What are you doing today?

[Blckshdw]

It's the last day of a 4 day weekend. Because the cold I've had since last Sunday feels like it's on its last legs, decided to NOT spend a complete day on the couch like the previous 3, so got up and mowed the dandelions. Ran the string trimmer, raked up leaves along the fence line, and turned the compost pile. That's enough exercise.

When I walked into the shed to take the mower out, noticed some odd movement when about to put the charger plug on the shelf by the unit. Turns out, large ants were trying to start nesting between the cooling fins on the charger's block, and under the base. Got a can of bug spray and went to town. Doesn't appear there was any way for them to get inside the casing.

All cleaned up, and thinking about lunch. Gotta run out and pick up a prescription, debating if I wanna stop at the store while I'm out and pick up a few things.

 

[djthumper]

Hopefully not much.

 

[BrianF]

Back to work tonight. Was at a family funeral in regina this weekend. Work is work. Due to vacancies and vacation, we are thinner than the hair on a 90 year old bald guy.

Right now I gots to get off my ass to work a bit in the barn. One stall left to build. Its -17c today and will be colder tomorrow, then it will warm up. Once this damn stall is ready then I will hit the snow and burn some gas!!

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

In the cube village playing catch-up after illness working through the family. Luckily i missed out on it, but had to be care taker of most

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Busy morning but now gonna head up to the personal office and pretend to work while catching up on some shows on Hulu.

 

[TollKeeper]

Orientation for a new hire today. Boss has been out of the office for yesterday and today. Made life so much nicer not having him breathing down my neck.

Funeral tomorrow... YAY!

 

[Mooseman]

Riding the sled and just stopped now for some grub. Trails are hard packed but flat after grooming. Track is rubbing on the tunnel protectors making a racket so I'll cut the ride short.

 

[Beacon]

Went to the pick and pull, just to browse, take inventory. I hadn't been there in 6-10 years. I found this and to snap a pic to share

LMAO, yeah just put some tape on it!

Then later, started the 200k mile tune-up on the liberty, 16k late. I can't ever remember changing transmission more than once in the same vehicle. I was surprised, how few metal flakes were on the magnet

 

[Sparky]

Work.

I had an insurance adjuster come out and look at the roof due to more shingles messed up yet again. He called me and said, "We are putting a roof on your house. It's definitely damaged. Check in the mail this week." Sweet.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Working for the man

 

[Beacon]

Day 2 of the tune-up, new plugs, air filter, and sea foam top engine cleaner.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Working from the house

 

[Mooseman]

Today was just a shit show. Drilled a hole in the bottom of my sled's gas tank while I was trying to remove rivets holding tunnel protectors that are rubbing on my track. So dropped my sled to the ground, ripping the hoist I was using from the ceiling, and onto the unbolted and unsprung rear suspsension and dragged all of its 670 lbs outside while it was leaking 37.9 litres of gas. Stank up the house so had to seal up the door and aerate the garage. Luckily I had some absorbent and was able to soak up most of the gas in the garage but most spilled outside in the driveway in the snow so outside will stink of gas for a long time. So now I have to drag it back in the morning and pull the tank so I can try to patch it with a flameless soldering gun.

I should have just thrown a lit match at it. It's been nothing but problems.

 

[Beacon]

I never would have guessed the gas tanks would be that big.

 

[Mooseman]

It's a touring sled with a 3 cylinder 1050cc 4 stroke so it's made to ride all day on a tank. Did a slight mistake. It holds 35.6L/9.4gal. tank.

2010 Yamaha RS Venture GT

2010 Yamaha RS Venture GT pictures, prices, information, and specifications.

www.snowmobile.com

Today, gonna try and fix yesterday's clusterfack starting with my hoist. In a way, I'm thankful it didn't let go while I was working on it so I'll solidify it with some pieces 2x8 scrrewed into the ceiling. Then me and my son will drag its sorry ass back into the garage and take it apart to take the tank off. The soldering gun should arrive today (love Amazon 1 day shipping).

 

[2001ZR2]

Phase one of mission to recover my son's wrecked 2005 Trailbalzer is going this weekend. I am rebuilding the entire front end on my 1997 Suburban Assault Vehicle. When I replaced the tires nothing was too loose by itself but all together the alignment shop kicked it back. So new Tie Rod, Ball Joints, idler arm, and Pitman arm are on the menu for this weekend. In addition the wheel hubs will be replaced the drivers side has a little play. Also the brakes are on their last legs guess letting two teenage boys drive it uses a lot of brakes very quickly. Also replaced the shocks as I have had the vehicle for 16 years and 180k miles and haven't replaced the shocks in that time. Have to check the paperwork but I did spend money too make it right after I bought it.

