Quarantine Projects...

[Kirk007]

Moved to a new house last summer that came with the Taj Mahal of chicken coops. Converting at least half into a very deer and bird proof garden. Blueberries, raspberries, peas, beans and carrots go in this week. Another step towards a slightly more self sufficient existence.

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[oliver1850]

Originally Posted by YesNdeed

In addition to gardening, a crafty project, cooking and riding where there are no people and few cars, I stripped and repainted a fork on an old Cannondale. I took this Criterium on trade plus cash in exchange for a complete bike. The Newbaum’s cloth tape should arrive tomorrow. Oh, and I took five minutes to figure out how to reduce the size of my photos so I can upload them on The Paceline. That was a quality five minutes.

That's a 1988 SM2000. Nice project, it was top of the line at the time.

[YesNdeed]

Originally Posted by oliver1850

That's a 1988 SM2000. Nice project, it was top of the line at the time.

Good to know! It's in great shape and rides really nice, Dura Ace 7 speed shifts perfectly. But, I don't another bike, so once I dial it back in I'll see what I can get for it.

[oliver1850]

I've been working on a John Deere F525 lawn mower. I bought it for parts on an auction two years ago and it's been taking up space in the shop ever since. While originally intended as a parts source for other Kawasaki powered Deeres that I use, my focus changed when I discovered that the crankcase is integral with the transmission/final drive. At that point I decided to see if I could get it running. So far I have replaced an axle bearing, the flywheel, the PTO clutch, the ignition system, some switches and wiring, the fuel line, cleaned out the fuel tank, and put tubes in the front tires. At that point I had it running with a carburetor that I temporarily swapped from another engine, and all the mechanicals were working. Went to install the new carb Sunday and found that I'd been sent the wrong one. Biggest part of the project has been patching the bodywork back together. The body is made of brittle thick plastic and every piece had large chunks missing. I can't find any used bodywork and each piece is well over $100 new. I've been piecing it back together using .040" 6061 that came from the floor of a Porsche SCCA car that I redid 20 years ago. Next step is rebuilding the mower deck. I have it all stripped down for repairs and repaint, just need to get it to the sandblaster to continue. I'm looking forward to trying the F525 as I think its offset deck will be perfect for mowing under the spruces in my windbreaks and the hundreds of hardwood trees in my yard.

https://blog.machinefinder.com/25685...ere-f525-mower

[wernerherzogsid]

I have dedicated the time to contemplate whether love is an expression of human devotion and true emotional attachment, or a delusion we cling to desperately to navigate an existence we know is indifferent to our very being.

Also I am enjoying painting in watercolors.

[madsciencenow]

Originally Posted by oliver1850

I've been working on a John Deere F525 lawn mower. I bought it for parts on an auction two years ago and it's been taking up space in the shop ever since. While originally intended as a parts source for other Kawasaki powered Deeres that I use, my focus changed when I discovered that the crankcase is integral with the transmission/final drive. At that point I decided to see if I could get it running. So far I have replaced an axle bearing, the flywheel, the PTO clutch, the ignition system, some switches and wiring, the fuel line, cleaned out the fuel tank, and put tubes in the front tires. At that point I had it running with a carburetor that I temporarily swapped from another engine, and all the mechanicals were working. Went to install the new carb Sunday and found that I'd been sent the wrong one. Biggest part of the project has been patching the bodywork back together. The body is made of brittle thick plastic and every piece had large chunks missing. I can't find any used bodywork and each piece is well over $100 new. I've been piecing it back together using .040" 6061 that came from the floor of a Porsche SCCA car that I redid 20 years ago. Next step is rebuilding the mower deck. I have it all stripped down for repairs and repaint, just need to get it to the sandblaster to continue. I'm looking forward to trying the F525 as I think its offset deck will be perfect for mowing under the spruces in my windbreaks and the hundreds of hardwood trees in my yard.

https://blog.machinefinder.com/25685...ere-f525-mower

That’s some serious effort! Kudos to you for having the energy and skills to pull this off!! I remember my grandpa having something like this but with two wheels in the back (now that I think about it I think he was killed on that mower).

On another happier note, I finally connected your screen name with the picture. I used to work for a farmer who owned a number of Oliver tractors. As a teenager I couldn’t tell the difference between these and the JDs beyond color but the farmer I worked for loved them and lamented that they went out of business (at least this is what I remember happening).

Good luck finishing the mower!


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[ColonelJLloyd]

I have at least four wheelsets to build up as time permits. First up is this big-bang-for-the-buck disc set for my riding buddy's ti gravel build. I'm really liking the bladed spoke + double ended nipple combo. Laced these up and I'll tension and true another day. 1,521g before tape and valves.

[doomridesout]

Originally Posted by wernerherzogsid

I have dedicated the time to contemplate whether love is an expression of human devotion and true emotional attachment, or a delusion we cling to desperately to navigate an existence we know is indifferent to our very being.

Also I am enjoying painting in watercolors.

Yah same.

[oliver1850]

Originally Posted by madsciencenow

That’s some serious effort! Kudos to you for having the energy and skills to pull this off!! I remember my grandpa having something like this but with two wheels in the back (now that I think about it I think he was killed on that mower).

On another happier note, I finally connected your screen name with the picture. I used to work for a farmer who owned a number of Oliver tractors. As a teenager I couldn’t tell the difference between these and the JDs beyond color but the farmer I worked for loved them and lamented that they went out of business (at least this is what I remember happening).

Good luck finishing the mower!


