Author Archives: robsworkshop

Old Cub 60 Mower

Nov 16 2020

I don’t know how old.. Let’s say 70’s.

But I’ve had this little guy stashed away for 9 years. It’s sooo cute ! Made by International Harvester.. Powered by a whopin 6 hp tecumseh motor.. 4 speeds.. both forward and backward. And a stylin body like a little car.

Electric Start ! I wish… not this one. There is no electrical system .. too bad cause it needs lights.

I bought this off folks in Oliver for $50. (that’s their kid ) not running .. Needed a head gasket.. So when I got it home we bought that and ..carb kit , spark plug and an air cleaner.. All of this for another $50. So I’m into the little clown car for $100. Ya “Clown Car” That what it looks like.. So It’s a bit nasty outside so this is a good one to get running.. Also I did a big clean up in the Frankenport this summer and this got booted from it’s hiding place.

And now it on the lift table and I’m preforming surgery on the motor. Hay got the parts why not. First “Off with the Head”. Yup a chunk the gasket was gone.. So here I’ve done some cleaning

Lot’s more cleaning to do before putting things back.. Also I checked the spark.. And we have good spark.. That’s one of the things needed. The other is fuel. so the carb is getting a good cleaning and all new parts.

Going to need new fuel lines as well. And the pull starter needs a little help.

Went out to the shop this morning and the motor had strangely puked all it’s oil out on the lift table.. I’m guessing me spinning the motor with the drill to test for spark has caused something to happen. The oil is all over the pulley under the motor …so main seal ? crack on the crank case ? Now you gotta think just how much parts or a new motor is this old mower worth. The fuel tank is full of rust. Is it going to leak ? Only one of the four wheels holds air.. Will the transmission work ? I know it’s somewhat fun to work on these things. And I’ve restored many many mowers.. But I don’t have the patience for motors I used to. I think I’ll put the little guy back together and pass it on.

Triple E Surf-Side trailer # 3 Frame

Nov 9 2020

The Frame :

Before I start work on the trailer I went about how to get the registration.. No luck.. Of coarse I did not get the registration with a free trailer nor did I expect too. And preliminary searching shows BC registration could not be found anyway. I could pay to have a deeper search, which could also show nothing. but would give me the paper work to get registration in my name. OR just fix it up and get U-build registration.. easy to do if you are replacing lots of parts. but I’ll deal with that later. Check these out.

Ordered these on line … a sale . Grab em while you can.. New wheels and tires is on the need list. There is no spare so one of the ugly ones will work.

Time to separate the body and the frame: Here you can see I’ve lifted the whole trailer enough to remove the wheels. Then I got under and removed the propane lines and cut the six bolts holding the body to the frame. They were rusted bad. Then we lift the body up off the frame… then drop the frame to the ground ( no wheels) and pull it out the front. The body then gets lowered on to my trailer dolly. Wheels back on and the frame goes on the lift.

Body on dolly .. Hope it fits through my door later.

The frame is now in the shop. Isn’t the lift great.. Don’t have to get down on the floor.

The initial inspection shows no issues..none. except a dent in the front cross member.

Not a big deal.. There is only some modifications that I want. And a good paint job. Oh and rebuild the brakes and hubs. First is the rear bumper and the appendages on it. The stabilizer jacks are bent, frozen and mounted upside down ?

And those braces ! Yuk ! Out comes the cut off wheel for this mess. Those are 2″ receiver tubes.. strange. I’ll be sure to save those.

Better ! I do get why they mounted the jacks up behind the bumper.. Protection ! Anything mounted under the bumper could get wiped out .. it’s low to the ground. Now to fix up the tongue up front.

Just a few things to fix here.. Those jack mounts will have to go. And the battery box too. I’ll make a new holder going across for the battery.

All cleaned up.. Ready for new stuff. But first I focus my attention on the wheel hubs and the brakes. Even though they work I know there is rusty parts and a needed inspection of the bearings. I’ve done this many times… even have the brake removal tools. Sure enough the brake adjusters are seized and dirt, rust and even spider webs in the drums.

So every thing gets the royal treatment.. and some get paint too.

Like the backing plates , the drums and ….