Did get lucky when a U bolt broke while it was on the lift for tires. All the U bolts were corroded down to about 3/16"

Damn it you think GM could build a better vehicle as 307k miles and 23 years is not long enough for me.

 

[Blckshdw]

Doing some research on PVC boards and aluminum soffits. Was getting ready to run to the store when the door bell rings. Couple guys with a construction company trying to drum up window replacement and roofing business. I usually shut those types down, but decided to hear them out, and mentioned some of the worn out fascia boards. I also have this garden window in the kitchen that I hate.

So they had somebody stop by later to give me a quote on replacing that window, and some options on my trim issues. The problem with this setup, the guys doing the pitch are trying to stack the deck to make money, and the person that does the quote has to be the closer. The dudes asked how many windows I had, not how many I was wanting to actually replace. When the lady shows up talking about replacing 5 or 6 windows, had to stop that real quick. Then she says they have a minimum order of 3 windows... Had her take a look at the kitchen window, and she said due to the size, some reframing would need to be done for a new window to fit, and I'd be looking at $3000 ballpark for that. Yeah, not right now.... Turned attention to the trim boards, pretty much the same deal. They'd need to do an entire side of my house for it to be worth it to them, but that's not what I need done, so it was pretty much a waste of her time.

Ran to the grocery store to pick up a few things. Considered washing the truck today, but will probably wait until tomorrow when it's a little warmer. Other than that, will resume that couch potato lifestyle for the rest of the day.

 

[BrianF]

Still at work. The gong show continues. Weather is nice and money is out so things are coming unglued.

I am just about done my projects in our little barn. Finished the second stall and added more lights. Next I have to add a breaker, run some wire and add a plug in for heated water buckets. Hopefully that will be done this weekend. We have 2 horses very close to foaling now and another two mid to late next month.

The weather is supposed to be real nice this upcoming week so I topped up my jerry cans and will make some premix to power the old sleds. Cannot wait to get out there.

I started looking for some more vintage sleds. I wouldn't mind a little Yamaha Enticer of John Deere Spitfire for the kids but what I am really looking for is the late 70's, early 80's John Deere Liquifire. So far all I can find is a 440 Trailfire... which may have to do...

 

[northcreek]

I started looking for some more vintage sleds. I wouldn't mind a little Yamaha Enticer of John Deere Spitfire for the kids but what I am really looking for is the late 70's, early 80's John Deere Liquifire. So far all I can find is a 440 Trailfire... which may have to do...

Saw this cream puff, 40 years with original owner....

1980 John Deere LIQUIFIRE 440 Vintage Snowmobile | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1980 John Deere LIQUIFIRE 440 Vintage Snowmobile at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

rover.ebay.com

 

[BrianF]

Sweet baby Jesus!! That is a mint looking machine!! I always liked JD sleds with the low hood line, forward air intake and even that awkwardly tall windshield.

 

[northcreek]

Sweet baby Jesus!! That is a mint looking machine!! I always liked JD sleds with the low hood line, forward air intake and even that awkwardly tall windshield.

Yeah, with a couple of days driving, and your piggy bank you can be the proud owner ... ...

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

In the cube farm

 

[TollKeeper]

Back in the cubicle. I think I want to find a new job..... Been here for three years, and I just dont see any potential for advancement, or pay increases. My work load has doubled, but no effort has been given to me in respect to it. I have saved the company money, and a few headaches. Just not sure the appreciation is there.

 

[Mounce]

I think I want to find a new job..... Been here for three years, and I just dont see any potential for advancement, or pay increases.

Getting about the same with mine, totally different field but have been promised a nice promotion for about 2 years and it hasn't hit yet. However I can get a raise about once a year when I ask for it and will get a sizable raise once the promotion goes through. Been there 4 years wasting my time in a position that doesn't take advantage of my abilities and doesn't help me grow but it's a cake walk and I'm well respected. Just tired of what I do when I can do better lol.

For me, today, I slept in on the off day and then got up and went to town for a few things and snagged 5 gallons of diesel. Put a new feed line, lift pump, both fuel filters, and inner and outer air filters on our '84 mf240 tractor trying to get it to run. Drained 3 gallons of old rusty fuel out and washed the tank with a gallon of the new. Ran out of daylight and patience. Got all the parts swapped out but never got it to start. Primed it and cranked repeatedly for an hour or so, battery was getting spanked and the starter was getting hot. Always a pita to bleed her out. Had the same trouble last time I ran it and decided I needed these parts and parked it until today. Figure it'll just take me a while to get it to fire the first time then it'll be fine. Will mess with it Sunday and decide if it's fine or needs injectors or injector pump.

Found it needs a radiator, lost all coolant over the hiatus from bottom corner. Too bad I just put a lot of effort into a professional JB patch job at the top around the filler neck over a year ago after braising/soldering wouldn't take.

