Changing the power shuttle fluid on a Case 580K backhoe is a fairly simple job but also a very important one to avoid costly repairs later.

This particular power shuttle is made by Borg Warner.

Click the link below to go to the article.

How To Change The Power Shuttle Fluid On Case 580K

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If you have a sink that drains slowly or doesn't drain at all you can try this before calling a plumber.

First you must loosen the P-Trap and remove from the wall drain. Most drains are 1 1/2" pipe. Get your hose pipe and push it into the wall drain pipe until it stops. Then get an old towel or dish rag and stuff it completely around the hose pipe and into the wall drain pipe. Keep pushing the rag in around the hose pipe using a screwdriver.

When you have the rag pushed in securely around the hose pipe it won't let water back up and run back out the drain pipe. Hold the rag with your hands and have someone turn the hose water on full blast. If water can't back out of the drain pipe then it must be forced down the drain to unclog it.

Let the water run for a bit to force the clog loose and wash it on down the drain. Sometimes there may be a need to screw a cap on the wall drain and take your hose pipe up on the roof and push it down the vent pipe for the drain your are working on and repeat this procedure in the drain pipe. With the wall drain capped off then the forced water will work through the vent pipe also.

This procedure works and I have used it many times. An old school plumber friend of mine showed me how to do this. The philosophy of it is, that drain water is just a gravity pull downwards in the drain pipe and can clog up. But the hose pipe water has force behind it and if the water can't back out of the pipe then it is forced down the drain, along with the clog.

Things To Remember:

• Stuff the rag in the pipe good and tight so the water can't back out.
• Have someone with you to turn the hose water on and off for you.
• If you have a problem with leakage just bend the hose and stop the water.

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If your doorbell has stopped working you can normally find the problem in one of the following areas.

• The doorbell button.
• The doorbell transformer.
• The doorbell chime.
• The actual low voltage wiring.

Most times it is either the transformer or button. Unless there is no high voltage power to the transformer itself.

Have someone press the front door button and listen closely at the doorbell chime to see if you hear anything like a hum or a buzz when the button is pressed. Sometimes the plungers in the chime stick. If you hear any type of action at the chime then most likely the transformer is not the problem. If you do hear a hum or buzz at the chime then go to the next step.

Open the chime by removing the cover. You will see the plungers that move up and down. See if they move freely. Try a drop or two of light oil on the plungers and then have someone press the doorbell button and watch the plungers. If it tries to move but doesn't ring the chime then a new chime kit should fix the problem. If you do not see or hear anything happening at the chime when the button is pressed then go to the next step.

Check the button first by backing out the 2 screws and carefully pulling the doorbell button out away from the wall where you can see the two wires that hook to it. Take a pair of needle nose pliers and touch both screws on the button with the pliers to short them together. If you hear the doorbell ring then your problem is the button. If you don't hear it ring, leave the button as is for now and go to the doorbell chime. Take the cover off and locate the wires that hook to the chime. There, it should say transformer, front, and rear. Take your meter and see if you read any voltage where the wires hook to the chime. Hold one meter lead on the doorbell transformer screw and the other meter lead on the front door screw while someone presses the front button. If you do read 16 volts when the button is pressed then the problem is in the chime. If you don't read voltage then go to the next step.

Locating the transformer that feeds the doorbell system can be tricky sometimes but fairly easy to spot if you know what to look for. If it's not behind the chime then a trip into the attic, the basement or under the floor is next. While in the attic you want to head for two area's, where your chime is located below and where your front door button would be. Feel around for the small wires that should be coming from the front door to the chime and the wires coming from the chime will lead you to the transformer.

Most doorbell systems run off of 16 volts so once you find the transformer you want to check the two screws where the wires hook up with your voltage meter to see if the transformer is putting out the right voltage. If not, there is your problem. If it is putting out 16 volts then here is where you need a helper for the next step.

