Are you ready for Winter?

[Tughill Tom]

Holy smokes - - - the old XXV is fighting me this year. Won't run, and I've always had good luck fixing it as needed.

At first, controls acted a little funky. Ignitor would get hot and pellets would smoke, but it wouldn't take off. No error "blinks" from circuit board. Was thinking I missed sealing the new door glass, but no error code to indicate same.

Then ignitor went cold after a few attempts.

Changed ignitor, no go. Controls still acted odd, so changed circuit board. Then got a 3 "blink" error, meaning Exhaust Sensing Probe (ESP) not detected. At least I got an error code, so step in the right direction...maybe...

Working on a new ESP now.

The Ignitor, Board, and ESP are all old, and had replacement parts on the shelf.

Now I feel like I'm just throwing parts at it, and it's not a good feeling....

Did you get to run? Air flow switch or hoses? would be my guess

 

[Magicman]

Yup, our Winter normally occurs sometime during January and last for a few days. I usually keep long sleeved shirt handy for when it happens.

 

[RCW]

Did you get to run? Air flow switch or hoses? would be my guess

Hallelujah!!!....Hallelujah!!!

Tom - - thanks for asking!

I literally had a great moment about the time you asked the question.

I was so frustrated.....Ollie the dog is sick, cracked ice maker is on back order, washer is making noises,.....

If I had to guess, the Board crapped out...caused no ignitor heat, odd control response, and low combustion blower speed.

The problem was two dipswitches....

The first "dipswitch" was the 6' 4" idiot doing the work, and second was the 8 dipswitches on the Board.

The dipswitches on the new Board were not set like my old Board.....set them correct to old Board and good to go...

I wasn't smart enough to look first....

FWIW, dipswitch #5 is "off" for an older black wire ESP, and "on" for a red-wired ESP. I also had to change 1 and 7. Same Board, but probably the Board was set for a different model Harman stove.

I've bought aftermarket parts for a few years. The Ignitor was $20, and replaced one 3 years old. The ESP was also about $20, and the one it replaced was original. No loss for either....but I probably replaced good parts.

The Boards run about $200 +/-.

I'll probably get a replacement for each of them to have on the shelf......

My sincere apologies to jimh406 about the distraction/detour/hijack.

In my house, that pellet stove is a major part of getting ready for winter..... I hope you’re okay with that.

I just know that I feel so much better about it….it’s really been a tough couple weeks on many fronts….

I happened to win this battle.

Unfortunately, tonight is making me think Ollie’s not going to win his….bad night.

Give him a week at best, maybe 2 on the outside.

Gonna miss that boy when he’s gone…

That time is coming quick…..

 

[DustyRusty]

I am so far behind that I will not be ready for winter before spring 2022. Every time that I think that I am getting ahead, something else fails, breaks, or needs to be worked on. Two days ago, the brakes on my Corvair started acting up with the left wheel grabbing when the brakes were applied. Took it apart, to check, and found that the grease seal had failed. Got it fixed up tonight, and took it out for a drive, and it stops without any pulling. Next is to reseal the rear window, so it doesn't leak every time that it rains or the car gets washed.

 

[leveraddict]

Hallelujah!!!....Hallelujah!!!


View attachment 67356

Tom - - thanks for asking!

I literally had a great moment about the time you asked the question.

I was so frustrated.....Ollie the dog is sick, cracked ice maker is on back order, washer is making noises,.....

If I had to guess, the Board crapped out...caused no ignitor heat, odd control response, and low combustion blower speed.

The problem was two dipswitches....

The first "dipswitch" was the 6' 4" idiot doing the work, and second was the 8 dipswitches on the Board.

The dipswitches on the new Board were not set like my old Board.....set them correct to old Board and good to go...

I wasn't smart enough to look first....

FWIW, dipswitch #5 is "off" for an older black wire ESP, and "on" for a red-wired ESP. I also had to change 1 and 7. Same Board, but probably the Board was set for a different model Harman stove.

I've bought aftermarket parts for a few years. The Ignitor was $20, and replaced one 3 years old. The ESP was also about $20, and the one it replaced was original. No loss for either....but I probably replaced good parts.

The Boards run about $200 +/-.