 

[Blckshdw]

I think I want to find a new job..... Been here for three years, and I just dont see any potential for advancement, or pay increases.

Been there 4 years wasting my time in a position that doesn't take advantage of my abilities and doesn't help me grow but it's a cake walk and I'm well respected. Just tired of what I do when I can do better lol.

Same boat. It'll be 4 years for me come August. Only path for advancement is either management (hard pass) or going to corporate in NYC (harder pass). They do give raises annually, but they're small ones. The job is easy, so I can't really complain about that, although things are about to change as my partner in crime (who's been here 2 years longer) is leaving next week, so a lot of her responsibilities are getting dumped on my plate. Have loosely been looking for something better, been in touch with some tech recruiters, so we'll see if something better surfaces. 🤞

Would be nice if today goes smoothly and quietly. There were supposed to be thunderstorms all day today, but it's been dry so far, with the rain scheduled to come mid afternoon. I have to leave early for a dentist appointment, right when the rain is supposed to hit. Hoping it holds off until I get out of there and head home. I think, when I got my wisdoms yanked, they knocked one of my fillings loose. Been cold sensitive on one tooth for a few weeks now, and it feels funny chewing on it. All the other weird aches and stuff only last a day or so, figured that was just part of the healing process, but this has been steady since the swelling went down, so we'll see what they say.

 

[BrianF]

Supposed to be at work but had to take it off to bring my wife in to see a doctor. I am coughing too but not sure if its me getting sick or that bloody workout yesterday.

Went sledding monday with my kids. Also worked on the JD spitfires with my buddy. Turns out one is toast. Has a bad cylinder and the other has terminal carb problems. He picked up a 1994 polaris Indy from some family. Liquid cooled triple and its ridiculously clutched. Have to rev to 5500rpm to get it to engage. Not a fun trail sled. That and in the back forty pushing bush to make a new trail, the primary began to seize up. Almost stranded...

All this while my trusty golden ghost runs along like a top.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Stuck in intensive 4 day of Continuing Education for licensing

 

[Beacon]

North Bergen, then Yonkers. 1st trip across GW went way too easy, which usually means the return trip will be pure hell.

 

[Blckshdw]

Long day for a Friday. Not a whole lot going on at work, so time crawled. Had a sit down with a team mate to go over some QA checks and balances that I'll be taking over next week before she leaves for a new job. Our boss said initially that she was going to take on some of this stuff, but nope...

Got home and decided to get some work done out back. Not going to bag my grass clippings for the compost pile this year, so dropped the cutting deck to switch the blades from bagging to mulching. Took apart the bag attachment system, disconnected the clippings chute, and put on the mulching cap in its place. Really should have pulled the mower out, removing the cutting deck while inside the shed was a pain in the ass!

 

[2001ZR2]

Phase one of mission to recover my son's wrecked 2005 Trailbalzer is going this weekend. I am rebuilding the entire front end on my 1997 Suburban Assault Vehicle. When I replaced the tires nothing was too loose by itself but all together the alignment shop kicked it back. So new Tie Rod, Ball Joints, idler arm, and Pitman arm are on the menu for this weekend. In addition the wheel hubs will be replaced the drivers side has a little play. Also the brakes are on their last legs guess letting two teenage boys drive it uses a lot of brakes very quickly. Also replaced the shocks as I have had the vehicle for 16 years and 180k miles and haven't replaced the shocks in that time. Have to check the paperwork but I did spend money too make it right after I bought it.

Did get lucky when a U bolt broke while it was on the lift for tires. All the U bolts were corroded down to about 3/16"

Damn it you think GM could build a better vehicle as 307k miles and 23 years is not long enough for me.

The Trailblazer is home. Averaged about 10 mpg round trip which is impressively bad. I will unload it today and with a broken tie rod that will be fun. I still don't understand why the body shop wouldn't put one on or let me do it. They insist that the lower control arm is bent which it may be but I have this crazy idea that having control of both wheels is a good thing. I will get it in the garage for at least a new tie rod and will inspect the rest of the damage.

 

[Mounce]

Will mess with it Sunday and decide if it's fine or needs injectors or injector pump.

Injector pump is spanked. Took a banjo bolt out from one of the injector feed lines on the pump and the diesel doesn't even stir inside when cranked. Verified the internal shaft is still being driven from the timing set. Have quadruple verified its getting all the fuel it wants now.

Gonna get a gasket/rebuild kit for it, new rotor vanes, new inlet strainer and whatever other jazz my research can find as far as miscellaneous parts to replace and see what happens.