On the doorbell transformer there should be two wires hooked to it and then there should be two wires that are hooked together. Undo the two wires that are hooked together. One should head towards the front door and the other should head to the chime. Take your meter and touch one lead to the screw on the transformer that goes to the chime and touch your other lead to the wire
that you undid coming from the front button and have someone press the front doorbell button. If you read voltage when the button is pressed then the wire is bad from the transformer to the chime. If no voltage is read the wire to the button is bad.

It may sound confusing but it is fairly simple if you think about the process of how it works. For the chime to ring it needs a positive and a negative from the transformer. A two wire cable goes from the chime to the transformer. One of those wires hooks to the transformer screw and sends a negative to the chime.

A 2 wire cable then goes from the doorbell transformer to the front button. One of those wires hooks to the positive on the transformer and sends the positive to one side of the button. When the button is pressed it sends the positive through the button and back to the chime to ring the bell. That is why two are hooked to the transformer and two are hooked together to complete the path from the button to the chime.

Things To Remember:

• Check for any tripped breakers or blown fuses that could be feeding the transformer.
• If you have to check the high voltage side of the transformer be very careful. If you don't feel comfortable with it have an Electrician check it for you.
• When spending any time in an attic during hot weather be aware of the dangers of heat related illnesses and come down if you get too hot.

Depending on where you want to add an electrical outlet can also determine the difficulty of the project. This is where a little research can possibly make the job a little easier to complete. If it is on an inside wall instead of an exterior wall, take a look on the opposite side of the wall to see if there is an existing receptacle somewhere on that side of the wall. If so, it is best to locate the new one between the same two wall studs. You will need a cut in or old work electrical box.

Grab a tape measure and get the distance from a door or the corner over to the center of the existing receptacle and then measure on the other side from the same point to see where the new electrical outlet would be. The existing outlet box will most likely be nailed to a wall stud and it is important to know which side of the box that the stud is on. You can find out with a stud finder or by removing the outlet cover and push a wire or a screwdriver beside the box and the edge of the sheetrock opening.

If you were standing and facing the existing outlet and the stud is on the left of the box then on the other side where your new outlet will be then that stud will be on the right of the measurement that you made earlier so you will need to move over to the left a few inches to cut your new box in the wall.

When you have clear area for the new electrical outlet just hold your old work box on the sheetrock and mark the perimeter with a pencil and saw the hole for the box. Kill the power to the existing outlet and push the 12-2 electrical wire through the knockout hole in the existing box and reach in the new hole and grab the wire. Stick the wire in the box and install the electrical box in the wall.

Strip the black and white back about 3/4" or so and put a curl in the end so you can slip the curl under the side lugs of the electrical outlet. White goes to the silver screw and black goes to brass screw. Tighten securely. Bare wire goes to the green screw which is the equipment ground. Same goes for the existing outlet and your new romex. Fasten the outlets into the boxes, install the outlet cover and turn the breaker back on.

Sometimes you need to bend PVC pipe to follow the route for your conduit run. You can also save money by bending your own instead of buying factory bends. Although there is a limit to how much of a heat bend that can be made and still maintain the conformity and ID size of the pipe.

All 90 degree bends should be made with factory bent fittings. But you can make your own heat bends for kicks and offsets. These bends can be made with a propane torch but I wouldn't advise this due to the probability of scorching the pipe.

So when you need to bend PVC pipe it is simple to do but there are precautions
that need to be taken. The best thing that I have found to use to heat bend
PVC pipe is a kerosene blower heater like you see on some construction sites. It heats a wide range on your pipe and that is important to keep from kinking the pipe during the bend. Kick bends and offset bends work real well by using heat to soften the pipe and allow it to
bend.

You want to measure first and determine where you need the bend to be made
on the pipe and mark it with a pencil all the way around the pipe. You want to
heat the pipe at least 8 to 12 inches on each side of your mark so you will
actually be heating a section about 2 feet. Hold the PVC conduit about a foot from
the blower heater moving it back and forth and slowly turning the pipe.

