Worst Equipment you ever owned

BRIGUY · Apr 6, 2005

Please list the worst piece of equipment you have ever owned, and any related horror stories. (hopefully funny)

No fighting please

Example:

XYZ brand
Dog polisher
The darn thing pulled all of Fido's fur out and didn't leave any shine at all. Dealer repaired 27 times but by the time Fido's furr grew back the darn thing was out of warranty. Chrome Muffler bearings rusted, Fetdser valve jammed with furr. Not bite proof as shown on TV. I finally fixed it with my largest hammer.

MJB · Apr 6, 2005

I don't have any funny stories, but I would like to read more about your dog polisher /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

BRIGUY · Apr 6, 2005

I stole the Idea of the dog polisher thing from an Industrial Safety class I took. On one of our tests we had to properly fill out several incident reports. The examples the instructor used were so funny it took much longer to finish the test because everyone in the class was laughing so hard.

In the test example a worker was killed by an electric dog polisher, and we had to fill out the OSHA reports.

jpr62902 · Apr 6, 2005

If the Fedser valve jammed, I'll bet you used Prestone instead of Quaker State. "C'mon, fellas! It's all about ball bearings these days!"

I love Fletch .

slowrev · Apr 6, 2005

I had a 1963 henweigh that I could not keep muffler bearings in.
Ben

DaMadman · Apr 6, 2005

I had a guy back into my 1966 VW bug and hit it so hard it knocked the Radiator out.

Back on topic the worse POS I ever owned Lawn tractor was a Hechingers LT that had a Techumsceh (sp?) engine it. Lasted two years and threw a rod. I was even told it would happen because Tuchmsceh was having that problem with their motor. This was many years ago when i lived at Mom and dad's and it was actually Dad's LT.

That and some of these elcheapo pushmowers now a days, I think they were made to last a year and throw them out.

bontai_Joe · Apr 6, 2005

I had an ancient rotary push mower (brand long forgotten) many years ago that I had to wind a rope around the flange on the top of the flywheel. There was even a place for the knot at the end of the rope to go as you wound it. I'd then place my foot on top of the deck and give a mighty yank, spinning the motor about 2 revolutions and giving myself a welt across my back from the rope. A typical lawn mowing would give me 10 or more "lashes" across my back. And my mom couldn't understand why I hated mowing the lawn. One day, I figured out how to use my electric drill with a socket on the flywheel nut as a starter..... no more whipping myself senseless.

BRIGUY · Apr 6, 2005

I guess the cordless drill would work O/K.
This reminds me of something my dad did back in the 70's

We had a old Toro push mower. It had a crank on top that you folded open, cranked it to preload the spring., then folded the crank closed. I forget how you released it but any way, you pressed a release and it spun the motor over.
Well one day the crank or spring broke, and dad tried to start it with the impact gun. Broke the crank shaft in half. We were back to the manual push reel type mower for the rest of the summer.

frank_f15 · Apr 6, 2005

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I had an ancient rotary push mower (brand long forgotten) many years ago that I had to wind a rope around the flange on the top of the flywheel. There was even a place for the knot at the end of the rope to go as you wound it. )</font>

Back a few years ago( when i was a young fella) that type of pull starter was normal. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif Gosh do i feel old now /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif