hex0rz

Well, winter decided to make up for all the lack of snowfall in just one day. I was woken up to the sound of losing power. That's when i knew it began. No sight of restoration anytime soon as our whole region seems to be without power. Missed work today because of all the snow. Spent 6 hours in the bobcat removing snow in the driveway and the private community road. Its a wet heavy snow. It took its toll as trees and power lines have fallen everywhere according to news and feedback from others. Lineman can't get started until they are ensured safety. I imagine they've been at work for a while now, but they certainly weren't out in it until it subsided. Once i called it quits for the day, it proceeded to undo all my hard work. Looks like i didn't even do anything... sigh. Well, sitting here, at least I'm warm next to the wood stove. Put my skillet on top and can cook food. Running the generator to keep power to the fridge for a bit and can run the well pump so i can maintain my sanity to be able to shower. I venture to say we've accumulated at least 12 inches in the past 16 hours. Doesn't sound that bad, but when a plow truck can't keep up with the snowfall, county roads are on the back burner. Glad i made the right decision to shelter in place today..

Fwiw, these past couple days, I've noticed a consistent drop of an average of 200f degrees on my egts. When i put these new tires on, it dropped my mileage and my typical egt temp was at 800f cruising at 65mph. Now, I've been cruising at about 600 to 650 at 65mph.

I like this guys presentation, but it also frustrates me that after bashing safes, they go a step lower than their competitors and just make gun lockers.

I was judging quantity by engine displacement not quantity of oil or cylinder count. This is advertised to aid in cylinder bore wear. Technically if compression increases, i should have some sort of change in the seat of the pants. I'm looking to see if a change will occur on initial startup. While many report to use this for a temporary fix to get them by until they can spend the money on a real fix, many also do it because the can says you can. They recommend having it added at every oil change. I technically have another 2500 miles to go before im due for a change. I also dug a little further into what the makeup of this formula is. It's comprised of Copper, Silver and Lead. With that knowledge it makes sense in how this can do what it advertises. Its not a viscosity modifier to your oil.

Alright fellas, dumped a can of the 8 cylinder formula into the Cummins last night. I don't have a compression tester, but ill see if the fuel mileage changes any or if i have less blowby or any performance changes. Might have to go a while before it makes a difference.

Been thinking about different oils lately since i was dealing with my skid steer and all... What about running an 0w40 oil in these trucks? I've always wondered what 15w40 was doing to my truck in dead winter startups and it not being plugged in...

What about utilizing this idea in a different fashion? Triggering the grids on so they stay on longer after 18mph to help the truck warm up better?

Wow in blown away. I never knew this about diesels. Kinda makes me wonder what sort of things i can do to this little Kubota.

Okay, so what would prompt someone to do indirect injection compared to direct? Does the injection still get timed like a direct injection? Definitely seems more inefficient to me as it seems like it would decrease the likelihood of the fuel to stay atomized.

I spent hours on this subject more last night. I found a few noteworthy things to mention: https://www.sturdysafe.com/pages/how-sturdy-safes-are-built These two places put safes into perspective for me. Now to just afford them. The sturdy safe company intro model can get spendy and the one i would want from them is going to be a couple thousand. But it'll only hold less than a dozen firearms...

What does indirect actually mean? Kind of like a carburetor diesel?

Here's just a couple I've watched... Otoh, Restore (00012) 6-Cylinder Formula Engine Restorer and Lubricant - 12.5 oz. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Restore-00012-6-Cylinder-Formula-Engine-Restorer-and-Lubricant-12-5-oz/33753853 It's pretty cheap, and considering we go 7500 miles between changes, i think this could definitely help an engine from riding the line. I agree, there is no substitute for a freshly bored or honed cylinder and new rings. But if maybe your a person that can't afford that right now or maybe you just want shone insurance...

What a loaded topic... I have never owned a safe. But that time to own one has seem to come around the corner, finally. I have done research on the topic over the years and have come to realize what the safe industry is. With the vastly different ranges in safe design, its hard to choose what a person really needs... As part of my homeowner defense plan, securing my arms, my priceless possessions and sensitive information, i need to understand what's adequate. I have seen gun lockers, safes, vaults, hiding spots, etc. Ranging from cheap to high dollar. Merchants that specialize in safes willing to sell you a safe that you could only put a few firearms in for thousands of dollars. Where is that equilibrium where i can get a safe that actually will do the job its advertised but not also wipe me clean financially? I have seen many manufacturers that design the same basic safe. With that comes certain ratings. I almost feel that something is better than nothing. Call me a bad steward, but my firearms sit in the open at my house. I think this has always been a huge risk of them being stolen if i were ever to have a thief in the house. I know what design flaws come in most safes, but should one really be that concerned about a more skilled safe cracker? Some safes can just outright be carried away. I have given thought to putting the safe in the shop so it can be bolted to the floor. I Have also thought about getting a safe small enough that i could gut any upright freezer and put it over it so its concealed. Anyways i think I've begun rambling, who owns a safe, or has experiences with thieves attempting a forced entry? I would like input from those with knowledge on the matter.

