63F going to 87F later, under partly cloudy skies with wind picking up in the afternoon as a low pressure system starts coming in off the Pacific.
RS, I'd forgotten about my other Stihl buggaboo: No access to repair or maintenance documentation. Clearly it's Stihl's intent to keep all that work in the dealer's hands. My dealer was kind enough to provide me with print outs of the carb, which I used to find my assembly error, and the prints came without asking when he plunked the parts on the counter. But there's nothing available to download from Stihl's web site other than owner's manuals, and they only cover things like replacing recoil starter cords, spark plugs, and cleaning air filters. BMW and a lot of other auto firms just lost a big lawsuit for trying to do the same thing, so maybe the situation will improve. Also have noticed the amount of trash generated here is a lot less now that the work is done on the house. I've already down sized the trash can, saving a whopping $6 every two months on the trash service fee. Even though I recycle containers, many of the recyclers out here no longer accept plastic unless it's subject to CRV (bottle deposit). It seems that the recycle waste streams are full to overflowing, and it's not being used in products fast enough to keep up with what's available.
Clever use of the old slate, Eric, but I wonder how you'll deal with leaves and other litter when it gets mixed in. A blower works well on other materials, but I imagine that it would scatter the slate chips. Even if the pictures do survive on the camera chip, sometimes I've found I didn't take just the one needed, and have to fall back on notes taken during the disassembly. Sometimes I even make sketches, usually when a dimension is involved. As far as greasy fingers go, I go through a lot of paper towels, and use the "old" camera for garage work. Turns out it's easier to use anyway, and a few greasy fingerprints hardly show among all the other scratches and dents. My biggest problem is
remembering how things came apart, even if it's just overnight! :laughing:
Drew, you've been standing up dominoes long enough for your shop, and it's time you tipped one over and enjoyed the fruits of your labor.:thumbsup: If you do rent a trencher, make sure it's one that has provision for moving the dirt away from the trench. The last two I got just let it fall back into the trench, leaving me with hours of back breaking shovel work. I also found it difficult to resist digging the trench too deep, making even more work for myself.
Kev, that's some beautiful wood on the new cart. Be lovely to see pictures of it with you two being pulled around the farm in it.
Roy, hope you feel better today. Advil Cold'n'Sinus works great for me when my head starts hammering. But I can only buy two boxes at a time because tweakers abuse the pseudoefedrin it contains. Even then, it takes a driver's license and signature. :shocked:
Thought I'd finished the welding on the RTV tailgate yesterday and even had the pressure washer all set to clean it up for painting when I noticed the hole in the middle I was gonna cover with some plate. That's when the welder decided that the wire drive wheel was too worn, and I had to scramble around to remember where I kept the spares. Found them, for a change, in the welding drawer, so was able to cut up a piece of scrap and patch it into something big enough to cover most of the gate. At about that time I noticed that the battery was sitting crooked in its holder, and found that one of the hold down rods had corroded far enough that the hook at the end had straightened. And while doing that, I noticed an orange knob at the end of a cable stashed way up under the seat. Turns out it allows a lock to be engaged on the differential lever, which I'd just been holding down with the heel of my boot. Sure wish the tractor had one of those! Found where it was supposed to mount, and got it reinstalled, then verified that it actually works. So two dragon eggs in one afternoon, but only one bad one that can be worked around with a bungee cord until the part comes in at the Kubota dealer. Then back to welding the patch on the tailgate, which I was almost able to complete. Got it run all the way around, but on cleaning it up with the angle grinder found a few places that were a little low and could use some more weld. But by then it was late, and I was hot and hungry, so that's where I'll start in again this morning.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone!
