I saw a Facebook meme the other day that I think rings a little true. It said "Life is hard." "It's harder when you're stupid." Who's to say who is stupid but people do a lot of dumb things. I have accomplished my share of stupid over my almost 50 years on this planet but I'm also glad I've learned to figure some things out.
Not life. Not people. Just mechanical things.
I had a full day. I did some painting as I said I would this morning when I got up. Then I ventured up to the back 40 for my first look at the tractor. It needs the battery charged and if someone felt sorry for me and purchased a new seat, that would be wonderful. I also decided that it needed a new fuel line so I purchased that item before painting.
I needed to disconnect the fuel line from the tank. The old hose had become part of the fitting and it was unsafe at any angle to cut the line with anything sharp. What I wound up doing was pulling the fitting out of the tank and destroying the rubber bushing it mounted to in the process.
Sears does not list the rubber bushing for the fuel tank, nor the fitting for sale separately. They will sell me a new fuel tank for $65 plus shipping though. Then I have to disassemble the entire tractor to change the tank.
But Sears does sell the bushing for other models of tractors. One thing I've learned is that you may have to ask Google five or six different ways but with persistence you can most always find what you want. I found a part number for what I wanted but it didn't look like what came out of the tank. Undaunted, I wrapped the parts in a paper towel and went down to my local mower parts supply store (Wilkinson Supply, shameless plug). There the guy looked at what I had and found a bushing that looked exactly like what Sears had. It was in stock, there was no shipping, and I had this in my hand for under $4.
But will it work?
I don't know, but right before work, I inserted the fitting into the bushing, just for a trial run. When I did, I noticed that the bulge that was missing from the bushing I had removed from the tank was caused by a band around the fitting itself and what I have will most likely do the job I need it to.
Sometimes, things aren't what they appear to be at first glance. I'm thankful God gave me the skill set to see that what I had was probably what I needed, even though I at first glance thought it wasn't what I wanted.
Life is kinda funny that way.
Not life. Not people. Just mechanical things.
I had a full day. I did some painting as I said I would this morning when I got up. Then I ventured up to the back 40 for my first look at the tractor. It needs the battery charged and if someone felt sorry for me and purchased a new seat, that would be wonderful. I also decided that it needed a new fuel line so I purchased that item before painting.
I needed to disconnect the fuel line from the tank. The old hose had become part of the fitting and it was unsafe at any angle to cut the line with anything sharp. What I wound up doing was pulling the fitting out of the tank and destroying the rubber bushing it mounted to in the process.
Sears does not list the rubber bushing for the fuel tank, nor the fitting for sale separately. They will sell me a new fuel tank for $65 plus shipping though. Then I have to disassemble the entire tractor to change the tank.
But Sears does sell the bushing for other models of tractors. One thing I've learned is that you may have to ask Google five or six different ways but with persistence you can most always find what you want. I found a part number for what I wanted but it didn't look like what came out of the tank. Undaunted, I wrapped the parts in a paper towel and went down to my local mower parts supply store (Wilkinson Supply, shameless plug). There the guy looked at what I had and found a bushing that looked exactly like what Sears had. It was in stock, there was no shipping, and I had this in my hand for under $4.
But will it work?
I don't know, but right before work, I inserted the fitting into the bushing, just for a trial run. When I did, I noticed that the bulge that was missing from the bushing I had removed from the tank was caused by a band around the fitting itself and what I have will most likely do the job I need it to.
Sometimes, things aren't what they appear to be at first glance. I'm thankful God gave me the skill set to see that what I had was probably what I needed, even though I at first glance thought it wasn't what I wanted.
Life is kinda funny that way.
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