Today I carried out a test of the voltage regulator and starter/generator, which Frank Glatzl thinks might not be working. The test seemed to indicate that the voltage regulator is working, but we are still not sure about the starter/generator. Unfortunately my continuity tester bulb burned out in the process, so will have to replace it. Frank will take another look at the system when he comes over on Jan. 14 for our engine teardown.
I installed six stainless steel standoffs, three on each side of the rail-mower frame, and cut off part of the conveyor belting mats I made to hold tools since those parts were impeding quick disconnection and installation of the mats (which is the purpose of the standoffs in the first place). I drilled holes in mats and the standoffs fit right into them, holding the mats in place. I also installed a metal holder to keep the muffer in the right position. All this activity took me about 4 hours (slow but sure is my motto, since quick and perfect isn't going to happen). Will take some photos and post here tomorrow morning.
After lunch I opened up my angle grinder, which was refusing to work. I took out the brushes, but they looked OK. I did blow a bunch of dust off the windings. Then I put it back together and voila, it worked, allowing me to continue working on rail-related projects.
I cut off a piece of 48" bar metal yesterday to bolt underneath the frame to support the plywood floor, which has been sagging and thereby impeding quick re-installation of the mats. But as I looked at where to put it, I couldn't find a place that would be clear of the mower deck. You wouldn't want to have to take the bar off to remove the deck. So I had a sudden inspiration--use four existing 1/2" holes on the side frame to install flat metal stubs that would support the flooring. I drilled six holes in some 3/16" 1x2 inch metal I had and installed the stubs and they did the job. Of course, drilling and then installing the stubs took several hours as well. It's amazing how many tools and parts you have to go back and forth to get when you are working on a project 100 feet away from your tool and parts storage.
For my last project of the day I finished cutting notches in my steel C-channel ramps to load motorcars and the rail-mower onto my 16-foot trailer. The notches will enable the ramp to fit down over the railhead when it protrudes up from the surface we are loading from. I used a cutoff saw yesterday to do some of the cuts, but then realized after I returned the saw that I had made the cuts in the identical locations, whereas they needed to be on opposite sides. I corrected that error with the angle grinder and then made sideways cuts to take out the notches in the ends of the ramps.
Tomorrow I will polish up the ramps with a wirewheel on my air drill and then spray paint them with a Tractor Supply Co. primer-and-paint-in-one product. That way they won't look completely rusty as they do now. I will also try to hook up the sandblaster and take a whack at sandblasting the rail-mower hood, which has dropped down in priority compared to all these other chores. If it sands down OK, will try spray-painting the hood and putting it together. Once all those items are checked off, that should do me for rail-related projects until the Jan. 14 work session with Frank.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Bit of Progress
Today I mounted a deflector safety skirt on the discharge chute of the rail-mower, to ensure that anything thrown out the chute hits the skirt and falls outside the rail.
Also rented a cutoff saw and shortened the C-channel ramps I built for the rail-mower and motorcars from 8 feet to 6 feet 10 inches. The 8-foot version was pretty heavy to lift and I could see it bending as the motorcar went up it. I figured a shorter one would be stiffer and the angle would not be too sharp for the rail-mower to get over it.
Unfortunately, heard from M&D Mower that they have ordered the piston rings for the rail-mower's Wisconsin engine from the factory. Since the factory is no longer making them, that probably means I will hear shortly from them that they are unavailable. Fortunately, I have found an alternative supplier so will order the rings from them if necessary.
Also rented a cutoff saw and shortened the C-channel ramps I built for the rail-mower and motorcars from 8 feet to 6 feet 10 inches. The 8-foot version was pretty heavy to lift and I could see it bending as the motorcar went up it. I figured a shorter one would be stiffer and the angle would not be too sharp for the rail-mower to get over it.