I'll probably get a replacement for each of them to have on the shelf......

My sincere apologies to jimh406 about the distraction/detour/hijack.

In my house, that pellet stove is a major part of getting ready for winter..... I hope you’re okay with that.

I just know that I feel so much better about it….it’s really been a tough couple weeks on many fronts….

I happened to win this battle.

Unfortunately, tonight is making me think Ollie’s not going to win his….bad night.

Give him a week at best, maybe 2 on the outside.

Gonna miss that boy when he’s gone…

That time is coming quick…..

Take a good look at your bad circuit board! Check all the soldered points with a good magnifying glass. You may notice a solder point that looks perfectly fine to the naked eye but under magnification you can see tiny hairline cracks in the solder. You would think there's no way that can cause a problem but it does. Especially check the area where the plug connects to the board this is a common failure point. These areas just need to be soldered again. I just went through this with a circuit board for a Hayward pool heater as it is a common failure on these units.

 

[RCW]

Two days ago, the brakes on my Corvair started acting up with the left wheel grabbing when the brakes were applied. Took it apart, to check, and found that the grease seal had failed. Got it fixed up tonight, and took it out for a drive, and it stops without any pulling. Next is to reseal the rear window, so it doesn't leak every time that it rains or the car gets washed. View attachment 67386

Dusty - - that's a real beauty!

Couple weeks ago I posted a Corvair photo when we were moving cars at the Car Museum I'm part of. Thought the hood or trunk...what do you call it?!?! was really neat.... Had never seen one like it.

We put it in the exhibit with that pointed out close to the guests, and have a Corvair engine on a rolling stand next to the car.

 

[Magicman]

I had a few more sawmill slabs that needed splitting so......

I went ahead and split them before I put the splitter away. My trailer was full so I'll haul these sticks home the next time I am at the farm property.

Well, full was a bit more than my ZT could handle.

It was a different view for sure looking at the sky.

So I rearranged the load and......

Made it just fine. It was a funny sight.

 

[DustyRusty]

Dusty - - that's a real beauty!

Couple weeks ago I posted a Corvair photo when we were moving cars at the Car Museum I'm part of. Thought the hood or trunk...what do you call it?!?! was really neat.... Had never seen one like it.

We put it in the exhibit with that pointed out close to the guests, and have a Corvair engine on a rolling stand next to the car.

View attachment 67397

It is called an "engine lid". That is a 1960 first-year Corvair with the plexiglass engine lid that the dealers were instructed to put onto the car that was on the showroom floor, so prospective buyers could see the engine, without opening it. Every dealer got one in their initial stocking order of Corvair parts, and today, many have survived because many dealerships never installed them. Next time you are at the museum, look under the front bumper to see if there are a few stamped slots in the sheet metal. If there is, then that is a very early Corvair know as a "horn slot" car.

 

[nbryan]

Yup got new truck tires. Going on next week.



Bring on the SNOW...

So I can go do more of THIS:

(from Feb. 2020)

 

[Magicman]

Yeaaah !!! I realize that this is doesn't compare with you "Glaciated Guys", but I ain't in a Winter Race.

What should be my Winter's firewood supply is stacked and ready. That is almost a half cord and I have another probably ¼ cord still at the farm. I'll haul it home whenever it is convenient. Anyway, bring er on....burrrrrr.

 

[jimh406]

What should be my Winter's firewood supply is stacked and ready. That is almost a half cord and I have another probably ¼ cord still at the farm. I'll haul it home whenever it is convenient. Anyway, bring er on....burrrrrr.

Nice looking stack. I’m one of those guys in a colder climate, so you are right, your stack wouldn’t get me very far. We’ll probably burn 6 or 7 cords this year, but we do keep it pretty warm when using fireplaces during the day. We burn at night only when it is teens or less at night.

We started out keeping wood just in case, but now, it seems we do it to keep the house very warm.

 

[Magicman]

Sooo with my firewood stacked, this morning I turned my attention to splitting some kindling. There are lotsa colloquial terms like; fat lighter, lightered, fat pine, pine knots, etc. but it is all the same, and very rich with pitch.

I used the 'handaxe' that I rebuilt. It's certainly not designed for splitting but it serves me well.

