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What's your hoe doing?

aighead

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2019
Messages
2,541
Location
Dayton, OH
Welp, I buried my first cow yesterday. Today was cleaning up around the yard a bit and feeding a fire slash squashing a couple firepits down.
 

Coytee

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 30, 2015
Messages
205
Location
Knoxville, TN
My rear finish mower had a blade break yesterday while I was cutting the field in front of the house. The bolts holding the blade on are S.T.U.C.K. and I didn't really like the idea of laying on my back with a 500 pound mower hovering over me while I tried to fight them off.

Pulled the backhoe out, chained up the mower, flipped it in the driveway and now I have full access to the underside without risk of it falling "up" on me!!

As a side comment, I had to pull a grinder out with a diamond blade and CUT each of the six bolts off. The nuts simply stripped when I tried to remove them. I've never had an issue like that before.

Hoe is in driveway waiting for me to get bolts to finish job and then will flip mower back over and probably carry mower back to where I store it. (tractor is now in other use)
 

edgephoto

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2019
Messages
727
Location
Stafford, CT
Stripped as in round off or as in the threads came off?

If they rounded off you need better tools. I find Craftsman, no matter the age, Husky and other consumer grade tools will round off bolts and nuts fairly easy. The professional tools such as Snap, Mac, and Matco will not round them off.

I like Kroil as a penetrating oil. The stuff is excellent and has freed up some pretty rusty hardware for me.

If they are breaking off you will need to drill them out. The so called EZ-Outs don't do anything for stuck threads. They only work of a bolt is broken but not because it is stuck. Best to use a drip press. Grind them flat, center punch them and start with a small drill and work up. Sometimes you can drill just big enough to peel the threads of the bolt out of the hole. If this happens you can use a tap to clean up the threads. Obviously, you need to drill in the center for this to happen. Otherwise you just install a Heli-Coil or similar thread insert.
 

Coytee

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 30, 2015
Messages
205
Location
Knoxville, TN
Rounded them off. At least the ones I fought hard. I changed tactics before I fought all of them.

Tools were Snapon sockets and combo wrench's. Used two penetrating oils (PB blaster and some other brand).

Had a 4 foot cheater bar going at one time. Had some vice grips on them (with cheater bar) and I got ONE bolt off that way. I finally realized I could probably just grind/cut them off much faster so I just parked all the tools and pulled out the grinder. Took about 45 minutes to cut them all off. Probably worked on the first bolt for an hour itself. These are bolts with nuts and they simply pass through the "bar" on the mower and the blade (two bolts per blade) Once I cut the head off I was able to tap them through the hole and cleaned it up. So I didn't have to worry about drilling nor an easy out. They are 1/2" grade 5 and I'm not really setup to drill something that size.

Holiday is keeping me from getting replacement bolts....well that and when I went to Home Depot, they didn't have what I needed, they only had half the bolts and some of the washers.

I'd been happy if these would have sheared, it would have made it easier/faster than grinding.
 

Pixie

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2011
Messages
373
Location
NH
Occupation
remodeling
Got my Case going after it had sat for 2 years. Batteries were dead, fuel leaked out blah, blah.

I have home sawn lumber in this tent and a bunch of windows I got at the dump. Had a bad winter in 2019. The stack closest to the opening was pinned. Hoe took care of that and I got a couple hundred feet of nice dry oak dragged home.

Next trip, there's several hundred feet of pine that I need to make trim for the house I'm fixing.

hoe-tent.jpg
 

T-town

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2014
Messages
353
Location
NE PA
Occupation
retired !
I have been spending some time finishing a terrace on what will be the front lawn area of the house. Two retaining walls that cover close to 100' each, using rock excavated on site, as has been covered earlier in this thread....
Anyway, the top wall is nearing completion and here are some pics in progress.
First...
KIMG0156.JPG

The rocks I had to work with are laid out.... lots of moving 'em around and pulling the remainder down the grade. No thumb...:(
KIMG0173.JPG

Laying up the wall and clearing ground above at the same time...

And, as of today...

KIMG0183.JPG

I'm running low on wall rocks.... since I'm not breaking into any new ground...... but only 20 more feet to go.
Also running low on backfill. Have to buy a few loads @ 230 for a heavy loaded triaxle..... trying to scrape as much as I can from my ground buts its time consuming to get it.
 