Unfortunately, heard from M&D Mower that they have ordered the piston rings for the rail-mower's Wisconsin engine from the factory. Since the factory is no longer making them, that probably means I will hear shortly from them that they are unavailable. Fortunately, I have found an alternative supplier so will order the rings from them if necessary.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Preparing for January 14 Engine Teardown
Today I purchased an HA129S shell bearing set and a DR59 piston ring set (tri-chrome) for the Wisconsin S-12D engine that powers the rail-mower. Frank Glatzl and I are going to tear the engine down during our January 14 get-together, replace those parts, and then put it back together. Frank already has purchased a new set of gaskets so the engine will be in great running shape when we are done. Frank had noticed that the breather tube had a lot of blow-by coming out of it, so that indicates the piston rings need to be replaced. And as long as we are in there, we might as well replace the shell bearings. Sure hope there isn't anything else we need to replace since it takes a lot of effort to find parts for this old engine.
Yesterday I was down in Austin so I stopped by American Bolt and picked up six stainless steel hex coupling nuts, plus the screw inserts to turn them into standoffs mounted on the rail-mower. I will drill holes in the conveyor belting mats and then mount the mats onto the rail-mower using the standoffs to hold them in place. It was actually a good solution to a vexing problem of finding affordable standoffs that wouldn't rust quickly.When I drill the holes for the screws I am going to tap them so the screws can be screwed in. That should keep them in place, along with a nut at the back. A short screw insert on the top of the coupling nut will keep it from unscrewing.
Yesterday I was down in Austin so I stopped by American Bolt and picked up six stainless steel hex coupling nuts, plus the screw inserts to turn them into standoffs mounted on the rail-mower. I will drill holes in the conveyor belting mats and then mount the mats onto the rail-mower using the standoffs to hold them in place. It was actually a good solution to a vexing problem of finding affordable standoffs that wouldn't rust quickly.When I drill the holes for the screws I am going to tap them so the screws can be screwed in. That should keep them in place, along with a nut at the back. A short screw insert on the top of the coupling nut will keep it from unscrewing.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Miscellaneous Chores for Rail-Mower
I installed three D-rings on my 16-foot trailer today, mainly to provide secure tie-down points for the rail-mower when it is being transported behind the Woodings CBI. One went in the middle of the trailer, to route the winch cable under the CBI when winching up the rail-mower onto the trailer.
Also worked on a safety skirt for the rail-mower discharge chute. Frank and I agreed it would be best to have some sort of skirt to block any debris that might get thrown out. So I cut a 6x16" piece of 1/4" thick conveyor belting. Then I drilled about 50 holes in it so it wouldn't completely block the air being discharged. Finally, I found a piece of 2" angle iron and drilled four holes in it. Then I cleaned it up with a wirewheel brush to prep for priming and painting (probably this weekend since it will be too cool and humid to paint for the next day or so). I will paint the angle iron red, just like the mower deck itself. The angle iron will be secured to the top of the discharge chute with some quick-disconnect clevis pins. The conveyor belting will be secured to to the bottom part of the angle iron with two bolts. And that should prevent debris from being thrown out.
Also spent some time online looking for round standoffs to mount on the rail-mower sides to hold in place the heavy-duty mats I have fabricated to carry tools on. Finally realized there were none at a reasonable cost, so am going to go with hex standoffs instead. Will see if I can pick them up at American Bolt tomorrow down in Austin.
Also worked on a safety skirt for the rail-mower discharge chute. Frank and I agreed it would be best to have some sort of skirt to block any debris that might get thrown out. So I cut a 6x16" piece of 1/4" thick conveyor belting. Then I drilled about 50 holes in it so it wouldn't completely block the air being discharged. Finally, I found a piece of 2" angle iron and drilled four holes in it. Then I cleaned it up with a wirewheel brush to prep for priming and painting (probably this weekend since it will be too cool and humid to paint for the next day or so). I will paint the angle iron red, just like the mower deck itself. The angle iron will be secured to the top of the discharge chute with some quick-disconnect clevis pins. The conveyor belting will be secured to to the bottom part of the angle iron with two bolts. And that should prevent debris from being thrown out.