You want to heat the entire perimeter of the PVC pipe along the 24 inch section
where your mark was made and continue to slowly turn the pipe while moving it
back and forth. When the pipe starts getting soft take it off of the heat and
make your bend being careful not to kink it. Hold your bend for a few minutes
until the PVC pipe begins to cool. Rubbing some cold water on the pipe will
speed up this process.

I would advise not bending much more than a 45 degree angle using this
method. If you need a 90 degree bend it is probably best to use a factory 90.
You can use a five gallon bucket to bend the pipe if it tries to kink on you. Just
bend the PVC pipe around the bucket until your desired bend is made.

Things To Remember:

• The wider area that you heat will increase the ease of the bend without kinking it.
• Spin the PVC pipe slowly during the heating process to insure that the heat is evenly distributed around the entire perimeter of the pipe.
• Don't hold the PVC pipe to close to the kerosene blower heater or you will scorch it very easily.

Now it's time to start on the second phase of the storm shelter project, the concrete walls. 

Things you'll need:

3/4" Plywood

1/2" All Thread Rod

1/2" Nuts And Washers

Few 2X4 Boards

1/2" Rebar

1 In Part 1 we got the slab ready with the 1/2" rebar turned up for the storm

shelter walls. Now we will get the walls ready to pour, assuming the forms have

been torn off from the storm building slab. The tornado shelter walls will be

formed with 3/4" plywood held together with 1/2" all thread rod.

2 Decide on the thickness of the storm shelter walls and that will be the distance

between your two pieces of 3/4" plywood. I would advise an 8" wall and turning

the 4'x 8' plywood on its side forming a 4' high wall by 8' long. This

accomplishes two things. You are only filling the forms with 4'x 8" of concrete

instead of filling it with 8'x 8" thick. Your forms can handle the pressure of the

concrete much better with only 4 feet instead of 8 ft. It will tend to bow your

forms for the storm shelter walls outward if you are not careful.

3 The second reason for pouring a 4' x 8" inch storm shelter wall would be your

option to finish out the upper 4 feet by laying 8" concrete blocks on top of the

concrete wall, or you could pour the other 4' the same way after the bottom

sets up. If you are feeling somewhat brave you can form it the full 8' high and

pour it but I would get a concrete guy to give his thumbs up on that before I

attempted it.

4 Next you will need to cut some pieces of 1/2" all thread rod. These will go

through both pieces of plywood and both the  2×8 vertical support boards with nuts and washers to hold and support the plywood forms.

For an 8" thick wall plus your 1 1/2 inches of plywood, (2-3/4" thick

pieces)along with a 2X8 board on each side of the plywood form, that is around

13". Then you want to add about 11" to that, so you need to cut your all thread

rod pieces about 24" long.

5 I say 24" long on the all thread rod because the form boards will take up 8"+

3/4"+ 3/4"+ 1 1/2"+ 1 1/2"= 12 1/2".

8"- wall.

3/4"- Outside Plywood.

3/4"- Inside Plywood.

1 1/2"- Outside 2×8 Vertical Support Board Bolted Over Plywood

1 1/2" Inside  2×8 Vertical Support.

2" Sticking outside for nuts and washers.

10" Sticking out on the inside of wall to use for bolting shelves and such.

= 24" Long all thread rod each.

Then the outside of the form will need about 2" sticking out of the plywood for the

nuts and washers. Then on the inside form boards you can leave the remainder of

the all thread rod sticking out and use those after you pour it to bolt seats or shelves

on the inside wall of your storm shelter.

A storm shelter can be your safety net during severe weather outbreaks. The following article will show you how to build one of these storm pits for yourself.