The axles. I’m having trouble believing these axles are 46 years old. The ten inch brakes indicate to me that this is a 3500 lb axle. It’s pretty beefy for a light weight axle. And it just bolts on so could be easy to change out. Set aside the painted stuff to do some welding.

New battery tray, and a place to mount my wiring junction box. I also moved a couple of hooks from under the frame for a handy place to hang the safety chains when not in use. The paint is dry on the wheel parts.. so I resembled the brakes.

They worked ok before but now should work better.. I set them aside while I clean and paint the frame. Easier to handle the frame without the added weight of the drums.

Here’s the frame flipped over.. I always paint the underside first.

Another view. We’ll let this cure for a few days. Remember I removed the bad stabilizer jacks .. I really want to have the stabilizers. They are important for these trailers because they are so light. If you go to the rear of the trailer inside it will tip up if not hooked up. So I had a newer pair.

These tabs allow the jacks to be removed very easily. I also plated the bumper ends. Won’t need the sewer hose storage and don’t want them full of crap.

Well back over and finished the paint. No more ugly green on this part of the trailer. Instead it’s shiny black.

Today was finishing up the frame. I ran the brake wires through the frame to the front. Nice, tidy and protected. And they terminate at the 7 pin junction box.

Did not have to drill holes in the frame … just came out the front of the tube. I love these boxes.. for $8.99 they are great, easy to connect the wiring and weather proof too. Gets a bit crowded when all the different wires come together.

New jack installed .. 5000 lb over kill , but I like these and they go on sale for $25. And it’s nice how the handle folds out of the way.

That’s it for the frame.. Brakes adjusted.. bearings greased… time for the next page.. Total invested so far is under $400. Mostly those fancy new wheels.

PAGE 4 : The body

Triple E Surf Side Trailer #2 Intro

Nov 5 2020

All tarped up for the time being.

But I squeezed in the video first.

Exterior Video

Interior Video

I would love to get working on this trailer.. But the John Deere 1420 is in the shop and we are still fighting with it… Oh well but I did remove the broken lower hinge on the door. Sorta fixed it and back on. Not sure if you can get these or not. But it turns out it’s not special like the Boler / Scamp door hinges. A good stainless marine hinge will work.. may even be better. So I’ll order those.

Let’s talk about the Trailer :

1978_SurfSideBrochure

Looking up the history of the Surf-Side, and using the build sheet info.. it’s determined that this is a 1976 trailer. Built in Winnipeg Manitoba. The model is a TM14. The GVW is 1650 lbs. Making this trailer very light. There is the same torsion suspension as a Boler. The frame looks a bit stronger and rises up at the tongue giving a better 14 inch hitch height. Also the tongue is narrower and a longer reach making it less likely to be damaged by “jack knifing”. As you can see below.

However seems someone found a different way to do damage to the left front corner ?

Fortunately it’s fiberglass and the body work is easy …and doesn’t have to look like this butcher job ! While we are talking fixes.. The roof has sagged down .. Most likely snow load.. and made worse by the missing kitchen cabinets. Just like the Boler those cabinets help support the roof. So that will be fixed when I build new cabinets. Aside from removing the green paint the windows need repairing too. Now more will show up I’m sure, but those are the obvious ones.

Further Inspections:

And too bad these are broken.. But I want LED lights.. so new ones for sure. Notice the back-up lights. Ya this trailer has brakes too and the plug WAS a 7 pin.. (missing) But the wiring is still there. A bit overkill for an under 2000 lb trailer.. But I will keep it this way.

And here’s a look under the trailer.. Looking toward the rear. This is cool ! the bottom is molded as part of the bottom half … One big happy tub. No skirt hanging down like the Boler. This is so much like the new trailers are built.. Casita’s and Escape’s. Needs a bit more framing I’m thinking.

This view shows the drop in the floor where the dinette ends and the standing area starts. Interesting.. Looks like the torsion arms are trailing and up. And the brake drums are visible.

So much for brakes ! The wires are hanging down and dragging on the ground. Propane lines are seen here too. Not a fan of holes in the floor but this is probably best . All of this tells me that gutting the trailer and even replacing the floor would be very easy.

So we wait for shop space. That will be

Page 3

Triple E Surf Side Trailer #1 New

Nov 3 2020

Here we go… Again !

