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Spent most of Sunday afternoon browseing around this dealers yard (acres actually) of new and used tractors, implements and construction type equipment. The place was closed but its not unusual for folks to be there looking things over. I drug out my notebook and pencil and tapemeasure and of course my digital camera and made the day of it measuring and taking pics of various implements and odds and ends that I hope to get around to making as time goes on. They handle literally most all brands of attachments and implements, and just seeing how some items are really made and methods of adjusting or attaching etc was well worth my time spent. I spotted one area with old junk stuff, and junk is really my bag, as one mans junk is anothers treasure, and most times junk can be had free or pretty cehap I gae it a good looking over. I spotted a Kubota tractor (compact) along with a 60 inch 3-point PTO driven finishing mower that was in a fire. The finishing mower really only had the plastic cover on the PTO shaft and the paint and tires and belts burned off it, and was covered in a light typical coat of rust from the fire. All spindles turned nice and free, (cast iron spindle housings) blades were like new, and they still had the paint on them so it was not all that hot under neath the deck, and the main gear box that the PTO hooks to sounded nice and free, as were the universal joints. I figured sandblast the thing, pull it all apart and check spindles and gear boxes and it may make a decent finish mower, so today I called and inquired on the burned up mower. I bought it for $25.00 with no warranty (like I really expected one) and the dealer had me sign a statement that I would not hold him responsible for any injuries and that it was sold as scrap not a functioning or repairable item. I asked what they did with all the steel tube that is used to crate and ship lots of the implements and smaller tractors and he said if its bend it gets scrapped if its a certain pallet size it goes back, but most get scrapped. I wound up with a pickup full of nice steel square tube, free for the taking. Now I have permission to check out his scrap piles of old junk and get what I want for free, as it costs him money to have it loaded and hauled to a scrap yard for the little amount of meny he gets for it in return. Just ordered 4 new pneumatic tires and wheels from Northern Tool for the deck, and I will probably sandblast the deck tomorrow, and if the weather holds u p put a coat of primer on it. I already stripped it of every thing that could be removed, and the parts all look pretty darn good, and I seriously doubt that they suffered any thing other than cosmetic fire damage.
I think this finish mower is going to be a good addition to my grass cutting stuff. I also got lots of good ideas on what to do with lots of that steel tube I got there as well as lots of the stuff I have collected up over the years.
First thing I really need to finish up is my vertical 3 wheel metal cutting bandsaw I am making now, as it has most of my already small shop occupied and space is very limited to just enough to walk around the saw itself as its laying on horses in a jig in the middle of the floor. Its finish weight will be in the area of 700 + pounds. A real serious metal cutting bandsaw also capable of running the blade at speed fast enough to cut wood decently. So I need to get it finished as its just to heavy to be moving around. When it does get moved it will get moved to where its going to stay and be used. The frame alone figures out at 390#. Power is a 5 Hp motor run on a infinitly adjustable speed control (VFD) and it will use a 11'6" bandsaw blade up to 1" wide. Had plans to use a DC motor but changed that plan.
I think this finish mower is going to be a good addition to my grass cutting stuff. I also got lots of good ideas on what to do with lots of that steel tube I got there as well as lots of the stuff I have collected up over the years.
First thing I really need to finish up is my vertical 3 wheel metal cutting bandsaw I am making now, as it has most of my already small shop occupied and space is very limited to just enough to walk around the saw itself as its laying on horses in a jig in the middle of the floor. Its finish weight will be in the area of 700 + pounds. A real serious metal cutting bandsaw also capable of running the blade at speed fast enough to cut wood decently. So I need to get it finished as its just to heavy to be moving around. When it does get moved it will get moved to where its going to stay and be used. The frame alone figures out at 390#. Power is a 5 Hp motor run on a infinitly adjustable speed control (VFD) and it will use a 11'6" bandsaw blade up to 1" wide. Had plans to use a DC motor but changed that plan.