Things you'll need:

Form Lumber

Plywood

1/2" All Thread Rod

1/2" Nuts & Washers

1/2" ReBar

1 First you will need the storm shelter location spotted. A hill or a bank is good.

You will need a backhoe to dig down 6' or so and about 9 or 10' wide. You will

need to form up and pour your slab first. I would advise pouring a slab at least

8' wide, 10' long, and 6 inches thick. I poured mine 6 inches thick. I also sloped

it at about 2" of fall with a 2' X 2' X 4" deep drop down at the sloped end to hold

any water that might get in there. A sump pump in the drop down can pump any

water out, if that is the case.

2 Cut your 2- 2X6 boards at whatever length the storm shelter slab will be and

cut your other two whatever the width of the slab will be. Nail them together on

the ends making a square or rectangle. Then get it squared up by measuring

from one corner diagonal over to the other corner. Then measure the other two

diagonal corners. It is squared up when those measurements match.

3 Cut your 2X4 bracing boards about 24" long with a point cut on one end of

each one. You want to drive these in the ground up against the outside of the

storm shelter 2X6 form boards about every 3' or so so they don't bow outwards

from the pressure of the concrete. Nail your 2X6 form boards to the bracing

stakes. Then you want to go straight out from each one about 12 to 18 inches

and drive another one and then measure between those from the bottom of the

outside one to the top of the one against the form board.

4 You will want to spread a layer of gravel down inside the storm shelter form

area, evenly spread throughout the entire slab area before the rebar goes

down.

5 Inside the form use 1/2" rebar tied together with baling wire. Run the rebar the

length of the underground shelter slab area about one foot apart all the way

across and then cross those runs across the width of the slab area one foot

apart also. You should end up with a bunch of 1' X 1' squares with the rebar.

You want to turn the ends up about 3" from the side form boards where they

will be in the side walls.You can heat the rebar and bend a 90 degree angle

and turn straight up all the way around the slab. I would at least turn every

other one up inside the walls.

6 It is also a good idea to place some blocks of short 2X4's under the rebar in

several places to keep it off of the ground. You want your rebar to setup in the

middle of the concrete for strength and less chance of the underground shelter

slab cracking.

7 Once you have the rebar tied together and all the form boards braced up good

then it is time to call for the the concrete. To get your yardage amount of the

ready mix you will need for your storm building slab just multiply your length by

your width in feet, then multiply that by your thickness which would be 0.50 for 6

inches thick. If your thickness is 4 inches you would multiply the width and

length by 0.33, then you divide that total by 27.

8 So if your storm building slab was 8 feet wide by 10 feet long and 6 inches

thick, this would be your figures:8 X 10 = 80 X .50 = 40 divided by 27 = 1.48.

So you would need to order about a yard and a half of concrete. I would advise

getting the fibered concrete even though you have the rebar in place because

you want the storm shelter to have as much strength as you can get and this

will give you that.

Tips To Remember

Make sure you have your form braced up good with the outside stakes and kickers because the concrete will put a lot of pressure on them.

Bend your rebar ends to turn up out of the slab about 3 inches from the edge so they will be inside the storm shelter walls.

Wear gloves and eye protection when driving the bracing boards and nailing the kickers for the storm shelter slab.

Click on the link below to see part 2 of the storm shelter construction.

How To Build Your Own Concrete Storm Shelter-Part 2-The Walls

You have seen those ugly brown stains on sheetrock ceilings or walls left behind from water leaks or general water damage. The following steps will show you how to remove a sheetrock stain with little effort.

You will need some liquid bleach and a spray bottle. I always use Clorox mainly because it works well for this. What you want is a 50/50 mix of Clorox and regular tap water. I would only mix a small amount at a time because the water will dilute the bleach the longer it sits.

Pour the water/bleach mixture in a spray bottle and shake it some to mix it up well. Then just lightly spray the mixture on the stained area of the sheetrock. Be careful not to soak the drywall. It will most likely take several sprayings to remove the stain.

Just let it dry each time between sprayings and reapply each time with a light spray of the mixture. You will notice the stain beginning to disappear more after each spray application.

