New Developments in Mower Project

Wow, didn't touch any of the mower sub-projects (tractor, deck and motorcar trailer) today but nonetheless big developments affecting them.  RPI member Frank Glatzl of Cedar Park offered to assist in drilling the holes for all the bolts in the new frame members since he has access to the necessary tools.  A warm thank-you to Frank for that!  And, I dropped by Westbrook Metals in Austin today and picked up the aluminum frame members to replace the bent and cracked members on the motorcar trailer, donated Dec. 17 by Mike Barnette of Katy, TX.  Here's some photos:

As you could see, the original frame was twisted and cracked at one point, probably due to an excessive load of some sort.  So the first order of business is to replace the frame and add crossmembers on top to increase the height.

The new aluminum C-channel is 1.41 inches wide on the legs, 3 inches on the base, and .170 thick, more or less like the original, except a little wider on the legs.  The two members running lengthwise to which the hubs attach are 7 feet, 8 inches, long.  That is 16 inches longer than the originals, so the trailer will have somewhat greater capacity as well as a longer wheelbase to enable the mower deck to fit.  The cross members will sit on top of the lengthwise frame members to add three inches of height.

The day was also a good one for RPI because I found a gas blower real cheap.  Of course, it's not working but perhaps it will be a cheap repair.  Leland, Hugh Summers and I used the one I already have for clearing out the flangeways of the Llano rail crossings in Kingsland in early October, but a second blower would have been helpful to keep the debris from just blowing back into the other flangeway.

And finally, I bought a railroad crossing sign for my Operation Lifesaver activities.  The one I already have is cracked and peeling and sort of a pain to put together.  The new one is in better shape, and is lighter and easier to tote around.

So top priority now is to start dismantling the motorcar trailer so I can get the original and new frame members to Frank to get some holes bored.  This project is starting to pick up momentum.