Stuff you've broken and how you broke it

[K5lwq]

The 3pt lift arm on the Beaver helping a friend replace a retaining wall. Wrapped the chain around the arms to lift the up on the wall. As I lifted, it pulled the arms together and one snapped like a toothpick.

I welded it up, put the draw bar on and completed the job without any issues. A couple hour job turned into a all day adventure because of being in a hurry and not thinking! :banghead:

 

[dodge man]

Two dumb things I did that would have been expensive mistakes almost.

Back in the late 1980’s I restored a 1970 Dodge Challenger. I took most everything out of the engine bay except the short block. Painted and detailed everything and put it back together. Checked everything, brake fluid, power steering fluid, oil, yes. Water and anti freeze, NOPE. Took it for a drive and it ran great but luckily I caught my mistake in time. An ugly sound adding water to a hot radiator.

The second one was doing the rear brakes on a 2004 Dodge Cummins. I found out the calipers on back would bolt on the wrong side. They fit and would work fine except the bleeder is on the bottom instead of the top. This leaves the calipers full of air, you would have thought I would have noticed. Went to drive it, it is downhill out of my garage and requires a turn or you end up in the trees. Brake pedal straight to the floor. Luckily they pumped up enough to barely stop me. Switched them side to side and all was good.

 

[Thomas]

Sockets sets mostly using cheater bars. :ashamed:

 

[k0ua]

Two dumb things I did that would have been expensive mistakes almost.

Back in the late 1980’s I restored a 1970 Dodge Challenger. I took most everything out of the engine bay except the short block. Painted and detailed everything and put it back together. Checked everything, brake fluid, power steering fluid, oil, yes. Water and anti freeze, NOPE. Took it for a drive and it ran great but luckily I caught my mistake in time. An ugly sound adding water to a hot radiator.

The second one was doing the rear brakes on a 2004 Dodge Cummins. I found out the calipers on back would bolt on the wrong side. They fit and would work fine except the bleeder is on the bottom instead of the top. This leaves the calipers full of air, you would have thought I would have noticed. Went to drive it, it is downhill out of my garage and requires a turn or you end up in the trees. Brake pedal straight to the floor. Luckily they pumped up enough to barely stop me. Switched them side to side and all was good.

Is that where they got the term "like stepping on a ripe plum" ?

 

[k0ua]

While installing a brand new drivers side window in the 1978 Ford Grenada. You know that bolt that goes thru the window glass at the bottom to fasten it to the mechanism? Just how tight do you tighten that bolt? I found out after giving it that last little bit with the socket. BOOM! My brand new window disappeared into a handful of little rounded glass pieces I sucked up with the vacuum cleaner. Oh well off to the auto parts store with some more money to get a new one.

 

[sandman2234]

This topic reminds me of a saying my Dad used to say to my brother and I... He said we could tear up a steel ball bearing with a rubber mallet!
I caught a root with the right rear tire on my Kubota M7040SU and it carried around the inside of the fender, and when it got to the cables for the loader control, it bent them over. I straightened them out a little by hand, and the loader was working, but the guy I was helping clear the lot for reached under there and grabbed it to straighten it some more, and snap, broke it! No loader controls, so the help clearing his lot just went away. Only cost me $140 for the parts and a day to fix it.
David from jax

 

[nbking]

A few times using an axe to split wood, thinking wow I'm getting good at this, then totally missing, hit the handle and bust the handle. Haven't broke one since I got my splitter. Worked as an electrician for years, at the beginning not checking to see if power was off, hooking up a water heater cutting the romex, and welding my linesman pliers together.

 

[grsthegreat]

A few times using an axe to split wood, thinking wow I'm getting good at this, then totally missing, hit the handle and bust the handle. Haven't broke one since I got my splitter. Worked as an electrician for years, at the beginning not checking to see if power was off, hooking up a water heater cutting the romex, and welding my linesman pliers together.

Thats nothing, i was on a house remodel where we shut off the main power, and still welded up a nice pair of lineman's pliers. Turned out to be a defective main breaker. Since then, i always use my non contact tester.

 

[Henro]

I broke a heart once, and l had mine broke too...guess this might qualify as a posting this thread...

Just like tools, sometimes the replacement turns out better than the original!

 

[crazyal]

Ironically, on page 8.

Actually it would be on page 6 but it would be labeled as page 8.