I returned the extreme hydraulic oil and opted for aw32 hydraulic oil they had instead. Maybe used 3 gallons of a 5 gallon bucket of oil. Energized the glow plugs and it did 2 cycles before i fired it up at idle rpm. Cranked right over but had a little sputtering upon fire up. I would think that's normal for these little engines... I've never had a glow plug engine either so that's why i figured it was normal. Once i got it going, i proceeded to finally get it moving and see how it ran. What a dream! I love operating it now. I think anyone could operate it without a problem now. Now i have to get used to operating it again..

I must first say, I'm not worried about anything with my Cummins. It runs fine and fires every first crank. I do not think i have excessive blowby either. It doesn't smoke or burn oil excessively. But, the idea comes into mind, why not? They say to add it in every oil change. I know it's not a silver bullet, but if i can use it as a preventative, why not. Maybe i will see any increase in performance or efficiency or longevity. I hardly hear anything bad about it, but was curious to hear what others have to say about it on this forum. I think this product has allot of merit and was considering putting it in every engine i have for good measure.

I bought it at my local farm store. They go through pallets of this stuff all the time. I just wasn't sure if it was compatible for skid steer systems. When it comes to oils and lubes etc, i don't know much...

Bobcat manual says what's in the picture. I picked this up: http://xtremeoil.com/allproducts/xtreme-tractor-hydraulic-fluid/ Problems?

Wow, your doing better than i am. I couldn't find anything. Resorted to a Facebook group for skid steers. Dunno the whole demographic of the group, but don't ask something too challenging. Otherwise, you may never get an answer.

And...... Why you think i still have the Cummins!

yea i took the strap off. Biggest issue is bobcat has a virtual monopoly on the parts... that's the frustrating part.

Did a little bit at a time chipping away at the repair to the bobcat. Got parts in and fixed the leak. Took a bit of a learning curve on reassembly and adjustment. Got the controls neutraled out and adjusted. Stays in one spot now and the controls are like a night and day difference running them now. I still had the bobcat on jacks so i didn't get too much seat of the pants experience. I lost allot of hydraulic oil waiting for the parts to come in. Gonna have to wait until i get more oil until i feel comfortable running it again. I checked the glow plugs with the DMM and they checked out. I still need to try and get a compression test and injectors tested. I took the battery out and verified the cells and charge state. Battery was still good but i dunno for how long because no one pulled the stickers for the date codes... One thing that bugged me was at idle or upon shutdown the machine made a nasty noise that sounded mechanical. It had something to do with the engine area as it went away with throttling up. So i had an inclination it was the drive belt tensioner. Unfortunately they don't have a constant tensioner feature so to speak. Eventually it loses tension and needs adjustment. Well, i got to that point and the dang thing couldn't tension. So i pulled it and spent an hour looking at it as to why it wouldn't. I said forget it and put it back in after greasing it and tried again. Finally, it takes a 4 foot long pry bar to get it to finally move. But boy, now that it's working right im convinced its helped with the idle rpms and it doesn't make that nasty noise at idle or on shutdown. Next thing i gotta work on is wheel seal replacements. 4 of these little dreamy things to replace.... boy i can hardly wait. It seems like with me and all things i get involved in, i sure do learn allot with all these learning curves.

Yea I'm not running it again until i get the parts to fix it. Should get it up and going by next weekend. The unfortunate thing is the hydraulic tank is the highest point of the hydraulic system. The leak is seeping out around from the seal at the swash plate pintle. Yes the engine is a v2203 Kubota. Nifty little engine. Tell me everything i need to know about them! Injectors, injector pump and timing, what their weaknesses are and anything else you think you should add.

So i started working on the steering control repair. Got to the swash plate output shaft. The bobcat guy says the plate on top with the 4 bolts is the seal and i believe the diagram showed an o ring under it also. I undid the bolts and hydraulic fluid started spewing out. So i put the plate back on but it's still leaking a drop or so every 5 seconds. Do i need to relieve pressure anywhere or is this a gravity feed situation? I Just don't want it sitting the whole time until i get the parts and then it has no fluid. Wasn't too bad to get the parts off. I pray i don't have to replace the swash plate. That would involve removing the engine just to get to the hydrostatic pump. Then tearing into the pump. I should only be out a couple hundred for parts for a few different issues going on. Admittedly, because of my lack of knowledge in these machines i didn't buy something as ideal as i hoped for. But in all things, i seem to get many opportunity to learn the school of hard knocks. I suppose i should be used to that by now... One more thing, maybe someone can answer. In warm weather, the machine would turn over fine. But now that it's been cold, i have to crank it 3 or 4 times to get it to fire. I'm going to physically check that the glow plugs are good. The indicator and countdown timer work on the displays...

I'm going to track it more and maybe pull the injectors too. Have them bench tested...

I was doing snow removal with it over the weekend. And yes, anytime i exit it for something ill throttle it back down.