This is a catch all page for yard projects and the maintenance of yard equipment such as the lawn tractor, Troy-bilt tiller, home generator, weed trimmer, leaf blower and all home maintenance whether corrective or preventative!

TOMATO PATCH

A couple weeks ago around March 19th; guessing at the date, I fired up the antiquated Troy-Bilt tiller and tilled the soil for the tomato patch.  It tilled up pretty good and the moisture content in the ground was perfect, whereas the red clay mixture wasn't sticking to the tiller tines.  I do no plan to place any tomato plants in the soil until April 15th and that depends on the temperature.

I need to put some 10-10-10 fertilizer on the tomato patch along with a couple bags of sand and some ground up egg shells I have been saving for the past year and till it one more time before getting the tomato plants into the ground.

We have certainly had some variable weather conditions and seems like Spring didn't want to arrive due to the late frost and freeze we recently experienced and we have had our fair share of rain too!

I have plenty of annual routine maintenance to get done including the lawn tractor and other small engines such as the leaf blower which didn't start the last time I tried to start it and due to my hernia surgery, I didn't want to mess with it.  I need to service my weed trimmer, chainsaw and generators.  Seems like there is something that needs attention most of the time........grin if you must.

XANDER HELPING PLANT TOMATO PLANTS

Xander McKnight Gonzales our youngest Grandson helped me get twenty (20) tomato plants in the tomato patch on 04-17-2021.

Xander raked the planting area flat/level.

Check out Xander's Bucket tomato page hyperlinked here:

We both were ready for some R & R after getting those tomato plants in the ground.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 04-18-2021.

TWO FROSTS SINCE PLANTING THE TOMATO PLANTS

It is hard to believe we have had two (2) frosts since planting the above tomato plants, whereas I lost at least three (3) plants and one of the larger plants was killed back about half way due to the frost.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 05-29-2021.

TOMATO PLANTS

Above pix taken on 06-07-2021 and my bride has enjoyed 9.5 cherry tomato sandwiches and 1 Club sandwich on 07-06-2021 and I have enjoyed 6.5 tomato sandwiches to date, however the slicing tomatoes has several more weeks before they start turning that "beautimous" cherry red color destined for a club sandwich, blt and regular tomato sandwich.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 07-06-2021.

NOTE:  Due to my right arm distal radius fracture on 04-19-2021, I haven't taken many pixs with the ole Canon DSLR camera.

LAWN TRACTOR ANNUAL MAINTENANCE

The weather has been gorgeous the past few days with the temperature in the low to mid 70s and a perfect time to get the lawn tractor serviced by yours truly.

The lawn tractor battery back in colder weather was weak would not turn the engine over and hooked the truck battery to it without running the truck and got it started and let it run for a good while and the battery maintained a charge.

On April 2, 2021, the lawn tractor cranked ok and drove it to my deer hanging tree I nicknamed Tom Dooley aka Dula after the Kingston Trio song Tom Dooley, of which I use to hoist the front of the lawn tractor up in order to remove the blades for their annual sharpening.

After removing and sharpening the blades and getting them back onto the spindle bearings, I lowered the lawn tractor down and proceeded to change the oil filter, oil, spark plugs, air filter and the in line gas filter.

Everything was going along real well until it got time to change the in line gas filter of which I will later take a pix of its current location.  The left side of the filter is way down in the frame and it is difficult to get pliers onto the spring clamp to remove the gas filter. 

Well, I finally got it removed and instead of using a regular John Deere gas filter, I went frugal, OK cheap and purchased a bag of generic gas filters that was supposed to work for the John Deere X300 lawn tractor.  The gas filter looked nearly identical, however there was some difference in the protruding stem on each end of the gas filter.  I noticed when I placed the generic gas filter back in the gas fuel line, it went on much easier than the original one that came off.  That should have been a tip off that it was a little smaller size wise.

The engine cranked up with ease and I immediately noticed that air bubbles was inside the clear plastic gas filter and in short order the engine came to a halt.  The engine would not fire and disconnected the pulse fuel pump and with the engine turning over, but not cranking, there was no fuel coming from the fuel pump.  I tried to pressurize the fuel tank with the air hose and a plastic bag, but that didn't help out, therefore it was my thinking the fuel pump was the problem.

