Repair/mechanic tricks and or tips?

[Egon]

Ahh shucks, I do have a variety of real hammers and even several home made wooden mallets.

I also have a few crescent type wrenches ranging from a 24 down to less than a 6 in. Several are top drawer quality and can easily handle a snipe. The rest are bottom drawer types but still function well. They actually get used quite frequently mostly in the backup mode. Sometimes they will have to act as hammers but then all my other wrenches also serve in this capacity.

And yes, the direction I pull in is towards the movable jaw. The cheap ones have a tendency to slip if used the other way!

 

[woodchuckie]

I've always looked for a way to have a rear view mirror on my tractor for the trips down the road I make. I've tried the round stick on but not really a spot where I could see the road comfortably. Any mirror mounted would not stay as I am constantly in underbrush and can't even keep my lights on my fenders. Today I tried the little suction cup mirror we used so we could see the grandbaby in the back seat. It teloscops and is wide angle and stick on the fel frame just to my left when I'm driving. works great. When I get to where I'm going I just stick it in the tool box.

 

[Bedlam]

Never Assume. something to be the cause.
Reciently I had a flat front tire, I had replaced the tube with a new one about a year ago. It was of the long stem variety. , well both stems ended up bent at a 90 degree turn right off. But held and took air with no troubles.
Anyways, when I got the flat the other day, I noticed that the flat tire tube stem was very wobbly, I assumed that it was the reason for the leak, and decieded to replace the tube. I searched and found a new tube and broke down the tire and se the new tube in aired it up and went back to work, the next day flat. so again broke it down, and this time found a small nail stub just barely sticking through the tire.
I removed the nail and put a patch on the tube and reset it again. Then two days laster, flat again.
removed it, and found the ;patch' was 'loose' LOL rebuffed it etc, and used a non- wal mart patch and it stuck right on. replaced the tire on tractor and all set.(till next nail).LOL
The orginal tube was patched wit a good patch, and even being a 16 inch tube I will someday se it in the small 4 or 8 inch lawn tractor tires.(recycling)

So, my point? If I had not assumed it was the stem I would have checked it for a leak, and found it, and then traced it to the tire, and found the nail.
time saved - time lost. (and effort).
Will ever learn LOL
Al

 

[patrick_g]

I've always looked for a way to have a rear view mirror on my tractor for the trips down the road I make. I've tried the round stick on but not really a spot where I could see the road comfortably. Any mirror mounted would not stay as I am constantly in underbrush and can't even keep my lights on my fenders. Today I tried the little suction cup mirror we used so we could see the grandbaby in the back seat. It teloscops and is wide angle and stick on the fel frame just to my left when I'm driving. works great. When I get to where I'm going I just stick it in the tool box.

Good solution. If it works, it works. Good price.

More expensive/hightech but works good and is versatile is the rear view camera and display available at Wally World and other emporiums of cheap stuff. It is available retail just under $100. The camera is quite small and is intended to be mounted on your lisc plate but can be put anywhere. It sends a color TV signal to the monitor which is a small rugged LCD display. No wires need to connect the camera to the display as the signal is transmitted wirelessly.

The picture is reversed so as to be the same as a mirror view. If you put the camera on a mag mount you can put it anywhere it can be connected to power or for temporary use it could be powered by a battery pack. I bought mine to use for trailer hitching and safety when backing up.

I also have and previously used a convex mirror on a mount that just sat on the top of the tailgate of the pickup. You adjust it to get a view of the hitch from above. With good lighting you can use it through the inside rear view mirror but with bad lighting you need to turn and look at it directly.

My trailer tongue and hitch are painted black and were hard to see in the mirror in some lighting situations. A white spot on the hitch and the top of the ball makes it real easy to see. (Yes the white spot on the ball doesn't last for tooooo long.) If you can get close before the hitch comes into the mirro'rs field of view and go slow you can usually correct with the steering wheel and get good alignment on the first try. I have tried flashlights to illuminate the hitching operation in the dark and it is OK but not great.

I think the little camera does well in fairly low light and expect it to be the method of choice. I can always add an aux backup light just for the purpose of lighting up the hitch.

Pat

 

[BTDT]

I replaced the u-joints in mower shaft a couple weeks ago. This is on a good but well used unit (don't know the brand). After getting the new bearings in, one retainer on each end wouldn't go into groove. What to do? I tack welded in place . In a few years, if I have to replace again, I will just cut off and install new yokes. Probably not the ideal fix, but it works in a pinch, and no telling how long it will last. As you can see, I probably should invest in a guard of some sort too.

Pic 4 is of the ball mounted near tailwheel so I can move things around without taking the mower off.

 

[tallyho8]

But why wouldn't the u-joint close up enough to insert the clips? Did a needle bearing come out and lodge in the bottom of the cup? Did you hammer or press the yoke ends together a hair too much? I think once I determined that a needle bearing was not out of place, I would have pried the yoke open a hair with a crowbar to enable me to insert the clip. Hope welding it didn't cause the grease to run out or damage the seal.

 

[BTDT]

But why wouldn't the u-joint close up enough to insert the clips? Did a needle bearing come out and lodge in the bottom of the cup? Did you hammer or press the yoke ends together a hair too much? I think once I determined that a needle bearing was not out of place, I would have pried the yoke open a hair with a crowbar to enable me to insert the clip. Hope welding it didn't cause the grease to run out or damage the seal.

I too was concerned about a bearing out of place and took it apart a couple of times to check, and each time found nothing. Clip just would not go in. I had spent a couple hours on the thing, and I just got tired of messing with it. I tacked in place. I was needing to get the mower working due to me being off, and didn't want to miss the chance to mow while weather was nice. Like I said, I probably need to upgrade to a shaft with a cover anyhow, so next time I can do that as well.

 

[Kays Supply]

I have a don't. Don't waste your money on one of the new laser guides for your drill press. I thought I would treat myself to a new toy. The laser is of good quality, however, you have to loosen two screws and reaim it every time you raise the bed, drill something of a different height, or change the bit. It takes too long to be worth the effort.

 

[ctpres]

A Sharpie is is my best friend and loyal helper. New equipment and manual in hand or when doing maint. for the first time I write info on or near part. Eg. tire pressure near valve stem, oil plug wrench size, oil weight and grade, filter number, spark plug, chain saw-trimmer oil ratio. More than once I've lost the manual but sharpie info got me thru the basics. Its amazing how much a sharpie helps this old man with routine chores. With about thirty tires to air up it is a real time saver.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I learned one just yesterday in the grocery store.

I was getting dry ice and an old local told me he used dry ice to install rod ends in big semi trucks. He said that anytime you have to press something you can super cool the inside piece with dry ice rather than heating the outside piece at the risk of losing temper.

Now I have to find something that I need to press.