Also spent some time online looking for round standoffs to mount on the rail-mower sides to hold in place the heavy-duty mats I have fabricated to carry tools on. Finally realized there were none at a reasonable cost, so am going to go with hex standoffs instead. Will see if I can pick them up at American Bolt tomorrow down in Austin.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Good News and Bad News
The good news is, the RPI rail-mower was field-tested yesterday, Dec. 10, at Kingsland and successfully mowed about 7 miles of track, making it much easier to see any obstructions that might lurk between the rails. That is a significant safety improvement for our motorcars when they operate in the Kingsland area (where the grass seems to grow higher and thicker there than elsewhere along RPI's Llano-Kingsland railroad lease).
The bad news was, it took us three hours to get the rail-mower engine working. It had been working fine up until the previous day but it refused to fire up when we tried to start it at the Antlers Hotel set-on location. Frank Glatzl tried filing the points without results. We moved the group a half-mile down to a spot across the street from the Kingsland NAPA store (excellent resource) . I ran over to buy a replacement condenser since we thought the one on it might be bad. Then I had to get a screw to close up a hole under the condenser. But still no spark despite valiant efforts by Frank and helpful comments by onlookers. Marty Reimer joined the fray in an effort to diagnose just what the problem was. Finally, he suggested that the ignition coil had gone bad, even though it was only about 7 months old. I ran back to NAPA, bought a replacement and we tested it for spark. Yes! We had spark. We installed the coil and the engine started up. Then we powered up the mower and it worked fine. Here's some photos of the repair work underway:
Frank and Marty are working on the rail-mower above, with Bradley Nelson looking on. Note that the date on the photo is incorrect (this work session occurred on Saturday, Dec. 10).
Here's the patient motorcar owner-operators giving the repair operation close attention since nobody is going anywhere until Leland Stewart, our Excursion Coordinator and RPI President, decides when to pull the plug. Leland was most understanding. We greatly appreciated his forebearance and the chance to fix the problem and show what the rail-mower can do.
Once the rail-mower was going, Frank and I set off in my Woodings CBI towards Scobey Spur, pulling it
behind us. We moved forward at only 2-3 mph to give the mower the chance to work on the grass. The cut was rather uneven in spots due to my going too fast at first but later on it looked better as I learned to slow down when the grass was thicker. We had to stop and raise the deck to get across some crossings, so Frank would jump out and use his handle and link to raise or lower it. We stopped after crossing the LBJ Lake bridge for lunch at Spyke's, way behind on our work schedule.
At Scobey Spur we set off the rail-mower using our portable turntable, turned the Woodings on the turntable and eventually set the rail-mower on again, behind the Woodings, so it could mow in the forward position, which apparently yields better results. On the way back we stopped at a tie that the rail-mower blades had grazed on the way out and we thought we would just throw it out of the way. Turned out it was spiked down pretty well and we had to remove a spike on the other side of the rail before we got pull the tie apart and throw it overboard. We also had to stop to raise and lower the mower deck at two points where the center was high with dirt that had been deposited from the sides of a cut. Maybe we will dig that out next time and see how long it takes to fill back up.
We returned to the Antlers Hotel set-on area at Kingsland and began cutting west, toward Llano. It did a very good job on the first pass, but we were still able to make grass cuttings fly on the way back, leaving behind a greatly improved motorcar route.
All in all, a lot of drama in the morning but a successful outcome. Participants in today's work session included Leland Stewart, Frank Glatzl, Jerry Light, Marty Reimer, Bradley Nelson, Mike Harris, Lou Houck and myself. Leland and Jerry rode in Jerry's hy-rail Gator, Marty and Lou in Marty's MT-19, and Mike and Bradley in Mike's A-car. The group did a lot of brush-cutting at various points while our Woodings CBI trundled along pulling the rail-mower. It never took them long to catch up with us. One interesting angle is that the CBI is just about the best motorcar to pull a rail-mower at a slow speed, since it has a constant velocity drive transmission. My M19AA with a two-cylinder RKB was built for speed and would have overheated within a short time from trying to go so slowly, and the more common ROC engine probably would have had problems as well.
That's the story of the first successful field-trial of the RPI rail-mower and hope we can find even more uses for it in the future. Here's the CBI and rail-mower back home before taking them off the trailer. The rail-mower will need to have the debris blown off it once it dries out (a rainstorm blew in just as we left the Junction House restaurant at the Antlers after having dinner there).
