Shop Time w/T.W. Friends

First day back to work (regular workplace) oh lordy, hit with a 2 hour stand down! Today's was just for the folks who have Mondays off so we got off easier than Monday crew...their's last 3+ hours.
It was mostly about us getting our act together...not so much mechanical maintenance but we covered several mistakes made by various departments.
I think much of the screw-ups attributed to; either new personnel and not fully grasp the unique aspect of Nuclear or the opposite older generation and complacency. Next up we have attitudes...many contributors dealing with that.
Overall the day went ok and I was able to catch up on bunch of emails and get my expense report done (where lots of my extra $$$ come from for traveling)
Then had some time to look at work for me the rest of the week.
Oh yeah! Then finished the evening on my new mower! It was delivered right after I got home. Wife is a little shaky on it but pretty good I thought because there's a learning curve on ZT.
I removed the deck from old Craftsman mower and will investigate tomorrow after work.

 

@RustyGreen you mentioned a fancy mower.
My first experience with a zero-turn was on a Ferris brand and I think they start at $10k or more. It was definitely a commercial duty mower for sure.
Think my new mower needs some slight adjustments made on the drive mechanism or a handle adjustment. I haven't looked at operations manual yet
But with both handles full forward it doesn't track straight (slightly off) and one of the handles goes farther forward a tiny bit.

 

The ZT does have a learning curve for sure.

One thing folks have problems with is digging up the lawn by turning skid steer style with one wheel going fwd and one going rev, instead keep them both going forward but at different speeds, much easier on the lawn.

BTW: If a rear tire on a ZT goes off the bead at full speed you make an immediate turn to the side with the flat -- if there happens to be a steep bank ending with a 3 foot drop you will shortly discover that a ZT doesn't glide for crap...

... and if you happen to be mowing around midnight, suddenly flying off the yard and landing in a ditch is all the more confusing...

 

Dave's not here man.

 

The last two sentences made one Helluva scene in my head

 

I am guilty of skid steer bald spots this evening
Thanks for that tip Rusty. I hadn't figured the cause out yet but I'm certain you nailed it.

 

X2

 

And if you happen to have a beer in hand and not manage to spill a drop...
A perfect

 

I have a very vivid imagination, so I guess the really good description helped

It often gets me in trouble sometimes though...

 

There will be stop bolts, turnbuckles or perhaps a clevis on each lever to synchronize the drive. Check the rear tire pressures first - if they are widely different that will change the speed too.

This is what I was looking at, way more mower than I need but fast and fun!
It is a Stander that also has a seat.

 

I tried drinking beer mowing... only did that once...

Although I was halfway through a 30 pack of Genessee white can when I started, so that didn't help the situation...

 

Another project I need to get done at the house is install new water heater. Hind sight being 20/20 I should have bought the 50 gallon short instead of the tall version I replaced back in July of 2008.
The short version would have made it easier to install an expansion tank..something that wasn't there when I replaced it the first time
I'll have finagle it in there somehow.
Kind of dislike plumbing projects but am going to try and get it planned/mapped out ahead of time and have enough fittings to do the job. If I make a trip to local hardware store the price of everything 3x higher. I'm proficient at sweat soldering but no expert by any means...hit and miss on how finished joints look. Sometimes pro looking other times not so much.
Another thing I need to consider was recommended by a fellow TW member; get rid of those places that pierce a hole in the copper pipe to feed the ice-maker and humidifier. I also need a couple or at least one new shut-off valve(s).

 

It was actually pretty funny after the fact...

Mowin' along, singin' a song about midnight. I have a magnet mount work light which shines far enough ahead to drive a car with, however it puts very little light to the sides.

Suddenly I made an abrupt left turn at full speed - down a very short, steep embankment and off into space.

Crash cockeyed into the ditch, mower stalls , light falls off -- I'm thinking WTH!
I thought I hit something, so I fix the light and try to drive out of the ditch, no...

Slug the mower out of the ditch (it is fairly light) and try to go - only makes an arc , discover the flat. I'm about 75 yards (downhill) from the house.

Lug the air tank down there
Air tank goes flat
Discover the tire is off the bead
Back to the house, wait for the compressor, return tank
Back to the house for the jack - the only jack - an 85 pound floor jack
Air up the tire, pile all the crap on the ZT and back to the house
1 am, back to mowing

Just another day of rural living.

 

I bought a mower once with collision damage, the fellow was mowing while in the bag and smashed head on into a large tree -- the only tree in his yard.

 

Pretty sure that's the day my old Craftsman rear engine rider got a dent right in the middle of the front, allegedly. I can't remember much from that weekend...

 

I fought with the inconsistent looking joints too. This was a large job with new clean pipe and fittings, moving right along they looked like .

Finally decided that I couldn't be that far off that often, I think it is the modern lead free solder. I was using a good brand from a plumbing supply house too, not any Slowes stuff. Nothing ever leaked, just looked crappy.

 

He cracked this one up good -- broke the grill & lights, dented the hood and broke the hinges. Nice little Simplicity hydro too.

 

I've been cheating, I've been converting all my water lines to PEX as needed. Started that when I abandoned the tankless coil in the oil boiler for an electric water heater...



I'll solder on one fitting to adapt to it and go from there. I don't like to use Sharkbite's if I don't have to. Still need to remove one Sharkbite tee I had to use when I installed the heater as I couldn't fine any 3/4 PEX tees locally at the time...

 

Goodnight everyone sleep well.