Tag Teaming Mowers & Golf Carts - toro 580d's & ez-go

The boss is on vacation,

so figured I'd do a good ole time Perich thrash.

For some reason it makes me more comfortable 

to juggle a couple projects,

vs focusing on just one.

It seems more efficient working with some clutter,

instead of spending time cleaning!

An electric golf cart shouldn't need too much work,

or so I thought.

The front wheels were crazy wobbly,

only needing a repack and adjustment,

and a rough alignment.

No wonder this thing drove with a mind of its own.

The batteries seemed like one of those trick questions,

like a test to see if I'd catch it.

Funny cause most everything here is like that!

The mowers are a bit more involved.

I'd actually started on these first,

and double-teamed them like a production line,

allowing me to order or find parts at the same time.

Also since I have no idea what I'm doing,

when there was an issue fixing one part,

I could check the other one to see if it matched.

Of course they're made years apart with some upgrades,

kinda similar on the outside,

with different diesel engines,

and electronics and controls,

and ones a 2wd the others a 4wd.

Yea sure sounds like they're the same Toro 580D's!

The cool thing is this giant parts stash.

Remember that most of the equipment here

is donated or scrounged castaways,

requiring trickery and fiddling to stay alive.

Just my style,

like hot rodding farm equipment.

Or is it like working on an old farm?

Hmmmm.

Some of this stuff is so worn out,

again it seemed like a test to see if I'd fix simple problems,

or ignore them like the previous guy.

Half of these bearings basically disintegrated years ago,

and they just kept running 'em.

I had to cut out the races with a dremel tool!

And these were like large skateboard bearings,

the type that don't come apart!

Good times...

I had kinda got in trouble months earlier,

for making things too nice.

It's a tough habit to break,

something I learned from a kid working with my Papa,

and refined throughout the years.

It runs deep in our family!

Now I just make the parts I'm working on nice,

and spot paint sections not the whole thing.

Believe me it's tough to hold back.

My rattlecan finger gets real twitchy.

There is a reason to go half-a$$,

blending between the real and imaginary,

and that's not to lose time fixing necessary mechanical problems.

As a result instead of rushing to do 2 things in the same amount of time,

I'll methodically do one thing.

If I finish the never ending list of shit to do,

I can go back and have fun with paint.

Deal!

I didn't show all the stuff completed,

it's not that exciting.

Here's what it looks like on paper...

Hydraulic leaks, cylinder swap, new blades,

rebuild cutter hubs, lotsa chit.

Most likely forgot to write a couple things...

During the finish test,

I heard a weird rhythmic clanking.

WTF?

With virtually no experience working on mowers,

I was like Holey Chit what did I miss?

A wrongly rebuilt cutter hub?

Wrong or upside down blades?

Nope.

A 3/4" hinge pin had worn out,

allowing the blades to hit each other.

Another tricky thing to diagnose,

but easy to make a new one.

I've got to admit,

it felt good to get out the grinder and cut some metal!

Yep...Fun at work!

TP

The challenge- Kubota L3750 tractor

Ok remind me next time 

to take before and after shots.

This is an after-after shot!

Lower your light setting,

and squint your eyes,

and that's what this tractor looked like.

A power washing uncovered bright orange paint,

and multiple signs of age.

Everyone said this was in its last legs,

beyond its life expectancy.

Hyeeellll no...

Them's fightin' words!!

If the engine runs,

the transmission changes gears,

and the hydraulics hydraulic,

I'll keep this thing alive just for fun!

Actually it's more of a necessity.

Basically all the equipment here is either donated,

castaways or auctioned beaters.

The lifeblood is called

"Friends of PIR",

a local group which collects donations to acquire needed chit.

All handouts are welcome!

I'll have to edit a link in here...

This place works with the good ole shoestring budget,

and that's what makes it right up my alley.

Who wants to work on new chit?

This poor beast hadn't been serviced in years!

Besides the overdue fluid changes,

I tried to put as much lipstick on this pig as possible.

It's funny cause there's bits and pieces 

of experience years of experience here.

I've done the same fixits just not on a tractor.

Torch and clamps...

Grinding and welding...

Holes and zip ties...

Cheesy but strong brackets...

This canopy flapped like chicken wings,

it was like watching a cartoon character.

Lastly was the punch in the face mug.

Doesn't it look like a beat up transformer?

It's sayin "give it to me...

I can take it!!"

F

I removed the broken lights,

whipped out some bent screens,

and sewed the grille with zip ties.

Dirt and leaves had blocked half the radiator!

From 30 feet it looks 10 years younger,

and should last at least double that.

Good times....

TP

Where are they now - baywatch & silver bullet - v4

Let's see if this will jog your media memory.

Here's some pre-y2k icons,

ya may remember or may not.

I tried to find a Coors Light commercial 

with this 1999 Nissan Frontier.

Nothing quick on YouTube or google.

Supposedly they teamed up,

possibly for a Super Bowl ad.

Probably why I don't remember it!

I do remember this one!

Not sure if it's the same year.

Anyway,

now it's relegated to track duty.

This is the "silver bullet" banding truck,

used to band the tires together as safety bumpers.

I guess one of the first track managers invented the procedure,

and it is used worldwide.

More on that later...

The next is the Baywatch truck.

It's weird to realize marketers use TV shows 

to promote everything from clothes to cars.

By 1999 Baywatch was on for like 10 years,

so there's dozens of "baywatch trucks".

It looks like there was a competition between Toyota and Nissan.

I'm sure a lot of schmoozing goes on behind the scenes.

Interestingly the 98/99 model was a revamp,

so the show promoted a truck that wasn't available yet,

the move from the "Nissan Hardbody"

with the fender bulges,

to the more current styling.

Not cool enough to make a real model though!

This one is used as an emergency vehicle,

mainly during race days.

Since it was a pre-production prototype,

some important stuff is rigged,

probably cause they were only used for the show,

not 17 years later!

This one seemed to have the wrong driveshaft,

the carrier bearing was about 5/16" off.

Instead of resizing driveshafts,

easier to change the tab length.

Think like a welder not a mechanic!

Crude but effective!

I don't quite understand the reasoning for the bearing,

the transmission has the slip yoke,

the rear end moves up and down changing DS length,

and the carrier bearing seems useless.

Whatever, now it's fixed!

The perk was the following day,

test driving it on the track,

which includes the dragstrip!

Lastly,

this dance step to wipe out the check engine light

didnt work!

Yep this is like the "where are they now" graveyard.

Until next time...

TP

Daihatsu days

Here's a couple workhorses...

This green one is a monster.

Not only does it have a dump bed...

It's also got a lift bed.

Super cool.

Nice rigs,

two of them will fit in the shop.

Made it easy to do the same thing on each,

kinda comparing what's good on one.

Supposedly there's another one from 

the "friends of PIR" group,

we'll make into another dumper.

Yea lotsa fun here!

TP