HeadExam

I added three more vintage Homelite saws to my collection. A 1979 Homelite Super Mini SL Automatic. Sweet little 40.9 cc saw with vibration dampeners and automatic and manual override oiling with a 16" power tip bar. Also a couple of one yea only saws, a 1965 XL Automatic, like later Super XL Automatics, this has 58.2 cc and is the first model in the lightweight series of Homelite XL saws, it came with a 16" bar and is an automatic oiler and has a port to add a optional manual override oil plunger. Lastly, a 1969 XL-850, also an automatic oiler with option plunger port for manual oiling override and at 82 cc is almost the same size a a Honda 90 trail bike. This saw also came with a 20 inch power tip bar and new chain.

It is very disheartening to put so much labor and attention to details and have people let you down like this. They really don't care what you think or if you or anyone does business with them ever again, that's the mentality killing our entire civilisation.

My 1973 Allis 416 decks don't have grease points and the arbors are still working fine. The only thing that messed one up was the previous owner/mechanic cross threading the center spindle nut and not using the spacer washer allowing the pulley to wobble and destroy the key way groove

I smear some flux on the area where I am going to "weld" with my flux core wire welder and it seems to help a lot.

The 48" deck on my 1973 Allis Chalmers was needing some attention and new blades. While it was off I dug out in the barn and found I had three other decks for this tractor as well, another 48" and two 42" decks, one of the 42" decks was like new except for a wobbly center pulley that turned to be a can of worms. The previous owner/mechanic had used an air ratchet to install the top pulley on the center spindle and ended up cross threading the nut, keeping it from drawing up tight. This caused the key way to waller out the groove in the arbor shaft and ruining the shaft. Since they stopped making parts for this in 1974 I was lucky to have some extra decks and one even had a fairly new center arbor. I have three of these rare Allis built tractors and fortunately I acquired some extra parts and implements. I refurbished the 42" deck this week and will start on the 48" deck tomorrow. After taking these decks apart and cleaning/sanding them they get a coat of OSPHO, which is one of the best rust removers/reformers ever made, then two coats of etching primer with hardener and two coats of industrial enamel with reducer and poly converter hardener. Not bad for a 44 year old mower deck.

I will. This will be the first large frame in the que for restoration. It is all original, but there are a few dings to the fender pan and hood, that I may have a body man knock out. The most challenging aspect is finding a chrome muffler heat shield like, or similar, to the original. I used a Farmall Cub tractor muffler as it was the same size as the OEM one, just not quite as rounded on the ends, but if I can find an original heat shield or have one made it should fit nicely over this muffler. The taller narrow tires really allow for easy steering for a tractor this big. I've noticed that the wider tires you have the harder it is to steer.

I know things were going to good when I saw this deck in such great shape... and then I notice a little wobble in the center drive pulley. I knew it was buggered the minute I made the first turn, you always feel it, but I was not prepared for the buggered key way slot in the shaft. that was a ball crusher. Fortunately I have two nice parts decks with good arbors. This will get a coat of OSPHO ( http://www.ospho.com/ ) followed by rust inhibitive primer and two coats of industrial enamel with hardener.

Not a great video, but this single cylinder 14hp Wisconsin being much lighter than the cast iron twin engines handles like it has power steering. The deck cuts great and it is nice and quiet.

The cage came with the house and I'm not sure what the prior use was, I've tried to figure that out to no avail. it did have two strands of barbed wire pointing outward on the stanchions at the top, like they were trying to prevent something entering. We have many, many rabbits, but I have never saw any evidence of them eating anything in the garden. Land turtles are voracious eaters of vegetables and I have to relocate them quite often, without netting the birds make short work of the tomatoes as soon as their ripe, so i pick them a day or two early and let them ripen in the window. We are at 850 feet above sea level and that is one of the the highest points in the county and with very few trees the wind is relentless. I pick weeds for therapy, its extra clean today, the VA called and cancelled my colonoscopy again, fourth time in two years. No reason given and not able to reschedule until doctor puts in for another consultation, that takes 60 to 90 days if I'm lucky. I'm supposed to have on every year after my colon cancer surgery, but that has never occurred and frankly I don;t believe it will occur. I am almost sure that the VA plans to eliminate veterans through denied or delayed medical services to improve their image on wait times. I've been very stressed and it has shown in my attitude of late, I am really worried that if something happens to me my wife will have no one to help her, shes disabled and all her family has passed on.