After restoring two small fiberglass trailers the Boler and the Scamp I had enough and was glad to see both gone. But I changed my mind when this one was offered to me for free.. Yes free. What can i say …I’m a sucker for an ugly trailer.. And more if it’s fiberglass. Starting from $0 is as good as it gets. Now as usual I’ll show you a photo from the web of a nice one…

Nice eh… It’s what it should look like… But then it would not be free, would it ? Nope a free one looks like this…

Oh ya someone got some free green paint and no sense of when to stop. Unless your lazy and did not have a ladder …then the roof gets left the old color. Like it did.. Sad.

Today I towed it home. Which makes it better in some respects. Neither the Boler or the Scamp could be towed home they had to be loaded on a flat deck for that trip.. This time I did not even have to put air in the tires.. But lets share the story.. or what I know anyway.

It’s presumed this trailer was given to one of our street folks. Whom had someone park it for them up one of our forest roads. CO tells them they can’t do that and have to move.. So they make a deal to park in my friends RV park… But they don’t pay the rent .. and after a few months sneak away at night. This trailer sits there locked up and waiting for them to return for the stuff they have horded in side.. Nope months go by and they are gone .. The RV park is sold and the new owners want it gone.. Who ya gonna call ! Rob (ME). Now I’m going to say the above story plays out everywhere. The bleeding hearts say these folks need help , community support and a place to live.. sure so long as it’s free and there are no rules. And what’s up with all the stuff ! Just wait till I start going though the STUFF in side the trailer … God only knows where it came from ?

What is the first thing to do ? YA find the floor.. Some of the stuff is good .. Here’s hoping the fridge works.. but I’ll not hold my breath. I need to find a tag or plate with info about the year or Vin number.

Found It !

Both the floor and the Vin number. Today cleaned out the whole trailer Filled my utility trailer for a dump run.

This was one of the things I was looking for.. The factory build sheet.

This was the other thing… The floor. Found a few treasures, Too much to list. But most is off to the dump. The trailer is now empty. Ya got all the proper cushions.. But they are 40 years old. Aside from the filth the trailer is in good condition. Missing the kitchen though.. BUT all the cabinets are wood and can be modified or built to whatever you want. I have sinks , stoves and another small fridge . And several bins of RV parts..

So I’m going to tarp it till I get to working on it . And then I’ll start a

Page 2

2001 John Deere 1420 Mower Page 2

Oct 30 2020

Let’s fix the motor and get this puppy running !

And the root problem is the carb.

And so a few parts have been ordered. Anew float needle valve, gasket, and new shutoff solenoid. The last one is a pricey little thing. The bad oil has been drained and a new filter installed.

Well new oil …carb all clean and back in… still won’t start. Gone over and over the wiring , sensors and coils to try and find the problem. Cleaned all the connections. and then I found this.

One of the magnetic pick ups for the coil was bent back. So that cylinder would not fire. So I cleaned all of three of these and set the gap for the best pick up.. works all three plugs are working.. But the motor still refuses to start. SO I’m kicking the John deere to the curb for awhile.. Outside all covered up waiting for my patience to come back.

Jan 2021 … Update:

A friend of mine wanted to take the John Deere over to his shop and see if he could have luck with it. And he did .. got it running ! So I went over and helped him put some of the bits and pieces back on.. He bought a battery and we took it for a run outside.

Proof.. So I’m fixing up the seat.. The bottom cushion is at the upholstery shop.. All the hydraulics work perfectly.

2001 John Deere 1420 Mower

Oct 27 2020

This is a new project for the winter !

Not mine but same model…

Arriving in the shop a tad early for winter.. however you wouldn’t know that when you look outside. We got a pre – winter blast of snow.. about 4 inches. Enough to play havoc on the roads and catching us off guard. I came home from camping early and avoided all the problems.. Some were not so lucky. Any way back to the JD.. It was a trade.. Back in 2018 I bought home a Cushman front deck commercial mower. Powered by a Kubota Diesel motor.. It’s the diesel that made it all worthwhile and taking a chance. Did not know if it would run .. needs a bunch of work.. But it came with a few attachments .. snow blower , mower deck and a scoop bucket?

And so I made a trade for this …..