There are a few additional things to do with the rail-mower. I have received a new set of points and condenser so we will install them to ensure it runs smoothly. Plus Frank diagnosed that the starter-generator is not generating, so we will change it out for a spare one I have on hand. I also plan to work on installing the mats so we can place hand tools on it and not have them fall onto the mower deck.
Last but not least, I officially delivered the rail-mower to Railroad Partners, Inc. and received a receipt from Leland Stewart, as RPI President, at the beginning of the work session. So it is now RPI property at this point and available for RPI work wherever needed. I will continue to shelter it under my carport at my place while we carry out additional improvements and prepare it for the coming mowing season.
The bad news was, it took us three hours to get the rail-mower engine working. It had been working fine up until the previous day but it refused to fire up when we tried to start it at the Antlers Hotel set-on location. Frank Glatzl tried filing the points without results. We moved the group a half-mile down to a spot across the street from the Kingsland NAPA store (excellent resource) . I ran over to buy a replacement condenser since we thought the one on it might be bad. Then I had to get a screw to close up a hole under the condenser. But still no spark despite valiant efforts by Frank and helpful comments by onlookers. Marty Reimer joined the fray in an effort to diagnose just what the problem was. Finally, he suggested that the ignition coil had gone bad, even though it was only about 7 months old. I ran back to NAPA, bought a replacement and we tested it for spark. Yes! We had spark. We installed the coil and the engine started up. Then we powered up the mower and it worked fine. Here's some photos of the repair work underway:
Frank and Marty are working on the rail-mower above, with Bradley Nelson looking on. Note that the date on the photo is incorrect (this work session occurred on Saturday, Dec. 10).
Here's the patient motorcar owner-operators giving the repair operation close attention since nobody is going anywhere until Leland Stewart, our Excursion Coordinator and RPI President, decides when to pull the plug. Leland was most understanding. We greatly appreciated his forebearance and the chance to fix the problem and show what the rail-mower can do.
Once the rail-mower was going, Frank and I set off in my Woodings CBI towards Scobey Spur, pulling it
behind us. We moved forward at only 2-3 mph to give the mower the chance to work on the grass. The cut was rather uneven in spots due to my going too fast at first but later on it looked better as I learned to slow down when the grass was thicker. We had to stop and raise the deck to get across some crossings, so Frank would jump out and use his handle and link to raise or lower it. We stopped after crossing the LBJ Lake bridge for lunch at Spyke's, way behind on our work schedule.
At Scobey Spur we set off the rail-mower using our portable turntable, turned the Woodings on the turntable and eventually set the rail-mower on again, behind the Woodings, so it could mow in the forward position, which apparently yields better results. On the way back we stopped at a tie that the rail-mower blades had grazed on the way out and we thought we would just throw it out of the way. Turned out it was spiked down pretty well and we had to remove a spike on the other side of the rail before we got pull the tie apart and throw it overboard. We also had to stop to raise and lower the mower deck at two points where the center was high with dirt that had been deposited from the sides of a cut. Maybe we will dig that out next time and see how long it takes to fill back up.
We returned to the Antlers Hotel set-on area at Kingsland and began cutting west, toward Llano. It did a very good job on the first pass, but we were still able to make grass cuttings fly on the way back, leaving behind a greatly improved motorcar route.
All in all, a lot of drama in the morning but a successful outcome. Participants in today's work session included Leland Stewart, Frank Glatzl, Jerry Light, Marty Reimer, Bradley Nelson, Mike Harris, Lou Houck and myself. Leland and Jerry rode in Jerry's hy-rail Gator, Marty and Lou in Marty's MT-19, and Mike and Bradley in Mike's A-car. The group did a lot of brush-cutting at various points while our Woodings CBI trundled along pulling the rail-mower. It never took them long to catch up with us. One interesting angle is that the CBI is just about the best motorcar to pull a rail-mower at a slow speed, since it has a constant velocity drive transmission. My M19AA with a two-cylinder RKB was built for speed and would have overheated within a short time from trying to go so slowly, and the more common ROC engine probably would have had problems as well.