Only thing left after that is injectors. Considered getting them to slap in with the pump rebuild but I'll wait. Slowly making my way down the line to find what else is wrong without shotgunning parts at it, not like the last parts weren't needed too.

 

[Maverick6587]

@Blckshdw I thought about getting that lawnmower a few years ago. The price was just a little too much for me for my small yard. How do you like it?

 

[Blckshdw]

It's the last week before my workload gets crazy and doubles, so trying to test run a few things, and touch as much stuff as possible so I can get clarification on procedures before it's sink or swim time. Been finding out people have been changing minor things in the system without telling me, that affect some of the Excel macros I've built. They're small enough to not seem like a big deal, if you don't realize when a script is searching through text, any change makes all the difference in the world. Plus, of course, 1st of the month means management is requesting all sorts of data, so things are hectic for me right now.

@Blckshdw I thought about getting that lawnmower a few years ago. The price was just a little too much for me for my small yard. How do you like it?

I love it, this thing is great! I have about 1/3 of an acre, which I tried doing with a push mower the first summer in the house. Folks recommended getting a zero turn model, but I wanted something electric. Of course, the year after I get this one, Ryobi came out with an electric zero turn model Due to the larger size, the zero turn wouldn't fit into my shed, so this is fine. I plan to buy a tow behind cart to use along with it. Will make it easier carrying multiple/heavier items to the back of the property. Battery life is great, although reading the gauge isn't very intuitive, I've mowed the yard twice in a month, without having it plugged in, and had plenty of juice.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

In the cube farm

 

[Maverick6587]

I just won (bought) a roll cage for the 06' racer from a local online auction for a $150!!!

Not sure what it's from but, the measurements are within a few inches of my 97x. I assume I would have spent at least $300 or more in the tubing alone. It's at least $2k to have a cage built by someone else.

 

[Blckshdw]

Work was full of procrastination today. Team member's last day, so lots of people were socializing. Little going away gathering after lunch and there was cake. LOTS of cake. Started nodding off at my desk during a conference call after that.

Got home and the weather was nice, with some clouds so decided to roll out the pressure washer and wash the EXT. Backed the truck into the center of the driveway, got out to see this lil guy on the side of the driveway sunning himself (where I usually back into the garage) Good thing I decided to wash the truck today, or he mighta had a really bad day. He's pretty far from the retention pond in the back yard. Went in the house to change clothes, then was gonna scoop him up and put him back, but by the time I came back, he split. Made sure he wasn't under the truck and got to cleaning.

 

[Sparky]

Home sick today. Blah.

 

[2001ZR2]

I got my son's wrecked Trailblazer to the body shop yesterday. Learned more about the platform from their tech. The frame is much stronger than the control arms in a wreck so it is very seldom hurt but the control arms bend like "butter". The truck will line up the toe with the new tie rod replacing the broken one. The caster and camber can't be brought into spec so heading to the pick and pull to get a lower control arm as I prefer GM over Chinese replacments and a steering knuckle. Trying to decide if I will get a new upper control arm or take a used one from my scrap pile and replace the bushings. The reason I prefer GM over complete repalcement is the ball joint in those are from the vendor per Moog and the fit is unknown i.e. could be larger or small diameter.

 

[Blckshdw]

Gonna be dog sitting for some friends while they're on a cruise for a week. The dogs love my large back yard, but it's a pain having to be out there to make sure they don't get into the brush, or try to start digging. Had the idea of fencing off a small section of the back yard right by the house, so they can still be outside, but I can keep an eye on them from the living room.

Picked up some cheap temporary construction fence from the hardware store, and some posts. The 100' roll was only $5 more than the 50' roll, so figured I'd just double it up, since the plastic was a little thin anyway. Halfway through, decided to use zip ties, so went to the garage to get them. Came back and got back to work, and heard something off to the side. I was being watched...




If you can't see him, look a lil closer... 🐍




Got things wrapped up and secured. Then just had to wait a couple more hours to give it a test run. Worked great, cuz if/when they poop and I don't catch them in the act, it's much easier to find and clean up, so I don't step in it later! The bigger dog is pretty smart, she started testing the fence to see if she could get to the whole yard. In most places there's enough slack at the bottom that she couldn't lift it with her snout. But there's one area, near the tree on the left, that she started to get under. Will have to deal with that tomorrow.




In a little bit, will be meeting up with some friends to watch the UFC fights and get some wings, coronavirus be damned..

 

[coolride]

Yesterday, I bought this vice from a guy on FB Marketplace for 25 bucks. Installed it onto this workbench that I built with left over bamboo flooring and a discarded bed frame I picked up on the side of the road.

So essentially, it's 1x4s and bamboo. A little epoxy, a 4 dollar tube of Loctite construction adhesive (on sale at HF,) and some old wood screws (that were a gift.)