Friday started as an optimistic day. I made a list. I finally brought some semblance of order to my books. I did a blog post.
I started to work on the Gator. I cannot lay down, sit down, or bend over too far, when working on anything. figured out how to crawl onto the forklift and and actually lift the gator into the air so I could reach the offending bolts.
The cab and frame are not happy together. The windshield mounting brackets are broken and there are electrical problems. The electrical is impossible to get to as it is under what would be the hood, if there was a hood. The cab sits on top of this front cover. I needed to remove cab bolts and lift up the front of the cab to access the "hood," and then remove the hood. Then I was able to remove the broken windshield mounting brackets which also hold down the front of cab.
The problem with the cab is that the windshield mounts securely but the rear cab mount bolt holes wear out. So the rear part of the cab flexes in the bolt holes. The front part of the cab is held secure in the bolt holes so it doesn't move. This transfers the stress to the mounting brackets which are like 10 gauge sheet metal. Those metal brackets then flex and break and they are really hard to get to or to reinforce.
It is a Curtis cab so I probably could get parts.
There are also electrical issues. The wiring is now exposed with the removal of the front cover. I have a broken light bulb as well.
I want to install a voltage gauge and a cigar lighter in the dash. I need to fix the glove box so it doesn't keep falling out and I want to install a power outlet so I can connect a sprayer pump controller. My goal is to be able to spray field edges and spot spray blackberries.
However the sun is shining and I feel I should be working on the grain drill or something useful.
I am starting to worry about all the crops that are not coming out of the winter and all the weeds that are showing up instead.
Here is the thing about recovering from an injury. It is like being a special needs modern child. Every effort you make gets a gold star. But, you really are not actually doing anything useful. You pretend to be but in reality the ground won't work itself, the tractor transmission won't install its own clutch out of sympathy for you, and the weeds are still going to grow.
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Sounds like a win. Many of my "repair jobs" I consider a success if I just get them back together without having any leftover parts.
ReplyDeleteI put the Gator back together today and a have a handful of extra bolts and fasteners. It started getting cold and my leg hurt and I just put it together with not a lot of regard for fit and finish.
DeleteDoing something, paced, is good. What do you use on the blackberries?
ReplyDeleteI use a product called Vastlan for woody plants and black berries. It is not a 2-4-D product and not an ester so it doesn't volatize in warmer weather. It doesn't work as well on blackberries in the spring as it does in the fall but there are two many vineyards around to use CrossBow.
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