That's the story of the first successful field-trial of the RPI rail-mower and hope we can find even more uses for it in the future. Here's the CBI and rail-mower back home before taking them off the trailer. The rail-mower will need to have the debris blown off it once it dries out (a rainstorm blew in just as we left the Junction House restaurant at the Antlers after having dinner there).
There are a few additional things to do with the rail-mower. I have received a new set of points and condenser so we will install them to ensure it runs smoothly. Plus Frank diagnosed that the starter-generator is not generating, so we will change it out for a spare one I have on hand. I also plan to work on installing the mats so we can place hand tools on it and not have them fall onto the mower deck.
Last but not least, I officially delivered the rail-mower to Railroad Partners, Inc. and received a receipt from Leland Stewart, as RPI President, at the beginning of the work session. So it is now RPI property at this point and available for RPI work wherever needed. I will continue to shelter it under my carport at my place while we carry out additional improvements and prepare it for the coming mowing season.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
New Carburetor Gets Rail-Mower Going
Frank Glatzl mounted and adjusted the new carburetor and got the engine and the mower deck to operate successfully earlier this evening. Looks like it is ready to take to Kingsland this Saturday for its first field trials. I will bring the muffler; mower deck shields (guards that fit over the deck to keep debris out of the belts); and side safety shields so we can put them all on at Kingsland. He did notice that the engine seems to need new rings, so that probably will require tearing it apart again to get into the engine. I did a quick internet search and it seems that pittauto.com has the rings we need so will plan to buy them as soon as Frank gives me the green light. I also found a source for the points and condensor set (Wisconsin part no. YQ-16) in Iowa and ordered one the day before yesterday so it ought to arrive soon. That will be a backup to keep the engine running. So things are looking real good for Saturday at this point.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Rail-Mower Progress Continues at Frank's Place
Got an e-mail from Frank Glatzl this evening. He has already installed the lift handle for the mower deck, used a die to cut additional threads on the governor rod, and installed the breather tube. He tried to install the stabilizer bars for the front axle but the dimensions were a bit off so he has to widen the holes for the bolts. He looked very closely at how the new Walbro WHG carb would mount on the S-12D engine inlet and found the mounting holes are 1/8" off. But there is a way to deal with that, by widening the bolt holes on the adapter plate, so he is going to go that route. He might make a new adaptor plate in the future, but for Saturday's rail-mower trial he will modify and reuse the current one. He took the breather cover off and confirmed that the valve seats are in excellent shape so that was good news. Frank will give the rail-mower a test on Thursday evening and I am looking forward to hearing how it does. If all goes well, he will bring it up to Kingsland on Saturday, where I will meet him with my Woodings CBI, which we will use to pull the rail-mower on its first test run. I will bring the muffler (which stayed behind with me) to be attached Saturday morning to keep the noise down. I will also bring the safety skirts for the sides.
Back at the ranch, it was a rainy day so I stayed inside the garage. I made two clevis pins for the Bolens 1455 mower deck using 5/8" bolts that I drilled holes in, then cut them off to the right length and cut a bevel on the end with the holes, using my angle grinder. I also inspected the mower gearbox and driveshaft that came off the Bolens 1250 tractor now being used for the rail-mower. Unfortunately the driveshaft is heavily pitted with corrosion. When I opened up the gearbox it looked very different than the other three identical gearboxes I have--much for the worse--the gears were corroded and it looked as though there was water in the bottom of the gearbox instead of gear oil. I presume the tractor lay for years out in the open and that took its inevitable toll on the gearbox as well as the rest of the mower deck, which is beyond restoration. This gearbox will form the nucleus of my new collection of salvage metal.
Organized my Bolens spare parts using a big tool box that my wife has always wanted out of sight. I put it to one side of my workbench and shoved it far enough back that I don't think she will notice it for a while.