It was getting late and decided to stop until the next day, getting a battery and fuel pump from John Deere in Polkton, NC and also a can of starter fluid from one of our local auto parts stores.

I got the John Deere X300 owners manual out and it was hard to believe that the lawn tractor was seven (7) years old and the original battery was still in the lawn tractor.  Prior to this lawn tractor, my bride and myself used a Troy Bilt lawn tractor for around 20 years before giving it to our oldest daughter and the only problem with it then was a clogged fuel line to the carburetor.   I had Pinkston here in Wadesboro, NC to service it and one of their technicians broke the deck lift bracket mechanism which didn't keep it from working.

The following morning, I went to the John Deere dealership in Polkton, NC and purchased a battery and a fuel pump, stopped by C & M Auto and purchased a can of starter fluid.  I put the original John Deere in line gas filter back on, installed the new battery and sprayed the starter fluid into the carburetor intake and turned the engine over.  The engine immediately fired and let it run a good while, therefore the pulse fuel pump was not the culprit, only air in the gas line and now I have a spare pulse fuel pump for the X300. 

I later went back to the John Deere dealership and purchased a six (6) inch length of 1/4 inch inside diameter gas line hose and will extend the gas line filter out away from the frame to make it easier to change the gas filter; e.g., "work smarter not harder."

IN LINE FUEL FILTER ORIGINAL LOCATION

The above pix is a little out of focus, but you can see how close the left clamp and fuel line clamp is wedged into the frame and a pain in the rear to get pliers onto the clamp to relieve pressure in order to remove the in line fuel filter.

FUEL FILTER RELOCATED

The new 1/4 inch inside diameter fuel line was "tighter than two coats of paint" and unable to push the fuel filter all the way into the fuel line extension.  The larger portion of the stepped stem on the fuel filter is close to 5/16 inch outside diameter.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 04-09-2021.

STAINED THE YARD SWING

As stated earlier, the weather has been gorgeous and our hanging yard swing has been in the basement woodworking shop, of which I had already cleaned it with Mineral Spirits.

I used a redwood oil type based stain TWP 102-5 from SealandProtect.com and used my spray gun to apply the sealant.  The finish is curing out as I type and will probably take several days to properly cure before I hang it back up in the front yard.

HUSQVARNA FARM MODEL 55 CHAINSAW

With plenty of daylight left, I replaced the worn Oregon chain on the Husqvarna Farm Model 55 chainsaw.  I don't know how many times I have sharpened the chain, but the teeth were worn way down and cutting badly and time to stop being so frugal.

Later model Husqvarna chain saws has the side chain tension adjustment which is a big help!

I don't know how many years the above chainsaw chain has been in service and for many years I sharpened the teeth by hand and many times the chainsaw would cut at an angle or bias which meant I sharpened the teeth unevenly as evidenced by the individual teeth length above in reference to the angle line stamped into each tooth. 

I later purchased a cheap Harbor Freight chainsaw motorized chain sharpener which works ok, but definitely not for production work.............grin if you must!

Above is pix of a new chain and you can see how much the worn chainsaw chain was sharpened. 

If my memory is correct, I purchased the Husqvarna chainsaw in the fall of 1999 before we had a major blizzard in the year 2000.  

I doubt I will change the spark plug since the chainsaw got very little usage last year, but I might get energetic and do a complete annual maintenance on it.

Next on the agenda will be to service the weed trimmer, leaf blower, tiller and portable generators.  Yesterday, I got the oil and filter changed in the truck and gave it a good scrubbing with Dawn to get rid of all the gunk accumulated over the winter months from parking under the trees in our lower driveway.

Today, 04-09-2021, I tilled the tomato patch again and plan to purchase tomato plants around the 15th and get them in the ground. 

I also cut the lawn, which is mostly weeds, onions and clover and sprayed three (3) gallons of Ortho weed killer solution on the clover to help the grass get jump started.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 04-06-2021 and 04-09-2021.  

