Tractors, Mowers, Chippers, Trailers, Chainsaws, Generators, Driveway Erosion Control, ETC.

I don't mind fixing things that wear out but fixing critter damage just makes you incredibly angry.

 

He got himself a treat , he is my first what a Attitude

 

He's adorable. I always wanted a wire haired. Showed that to the wife and she said "I must pet him. Where does he live?"

 

He is like a grumpy old man , likes family and no one else, he got grounded from Lowe’s started barking at a older lady. Hahah he didn’t like here so we trusted his judgment

 

Sharp looking fellow!

 

Yep. That's why Marvin got an extra treat for the pack rat he left on my porch.

 

I'd be willing to bet that that I have rodent damage as well that caused my old mower to have a parasitic drain somewhere.

I tore out my old Lowes tin can cheapo 10x12 shed (on dirt) to be replaced with a 12x24 stick built shed (on gravel) and this will be sealed up much better.

When I pulled the old floors up, there were tons of rat nests and I killed two fat rats. I've also recently caught 5 or 6 fat ones.

Hopefully the new shed with a new mower parked inside will be safe from rodents.

Oh. also found this... Timber Rattlesnake skin fits loosely over my hand like a mitten...

 

On the hunt for a discontinued part,

This is the jack shaft/idler assemble for a 500 series Toro ZT. It is the power take off for the vacuum blower in the blower assembly.

They stopped making the part around 2008. If anyone knows of some Toro ZT specific junk yards, let me know.

 

--- SNAKE!!

Stuff like that gives me the willies...

 

Tell me more about chyanne pepper as a mouse deterrant.

 

I had problems with dozens of rats getting into my shed at the farm, I park the tractor in a carport, I throw those mothball bags under where I park. I also left a bowl of water and antifreeze inside the shed and problem solved. My dogs don't leave the house yard when I take them and the shed is about 100yds away. The farm kitty doesn't visit the shed, and I keep the door closed. I will have to keep the antifreeze out until I can get all the nearby burnpiles burned down and finish clearing out around the shed and barn/corral area.

 

I used to park all my vehicles outside before I had my garage expanded. The wife had snakes falling out of her engine bay one day and I found a huge pile of acorns on her engine. I cleaned it out and washed the engine with Purple degreaser.The snakes were after rodents.

The NEXT morning this was in there. They did this from 6PM to 6AM.

Soooo...I bought a big container of ground cayenne and sprinkled the engine bays. That was it--no more rodents, no more acorns in the engine bays.

About 4 months after I stopped getting any rodent activity under the hoods--I was keeping the cayenne fresh under there, my wife's car started running rough. ABSOLUTELY NO acorns or signs of nesting but chewed injector wires. Had it fixed at the dealer and then sprayed all the wires with Fluid Film. No damage since then and it's been a couple years or so.

TLDR--spray your wiring with Fluid Film and keep cayenne pepper sprinkled in the engine bay if you live in rodent infested areas.

 

Other thoughts: I live in the woods. I've always had snakes around my house. I've also had ticks around my house. I've read that chipmunks are the biggest spreader of tick larvae and I've had them around the house as well. This year I was hearing something on my porch after dark. Shined a flashlight and there was a cat on my porch. Seems it visits my porch every night.

I haven't had any snakes around the house this summer. I haven't had any chipmunks around the house. I haven't had a tick problem in my back yard like I always do in the summer. I'm not a big cat lover but this thing has done a lot of good for me.

 

What’s the bowl of water and antifreeze for?

 

Antifreeze used to be sweet and tasted good to the critters then the ethylene would kill them. today's antifreeze is not as toxic as the old style. It's really not doing anything.

 

It’s not that it’s not toxic, it’s that a bitterent has been added and makes it undesirable to most animals, specifically household pets and small children.
Not that I’ve actively done taste testing, but being in the equipment repair business, I’ve had coolant of various types on me, and ingested small quantities or at least had it in my hands and had occasion to taste, the new stuff is nasty, even trace amounts from just touching coolant sprayed parts has gotten my attention. Even the steam from a blown radiator or hose gets pretty nasty quickly.

 

Muffler for 5000 series Toro ZT.

Has a crack in the outer shell. $180 for a new one. Imma gonna try and weld this thin shit.

Hopefully it last a while.

 

You got mad welding skills.

 

Thanks!

I was a bit worried using a 240 Miller.

The grinder kinda helps to be honest.

 

Did you drill a hole at each end of the crack?