Update

Someone asked me for an update in another thread, and since I haven't been around in a while, I'll give you the quick answer:

I'm in "work-ups" for deployment. Towards the end of the year I'll be heading out for a 7 month cruise. Work-ups take us out of our home area here and there, and keep us very busy. So, that leaves no time, and little money for my H.

My next major step is tires. I'm figuring a grand for that. Then I can stip the old ones, get the rims blasted and painted, then put the new sneakers on. Then I'll figure out the rest.

Kirk's mag still sits in a box. Rusty's rebuilt carb does as well. I'll just have to be patient. I had the manifold that came on the tractor fixed up. The "nice" one I bought from a salvage yard couldn't be faced properly, and we screwed it up trying to free the hot-box valve. So, I had the heat shield studs replaced, a new selector arm welded on (it was snapped off because the valve is frozen). So, I'll have it dipped perhaps? Before I paint it. I still have a new seat to buy, and new guages, but that's about it other then the aforementioned tires. The rest is just the work.

Oh, and I have to buy a PTO ice cream machine that Wardner convinced me on! That's gonna be great at squadron family events!

Hope all is well with everyone!

Been there many times. Dropping ord on the ranges. We also used to run a daily photo recce
mission on the Mustang Ranch. Could read the license numbers on the cars there. Also was a good exercise for the IR cameras and the spooks reading the photos to figure out how many vacant spots were still cool from departed customers.
Not that I ever went there?

Gordo

How many people in a squadron? Can't find the Table of Organization for such a unit on the Net. As a former US Marine, staffing levels are a key metric for any infantry unit regardless of echelon.

Anyway, I went to the Dublin Gas Engine Show today in New Hampshire. It's the biggest show in these parts. The guy with the 40 quart freezer (that's huge) was there and making "ice" cream. It was terrible. The mix was only cooled to about 28 degrees (my estimate) and was more like a frappe and very bland. Theoretical salt/ice can achieve 11 degrees. I think that optimum serving temp for scooping ice cream is around 23 degrees. He said he mixed and froze each batch for 45 minutes. Obviously not long enough or poor salt/ice ratio. Perhaps his little 1.5 hp engine didn't have enough power for a cooler (thicker) batch. The servers were "scooping" out of a domestic deep freezer and had about 15 gallons in reserve.

I bring this up because I don't think a couple of readily available and cheap 6 quart White Mountain Freezers will handle a squadron. I recently saw an original, and vary rare, 20 quart freezer go for $3400 on eBay. New 20 quarts are available for around $1000. They are made by the Amish in Ohio but I am having no luck locating the factory. I am fairly sure the dealer is marking them up at least 100%, perhaps 200%.It appears that he has an exclusive sales arrangement with the Amish.

I am building my ice cream tractor to handle approximately fifteen 20 qt freezers. That will be quite the spectacle to see them all running at once. I will switch to air motors for the last few degrees and run the motors until they stall. That should give me a consistent, well cooled product. Been thinking about building my own mixer/freezers.

To be honest, I haven't given much thought at all to the ACTUAL process of making ice cream. I remember people had hand turn buckets, and you showed me some pictures of units that hooked up to the PTO. So, on top of that I have to get a bigg freezer for a couple grand? ACK!

Ok... before I freak out, or throw the idea out, I think I'll just concentrate on restoring the tractor. Once that little step :roll: is done, I'll move on the learning what I actually need, and how to actually make ice cream before I actually dive in to that adventure.


Oh, and we've got around 200 personnel in my squadron. But tack on the families, which is what we'll have when we actually do this... it will be considerably more.

...They are made by the Amish in Ohio but I am having no luck locating the factory. I am fairly sure the dealer is marking them up at least 100%, perhaps 200%.It appears that he has an exclusive sales arrangement with the Amish...

Click to expand...

Who doesn't have a website these days!?! :lol: I can talk to the Amish that put the roof on my barn. They all seem to be wound up pretty tight with each other.

I wonder if any of the Amish have signed the Oprah Winfrey pledge not to text while driving.

Perhaps I should look for a website called "lifeintheslowlane.com" to find the factory and its website.