fix it or junk it
You know me, I think I can fix just about anything. A lot of that is born of necessity. But sometimes you find yourself at the point of decision: Do I fix it or replace it?
Sometimes what you have is junk. Sometimes what you think is junk should be fixed. My tillers are a case in point. I did not know how easy it would have been to re-engine my Troy-bilt. I gave it away and kept the Craftsman that went with my tractor. The year before last, I blew up the engine. I mean that. When I was trying to disassemble it earlier this month, I saw the hole in the side of it. That's what happened to the Troy Bilt, too.
The Troy Bilt had a Briggs & Stratton engine on it. They still make those engines. The Craftsman has a Tecumseh, which they don't make anymore. I could find a cheap engine at Harbor Freight, buy a sleeve for it and a new pulley from Sears and the thing should work again. But the tines are shot and they need to be replaced. They don't make those anymore, either, though.
I have a rule about borrowing things and because I've blown up two tillers already back there, borrowing one is uncomfortable for me. I did last year and will do so again tomorrow, but there's always that fear that I'm gonna be buying someone a brand new one. The rule is about borrowing any tool, by the way, and not just a tiller: If you borrow it three times, you need one of your own.
Yup.
And I'm looking. I have been for about a while now, but nothing in my price range of el-cheapo.
People in these parts are awful proud of their old stuff. Ideally, I'd like to have a Troy-bilt horse. I have the hiller/furrower attachment for one and I'd like to have the tiller to go with it.
But not today. No check came in the mail.
Dog food coupons, but no check. It's the little things, I suppose.
It's hard to justify buying a tiller right now, too. Air conditioning repairs/replacement seems to be a more pressing matter and I think I'm gonna have to break down and pay for a service call or two. Again, sometimes what you have is old and needs to be replaced and I'm thinking that this is where I'm at with my two units. Do you know anyone who does HVAC on the side? If so, e-mail me.
I have a friend who does this but he doesn't travel to Idaho. He lives in Utah County, so up here is Idaho. I don't blame him. I've driven on I-15.
The interweb is great for fixing old junk. E-bay is a good place to start and I probably could have found enough parts to rebuild the engine on the tiller. The gaping hole said nope, though. What I'll do with it remains a mystery right now. I might be able to work out something and put a new engine on it for a lot less than buying a tiller and make do with it. I'm tilting that way. Tilting. But non-committal.
Interestingly, whilst googling what happened to the Tecumseh engines, I came across a company who has vintage outdoor parts. Tohatsu was on their list and I'm gonna call them about a carburetor or a carb kit.
I went outside and when you have an older home, you have older stuff that goes with it. Like a post lamp. I'd love to replace the thing outright. It's been through a couple of hurricanes and has some storm damage. Interweb to the rescue! I e-mailed a guy about buying some new glass panes for my old light. That and a fresh coat of gloss black spray paint, and we're good to go for a few more years.
I am going to recycle an old kitchen table though. The kid needs one and I have two chairs to give him to go with it. The original chairs are gone. They were needed elsewhere a long time ago. It's a long drive to Salt Lake but I'll have the car back for a week or so. Then I gotta fetch the truck.
Another item up for repair is my pole pruner. The rope broke on it a while back. I have to run to the CAL ranch or the Smith & Edwards to find a tire for my dump cart tomorrow morning, so while I'm there, I'll look for a rope. I saw a thing on how to fix it on the interweb.
Well, gang, it's only Thursday which means it's almost time for me to head to my real job. Yes, I know I ought to be on the road to see what's in Oregon, but then again, I'm kinda wondering if that was just a test to see if I'd go to the right or to the left.
I'm in more of a "give the people what they want" kind of mood but I still remember in Ephesians that it says something about being angry but not sinning. So I'm focused on fixin' stuff more than seeing what else I can break.
Sometimes what you have is junk. Sometimes what you think is junk should be fixed. My tillers are a case in point. I did not know how easy it would have been to re-engine my Troy-bilt. I gave it away and kept the Craftsman that went with my tractor. The year before last, I blew up the engine. I mean that. When I was trying to disassemble it earlier this month, I saw the hole in the side of it. That's what happened to the Troy Bilt, too.
The Troy Bilt had a Briggs & Stratton engine on it. They still make those engines. The Craftsman has a Tecumseh, which they don't make anymore. I could find a cheap engine at Harbor Freight, buy a sleeve for it and a new pulley from Sears and the thing should work again. But the tines are shot and they need to be replaced. They don't make those anymore, either, though.
I have a rule about borrowing things and because I've blown up two tillers already back there, borrowing one is uncomfortable for me. I did last year and will do so again tomorrow, but there's always that fear that I'm gonna be buying someone a brand new one. The rule is about borrowing any tool, by the way, and not just a tiller: If you borrow it three times, you need one of your own.
Yup.
And I'm looking. I have been for about a while now, but nothing in my price range of el-cheapo.
People in these parts are awful proud of their old stuff. Ideally, I'd like to have a Troy-bilt horse. I have the hiller/furrower attachment for one and I'd like to have the tiller to go with it.
But not today. No check came in the mail.
Dog food coupons, but no check. It's the little things, I suppose.
It's hard to justify buying a tiller right now, too. Air conditioning repairs/replacement seems to be a more pressing matter and I think I'm gonna have to break down and pay for a service call or two. Again, sometimes what you have is old and needs to be replaced and I'm thinking that this is where I'm at with my two units. Do you know anyone who does HVAC on the side? If so, e-mail me.
I have a friend who does this but he doesn't travel to Idaho. He lives in Utah County, so up here is Idaho. I don't blame him. I've driven on I-15.
The interweb is great for fixing old junk. E-bay is a good place to start and I probably could have found enough parts to rebuild the engine on the tiller. The gaping hole said nope, though. What I'll do with it remains a mystery right now. I might be able to work out something and put a new engine on it for a lot less than buying a tiller and make do with it. I'm tilting that way. Tilting. But non-committal.
Interestingly, whilst googling what happened to the Tecumseh engines, I came across a company who has vintage outdoor parts. Tohatsu was on their list and I'm gonna call them about a carburetor or a carb kit.
I went outside and when you have an older home, you have older stuff that goes with it. Like a post lamp. I'd love to replace the thing outright. It's been through a couple of hurricanes and has some storm damage. Interweb to the rescue! I e-mailed a guy about buying some new glass panes for my old light. That and a fresh coat of gloss black spray paint, and we're good to go for a few more years.
I am going to recycle an old kitchen table though. The kid needs one and I have two chairs to give him to go with it. The original chairs are gone. They were needed elsewhere a long time ago. It's a long drive to Salt Lake but I'll have the car back for a week or so. Then I gotta fetch the truck.
Another item up for repair is my pole pruner. The rope broke on it a while back. I have to run to the CAL ranch or the Smith & Edwards to find a tire for my dump cart tomorrow morning, so while I'm there, I'll look for a rope. I saw a thing on how to fix it on the interweb.
Well, gang, it's only Thursday which means it's almost time for me to head to my real job. Yes, I know I ought to be on the road to see what's in Oregon, but then again, I'm kinda wondering if that was just a test to see if I'd go to the right or to the left.
I'm in more of a "give the people what they want" kind of mood but I still remember in Ephesians that it says something about being angry but not sinning. So I'm focused on fixin' stuff more than seeing what else I can break.
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