Noticed that my electric drill, a Black and Decker Quantum about 10-15 years old, was sparking heavily inside. I took the screws out and poked around. The spring brushes seemed OK and I couldn't tell whether there was a problem anywhere else. Put it back together and it runs fine with minimal sparking, so must have done something right. Am glad because that is one of my favorite tools.
Back at the ranch, it was a rainy day so I stayed inside the garage. I made two clevis pins for the Bolens 1455 mower deck using 5/8" bolts that I drilled holes in, then cut them off to the right length and cut a bevel on the end with the holes, using my angle grinder. I also inspected the mower gearbox and driveshaft that came off the Bolens 1250 tractor now being used for the rail-mower. Unfortunately the driveshaft is heavily pitted with corrosion. When I opened up the gearbox it looked very different than the other three identical gearboxes I have--much for the worse--the gears were corroded and it looked as though there was water in the bottom of the gearbox instead of gear oil. I presume the tractor lay for years out in the open and that took its inevitable toll on the gearbox as well as the rest of the mower deck, which is beyond restoration. This gearbox will form the nucleus of my new collection of salvage metal.
Organized my Bolens spare parts using a big tool box that my wife has always wanted out of sight. I put it to one side of my workbench and shoved it far enough back that I don't think she will notice it for a while.
Noticed that my electric drill, a Black and Decker Quantum about 10-15 years old, was sparking heavily inside. I took the screws out and poked around. The spring brushes seemed OK and I couldn't tell whether there was a problem anywhere else. Put it back together and it runs fine with minimal sparking, so must have done something right. Am glad because that is one of my favorite tools.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Rail-Mower Transferred to Frank Glatzl's Home
Brought the rail-mower over to Frank's place today so he can do some finishing up work. We were going to do some work together this morning but didn't have time. I couldn't load the rail-mower up on my 12-foot trailer yesterday due to the rain. It was still raining this morning but my wife suggested I load the Woodings CBI onto the 16-foot trailer, park it out of the way, and then load up the rail-mower on the 12-foot. I had not wanted to bring the Explorer and trailer around to the other end of my 40-foot track because I knew I'd end up with a muddy mess everywhere. She had a good idea but it took an hour and 45 minutes to accomplish it, so I was left with only enough time upon arrival at Frank's to off-load the rail-mower and store it in his garage. We then headed out to lunch with other RPI members and the RPI Annual Meeting in Temple. Here's a photo of the meeting, with RPI President Leland Stewart standing in the background:
But I digress.
The remaining work Frank will take on is adjusting, mounting and testing the Wisconsin L123S1 carburetor (a Walbro WHG carb), including using a die to extend the threads on the engine governor rod; mounting the finished link to raise and lower the mower deck; mounting the handle for the link; installing stabilizers on each side of the front axle so it won't swing freely; and mounting a breather tube from the carb to the engine body.
After that work is done Frank will test the rail-mower and then bring it to our Dec. 10 work session at Kingsland, TX, where we will see whether it will cut some grass. I will bring my CBI on the 16-foot trailer to pull it with and then load up both at the end of the day and bring them back. That's the plan for now. I will see if I can do some sandblasting of the hood for the Bolens 1250 tractor body on the rail-mower, and prime and paint it and otherwise get it ready for installation on the rail-mower. A lot of hard work since we acquired a trailer for the rail-mower last Dec. 18 is coming to a conclusion with this field trial on the 10th.
But I digress.
The remaining work Frank will take on is adjusting, mounting and testing the Wisconsin L123S1 carburetor (a Walbro WHG carb), including using a die to extend the threads on the engine governor rod; mounting the finished link to raise and lower the mower deck; mounting the handle for the link; installing stabilizers on each side of the front axle so it won't swing freely; and mounting a breather tube from the carb to the engine body.
