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  1. tpenfield

    Boat Prep Supply Buying Season . . .

    Usually I buy things as I go through the couple of months leading up to boating season. This year I decided to at least try to get it all done at once, so I am not hampered by not having the stuff when I need it. Today was the day, I ordered some stuff on line . . . including iBoats . . . and...
  2. tpenfield

    My Winter Hobby

    UPDATE: I finished the machine re-build. In total, I ended up getting a new (and adjustable) carburetor, a new muffler, new starter motor, and a new impeller bearing. Plus the rust reforming spray and Ariens paint. Overall cost of the refurb was about $150. I put it on CL to see if it will...
  3. tpenfield

    2014 4.3 merc water in oil

    FWIW - Looks like a couple stretches in January is when things might have gotten a bit too cold. Not sure if this is the OP's exact location, but probably indicative.
  4. tpenfield

    My Winter Hobby

    Quick Update . . . I had thought that winter was pretty much done, but with last week's nor'ester (9" of heavy/wet snow) and tomorrow's prediction of 12"+, it looks like winter is not done yet. I ordered a new carburetor and a muffler for the Ariens. Those seem to have remedied the engine...
  5. tpenfield

    Sea worthy bow rider

    OK Crownie 19 XS . . . Not as bad as some, bit still a slightly downward sloping bow section. The Sea Hunt and Key West are still better options for bay and ocean going.
  6. tpenfield

    My Winter Hobby

    I picked up this Ariens ST824LE today from a family member. He was having trouble with the engine and a mechanic told him to get a new machine. I told him that I would try to fix this one up and we could sell it. It has the 318cc flathead 8HP Tecumseh engine. . . . it does run poorly, so I'll...
  7. tpenfield

    My Winter Hobby

    All done. . . . :) I did the impeller mod and put the remaining stuff back together. I ran the machine for a while and did some demolition of the melting snowbank at the end of the driveway Bring on the snow !!! . . . except it is going to be in the 40's and 50's this week :facepalm:
  8. tpenfield

    My Winter Hobby

    Yup, I just wish they'd stay off the golf course :D It is a snow blower again. . . I ran the engine for a while last night and engaged the auger. All seems good. Just got to do an impeller modification, as the gap between auger and housing seems a bit big. Watch it not snow for the...
  9. tpenfield

    My Winter Hobby

    Update: I made some progress on putting the bucket and auger assembly back together. With the new bearing and greasing everything, the mechanism is really smooth. Next steps will be to fasten the bucket to the chassis, making it look like a snowblower again.
  10. tpenfield

    My Winter Hobby

    UPDATE - success . . . I got some cobalt drill bits and was able to drill the bolt remains to a point where they were flush with the shaft on both sides. That allowed me to pull the auger drum off and deal with the shaft itself. The bolt was still totally stuck in the shaft. Once I cleaned...
  11. tpenfield

    My Winter Hobby

    Quick Update: I tried heating the bolt and then grabbing the shaft end of the bolt with vice grips to try to turn the bolt, but it was a no go. Subsequently, I managed to snap off the shaft end of the bolt, so not anything left to work with. Probably will have to drill the remains of the bolt...
  12. tpenfield

    My Winter Hobby

    I am on to prepping and painting. Lots of rust to grind off, then painting. First with rust reformer New parts are arriving . . . Impeller bushing/bearing, chute retainer clips and a new electric starter. I should have this machine back together by the weekend (I hope) :)
  13. tpenfield

    My Winter Hobby

    I have been running the engine to change the oil and get some carb cleaner through the fuel system on my 'new-to-me' Toro 824 PowerShift. I ran a cylinder leak test . . . only 3% leak :D not bad for a 19 year old engine. I started to take the machine apart, which was not too difficult. Actually...
  14. tpenfield

    My Winter Hobby

    New Addition to the Fleet: I picked this machine up yesterday for $200. 1999 Toro PowerShift 824 (8 HP 318cc OHV engine, 24" bucket). They come with a full transmission and the axle can rotate backwards to change the center of balance, which shifts weight to the bucket for going through snow...
  15. tpenfield

    New Tow Vehicle for the Admiral's Daily Car

    OK, here are some daylight pictures just to be sure 'it happened' :D. We drove to the summer house and brought back the 2004 Explorer so that we could get its annual inspection sticker done, as it expires in a few days. The New Ride . . . The old ride . . . surprisingly it passed...
  16. tpenfield

    New Tow Vehicle for the Admiral's Daily Car

    The 2004 Escalade has/had 144,000 miles on it . Here is a picture we took just before trading it in. 6.0L V8 360 HP, 9,000 lb. towing rating 6.0L V8 360 HP, 9,000 lb. towing rating. Our 2004 Explorer has a 4.6L V8 249 HP, 7,000 lb. towing rating. The new Explorer is 3.5L V6 290 HP...
  17. tpenfield

    New Tow Vehicle for the Admiral's Daily Car

    Here is a picture I took last night when we arrived home. :) The Admiral is driving it for the first time this morning - icy roads - black ice, etc :eek: I should be able to get some better ones this weekend. We are going to the summer house to get the 2004 Ford Explorer, as it has been...
  18. tpenfield

    New Tow Vehicle for the Admiral's Daily Car

    A bit of a story about our primary towing vehicle . . . The Admiral uses our 2004 Cadillac Escalade as her daily car. Last Friday morning the water pump crapped out, spewed AF all over the place in the engine compartment and shorted things out in the electrical system, trashing the battery, all...
  19. tpenfield

    Ordered a new MacBook Pro Laptop . . .

    After over 8 years of use, my 'mid-2009' Macbook Pro is reaching 'end of life'. So, the Admiral said "you should get a new computer" . . . say no more. :D I did a bit of armchair shopping and then ordered a custom configured MacBook Pro 13 i7 Processor 16 GB RAM 512 GD SSD Thunderbolt 3...
  20. tpenfield

    My Winter Hobby

    Looking good . . . You may need to trim each 'paddle' slightly as shown, depending on how tight a fit you have to the housing. It would be interesting to know how much better performance/throwing distance you get with the impeller mod.
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