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.
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