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Thanks for the encouragement. Not many would be crazy enough to put the hours into the project that I have. It will never be pretty but I'm fairly confident that it will be serviceable. At least the initial entry fee was low, somewhere in the $65 range. I would have probably already had another junk mower project in the queue by now but the local spring auctions have been postponed.

Sorry to hear about your grandfather. Did he turn the mower over? One of the nice things about the F525 is its low center of gravity. The bigger 4 wheeled F series mowers were quite a bit taller - some had roll hoops and seat belts. I get pretty nervous on sidehills after tipping one of my Olivers over a few years back.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/John-Deere-...UAAOSwwD1dkqwy

Not many have picked up on the screen name, I never guessed it would be such an obscure reference. Oliver Corporation was purchased by White Motors (makers of Freightliner trucks) around 1960, and was rebranded as White Farm Equipment in 1969. The Oliver name and colors were dropped after 1976 in favor of silver painted White tractors, a huge mistake by the company. The White corporate management didn't have a good handle on farming and basically mismanaged WFE into oblivion. It was sold to Agco circa 1990 with the basic Oliver designs still in use. Agco continued to build White branded tractors until 2001 but there was no Oliver content in them after the Charles City Iowa (originally Hart-Parr, then Oliver) plant closed in 1993. The White name continues as Agco's planter brand.

Like most Oliver guys I have a number of them, and they all need work. If the farmer you worked for is still in business, I wouldn't mind making another contact for parts trading.

[Tickdoc]

I’ve got some tubulars to glue so I can get my old ciocc back on the road. Seems like productive use of downtime. I also have a garage to clean but not very excited about that one.

[8eh3iub]

Originally Posted by Tickdoc

I’ve got some tubulars to glue so I can get my old ciocc back on the road. Seems like productive use of downtime. I also have a garage to clean but not very excited about that one.

Same! In my case, it's a set of GP4s and a Pantani-era Bianchi. Finally rebuilt the wheels after 20 years. Still haven't bought brushes or Mastik. Aiming to do that before 2040.

[oldpotatoe]

I'm lucky enough to get wheel building 'stuff' shipped to me. No reason to go out. When stuff arrives, I pickup with gloves and mask, spray with alcohol and leave in garage for 24 hours..

Have 3 sets in the que, another 5 enroute..not sure how to ship tho...Probably pay the $5 for P/U...

[madsciencenow]

Originally Posted by oliver1850

Thanks for the encouragement. Not many would be crazy enough to put the hours into the project that I have. It will never be pretty but I'm fairly confident that it will be serviceable. At least the initial entry fee was low, somewhere in the $65 range. I would have probably already had another junk mower project in the queue by now but the local spring auctions have been postponed.

Sorry to hear about your grandfather. Did he turn the mower over? One of the nice things about the F525 is its low center of gravity. The bigger 4 wheeled F series mowers were quite a bit taller - some had roll hoops and seat belts. I get pretty nervous on sidehills after tipping one of my Olivers over a few years back.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/John-Deere-...UAAOSwwD1dkqwy

Not many have picked up on the screen name, I never guessed it would be such an obscure reference. Oliver Corporation was purchased by White Motors (makers of Freightliner trucks) around 1960, and was rebranded as White Farm Equipment in 1969. The Oliver name and colors were dropped after 1976 in favor of silver painted White tractors, a huge mistake by the company. The White corporate management didn't have a good handle on farming and basically mismanaged WFE into oblivion. It was sold to Agco circa 1990 with the basic Oliver designs still in use. Agco continued to build White branded tractors until 2001 but there was no Oliver content in them after the Charles City Iowa (originally Hart-Parr, then Oliver) plant closed in 1993. The White name continues as Agco's planter brand.

Like most Oliver guys I have a number of them, and they all need work. If the farmer you worked for is still in business, I wouldn't mind making another contact for parts trading.

The farmer I worked for, his son, and grandson are still farming. I’ll see if I can connect with them and then PM you.

I had forgotten about White but now that you mention it I think they had at least one of these tractors as well.

My grandfather was 80 and mowing around some parked trailers for my uncles trucking business. He backed the rear end of the mower (looked like the one you showed) under a trailer and in doing so the seat got jammed forward with him sitting on the mower. The problem was his foot was jammed on the reverse hydrostatic pedal and the steering wheel was pushed into his mid-section. Not sure how many minutes this went on but a passer by and my uncle got him off and he was taken to a small local hospital. His organs, I think liver in particular, was lacerated and they couldn’t stop the bleeding. It was traumatic as I was close to him but it was a blessing or good thing or whatever you want to call it because he was aging and struggling to keep up around the farm. My grandma will be 100 in May and the worst part has been seeing how lonely she is without him.


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[oliver1850]

Thanks.

That's sad to think about and unfortunately it's all too typical of accidents involving machinery. Most of us try to be careful but it doesn't take much of a miscalculation to result in tragedy. A friend/distant relative who used to help me bale hay pushed the button to close a garage door, then attempted to drive out under it on an ATV. He didn't make it, was trapped between the door and the ATV. He was 29, strong as a bull and acted as though nothing could hurt him.

Sorry for the thread drift AS.

[pdonk]

Redecorating a room for a new member of the family due in July.

Need to take down book shelves, an ikea wardrobe system, fill holes in drywall and repaint. The painting is going to be s hell job as the room is currently a really dark purple.

Then building a crib and other items, if/when the get delivered.

On bikes, I'll be rebuilding my brodie and turning up the others