The Useful Duck!

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Tuesday, June 12, 2012

I actually work and accomplish things but in a sad bottom feeding sort of way!

I have been chopping grass for silage. I bought the silage chopper (New Holland 900) on Craigslist for $950. It is not new.
However, I would say that if you are going to try and sell something and you don't want to be continually insulted by people making you low offers based on scrap price you should, 1. Wash it... 2. Air up the tires.
But I was able to see through the grime and faded paint to recognize a diamond in the rough. Was also somewhat desperate...
Anyway, it sprung a leak.

The blower on the back of a silage chopper does not actually blow. It throws the silage. I know that because the blower band broke out through the bolt holes. But silage did not shoot out the side of the chopper!
Fortunately I had a spare two by four in my pickup along with some old pipe fittings and the center section out of a failed bearing. We wedged the 2 x4 between the blower band and the frame of the chopper and lengthened the adjusting bolts with an old pipe nipple and part of a bearing.

It held for a couple days and then it rained so we put a new blower band on. Well, actually we robbed the blower band off a chopper I bought for parts. So it is in fact not new.
I was quite proud that we found spacers in the tool box on my pickup. It was a very clever repair!
After that clever joke... here is a photo of my master mechanic! He kind of grows on you!
Actually he has been quite helpful since I have messed up my arm and have trouble tightening or loosening bolts with my right arm.

5 comments:

  1. So AGCO hasn't figured how to sell us two by fours and baling wire. As Don Schaeffer would have said; 'Good job, well hammered!'

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  2. Very resourceful Budde. Also a good excuse to never clean the junk out of your tool box. It works for me that way.

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  3. A good buy! The tires & wheels are worth that much. Good going on the repair! Anything can be fixed with a hammer, pipe wrench, and baling twine or if the truck is old enough, baling wire.

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  4. I am usually not this slow and it took a while, but I just got the spacer joke. And a good one at that! That Hobbs meter reading (or more likely RPM) wasn't around in the 60's and 70's so I have an excuse. Also, I hear it commonly happens at 65.

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  5. Collieguy, if AGCO did sell two by fours and baling wire they would cost "an arm and a leg!"

    Ralph, As my dear departed Mother used to say, "Poor people have poor ways."

    Muddy, That is a stupid joke. For some reason when the tack is switched to read PTO rpm it often shows "420" at an idle. Since I have listened to "Dead Air" on a number of occasions I pick up that reference. I have posted a similar photo before during silage.

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