This never ending drizzle has stopped the planting which is my primary source of income. Hay sales is my secondary income and it never got started. I did sell a ton of chicken feed yesterday...
That didn't even pay for my new rear window. As you can see the tractor is ready to come out of the shop. Right now it is actually hooked to the drill. I attempted to get my GPS to work but the stupid PC tablet won't recognize the Belkin Serial to USB adapter. Belkin is crap, never buy a Belkin adapter. It doesn't matter that they are crap, the stores still sell them, but they are crap.
Speaking of being broke and things being crap... Daughter went to the Dentist last week. I stopped by ValueVillage and much to my surprise there was a nerf vulcan machine gun. It was complete with the ammo belt and the tripod. We brought it home and rounded up all the nerf ammo and gave it a try.
It is a piece of crap. The anticipation was much more than the resolution. It eats batteries, has limited range, and the belt jams. The plastic is pretty cheesy and the belt jams all the time. I can't believe it got all those 5 star ratings on Amazon. A fool and his money are soon parted. At least it came from a thrift store and I didn't pay $50 for it.
Which brings me to the expensive crap I bought last year. A Plews electric grease gun. The Plews "ProTuff" 18 volt grease gun is total crap. The first one split the casting the first time I used it and now my second one has failed. The motor stopped and the trigger is jammed. It is made of cheap plastic and you know the internals are just as cheap. I wonder if regular Chinese folks like you and I are embarrassed by the absolute crap that has their name on it. Sort of like working for GM in the 1980's, I suppose.
The sad thing is that it was not that much less expensive than an Alemite. Especially now that is totally useless. I guess If I can return it, otherwise I will take it apart and see if I can totally ruin it.
If I ever get to use my grain drill...I have 52 grease zerks to grease and the electric grease gun is pretty handy.
Perhaps I should now go to work.
Perhaps we should start a betting pool. Will I get stuck today? How far out in the field before I get stuck? How many tractors will it take to pull me out?
Have a nice day...
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Budde, I'm not sure which is worse, your never ending drizzle or my never ending winter. Another blizzard blowing today which after nearly 5 months of snow is getting really old. Hey, GM was not so bad in the 80s. My old 81 GMC pickup that I have owned for 25 years is my all time favourite truck. Good to see you have the White back in one piece.
ReplyDeleteIf you plant today or tomorrow odds are good you will sink!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the tractor repair!
I bought an air operated grease gun from NAPA (I know, expensive, but I had alot to service) however, it works great, stays clean which is rare for a grease gun, and makes a really cool and satisfying cachunk, cachunk sound when used. Just like you hear in the 'big boys' auto repair shops. Sure, you have to pull a hose around, but I made up a small diameter one, and it makes greasing zerks almost fun. Except for the plugged ones to pull and replace from the big box of various fittings I have.
Just priced your 18v grease gun. Ouch!
ReplyDeleteThe Napa air grease gun was 1/3rd of the price.
You can always carry an air fitting welded to a spark plug base for emergency air in the field, but I'm betting you do all your greasing at home anyway.
I think all the electric grease guns are now Made In China....even the supposedly high-end ones. I've got two. If you can read between the lines that should tell you something about their reliability. Still a WORKING electric grease gun spoils you something fierce and I doubt I'll e'var go back to a manual/pump gun again...
ReplyDeleteAll The Best,
Frank W. James
Everyone over on NAT seems to think that the Alemite is the way to go. I bought my Lincoln in '02 and have replaced the battery once because I managed to clumsily drop it onto concrete while greasing a Freightliner and broke the plastic housing. I think I might have had a charger failure once and the motor housing was replaced due to an incident involving an 80 year old and a forklift. The hose fitting on the gun side is not 1/8" NPT but an oddball Lincoln-only fitting so that coincidentally you have to get the replacement hose from Lincoln when it gets a chicken-egg sized rupture under the outer jacket. That is my only reasonable complaint with it I guess.
ReplyDeleteI am a little selective of which High-School kids get to use it, I think that might have a little to do with the longevity.
'Course, over at NAT there are a lot of folks who think that sealed bearings last longer than greasable ones. Maybe you should join that camp. It would add to your "Lazy" credentials! I keep threatening to try the "sealed" program on the engine oil of one of the farm pickups I don't like and see how it turns out.
Ralph, I don't know if GM was all that bad. Perhaps I should have said the guy who painted all those 1980's ford pickups. (I have one of those) Or paints Great Plains grain drills. (got on of those also)
ReplyDeleteMuddy, 50 acres and almost got stuck three times. Key word is "almost." I didn't like my air grease gun. The electric is wonderful, when it works! More power and no hose to get in the way.
Frank, the electric grease gun is wonderful when it is cold and you have 24 coulters to grease! I'll have to save up for a new one. I don't suppose you have any opinions on Nerf Machine guns? I suppose those suction cup darts would really annoy the feral hogs!
Orin, The Alemite is way better. You can tell by the plastic quality. I bought the Plews sight unseen from Uncle's store. I almost sent it back when I opened the package but that was too complicated. I've heard the sealed vs greasable bearing debate before. I think many people blow out the seals by over greasing and others don't clean the zerk and fill the bearing with dirt. NAT is the home of armchair farmers and blowhards. It is really funny when they get all over each other. Being cooped up all winter must really build their estrogen levels. I laughed really hard when the guy asked how to get oil out of the cat's fur and all those farmers got mad at the guy who suggested a match.
My employee once bet me I couldn't hit a cat with the .22-250 at considerable long range. I did hit the cat but it was on the wrong side of the pipeline and it was a day before anyone found it. Um... I can't tell this story... Suffice to say I hit it right between the eyes... I blamed it on the other neighbor...
Orin, the 80 year-old and the forklift sounds like one of those tales we hear at the safety meetings... Or Grandpa pulling on the steering wheel and yelling whoa!
ReplyDeleteMy dad was self-employed and in construction so I know what it is to watch the weather. I can remember as a kid loving days when it was raining so I did not have to get out of bed to push a shovel. Little did I realize that my father looked at the rain and wondered how he would feed his kids that week. The joys of childish ignorance.
ReplyDeleteAs a school teacher I am surrounded by people who are in their second or third generation of lining up at the public trough and sucking down the tax dollars that people like you pay. They gripe when our slop gets cut a little, at a time when up to 20% of California is out of work!
Every time I visit our auto mechanic I thank him for paying taxes. I should thank you, too. I will do my best not to complain.
I don't think I have used a grease gun since I worked with my dad. I didn't know they came in electric.
Grace and peace.
Pumice, you have my sympathies for being in the education system. My wife is a teacher at a private christian school and there are times we realize how bad it COULD be...
ReplyDeleteThe electric grease gun is kind of a waste unless you have lots of hard to reach grease zerks and then it is a wonderful thing.
If you are greasing two balers and a stacker and a rake every morning, plus a combine or two, you really come to love it!
Tractors are mainly used to for industrial and agricultural purposes.For any services there are many service provider who provided many services and maintaining services for the longevity of life of the vehicle.
ReplyDeletethanks ....robert
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