With my youngest grandson turning three soon I went and retrieved the toys I had built for my son when he was a little fella. His two sons had grown out of sandpit toys (computer games now) and they were just rusting in the weather. They all needed to be stipped, sandblasted, welded/repaired, repainted (they had some hard use through two generations) and reassembled. I made this for my daughter about 1984 from some leftover gal sheet and a wheel from a tricycle. This is made with some aircraft alloy fitted to a plastic truck. The mongrel dog had chewed the cab and wheels off the trailer (Bunnings replacements) but I'm sure it will carry a few loads yet. This was still working but not straight and very rusty needing to have metal welded in. The tractor and trailer I made (in about 1987) from sheet steel and some wheels from a broken plastic tractor and two baby stroller wheels. The Jeep had been smashed up pretty well but I was able to straighten it out and made a new roll bar from some old car fuel pipe. I still had the John Deere green that I painted it with originally but not enough to do it all so used some left over Kawasaki green. Might do this one next.
Got a bit done while waiting for other stuff. Had to replace all the wheels on the plough I built to go behind the tractor as the same bloody dog had eaten them. Will need some more paint to do this one.
Thanks Sharky. As they are going to be living up your way soon I've been doing them in 2 pak to hopefully keep the rust away. Thanks Omar. These have no real $ value, but the fact that I made them and have lasted two generations of boys (and now going for another boy) have real meaning to me.
I went to fit a new tyre to my XL250 and remembered that my son had borrowed my tyre levers a while ago and had not returned them. He now lives 30Km away and too hot to go get them so decided to make some more. Using a piece of trailer leaf spring, I cut it down the middle and about 250mm long with the plasma cutter. Then heated the end with oxy/acetylene torch to red hot. I flattened the ends while hot to make a 'spoon' shape and to taper them down. Cleaned up with grinder and linisher. Looks like they will do the job.
Have repainted the plough and seeder. New Bunnings wheels are a bit bigger than what I originally had but will do the job for little fella.
In between other things I have got the trolley repaired, repainted and assembled with stainless screws. Needs a new sticker for it to be finished.
