rims421
Silver Member
I helped a friend in need this weekend and paid the price.
My buddy cross town hurt his back and was unable to do much
around the house. I offered to help him out with my machine.
I loaded the tractor with rotary cutter onto the trailer. Drove cross town 8 miles or so . He had some brush and small tree's in the back he wanted removed. I figured no problem a few hours work at the most. Got out the chainsaw cut the bigger stuff down dug out a few good size briars with the FEL and ran the cutter over the rest. So far so good he was very happy and I was glad to help out. Thats when things started to go downhill. I loaded the tractor back onto the trailer and noticed that the front axle had a large hole on the top (rubber fill plug for front axle) with nothing in it but debris from the field I just cut down. It was late Sunday afternoon nothing I could do about it till Monday. I have to back the trailer out of his driveway make a very sharp jacknife turn onto the road.
My buddy is directing me back waiving me on telling me "you got it come on, come on" till the truck stops due to a rock right into my left rear tailight of the trailer. Okay things are starting to add up now. I decide its time to get out of there before I say something I later regret. I waive goodbye and head down the road. We are going by the supermarket so I figure why not stop in and pickup a few things. Go to the store
when we return I notice that the lights on the truck were on I dont know why / how they got turned on but they were on and you guessed it the battery was to run down to start the truck. I try to call the wife to come by with my jumper cables but she has the phone surgically attached to her ear and for 45min. get a busy signal. Its getting dark now so i decide to remove the battery from the tractor and put it in the truck to get home. The battery hold down bolt is pretty rusty and when I put he wrench to it guess what it snaps off and I cut the back of my hand on the fender. Okay we get the truck running and have to drive about 3 miles to get home. I am feeling pretty confident that I might make it home. Well not just yet one of the boys in blue is behind me now and and of course I am missing a tailight on the trailer. On come the flashing lights I am less than a mile from my house now and thinking about just driving home parking the rig and running into the woods. But I have my son with me and that would set a bad example. I pull over explain the light was just broken and promise to fix it before I venture out on the road again.
I think he feels sorry for my greased up sorry excuse for a human and lets me go. I pull into my driveway to find my wife standing is the garage arms crossed tapping her foot on the floor with a not very happy look on her face. What happened to you she says? I didnt know where to start.
So lets see what did my good deed cost me
1) plug for front axle $17.00
2) new tailight $11.00
3) 4 quarts 90 weight $10.00 (had to change axle lube)
4) new battery hold down ? havent fixed that yet
5) fuel (deisel and gas) $10.00 or so
6) several hours of my time to effect above repairs
7) Mad as wet hen wife ( hard to attache a dollar figure)
I learned a valuble lesson.Next time the tractor comes out on a"mission of mercy" their will be some monetary compensation involved.
My buddy cross town hurt his back and was unable to do much
around the house. I offered to help him out with my machine.
I loaded the tractor with rotary cutter onto the trailer. Drove cross town 8 miles or so . He had some brush and small tree's in the back he wanted removed. I figured no problem a few hours work at the most. Got out the chainsaw cut the bigger stuff down dug out a few good size briars with the FEL and ran the cutter over the rest. So far so good he was very happy and I was glad to help out. Thats when things started to go downhill. I loaded the tractor back onto the trailer and noticed that the front axle had a large hole on the top (rubber fill plug for front axle) with nothing in it but debris from the field I just cut down. It was late Sunday afternoon nothing I could do about it till Monday. I have to back the trailer out of his driveway make a very sharp jacknife turn onto the road.
My buddy is directing me back waiving me on telling me "you got it come on, come on" till the truck stops due to a rock right into my left rear tailight of the trailer. Okay things are starting to add up now. I decide its time to get out of there before I say something I later regret. I waive goodbye and head down the road. We are going by the supermarket so I figure why not stop in and pickup a few things. Go to the store
when we return I notice that the lights on the truck were on I dont know why / how they got turned on but they were on and you guessed it the battery was to run down to start the truck. I try to call the wife to come by with my jumper cables but she has the phone surgically attached to her ear and for 45min. get a busy signal. Its getting dark now so i decide to remove the battery from the tractor and put it in the truck to get home. The battery hold down bolt is pretty rusty and when I put he wrench to it guess what it snaps off and I cut the back of my hand on the fender. Okay we get the truck running and have to drive about 3 miles to get home. I am feeling pretty confident that I might make it home. Well not just yet one of the boys in blue is behind me now and and of course I am missing a tailight on the trailer. On come the flashing lights I am less than a mile from my house now and thinking about just driving home parking the rig and running into the woods. But I have my son with me and that would set a bad example. I pull over explain the light was just broken and promise to fix it before I venture out on the road again.
I think he feels sorry for my greased up sorry excuse for a human and lets me go. I pull into my driveway to find my wife standing is the garage arms crossed tapping her foot on the floor with a not very happy look on her face. What happened to you she says? I didnt know where to start.
So lets see what did my good deed cost me
1) plug for front axle $17.00
2) new tailight $11.00
3) 4 quarts 90 weight $10.00 (had to change axle lube)
4) new battery hold down ? havent fixed that yet
5) fuel (deisel and gas) $10.00 or so
6) several hours of my time to effect above repairs
7) Mad as wet hen wife ( hard to attache a dollar figure)
I learned a valuble lesson.Next time the tractor comes out on a"mission of mercy" their will be some monetary compensation involved.