DRAINAGE PROBLEMS

Back around the first of April or earlier, I noticed there was a good amount of water collected on the right side of our driveway and thought it might be from all the recent rains that we had.

However, during a couple weeks of practically no amount of rain, the area would dry up during the heat of the day and then the following morning the water would be back. 

Below is a screen capture from one of our security cameras on April 9, 2021 showing the drainage problem:

While doing some weed trimming on some of the high spots, of which it was too wet to use the lawn tractor, I noticed the area was very damp going up the hillside adjacent to the road on our property.  Upon further investigating, I noticed water running slowing in the drainage ditch across the road and it was originating from under the lower driveway at our neighbor's home Pat Hildreth.

I called the Wadesboro City Hall and got up with the water utilities department and talked with Hugh James and he later came out and ascertained there was a break in the water main line causing the water problem.

The next day or two, a crew came out and dug the line up and found the damaged 2 inch in diameter water line and repaired it with a couple sleeves.

It took a few days before the area above started drying out and will be able to mow the area with the lawn tractor.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 04-18-2021.

LAWN TRACTOR REAR TIRES REPLACED

Several days ago while cutting grass, the left rear lawn tractor went flat.  It appeared the tire was dry rotted, whereas the rear tires were the original tires that came on the John Deere X300.

I had Danny Bowers at Moore's Garage order me a couple 20x10x8 tires and he said they would be delivered on 06-07-2021.

The rear tires and rims had never been off the axle and I did not think I was going to get the right rear tire to come off the axle.  I applied a couple lubricants; e.g., RemOil and Kroll Oil which is a super product for loosening stubborn bolts/nuts.  I used a hammer and beat and banged on the tire and rotated the tire and beat some more and it finally started releasing the hub from the axle. 

It was hot and humid and I was about soaked to the bone with perspiration!  I am glad no one was down wind from me.............grin if you must.

After getting the tire/rims off the axle, I sanded the rusty spots and lubricated the axles before installing the hub/tires after getting the new tires installed.

I am still using mainly my left arm and hand since my right arm was broken on 04-19-2021 which required surgery, two plates and eight (8) screws to secure the broken distal radius bone which is hyperlinked here:  https://www.portercalls.com/broken_arm.htm  of which a second surgery is required to remove the top plate and screws in order for my wrist to be able to bend.

After that challenging ordeal with the stubborn tire removable, I finally got them back on the axle.  In the mean time while beating and banging on the right rear tire, I knocked the transaxle lever rod loose from the lever to disengage the transmission and will try and figure out where the rod is attached.  I will probably go to our John Deere dealership in Polkton, NC and hopefully get some pro bono advice/help.

On 06-10-2021, I called the John Deere Dealership in Polkton, NC and was put on hold for a good amount of time and was finally transferred to their parts department, of which no one answered.

I decided to go ahead and "wing" it so to speak.  I scotched the front end of the lawn tractor wheels and jacked the rear end up and placed jack stands under the rear axles and it was easy to ascertain where the transaxle lever rod fitted into a pivoting horizontal bracket on the top of the transmission.

I tested it out and this was an easy fix.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 06-07-2021 and 06-11-2021.

TRANE AC UNIT

Our Trane cooling unit stopped working on 06-20-2021 in the afternoon.  The inside heat/cooling exchanger blower was running, but the outside unit was not running.

I checked the 30 amp breaker at the main service panel and ascertained with a voltage meter that 240 volts AC was getting to the unit disconnect box and could hear the contactor relay making a buzzing type sound.  With no spare parts and no experience working on AC units.  I called Marvin Goodwin who is in the rental property business now, but does service units that he installed while he was in the heating and air conditioning business.

Marvin stated that he would come by the following morning and take a look at the unit.

It didn't take Marvin but a minute or two to determine the contactor aka relay was bad and replaced the contactor.

The replacement contactor Marvin used did not have the spade/lug type terminals and cut the matching connectors from the wiring harness and stripped the wires for wrapping underneath the contactor screws.

