How'd it go today?

12 feet of 3/16 chain and gas, shaken manually, that's how I'll clean this tank, as I have so many others. It's not fun, it takes for ever, but it works.

Tires will be done post haste, fear not! I know better. You don't screw around with the only thing actually touching the planet. It's kind of a big deal. The tires on it are just about good enough to ride down the hill to the local bike shop and have them replaced. Maybe. IMG_20251021_172426089.jpg
 
can also jack up one side of a vehicle, fill the tank with chain and strap to the back tire of said vehicle, and let it idle in gear for a few hours

don't do this with a LSD or welded diff lol

speaking of bikes, I'm going to be snagging myself a KTM 390 Duke in a few weeks, finally time I get myself something that isn't work related and cheap to daily when the weather is nice, been a few years since I owned anything smaller than a class 6
 
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What it looked like when I started

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Progress!

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Looking much better!

There are structures inside of this tank, I played hob getting the chain back out. Not just a pick up tube either, there's a hidden vapor venting system, and I believe a baffle of some kind. Im going to have to rinse with a chemical of some type. Mineral spirits comes to mind, and I've had good luck with vinegar in the past. I've got to get that crap out of there. Got a huge amount of junk out of it today, but nowhere near good enough.
 
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What it looked like when I started

View attachment 147521
Progress!

View attachment 147522
Looking much better!

There are structures inside of this tank, I played hob getting the chain back out. Not just a pick up tube either, there's a hidden vapor venting system, and I believe a baffle of some kind. Im going to have to rinse with a chemical of some type. Mineral spirits comes to mind, and I've had good luck with vinegar in the past. I've got to get that crap out of there. Got a huge amount of junk out of it today, but nowhere near good enough.
Mineral spirits, or gasoline.
 
knocked out a little maple removal today, 2 guys, 1 hour, shut down the road so I could chip uninterrupted and GTFO before the old people wanted to come watch (damn retirement communities)

BMG broom saved the day once again
 
Craned out a jap maple this morning with the bucket truck. It was in a very tight spot so I climbed while the bucket guy pretended to be a treemek. ‘Twas interesting.
Now I’m taking a moment to reset my brain while someone else is trimming. The homeowner asks my opinion and then decides he knows better. I did what he asked and then told me “maybe you were right, that looks like shit”. Mental health moments are crucial for me not to go to jail.
 
knocked out a little maple removal today, 2 guys, 1 hour, shut down the road so I could chip uninterrupted and GTFO before the old people wanted to come watch (damn retirement communities)

BMG broom saved the day once again
My BMG broom shipped out this morning. Once I get it I need to figure out how to modify it so I can grab it with my root rake grapple instead of the BMG style grapple. And then build a rack on the trailer so I can carry it with me. Hopefully I will have it functional in a few weeks. IMG_20250629_103634231.jpg
 
My BMG broom shipped out this morning. Once I get it I need to figure out how to modify it so I can grab it with my root rake grapple instead of the BMG style grapple. And then build a rack on the trailer so I can carry it with me. Hopefully I will have it functional in a few weeks. View attachment 147547
they sell a BMG broom for the bucket style grapples, not sure about the root rake style, I absolutely hate how the rotating grapple style works, super easy to grab it a little offset and you will never get it to go into the base of the grapple without fiddle f*cking around for 5 minutes and dropping it 27 times in a row, but I still make it work


now that I've gotten my pictures to load, heres pics from todays job, didn't get many since I was in a hurry to get out before the grannies came out offering cookies
private roads, so no permits needed to shut them down for an hour

I could have loaded the trailer a little better but this worked out excellent still, although I could have backed the loader up about 2 feet to save a little tongue weight, still pulled fine
ironically enough, this was the exact same neighborhood I demo'd the first GiAnt on over 2 years ago!
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I'm going to build steel sides for this trailer, the wood ones suck, I might make the steel sides 4 inches shorter than these wood ones are, and I will add D rings to hook chains to for logs, sides will bolt to the trailer of course, only issue with the non-tele machine so far has been the lack of reach over a tall trailer
if I ever get a bigger loader, I'm thinking a 3500 tele, that SVL50 is still super tempting, but odds are I won't be getting another machine for a while, I can rent mini skids for dirt cheap when I need one
 
I got the head off my Kubota this evening. I'm going to take it home and clean and assess. I might get some parts coming this week, also, just have to decide which utilities aren't getting paid this week. :/:
Well, I don't often buy scratchers, but now I know where the money is coming from to fix the tractor.

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Craned out a jap maple this morning with the bucket truck. It was in a very tight spot so I climbed while the bucket guy pretended to be a treemek. ‘Twas interesting.
Now I’m taking a moment to reset my brain while someone else is trimming. The homeowner asks my opinion and then decides he knows better. I did what he asked and then told me “maybe you were right, that looks like shit”. Mental health moments are crucial for me not to go to jail.
Take a deep breath and count to ten and exhale. Once again inhale hold for ten and exhale slowly. Listen to the birds chirping, I’m sorry, I mean listen to the chipper chipping and chainsaws running and take comfort that you were right and your customer is not.
 
PLEASE buy new tires for it before you ride it! Those tires are rock hard with zero traction. Would hate for you to wipe out in the first week of riding it. The bike is absolutely gorgeous! As a teen I really liked the look of those. I had a CB200T at 15 but moved on to pickup trucks soon after. Still followed and read about bikes for several years after.

Maybe contact a PDR specialist about popping that dent out of the tank. They may be able to access it through the filler cap.
@Kaveman I'll throw in with Skwerl here...Paintless Dent Repair can produce amazing results for relatively low cost. I had several small uglies taken care of on my Jag XKR when it was new to me; for less than $300 I got flawless cosmetic repairs that would have cost north of $3K by traditional bodywork techniques.
 
@WoodCutr...that post makes absolutely no sense at all :).

The customer is the one who decided they need your services. They called you. Anything after that is just discussion around the edges of what actually needs doing.
we get it, you don't like me, the horse is long past dead, no need to reply to everything I post
 
Been heading downstate once a month to help a friend closing in on 80 years old, who needs both knees replaced. He has access to a site where local arbs dump. We haul out logs and trailer them to his place and mill them. Yesterday we milled up maple, and hauled two loads of walnut back to his yard.

He’s a ‘nam vet who saw a lot, and feeling it. Still getting out hunting: four deer so far this Fall. Sent me home with several pounds of venison. I’ll be making Bambi Lasagna and Venison Vindaloo.
 

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View attachment 147523
What it looked like when I started

View attachment 147521
Progress!

View attachment 147522
Looking much better!

There are structures inside of this tank, I played hob getting the chain back out. Not just a pick up tube either, there's a hidden vapor venting system, and I believe a baffle of some kind. Im going to have to rinse with a chemical of some type. Mineral spirits comes to mind, and I've had good luck with vinegar in the past. I've got to get that crap out of there. Got a huge amount of junk out of it today, but nowhere near good enough.
I know it would look like crap, but perhaps for a tank or 2 of gas when you get ready to run it, you might be able to add a loop of fuel hose with a couple of extra in-line fuel filters. After that, remove the loop and return to the stock arrangement.
 
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