If your lawn mower is running bad or hard to start, adjusting the valves can make a

world of difference in how it starts and runs. The steps below will show you how to do

this on small engines with Overhead Valves (OHV)

Things you'll need:

• Set Of Allen Wrenches
• Set Of Feeler Gauges
• Spark Plug Socket & Ratchet
• The Valve Specs For Your Engine

1 This article pertains to a four stroke engine with Overhead Valves. First you

need to remove the valve cover and take the spark plug out of the engine. You

will need to be able to turn the flywheel either by hand, by the starter pull rope,

or use the starter. Put your thumb in the spark plug hole and turn the flywheel

until you feel pressure push your thumb out and this is the compression stroke.

Both valves should be closed. Now find top dead center on the piston.(TDC)

Stick a screwdriver in the spark plug hole until you feel the piston and slowly turn the

flywheel until the piston reaches the top and go about 1/4" past top dead

center.

2 Now you can check the valve clearances on both the intake valve and the

exhaust valve. You will need the valve clearance specs for your particular

engine. To adjust you must loosen the valve adjuster locks and then turn the

adjusting nut while you have the right feeler gauge in between the rocker arm

and the valve stem. You should feel a slight drag on the feeler gauge for the

proper set.

3 Most Briggs engines normally set at 003 to 005 on the intake and 005 to 007 on

the exhaust. The engine must be cold when setting the valves. You must hold the

adjuster while tightening the locking nut back down. Then check with the feeler

gauge again. Once you have them set properly then replace the valve cover

and spark plug and you should be good to go.

Tips To Remember:

Set the valve clearances when the engine is cold.

 Valve clearances are critical for an engine to run properly.

 Check the torque specs on your engine when tightening the adjuster locks.

Follow these few simple steps and grow garden tomato plants much bigger than average that bear bigger and better tomatoes. What type of tomato plants you buy means a lot in the size of your tomatoes so keep that in mind when purchasing your plants. The basis behind this technique is all in how you water the plants that makes a world of difference in their growth pattern.

Instructions

Things you'll need:

Post Hole Diggers

3 or 4 inch PVC Pipe

Drill and bit

Good rich soil

Potting Soil

Plant Food

Tomato Cages

1 For each tomato plant that you want to use this method for, you will need a

piece of 3 or 4 inch PVC pipe about 3 feet long. Take your drill and a 1/4" bit

and bore your first hole about 1 inch from the end of the pipe and then measure up

the pipe about 8 to 12 inches and bore a hole there. You need a line of holes bored about

1 inch apart all the way around the pipe Then move down 1 inch towards the end of the

pipe where your first hole is and repeat the procedure until you have 8 to 12 lines of holes

all the way around that end of the pipe.This end with the holes will go in the ground.

2 Take your post hole diggers and dig the hole where your tomato plants are

going about one foot wide and 12 to 18 inches deep. If you are digging in good

rich soil you can use the same dirt but mix it with potting soil and chicken

manure to backfill your hole. Good soft and rich dirt is what you want.

3 Now you want to dig the hole for your three inch PVC pipe just off to one side of your plant

hole and just deep enough to where your top holes are just below ground level,

which should make your pipe hole about ten or twelve inches deep. The idea is

you water your garden tomato plants through the pipe and the water comes out

the holes, right at and just below the plants roots.

4 Set your pipe in the hole just beside your tomato plants hole and fill in around it

with the same dirt mixture. Set your plant in the bigger hole. Water the plant

through the pipe. The water will fill the pipe then slowly drain out the holes

delivering the water down deep at the roots every time. There should be about

two feet of pipe sticking up out of the ground.

5 Once the tomato plants start growing good set your wire tomato cages around

them for protection and support. Mix some miracle grow and water with that

mixture every couple of weeks or so. An old man, which was a good friend of

mine, taught me this method. Believe it or not, I have watched him step up on a

ladder to pick his tomatoes.