Nice trip to ETA

[mark02tj]

You got a nice picture of Ted, but what about "Peanut"? :thumbsup::laughing:

 

[daugen]

You got a nice picture of Ted, but what about "Peanut"? :thumbsup::laughing:

I looked around. Some shells on the
floor but no Peanut!

Rick was inside on the computer taking orders, he was busy but he did email me later and say it was nice
to at least "see" me.
Funny, the marketer in me wanted to see that old showroom just filled full of "adult toys". I owned an electronics "adult toy" store for five years. Have to have plenty of bait when hungry fish come in.
Once they found what they needed, well there certainly must be something else you need. Add on sale.
And how about some custom made hitch pins with their name on it?
Funnier still, they seem to be doing very, very well without my marketing help....

I haven't even hooked these implements up yet so I have no idea how they perform, but I'm guessing quite well. It won't be the blade with the issue, it will be the operator... So all I can do is give a visual inspection.
With a little more inspection time, I can comment on two items for improvement. One, not even Mr. Perfect Paint got perfect paint. Sorry Ted, I know you are groaning reading this. The paint inside some of the "hidden" areas was very thin, not much protection for rust. I'll spray in there with WD40 and all will be well. And the paint itself is not very thick. The rattle can they gave me felt very light, as in few solids in the paint. Ok, this is not a half million JD combine, it's a rake....meant to get scratched up. I get it. But the paint job gets an A. Not an A+ The paint job on the non ETA forks looked stronger.
Now compared to what you will get at TSC or AgriSupply after the thing has sat out there for six months, or maybe two years, for sure better. I'm picking nits, that's all. Already said I'm happy.
+++see the pic of the rake, all the way at the bottom, above the half moon circle of holes, on the left side of that metal edge, there is almost no paint applied. Just a bare spray and that's on the outside of the unit, not the inside. trying to give an example, most is fine, just like 98% of the welding is fine.
Secondly, a little too much welding spatter. Lots of tiny little spatter bits in some areas. Though overall in few areas vs all the welding done. But leaving spatter in high visibility areas is a lost opportunity for a nicer finish. Difference between ag equipment and your good metal outside furniture...

that's all, two nits. And both you have to "look for".
And neither of which will affect performance one whit.

At almost every stop light on the way home, surrounded as usual by guys in pickup trucks, many closely checked out this shiny yellow beige equipment.
I'm sure they were impressed, assuming they didn't drive a pan for a living.

forecast is for drier weather. Yeah, just might get to use these, the forks first. Need to move some equipment around to make room for this new stuff, get it under roof, and I bet those forks will pick up smaller implements a whole lot easier than I'm doing now.

 

[fried1765]

DAUGEN

Thank you for your very positive critique of EA equipment.
I think you have me convinced that I should buy from them also.
As for your hard to reach thin paint areas I would use LPS-3 rather than WD-40.
WD-40 is very light/thin, and offers no lasting protection.
LPS-3, on the other hand, after three weeks or so, will set up similar to military Cosmoline.
Oh, it is not as good as Cosmoline, but it is a whole lot better than WD-40.
It will be a drippy brown mess (try to use it on a cool day) when you apply it, but it will set up to a soft waxy like protectant.
It has a Mil. Spec. for corrosion protection.
It comes in spray cans, plastic spray bottles (like Windex), 1 gallon jugs, 5 gals, 15 gal barrels, and more.
I love the stuff, and have used it for years.