He wanted the snow blower more than I did.. But I think I did ok. Ya it looks good .. But ! back in August Dave and I made a trip down to Richmond to pick up two things from the auction for the boss.. this was one of them.. Bought with only seeing photos … it was supposed to be a 2006… and was supposed to be a diesel.. and it was supposed to be running. NOPE! Turns out to be a 2001 and a gas motor. NOT running. So there was a settlement of sorts which I have no knowledge. No mater.

This is a F1420 model, Yanmar 28 hp GAS motor, Hyrostatic drive, 62 inch rear discharge triple blade deck with hydraulic lift . As you can see the steering column tilts , the seat has long travel suspension. Commercial duty. There was “City of Richmond” decals still visible.

Dave and I tinkered with the motor when we got it home this summer.. It was almost seized.. we managed to get it turning… and very briefly had it running. so long as we poured fuel down the carb. Fairly sure that water got in through the open air cleaner and into the cylinders rusting the rings. There is water in the oil and the carb needs a good cleaning …for sure the fuel shutoff solenoid is rusted shut . Bad fuel won’t help either. And the first thing is to get it running .

AH HA ! tucked into one of those document tubes used on trailers.. Look what I found.. Proof ! 2014 wasn’t that long ago. This puppy was roaming the parks and other grassy areas of Richmond, BC. Cast aside for newer fancy one I bet. Parked in the back lot … un loved and destined for the auction.

Look what I found !

I couldn’t for the life of me understand why there was this ring around the fuel filler. And what looked like a satellite radio antenna. So I removed the front cover from the steering / dash pod. ( needed to get to the warning lights ) And I find this all wrapped up.

GPS tracker ? nope. Looked it up.. It’s a fuel usage monitoring system. Transmits data to someones computer just to track how much fuel is being used. Seriously ! why not just keep a log book at the pump ? Cities always go the more expense way.

Think of the money spent on installing and signing up to this tech company for every vehicle in the Richmond fleet … wow. I’m sure these aren’t free.. Why not remove it to use on another machine. Waste waste..

So let’s start a new page as we get to healing the motor….

Page 2

Old K-Mart 4×8 Folding Trailer PAGE 3

Sept 30 2020

Finishing the Trailer :

Once I joined the two halves together upside down it’s easy to do a good wiring job.. Consideration for the folding must be made.

This is were I do things a bit different.. First off I use loom to protect the wires, Mostly the vehicle plug end.

A hole through the tongue on the left side and the loom passes through that with a tie so it can’t be pulled out.

The other thing I do is run the ground wire directly to the lights instead of relying on the frame as most do. This is far more reliable on any trailer because ground connections to the frame can rust and become poor. Plus this trailer folds up and there is two painted hinge points that would not allow ground to work well. Bright ideas means bright lights !

Here’s how I solved the hinging problem.. Enough of a loop to accommodate the folding but keep it tucked up..

When the trailer is flipped over this with be the right hand light.

The lift table is SOOO great.. just roll the trailer over and lift to a comfortable height for working…

Well it’s all done and listed for sale.. She’s a cutey .. folds up and stands up like it should.

And it’s still a very useful 4×8 trailer. Nice and light.

End of this post.. it was fun … Rob

Old K-Mart 4×8 Folding Trailer PAGE 2

Sept 22 2020

–Cleaning & Painting :

Well I looked at the frame sitting on the saw horses out side .. and it looked like a real chore working on it.. SOOO I took the whole thing apart… all the nuts & bolts. They were rusty and some of them broke.

Now I’m left with just a pile of metal pieces that are easy to clean. These cross pieces are all the same …so they can go in any order.

Same goes for the stake pockets.. I bought all new bolts to put it back together. AND !

I’m keeping the folding ability. These are the hinges, all they need is a good cleaning and a bit of straightening. I will also need to replace the angle iron feet the the trailer would rest on when tipped up for storage. The weather turned to rain so I had to bring the whole works inside.

The whole trailer ( minus the wheels) is here on my lift table. All cleaned and ready for painting..

And we have it.. just like new! I”l let these cure for several days. Then when we have a nice day I’ll go get a sheet of plywood and put the puzzle back together.

All eight stake pockets are spiffy again too. Everything has a nice coat of paint now. And it cured enough to put back together.

