Bringing Home a CASE 360 Trencher Backhoe

A while back I picked up a new piece of machinery to help with many of our projects. It is not what I was originally looking for. I had been looking for a backhoe attachment for my Kubota tractor. The Kubota B20 was designed to be a TLB (Tractor / Loader / Backhoe) and has a frame integrated quick attach system designed for the matching BT650 backhoe unit. This is more solid and preferable to 3 point mounted units. The added weight due to this frame design makes them surprisingly capable and the backhoe units for them rarely come up for sale.

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Loading Tractor Tires Quick & Easy

Loading your tractor tires with windshield washer fluid is an easy upgrade giving more traction, better hill stability, and additional weight / ballast. This is also helps with using a front end loader. I decided to use  windshield washer fluid since it is inexpensive, easy to obtain, will not freeze, and will not corrode the wheels like calcium and some of the other wheel ballast options.

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Troubleshooting an Engine Noise

I developed a new engine noise after a high speed run on my 2004 Yamaha Grizzly 660.

In the video I will take you step by step through my process of troubleshooting and how to isolate the cause of the noise, and then assess the damage. I also demonstrate how to use a mechanics stethoscope, check for loose valves, check spark plug color for ignition issues, how to check valve timing, and several other common issues while we looked for the issue.

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DIY Solar Generator – Plexiglass Cover and Improvements

In this update to our DIY Solar Generator how-to series, I am going to show you how to build an acrylic Plexiglass cover for the inside of the solar generator, so that we can store things like jumper cables inside the case without worry about shorting out or damaging any of our wiring connections. I will also show you some updates and improvements that I have made since the original videos, including a way to automatically disconnect the solar charger from the battery when the solar panels are unplugged. This will keep the solar charger from slowly running down the battery while in storage, without having to remember to turn on or off a disconnect switch. I will also show you a better solution I have found for the solar cable wire including heavier gauge cable, for less cost, and a built in cord wrap.

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How To Build a Large Solar Generator – Part 4 – Wiring

This is the fourth part in our series on how to build your own large solar generator. In this part we will be completing the wiring for the generator, including the solar charge controller, AC inverter, LED work lights, and USB outlets.

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The Amazing Yazoo Mower

Yazoo Mowers are becoming increasingly rare, but they have an almost cult following of fans and owners.  They are very unique in their design, allowing them to have a zero-degree turning radius way before the modern hydraulic zero-turn mower was invented, and they have a gear shift lever that allows quick transitions from forward to reverse.

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Fixing up a 40’s – 50’s Era Chevy Pickup Bed Trailer

We just recently moved to a new property, and tucked away in an old out -building was this abandoned trailer.  I was looking for a trailer small enough for the four wheeler to pull, and while this will need a little fixing up, I think it will be perfect for the job.

The trailer was full of junk, had a flat tire with one wheel partially buried, and   mouse nest through-out the inside of the differential. It had definitely been sitting a while! Looking at the body shape and construction, it was originally built from a 47′- 54′ Chevrolet Pickup!

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My Favorite Strippers… Wire Strippers That Is

I have used a lot of wire strippers. When I first saw this type of wire stripper, I was skeptical, because every type of auto-stripper I had used before would work sort of, but seemed like they were more hassle than they were worth. They would either only work well with a small window of wire sizes, or they would need constant adjusting between wire sizess.

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