After that work is done Frank will test the rail-mower and then bring it to our Dec. 10 work session at Kingsland, TX, where we will see whether it will cut some grass. I will bring my CBI on the 16-foot trailer to pull it with and then load up both at the end of the day and bring them back. That's the plan for now. I will see if I can do some sandblasting of the hood for the Bolens 1250 tractor body on the rail-mower, and prime and paint it and otherwise get it ready for installation on the rail-mower. A lot of hard work since we acquired a trailer for the rail-mower last Dec. 18 is coming to a conclusion with this field trial on the 10th.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
More Rail-Mower Work
Today I got out my angle grinder and cut off the exterior portions of the front axle that were left hanging after we cut off the front wheels of the Bolens 1250 now powering our rail-mower. They were in the way of the mats that I plan to install so we can carry work equipment on the rail-mower. Here's one that has been cut off and the other one just before cutting it off:
Fortunately, there was just enough room to be able to attack the axle from all four sides, so eventually I was able to cut through it completely. Frank Glatzl is fabricating stabilizers to place on each end so the axle no longer can swing freely.
I also received the L123S1 (Wisconsin part no.) Walbro-made carb that will go on the rail-mower today. Here's a photo of it next to the original LMH-18:
The original just won't work anymore and in fact is missing some pieces from inside it, according to my small-engine guy. Hopefully the new one can be modified to work, at least one poster on a website indicated that it is a substitute for the LMH-18.
I am taking the rail-mower over to Frank's place on Saturday morning, where he will see if we can make the L123S1 work on the Bolens 1250. If it does, we will also see if we can mount a breather tube, get the front axle stabilizers mounted and finalize the bracket for the lift arm that replaces the hydraulic cylinder. From there we will carpool up in my Ford Explorer with the rail-mower to the RPI Annual Meeting in Temple, TX. After letting fellow RPI members inspect the rail-mower, we will return Frank to his home and leave the rail-mower with him to finish up whatever details need to be completed. Then we will get together at Kingsland, me bringing my CBI and Frank the rail-mower, for its first actual trial.
More developments: I finished the ramps for my 16-foot trailer today. Got two pieces of 8-foot long, 4-inch wide steel C-channel. Drilled two holes through one end, close to the end and attached a six-inch long piece of angle iron with carriage bolts, going crosswise so it has fit into the end of the trailer to hold the ramp in place. Then I used the angle grinder to cut an angle at the end to enable the wheels and any other part of the CBI or rail-mower to pass over the angle formed by the ramps and the trailer floor. I don't think there will be any problem but will be watching carefully when I test it out next week. This setup has to bring the CBI and the rail-mower back home from Kingsland after our Dec. 10 work session and I want to be sure it will do so.
Fortunately, there was just enough room to be able to attack the axle from all four sides, so eventually I was able to cut through it completely. Frank Glatzl is fabricating stabilizers to place on each end so the axle no longer can swing freely.
I also received the L123S1 (Wisconsin part no.) Walbro-made carb that will go on the rail-mower today. Here's a photo of it next to the original LMH-18:
The original just won't work anymore and in fact is missing some pieces from inside it, according to my small-engine guy. Hopefully the new one can be modified to work, at least one poster on a website indicated that it is a substitute for the LMH-18.
I am taking the rail-mower over to Frank's place on Saturday morning, where he will see if we can make the L123S1 work on the Bolens 1250. If it does, we will also see if we can mount a breather tube, get the front axle stabilizers mounted and finalize the bracket for the lift arm that replaces the hydraulic cylinder. From there we will carpool up in my Ford Explorer with the rail-mower to the RPI Annual Meeting in Temple, TX. After letting fellow RPI members inspect the rail-mower, we will return Frank to his home and leave the rail-mower with him to finish up whatever details need to be completed. Then we will get together at Kingsland, me bringing my CBI and Frank the rail-mower, for its first actual trial.
More developments: I finished the ramps for my 16-foot trailer today. Got two pieces of 8-foot long, 4-inch wide steel C-channel. Drilled two holes through one end, close to the end and attached a six-inch long piece of angle iron with carriage bolts, going crosswise so it has fit into the end of the trailer to hold the ramp in place. Then I used the angle grinder to cut an angle at the end to enable the wheels and any other part of the CBI or rail-mower to pass over the angle formed by the ramps and the trailer floor. I don't think there will be any problem but will be watching carefully when I test it out next week. This setup has to bring the CBI and the rail-mower back home from Kingsland after our Dec. 10 work session and I want to be sure it will do so.
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