I believe Marvin's total service time was around thirty (30) minutes and glad he repaired the unit.  There was some ants inside the unit and I got Marvin some Raid Ant and Roach spray to send those suckers packing.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 06-21-2021. 

SLICING TOMATOES

I harvested a few slicing tomatoes on 07-16-2021 and below is a pix of the largest one:

That mojo tomato is four (4) inches across.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 07-16-2021.

STAINING WHEELCHAIR RAMP

With the upper plate and screws removed from my broken arm on July 28, 2021, I am able to bend my wrist and gaining some strength back into the wrist/arm, therefore completing much needed yard work such as weed trimming, etc.

Our wheelchair ramp and deck were long over due for staining and started staining the wheelchair ramp on or before the week of August 23rd using an oil type based stain TWP 100 from SealandProtect.com.

It has been extremely hot and good for the redwood color stain to penetrate the treated wood, but the temperature and humidity is rough on the human body.  It took me about seven or eight installments of working about an hour each morning to stain the wheelchair ramp.  I started by staining the outside upright pickets with a small roller and would do a couple sections at a time and take the rest of the day off.......grin if you must.

Below is a pix of the wheelchair ramp after staining taken on 08-30-2021:

THE STAIN IS WORKING

We have had a couple good rains since the wheelchair ramp was stained and the water is beading up very well.  The ultraviolet light from the sun takes a toll on outside wood products which readily cracks and checks, even protected treated wood such as above.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 09-01-2021.

STAINING THE DECK

I started staining the deck on August 27, 2021 and used a 9 inch x 2 inch diameter roller and getting the stain on the deck rails and supports was a "dawg" for sure.  I applied about one gallon and decided to set up my 2.5 gallon pressure pot made by CATechnologies and sprayed the deck using my Lynx 300 HVLP spray gun.

NOTE:  I later plastic tied the pressure pot red and black hoses together!

It didn't take but an hour or so to spray about 2.5 gallons and went much faster and easier than using the roller, however the roller can apply a much thicker coat of stain if the roller is saturated!

I had to move the deck tables, chairs, Weber charcoal grill and Jenn-Air gas grill over to the area that I had earlier stained on the 27th.

I ran out of stain about where the seat upright lower member is in the pix.

It was hard to get a decent pix with the sun angle on the deck.

This deck has seen much usage over the decades, especially since we purchased the home in 1989.  I am guessing the deck is over 40 years old and the current treated timber will not last half that long due to changing the treating process for environmental reasons. The deck could use a maker over, but hopefully will last as long as my bride and myself.

As with any type of staining, painting, etc., the equipment clean-up is the most troublesome part, but is necessary to keep your equipment operating at maximum efficiency and today was no exception.

The pressure pot uses disposable liners (not cheap) which helps the clean-up tremendously, however you have to replace the liner, adding lacquer thinner and flush out the black fluid line.  You can use the same liner for the next spray application; just remove any lacquer thinner.

I will need at least 3 more gallons of the stain and ordered another 5 gallon pail today.  If Hurricane Ida doesn't dump any rain in our area, I will finish up staining the deck when the stain arrives, our Lord willing of course.  

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 08-30-2021.

FINISHED STAINING THE DECK

I finished staining our deck on 09-06-2021 which took approximately four (4) hours and that includes two or three good water breaks to cool off.

Here is a hyperlink to a short video clip captured via one of our security cameras:  video here.  The overspray was horrible with the wind blowing and later put my 3M dual canister mask on.  I am sure the overspray was my bad since I was having trouble adjusting the spray gun due to the length of air hose required and I believe 3/8 inch inside diameter air hose line as far too small which had too much drop age in gun air pressure.  I probably need at least an air hose with 5/8 inch inside diameter

The ole Little Giant ladder was used in the A frame configuration and you still need some Gorilla DNA to easily handle that monster of a ladder.  I used a couple levelers on the outside to keep the ladder level, otherwise it could tip over.  One of the levelers was "store bought" and the other a simple board and C clamp.

