If It Aint one Thing It's Another

[levans]

I know I'm the only one to ever say that .I had been having trouble getting the guide rollers just right, and then it was just right , no diving, no rising, the blade was singing now I could get some work done, and THEN it happened, no hydraulics. I pulled the unit out  and took the motor apart, no more work today. I get in the car drive one hour to my starter dc motor guy He has the  brushes no problem. Drive home one hour, I'll pick it up on Thur on the way back from Nashville. 

[Magicman]

But the good thing is that you are capable of handling these everyday nuisances.   Someone that is not, has no business with a sawmill anyway.   :D

[John_Haylow]

But the good thing is that you are capable of handling these everyday nuisances.   Someone that is not, has no business with a sawmill anyway.   :D

Point taken. ;)
John

[levans]

I can't imagine having to call someone to fix all the things that break, stop working or just need to be done around here. It's 20 miles to the nearest small town and as I said in the post 1 hour to where I can get most things fixed. One place wanted 45.00 an hour from their shop, an hour away, to come work on a walk in cooler.

[Indiana Robinson]

I have known a number of my fellow farmers over the years that were not at all mechanics. Most did "reasonably" well but I never understood how. In the early days of course it didn't cost an arm and a leg to have someone work on your stuff but today, yikes...
A friend that farmed across the road from me was one of those and he had to work a lot harder to make up for it. Early every spring the John  Deere dealer rolled in and loaded his only tractor to be fully gone through for the planting season. Then again just before harvest to be done again. We did the same thing but "we" did it in our shop. I did always think that he was smart to accept that he just didn't have that skill set and to see that his stuff was well maintained ahead instead of waiting for something to break. Where the big difference came was when something broke in the middle of things and we would just make even major repairs and get rolling again. He on the other hand had to just sit and wait for the dealer who was usually covered up at that point. There are times farming (and sawing) when sitting idle for a week or two can really put you behind the 8-ball.
This particular farmer took good care of his stuff and didn't abuse it. He was not an "anvil breaker". That is my term for some of the guys that I often say "could break an anvil while straightening feathers".  :D :D He did constantly have a lot of flat tires on his stuff (can you say honey locust thorn trees ) and he would have to take it off and drive the 10 miles to town to get it fixed. We had long repaired or changed our own tires even before I got our first tire changer (the first one was manual). We just used a good set of tire irons and fixed all kinds including tractor rears.
I have known a lot of anvil breakers... Many of which ignored most maintenance until something quit or broke and were really abusive of their stuff. I have no idea how they survived except that many didn't and many had a working wife in a time when most farm wives only worked on the farm.

BTW, many of those anvil breakers had an awfully high accident rate...


.

[bandmiller2]

Theirs always something to keep the dogs tail short.Pipe smokers make good sawyers because they have the disposition to sit down and study a problem,not jump on it like gangbusters.If you cannot troubleshoot your own milling problems you have a tough row to hoe,and better have deep pockets. Frank C.

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

When I have down time ......CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN my work area. And when I get back with my part or what ever, to get things going again, a CLEAN work area makes me feel better than an energy drink!  8)

[grweldon]

I too have known a few "anvil breakers".  Most were maintenance men for the factories that I have worked for.  You know the type... Hmmm... that doesn't fit too well, let me have that hammer...

[PC-Urban-Sawyer]

And then...

"That didn't work, hand me that bigger hammer!"

Herb

[levans]

It's back home, I picked up the unit on the way back from Nashville, they replaced the entire brush unit, bearings and cleaned and painted the motor housing, $42.00 and I'm one happy camper .

[Magicman]

That was very reasonable.  I prefer rebuilding any day vs buying new.  It's good to hear that you are "hydraulicking" again.   :D