Recent content by Captain Dirty

On the densely populated east coast there is a dense population of hydraulic machinery that supports a dense population of repair shops. Within 5 miles of me there is a Hope Group (Formerly Parker) that will make new hose with fittings while one waits. Some equipment operator, like the local...

With meticulous notching on days with little or no wind or a breeze coming from the road to your property, the trees should fall away from the road. You could add extra assurance by rigging a guy or "preventer" (5/8" or greater line, doubled, and rigged from as high as you can comfortably...

It is often easier to beg forgiveness than to secure permission. How close are your neighbors, and do you get along with them? Have you considered a redneck floating dredge--a well muffled trash pump in a flat-bottomed boat? Progress might be so slow and changes so incremental that the...

Google "Minnesota Implement," go to their site, and then "snow removal" Snow Removal to see light weight, standard duty, heavy duty, and super duty cross draw snowplows. Scroll down for videos. I have a standard duty 7' cross draw plow for my Kubota L45. Yaw (rotation about the vertical axis)...

Apologies in advance for posting automotive maint. problem on a tractor forum, but I have been a member long enough to have some feel for the credibility/reliability of the answers on this forum that I would not have as a newby on a PU forum. The plastic handle on the tailgate cams against 2...

Re: Post #1. I cannot believe anyone could be that stupid or quick tempered. Re: Post #2. From the binding of the bars and the lean of the upper trunk, it appears the top is leaning away from the camera and to the right and likely hung up on something. I will not offer any advice but observe...

Given that you say no problem with 2" thick pavers or brick in other areas, I would look closely for differences. The flagstone is as little as 1" thick. Cold from a heavy frost may penetrate the stone and freeze water in the "fractured granite" or "sharp sand". With less mass in the thin...

Damn! I had thought that the upward force on the tie-down strap hooks would have prevented the sides from collapsing.

With the exception of outboard motors that can be rotated, some nozzles, and bow thrusters, most vessels' steering forces come from the force of water flowing past the rudder. With the vessel moving with the water and little relative flow, there would be little steering force available...

That the vertical clearance under the Brooklyn Bridge was less than the height of the Cuauhtemoc's mast was obvious. The ship was on the seaward side of the bridge, outbound when the (flood) tide carried it backward towards the Brooklyn shore. Undoubtedly the engine department was desperately...

Thoughts on handrail posts. Given that you stated the deck posts are 6x6, the typical maximum riser height is 8", and you have added intermediate stones to get to the 2nd and third risers, it appears that the rocks are 5-8" thick slabs of a probably quarried, native stone that has many, now...

A few thoughts on handrails. There are mind-numbing details about proper handrail (and guardrail--you can look up the difference on an architectual website) construction. From the original photo your steps do not comply; nor do I believe they must. As your primary consideration seems to be...

(Inadvertantly) shooting oneself in the foot. Owing to low ceiling height in our old farmhouse (standard cabinets would have left less than 1' between cabinet bottom and counter top) we opted for custom cabinets when we renovated the kitchen in '79. We also bought a 40" Almond-colored GE...

My father opined that one could never have too much headroom in a basement. I had 5 years of records of the water depth in a fieldstone lined, dug well that was 8' from where the new addition foundation would be. I spec'd the basement floor 1' above the highest water level I had observed. The...

I had only heard the "string too short to save", but in cleaning our attic we found a plastic bag of aluminum ice cube trays labeled "Leaks".