How to Retread a Lawnmower Tire

 

DIY: Retreading Lawnmower a Tire
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I saw this on a youtube video a few years ago and kept it in mind for the day I needed it.

Basically both the originator of this idea and I both used an old bike tire to cheaply retread a lawnmower tire.

This takes a little work, but it is much cheaper than buying new tires.

I simply measured around the circumference of my lawnmower drive wheels and cut the tire into a strip long enough to wrap around the tire.

Next, I cleaned the tire really well and glued the bike tire to the plastic lawnmower tire.

I additionally used self driving sheet metal screws to both hold the bicycle tire to the lawnmower wheel, but also to create “spikes”

Once the glue tried I tried it out, and my retreaded tires really made a difference in how my third hand lawnmower worked.

This Saved Me Money on a “Garbage” Mower

A co-worker thought he was taking advantage of me by selling me this lawnmower for $20.

However, a simple carb cleaning, blade sharpening, and tire retreading made this lawnmower work like a champ.  The so called “garbage” mower worked well for me for 2 years.

Once again, a little ingenuity  and the willingness to try new things has made my life a little easier.  Especially when my yard is very hilly and slick.

This may not be a go to trick for retreading a lawnmower tire, but it was cheap and worked well.

I am sure I will do this again.  This is the kind of money saving DIY project that I love to share on my site.

However, I kinda also want to get a reel mower.  I like how they are quiet, even if they may take a little more work.

Review on The Beginners Guide to Preserving Food at Home

The Beginners Guide to Preserving Food at Home

Book Review: The Beginners Guide to Preserving Food at Home
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A wonderful thing is happening in home kitchens. People are rediscovering the joys of locally produced foods and reducing the amount of the grocery budget that’s spent on packaged items, out-of-season produce, and heavily processed foods. But fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables don’t stay fresh and delicious forever – they must be eaten now . . . or preserved for later.

For all the vegetable gardeners facing baskets overflowing with bright tomatoes, and for all the dedicated farmers’ market fans and CSA members, The Beginner’s Guide to Preserving Food at Home has the simple solutions that turn overwhelming bounty into neatly canned tomatoes, jars of jams and jellies, and crispy-tart relishes and pickles.

Organized in a friendly, food-by-food format, readers will find freezing, drying, canning, and storing instructions for each vegetable, fruit, and herb. In many cases, several ways to freeze or can a food are described, and there are often other preserving suggestions as well, such as making juice or fruit leather.

In the book The Beginners Guide to Preserving Food at Home everything is written with busy people in mind: these are the quickest, most efficient methods for preserving summer’s bounty. Up-to-date information and clear, step-by-step instructions show even absolute beginners the way to a fully stocked pantry.

Tiny House Delivery

Tiny House Delivery
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EDIT:  It took so long to post this that the guy that was going to pay his rent by working on the land to “heal the land” actually caused more problems than he solved – meaning dumping his composting toilet (5 gallon bucket) out on the grass, rutting over the septic lines, and basically refusing to do any work.) The tiny house is no longer on the property, instead I am working to level out an area for a small shed/pole barn to hold tools while I construct a dog trot cabin.

It took me a while to post this, as we were quite busy preparing the shed for the winter, but I am glad I finally was able to post this.

It did not take a long time for the actual Tiny house delivery.  I was amazed at how efficient the shed delivery person was.  He brought it in on a flatbed and used a little two wheeled powered tractor and some small wheels to maneuver the shed into a very tight spot between the power pole and the trailer.

I had about 30 minutes of film, but most of it had James, Smitty, and I talking and some of it wasn’t meant for some of the more gentle ears that may watch my videos – that and 30 minutes of watching a flat bed tilt a shed up and off would be boring to most people.

I was quite exited about the tiny house delivery, It has always been a dream of mine to have a homestead, and the delivery of the shed was a great first step.

We had bought some cap stones to help level the shed, but the builder supplied his own.

Once he delivered the shed and maneuvered it into place, he dropped one end on some cement blocks and then did some final adjustments to the location.

Once the tiny house was delivered exactly where we wanted it, the builder used levels and high lift jacks to ensure it was perfectly level.

Our 12×20 shed delivered cost about 4,000 including tax, while we could have done it ourselves a little cheaper, this was much easier, faster, and more efficient.

Once the shed was delivered, James and Smitty spent a lot of time building a sleeping loft, plumbing a sink, insulating, and wiring it.  I helped with the windows and wiring, but I got a little frustrated over discussions of a composting toilet (pooping in a bucket and covering it with sawdust) – especially when I ensured the shed was in the best spot to plumb into the existing septic tank.  I also didn’t like the idea of a wooden “Japanese soaking tub” in the shed when I had a brand new tub.  So, instead of having a blow up, I took some time to work on projects at my house until the building was how James wanted it – especially since he was living there…

Basic Machines and How the Work

Book Review: Basic Machines and How the Work
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Only elementary math skills are needed to follow this instructive manual.

Basic Machines and How the Work covers many familiar machines and their components, including levers, block and tackle, and the inclined plane and wedge, in addition to hydrostatic and hydraulic machines, internal combustion engines, trains, and more. 204 black-and-white illustrations.

This book is a reference guide and instruction manual used to teach military personnel how machines work so that they can make repairs to unfamiliar equipment in the middle of the ocean.

Like the Navy Foundry manual, this book helps teach vital DIY concepts that are vital to repairing material in a long term “grid down” disaster.

In a apocalyptic “Postman” or “Mad Max” world – the ability to understand machinery would make a person a vital asset to a community.  However, I don’t really believe in those scenarios, so I stick with the more realistic view that it is cheaper to know how to fix things than it is to pay someone to fix them.

I found the section on how differentials work to be fascinating, but the book’s descriptions on machines gives a great primer into how things work – by knowing this you can start to see principles and break things down into component parts.  It is books like this that turn a person into a Macgyver.

Recipe: Emergency Baby Formula

Recipe: Emergency Baby Formula
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I am happy to say, we are out of Baby Formula Stage, little W.T. is getting bigger, so much so that we are now giving him much more water than milk, but when in we transitioned him off of breast milk, I looked up several recipes for “Emergency Baby Formula” I found this one from Prepared Not Scared to be the best.

There is some controversy over this, as Breast Milk and Formula both have more “optimal nutrients” but many generations of babies were successfully raised on this or similar formulas (or even goats milk) – as with anything – use your own common sense and research.  I am not a doctor, so I am not qualified or legally able to give you advice on what is best for your baby.

I will tell you, if it was this or nothing, it there is no question that I would choose to feed my child something like this rather than let them starve. Also, remember, cow’s milk is not readily digestible by young babies, hence the need for formula in the first place.  You can’t give a baby cow’s milk and expect them to thrive because the high protein is more than an infant’s kidney’s can handle.  Cow’s milk also does not have the right amounts of iron and vitamin C to fill your infant’s needs.

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp. Instant Powdered Milk OR 1/4 cup Non Instant Powdered Milk
  • 1 1/2 cup Boiled Water
  • 1 Tbsp. Oil
  • 2 tsp. Sugar

Procedure

  • Mix powdered milk and water together.
  • Blend thoroughly.
  • Add oil and sugar.

If baby bottles are not available, milk can be spoon fed to an infant.