This last several days have been a few significant projects with “productive works in progress days.” Even with the depression kicking on twice in the last 2 weeks now….
Found a tractor salvage yard in Upstate NY that had the skin for the cub cadet I scored last month. (Given that my cub’s currently in a coma from overheating.)
Here’s what it looked like when I got it… minus the FEL (front end loader) as I transitioned it to this tractor for the time being…
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And a poor ole ‘bota that had been very neglected by at least 2 previous owners that I have really cleaned up. Have done some mystery solving on it recently too! She is quite solid and stout still, was just absolutely caked in decades of mud-plus.
Took 4 days of spraying PB blaster onto the input shaft, crowbar prying, hammer tapping on the PTO gearbox for the shaft to finally slide off. Took almost 4 days with the shaft pulled mounted and under considerable pressure with several times a day spraying PB blaster onto the belly shaft for it to finally “Pop free” of the gearboxes output shaft. Sharpened them bushwhacker blade in what seems to of been the 1st resharpening they ever had! No pics yet but, that 6’ deck is standing on the 3 point hitch while the front end loader bucket is resting on that tail wheel and you can see parts of the “ratchet straps” holding that deck to the front of the cub too.
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I’m feeling reasonably productive as I wait for slightly more stable weather to begin the repairs and upgrades to the coop & run!
My VA Resource center class starts next Monday… welding certification… gonna get rid of some bad habits in the process too.