I got started and didn't want to quit. Anyway, that is more kindling than I will ever use this year.

 

[PaulR]

No, not ready. Not even close.
It's tough to prep for the apocalypse and get ready for winter at the same time!

 

[Tughill Tom]

Yeaaah !!! I realize that this is doesn't compare with you "Glaciated Guys", but I ain't in a Winter Race.
View attachment 67494
What should be my Winter's firewood supply is stacked and ready. That is almost a half cord and I have another probably ¼ cord still at the farm. I'll haul it home whenever it is convenient. Anyway, bring er on....burrrrrr.

That would be a good weekend burn at my old camp when Snow sledding back in the day. Now I have heat without work.

 

[RCW]

Another ton home. Makes 4.5. Thinking that energy prices could cause some pellet shortages late winter. This will get me to March or so, weather dependent.

Going to look at a 5’ back blade shortly for snow.

 

[Fordtech86]

Another ton home. Makes 4.5. Thinking that energy prices could cause some pellet shortages late winter. This will get me to March or so, weather dependent.

Going to look at a 5’ back blade shortly for snow.

View attachment 67918

Great to see Ollie still hanging around there!

 

[RCW]

….fingers crossed. He’s been pretty good last couple days. Was out supervising…

Had a couple seizures last week and had to up his meds. Takes a while to adjust.

Was even playing a little other night.

 

[Newaterman]

Edge tamers installed, I ended up deciding to drill the bucket as these knock off ones had a small indent for the bolts in the bottom. So I grabbed some spacers, the cordless drill, and here we are. Did a little trimming to get the fit just right.

 

[IanB]

1st winter at the new place, with the B2650. Front mount 63" snowblower purchased, having it installed (1st setup) at the dealer in early Nov, hoping it works well to clear the parking area and driveway, mostly gravel. For anyone with a similar setup, would you recommend using a rear mounted ballast box with the front mount snowblower? I've got one I've never used, but thinking it might be good for that purpose.

 

[nbryan]

1st winter at the new place, with the B2650. Front mount 63" snowblower purchased, having it installed (1st setup) at the dealer in early Nov, hoping it works well to clear the parking area and driveway, mostly gravel. For anyone with a similar setup, would you recommend using a rear mounted ballast box with the front mount snowblower? I've got one I've never used, but thinking it might be good for that purpose.

A fellow Manitoban, here, SE corner of province. Have been using my B2650/B2782B front snow blower w/hyd. chute since December 2017, my 300ft driveway and about 60ft x100ft parking area is all gravel.

I also foray into a few fields trails and a bush trail with the blower as needed, we do lots of walking, dog walking, all winter here on this 116 acres.

I always have my BB1560 box scraper on the 3-point when the blower gets mounted. Not only a great ballast, but a very useful close-quarter snowpile-mover. I pull drifts well away from my garage door wall, etc., with the box, then hit with blower from safe distance. Scrapes up ice way better than the blower's bottom edge too.

Get yourself a 4l jug of winter weight chainsaw chain oil to regularly lube the drive chain. I use a 1 litre squirt-nose (has a tip like a caulk tube tip, and cap, was a 80w-90 gear lube container) for a chain oil bottle to throw in the tractor tool box, give the chain lube hole a little shot a couple times a day.

I just wish it snowed a lot more last winter! I have a lot of fun moving LOTS of snow FAR AWAY from the driveways FAST.

The hookup of the subframe and blower takes some getting used to, I've gotten it down to as little as about 20 minutes once the loader is off the tractor, but plan for it to take longer than that. I don't have interior or otherwise concrete floor space to be able to use a dolly or floor hoist to position the frame correctly - and it's fussy - and heavy to handle too.

And when it's time to check the drive chain tension, it's easy to over tighten that chain but still think it's within the operator's manual free play spec. range. The key is it needs that free play for the WHOLE RANGE of rotations of the drive sprockets and chain, several full rotations where no point is tighter than the spec. The assembly does not rotate perfectly evenly and the chain free play changes slightly through a few rotations, and with temperature changes, too. I overtightened a bit, and you can really hear the chain noise increase.

My point, leave it a little loose if anything, and don't tighten it much if neded.