

• Pole barns, huge garage, sheds, RV shelters. We need a place to hang out to make our buddies jealous. This place needs to be clean and organized. Having a lift, cable TV, floor drain, nice...

• We are going to need some land. Lots of land. Could be a second house or at our main house. It will be deemed large enough when, in the middle of winter when the leaves are off the trees, I cannot see, hear, or smell, any of my neighbors.

Many FTE members struggle with "Daddy Brain" and "Grandpa Brain". I'm glad to be a participant in our little FTE support group.

Bruce...

 

....... Very good Bruce. You are right on the mark......

 

My wife blames the mommy brain for sure. She was a dual major in Computer Science and Math. Smart as can be, salutatorian in high school, full ride in college. Smarter than me, but I fooled her and got a ring on her finger! After two kids, come about 8:30 (pm) I don't even consider trying to have an important conversation with her.

I have Chemo brain. That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it. My doc said it's a legitimate excuse no matter what my wife says.

 

So, got ambitious today and decided to install the Hunterworks belt on the General. The OE belt was fine but since I wanted to carry a spare anyways, I figured why not install the better (supposedly) Hunterworks belt and keep the OE as my spare. At first I was a little weary of the new belt as when I looked at it, it seemed the ribs were bigger on the OE vs. the replacement. But after looking further I noticed that the core of the belt was quite a bit thicker and this is where the HD aspect of it comes into play. After installing, I was happy to find that besides being more HD, it also did as promised on clutch engagement. Upshifting and back shifting were both definitely improved. The Hunterworks rollers had already made a big difference in how jumpy the clutch was and this belt took out the second half of that issue. Definitely worth the investment, especially since I wanted to carry a spare anyways.




Next, my lawnmower had been smelling of burnt rubber for a year or so on occasion. I assumed the drive belt was loose and would slip creating heat and that was the source of the smell. When I pulled the deck today, I found the tension spring was just fine but one of the idler pulleys had morphed from a pulley to a guide! The pulley had seized and the belt had started by flat spotting it and had made it's way all the way in to the metal core. I can't believe the belt never snapped. So, up to JD dealer for a new pulley and belt. $40 and a few hours (belt was a bugger to change due to 4 wheel steer) and I was back in business mowing without the burnt smell. I guess all this new mower talk upset the old girl!

 

Wow...I've not seen a pulley get in that bad of shape and the mower deck continue to work! I've had them look way better and snap a belt. Good job finding and fixing the problem.

 

Thanks man. I still can't believe it's been seized for over a year and the belt never blew! I smelled occasional rubber all last season and through this one too.

 

Interesting.....

 

Nice save there Rodney !