Do You Stop When Something Breaks?

[Avenger]

Obviously you'll stop the tractor when something breaks when you're out using it. Least I hope you would. I'm talking about doing your maintenance and something breaks. Do you stop? Lets say you're changing the oil, and you break or loose the drain plug. Do you then continue on to the filter? or do you call it day and wait for the parts to show up?

Here is what happened to me today.

I usually don't stop doing the maintenance, but I did today. I pulled the tractor into the shop to do its 500hr service. This includes many different items. Change the oil and filter, change the hydraulic oil and filter, change the front axle oil, change the fuel filter, etc. Well, I started with the engine oil. Drained the old and replaced the filter. I then moved to the fuel filter. Why? I donno, I could have done the others, but I just did the fuel filter. No real reason.

I unplugged the sensor at the bottom and started to loosen the filter with a wrench. I've changed this filter in the past (when the diesel gelled on me) so I wasnt expecting issues. But there was one. It seemed very tight! I had to use the wrench all the way off and noticed the nipple came out of the tractor with the filter. See image.

Oh well, things happen. I drained the fuel from the old filter and removed the sensor. I wrapped some channel locks with electrical tape and used them to take the adapter out of the filter. I attempted to reinstall it into the new filter and thats when I noticed the problem: the threads were all goobered up. Not sure how that happened! When I replaced the filter before, it spun on without issue and has been running fine for two years now. I had to order a new part, that will take 3-7 business days to get to me. Crap!

So now, I have a tractor in the shop with an exposed fuel system, and I cannot seal it up. Its not dirty in my shop, but working on the tractor doing other things seemed to rub me the wrong way. I wouldn't blow out filters around the tractor, but I could change the front axle oil, etc. But I didn't. I came inside, ordered the part, and said screw it! I didn't go back to the shop.

I moved on to other projects around the house, ticking off items on the honey-do list. But it bothered me. I've never quit doing something like that. I've never stopped working a machine, mechanically, if something broke and I had to wait on parts. If there is something else I could be doing, I'd do it. But for some reason today, I just decided not to.

So, I take to the forums to ask: Do you stop when something breaks? Or do you do the other things you can get done while you wait on parts?

 

[scootr]

It's fine to stop now, you 5-7 days to catch up
Sorry for your troubles.

 

[steve tym]

Maybe this should have been posted in the "you know you're getting old when..." thread.

 

[Eagle1]

I do all the time when something puts me in rage mode. No sense in continuing when I'm ready to burn it down. Some days it is better to admit defeat than to keep digging holes.

 

[Runner]

I'd keep going and get everything else done I could. And I wouldn't be welding, grinding or woodworking in there until everything was sealed up again (I'm just kind of OCD about that).

That way, when the part comes in, I can just slam it back together and DONE!

 

[JCoastie]

I'd continue, so if I need to order additional parts, I'd get a jump on that, rather than find it after the 1st part came in, and now I'd have a second/third and cumulative parts delay.

 

[Avenger]

I do all the time when something puts me in rage mode. No sense in continuing when I'm ready to burn it down. Some days it is better to admit defeat than to keep digging holes.

I wasn't in rage mode, yet. I could have gotten there if something else broke, for sure!

I'd keep going and get everything else done I could. And I wouldn't be welding, grinding or woodworking in there until everything was sealed up again (I'm just kind of OCD about that).

That way, when the part comes in, I can just slam it back together and DONE!

Thats what I usually do. I'd finish what I can being careful about contaminants around the fuel filter. But this time, I just... didn't.

I'd continue, so if I need to order additional parts, I'd get a jump on that, rather than find it after the 1st part came in, and now I'd have a second/third and cumulative parts delay.

Exactly! I typically do this, one reason is for that reason. If I need to order more, its better to get it all at once rather than weeks out. But... I didn't do that. I simply didn't go back to the shop, which is crazy for me!

Maybe this should have been posted in the "you know you're getting old when..." thread.

And maybe this is the reason for quitting. Getting older sucks!

 

[oldnslo]

Depends on the situation. Sometimes I will stop and walk away just to ponder or think about what happened or caused the problem. Other times just keep going to find the next issue.

 

[Fixastuff]

Do it all at once then you only have to order all the parts you mess up once. Not order wait break something else order wait / repeat. lol.

 

[Supraman0614]

Wrap the open parts of the fuel system in plastic, duct tape it off, and do the rest of the maintenance. Strongly agree that you will inevitably find something else and have to make a second parts order.