Here’s the front half of the frame.. like putting a puzzle together. I left the bolts loose so I could use the plywood floor to square the frame up.

Of coarse I put a coat of stain on the underside of the plywood. That’s 5/8 ” GIS plywood fastened to the frame with 1/4 ” galvanized carriage bolts. Not SCREWS ! This is strong and will last for many years. Screws will become loose and rust easily… bad!

Like I said all new bolts with locking nuts are used . The stake pockets are on now too. Ready for wiring and lights. Let’s have another page for the finishing …

PAGE 3

Old K-Mart 4×8 Folding Trailer PAGE 1

Sept 15 2020

Yes K Mart !

Here’s the proof… These were kit trailers , they sold them in a box ..you bolt it together. There is no welds…all bolts holding the frame together. Can Tire , Harbour Freight and others sold them. The date says 1995. Sure why argue with that 25 years young.

How did I get it ?

Someone was moving across Canada and selling things like trailers. Cheap and with registration. That always catches my attention. Doing the ubiult thing is a pain. So I put more value on a trailer with papers. And this is what it looked like… Kinda home made. Little 8 inch wheels hiding under there.

I could see that there was another trailer hiding under all those wooden parts. The lights were broken and the wiring was hanging down… but sorta worked.. didn’t care.. I replace that stuff anyway.

Time to see what’s under this mess. Maybe mess is too harsh.. cause it did work for the guy.. Sooo out comes the screw gun and the crow bar.

I get down to this and there’s a legit 4×8 trailer .. with fenders , stake pockets and lights.. (however the left taillight is missing).

The plywood deck is actually ok.. but there’s too many holes from screws. So I think I would replace it.. Need to repaint the frame anyway ..it’s a bit rusty. Needs new tail lights and wiring ( done right). Make new sides and there you have a good trailer.

Let’s Fix it !

The first step is to strip it all down. So just the basic frame is left. Amazingly it’s not super rusty… and just like the registration says it’s grey ! I’ll keep that color on the frame but use the tough black paint on the axle , hubs and springs.

Here’s the plywood floor with a few of the bits and pieces. I will be replacing the 1-7/8 coupler with a new 2 ” coupler. And the bearings will be checked for excessive ware . It was discovered that this trailer was a folding trailer. The 8ft deck folded in half and the tongue folded up too…so you could store the trailer in a small space. Someone added some welds and a few bolts to make it rigid. And that’s fine.

This solves the lights and wiring …as well as a new 2″ coupler. I have 3 of the wiring kits.. So it’s nice to find a home for one. Bearings however have been a bit of an issue. The hubs had play in them. Seems the standard trailer kit is not a good fit. Fortunately one of the four bearings was good and fit .. so with the number we were able to order three more.. Once the hubs are good then we are down to the cleaning and painting.

Let’s do a Page 2

12 ft Kencraft Boat

Sept 9 2020

Another trip to the lower mainland

Well I don’t need any more projects.. But this isn’t one.. ready to go and kinda special.

And I have to admit it was the bimi top that sold me.. Also i prefer Fiberglass boats to aluminum.. They don’t leak when they get old. But this boat isn’t old …. as boat go 1995 Kencraft made in Port Coquitlam. Very sturdy, with good free board ( height of sides), so if the lake gets a bit choppy no worries. The motor is a 15 hp Tohatsu (Nissan) 2 stroke outboard. Runs great…also from 1995. Lots of goodies came with the boat … fish finder with GPS, down riggers, rod holders, Storage cover, anchor, and a few more small things. The trailer is great …new axle & wheels, LED lights ..

Even a spare (new) 6 gallon fuel tank. The whole package is good to go… but not perfect. Here’s a short video .. We took the boat out to Christina Lake for a shake down cruise.

Beautiful day on the lake … And we are finding some things that could be improved.

Trailer : I don’t like the 1-7/8 coupler … I like 2 “.. everything else is 2 ” so that needs to be changed. The wiring & 4 pin plug are wrapped with tape.. I like to use loom. Need a 12″ spare tire too.

Motor: Just a bit of tuning.. maybe new plugs. maybe touch up the scratches..

Boat: Needs more weight up front. So move the fuel tank , could use a polish… maybe a nice blue stripe… Hmmm.

And those seats are very comfy..