Pixie

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2011
Messages
373
Location
NH
Occupation
remodeling
Nice rocks ! Love the flat sides. Don't see that around here much.
 

aighead

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2019
Messages
2,541
Location
Dayton, OH
Beautiful @T-town ! How are you placing them so well? Straps or just getting them scooted around? When I start placing rocks for my pond I'm not sure how it'll go... Looks like you've got it figured out!
 

T-town

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2014
Messages
353
Location
NE PA
Occupation
retired !
Thanks Pixie..... I'm finding all shapes... but yes, the 'shelf' rock peels away into big ones with typically 2 flats.

Thanks Aighead.... the placing?? well... with the first ( or lower) wall, I was using the front bucket alot... and just coming up perpendicular to the wall and feathering the rock out of the bucket. Then reset and use the hoe for final placement.
As my supply of larger rocks dwindled, I dropped the rocks on the uphill side and used to hoe to 'slide them into their spot. Lay the stone, shim where needed and backfill with modified about a foot and fill material past that. My fill responds ( packs) well to a loaded bucket drive over the material to pack it.
This is an early pic I found...... early wall construction ( just lower wall) can be seen in the background as well as excavated material on the hill. Just a small patch of grass goin up the hill on the left marks a 'skid road' used for many years to access the land. All else from the culvert up was wooded. The house footprint will start just over the top of that pile... 'bout 30 feet back. Just enough to get a cement truck around the front and left side of the foundation-to-be
IMG_2020-05-15_08-24-53.jpeg
 

Swetz

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2019
Messages
1,360
Location
NJ/PA
Occupation
Electric & Gas Company
Looking good T-town!
I guess it is fair to say you could not live happily with out that hoe:D
 

aighead

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2019
Messages
2,541
Location
Dayton, OH
Thanks @T-town. It looks great! I've got a feeling I'll be doing much more strapping, lifting, setting, and unstrapping, but I guess we'll see how it goes.
 

T-town

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2014
Messages
353
Location
NE PA
Occupation
retired !
Thanks Swetz... your right about that old hoe!!. Just hope to get some more trouble free hours out of her.... fingers crossed.
Have you been able to get some work done up your way??

We have had some wet days ( nights) of late. Too hot to take down more trees.
I've got some top soil to screen once I fix my 'grizzly'... but that needs to dry up a bit.

Hey aighead..... was thinking about you the other day.....
I have a stash down the hill in the woods where I plopped a bunch of "roundy moundys".... all a bucket or less in size.... the ferns have grown up amongst them.
Told you I'd I have them for you if you ever get by this way!!
 

aighead

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 25, 2019
Messages
2,541
Location
Dayton, OH
You are the man! Don't know if I ever will make it up that way, especially with a vehicle that'll handle a bunch of rocks, but I really appreciate the sentiment!

If I do make it that direction I'd like to stop for a frosty beverage with you and Swetz! We'll put 3 rocks in the trunk of my Civic! And it'll be mad!
 

Swetz

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2019
Messages
1,360
Location
NJ/PA
Occupation
Electric & Gas Company
Have you been able to get some work done up your way??

Not in the last week, but in the last month, yes, lots.
I dug out the culvert, couple hundred feet. I put stone around the culvert pipe. Cut a bunch of trees up. Note the pic of the tree covered in poison ivy...Knock on wood, using the Hoe Clamp, I have not gotten it. Stacked the trunk for firewood, and piled the branches to be chipped. Pulled out countless stumps...Lovin the Hoe Clamp!

I have a 2006 Dodge dully with a Cummins. The oil pan rusted thru. Major job to do, have to raise the engine to get the pan out. Notice my previous patch job with JB Weld (held for a year).So, I have laying on my back, while my hoe watched...LOL . 20210619_130422.jpg 20210615_185041.jpg 20210518_162006.jpg 20210710_192219.jpg
 

Swetz

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2019
Messages
1,360
Location
NJ/PA
Occupation
Electric & Gas Company
If I do make it that direction I'd like to stop for a frosty beverage with you and Swetz!

I am always ready for a frosty beverage...come on over!

I have rocks for you too!
 
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