It really depends on the area of the country, generally you folks have extreme conditions with moisture and such, and we have that as well in the north east, south east and north west coastal regions, but in the south west we have a drier climate that doesn't promote the deterioration that oxidisation causes. It is much more common in John Deere decks due to John Deere owners being wealthier and using fertilizers containing nitrates that when not immediately cleaned from the deck quickens the oxidisation process.

That is correct. The option is called automatic oiler with manual override. The made a few models without the manual override, but it was not common.

Well then even the tube frame gear boxes would work. Are they that hard to find over there?

Happy belated wishes Nigel, hope you got some good things for your birthday

I'm getting ready to refurbish two Allis 416 decks, fortunately the 42" deck is nearly perfect except for paint and the 48" just needs a couple of "soft" spots in the leading edge welded up. In the last year I have done a Wheel Horse D-160 deck, an Allis 716H deck, a Bolens 1256 deck, and just recently the Bolens 1476 deck. I also spruced up this little wheel barrow dump cart that I bought for 25.00. After the decks I will start on Case and Ariens dump carts and other implements.

The last few years the garden has suffered for one reason or another, this year it is doing reasonably well with corn, onions, radishes, okra, cantaloupe, cucumbers, zucchini, and squash. Tomatoes and watermelon are growing in old mower tires and I started asparagus this year in hopes of having some next year or the year after. I have to raise tarps up on the fence as the winds up here reach over 35 mph bi-weekly and over 70 mph during storms coming from the south or west.

Finish pictures of the deck before installation

For what tractor?

I believe they are made of cast magnesium. The XL-901 weighs 14.5 pounds, the Super XL Auto weighs in at 13.11 pounds, the Super EZ Auto weighs 11.1 pounds, and the EZ Auto weighs 9.6 pounds. In comparison a new Chinese made plastic 50cc Stihl MS 271 Farm Boss weighs 12.3 pounds which is only about 1 pound lighter than my 58.2 cc Super XL Auto and two pounds lighter than the 77cc XL-901

I had a bugger of a time reinstalling the two idler pulleys and they didn't want to fit under the belt covers. The new pulleys already had one spacer built in and it made it difficult to place all the spacer correctly and fit.

I had a piece of railroad track fall on my thumb nearly two years ago and I've been in a lot of pain, that pain has caused me to be very frustrated and angry. I haven't been in good sorts and have been sharp of tongue and bad attitude. The VA finally authorized a MRI, but sent me to a private physician. He gave me no diagnosis nor prognosis because I will never see him again and he wont financially benefit from me as a patient. The Veterans Administration doctors refuse to see me or address the the situation because I filed a complaint of not receiving adequate care from the staff. The pain makes me nauseous and I cant take the prep in order to get the yearly colonoscopy I need since my cancer surgery, going on two years without that procedure, and I am starting exhibit similar symptoms. They were prescribing me 3,000 mg of neurotin a day for the pain, but I quit taking it because it didn't relieve the pain and it made me confused as all get out.

I bought all four of these separately on a lark after flogging my Husqvarna 435 for the last time, what a piece of Chinese junk, no guts at all. I found the 1969 blue 58.2cc Super XL Automatic 3 hours away for 100.00, but I was going up that way anyways. The 1981 40.9cc Super EZ Automatic was in a town on the way up to moms house and was 25.00. The 1970 37.6cc EZ Automatic was an eBay find for 99.00 free shipping, and the 1967 77cc XL-901 I bought from the original owner for 225.00 shipped to my door. I got 150.00 for the Husqvarna 435 so I have 325.00 in these four. After using them I can't imagine buying a "new" chainsaw.

I got mine at an auction, it was used a couple of times for demonstration, but virtually new. I paid 100 for it with the saw head attachment. I was worried that I might have overpaid, but I think they go for twice that or more around here. I had a Redmax that lasted 14 years with no repairs, so I'm hoping this one will serve me as well. I'll probably look into switching the string head out. Thanks for the input. The Cub seat looks fantastic, be wary they do fade even indoors.

What model Stihl trimmer is that behind the Cub? Just wondering I just bought a FS70r and haven't had a chance to use it, wondering how well they worked?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/clare-hollingworth-reporter-who-broke-news-about-start-of-world-war-ii-dies-at-105/2017/01/10/6aa9ca72-d73f-11e6-b8b2-cb5164beba6b_story.html?utm_term=.a9329562607b

Absolutely beautiful. A real piece of history