Below a few pixs taken:

To reiterate, the clean-up of the spray gun, pressure tank and fluid line is a pain, but is necessary.  The reddish/brown color under the steps to the deck is where I adjusted the pressure tank fluid pressure to the spray gun.

Next on my project aka to do list; replace the seat boards on the deck picnic table of which the weather and sunlight has two of the seat boards up turned like the bow of a boat!

I will definitely need a couple days of not using the right hand/arm, of which the hand is swollen a good amount.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 09-06-2021.

CAROLINA COOKER REPAIRS

I ordered a Banjo Burner Stand aka cooker from Agri Supply on 09-08-2021 and received the cooker on 09-10-2021, being delivered via FedEx.

I noticed the package/shipping cardboard box was bent in at the bottom and the top of the box had been resealed with Duct Tape.  Upon removing the cooker from the shipping box, the base of the cooker was badly bent upward and one of the frame connecting welds was broken about 1/3.

The unit was pre-assembled which only required to hook up the air shutter, wind shield and the high pressure regulator hose.

After attaching the regulator to one of my gas cylinders, the burner would immediately light, however it would go out within a few seconds at the most.

Carolina Cooker was contacted via telephone and they directed my problems to Agri Supply who later in the day emailed me an invoice for another banjo burner cooker at no charge.

I changed the high pressure regulator out with a spare one that I have and the same results.  I swapped tanks and the same results; burner would lite, but not burn but a few seconds.

I started checking the burner and found about half dozen of the holes aka orifices in the casting were plugged up and had to drill them out and eventually got the burner to stay lite with a good blue flame.

I am sure Agri Supply will file a damaged claim for this shipment with FedEx since I sent the above pixs to Agri Supply to validate my problems with the Carolina Cooker.  If Agri Supply wants the damaged unit returned to them, it will have to be at their own expense and not mine.  If they don't want the unit returned, I will have a spare cooker even though damaged, of which I might try and flatten out the base.

NOTE:  I received another Carolina Cooker Banjo Burner via FedEx on 09-11-2021 at 9:45 AM and hooked it up and it worked fine.  The base ring was warped some upward, but will be ok.

A close up pix of the burner which has plenty of orifices for a rated 97K BTUs.

The reason I purchased another propane gas burner/cooker, my old unit has been giving trouble and needed a back-up one since I use the gas burner/cooker for deep frying turkeys, fish, etc., and Murphy's law never sleeps!

Our son Bill, Jr. and his bride Nichol will be visiting with us next month and plan to do an early Thanksgiving with a deep fried turkey with all the trimmings and definitely need a cooker that will work flawless!

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 09-11-2021.

CAROLINA COOKER UPDATE

I received an email from Agri Supply in reference to the original purchase of the Carolina Cooker and they were going to send me another Banjo Burner and wanted me to box up the original cooker and have UPS to pick it up.

I contacted Agri Supply and advised them they had already sent a replacement Banjo Burner and I would pay them 50 bucks for the damaged cooker, of which they agreed, therefore I now have a spare Carolina Cooker, Banjo Burner.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 09-13-2021.

FREE TIDBITS OF INFORMATION

Around our home, spiders and dirt aka mud daubers will clog the air intake holes to outside gas burners such as the ones depicted above.  An easy solution; use masking tape to cover the air intake holes to the burner at the air control shutter when the unit is not in usage.  Even in very cold weather, spiders have clogged up said air intakes.

Also, I plan to cut a couple round wood circles of wood and position directly on the top of each burner to prevent said insects from clogging the flame output orifices up.

I could have simply used aluminum foil to accomplish the same thing above, but sometimes I do things the hard way.............grin if you must!

Dirt aka Mud Daubers have clogged up the ignition keyway on our John Deere lawn tractor which was a pain to get the keyway cleaned out.  Since then, I use masking tape over the keyway when the tractor is not in usage.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 09-14-2021.

LEAVING ON A SPIRITUAL NOTE

If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please take this moment to accept him by Faith into your Life, whereby Salvation will be attained.   

Ephesians 2:8 - 2:9 8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Open this link about faith in the King James Bible.