Not every repairs requires access to a machine shop or specialized equipment. On my IH 300U tractor the gauge float for the fuel tank disentegrated. It was made of cork and over the years became waterlogged and eventually fell apart. I really didn’t care at first, but after a while I missed the nicety of being able to look at the gauge and see how much fuel I had left. Looking down the tank and trying to guess how much was left wasn’t really cutting it. Yes, I could put a stick down the tank, but I was always concerned of some debris falling off and clogging the tank, causing another problem…like I don’t have enough.
The float is a simple mechanical device that slides up and down on a set of rails. Through the center of the float is a square rod that slides through a square hole in a metal retainer affixed to the top of the cork. As the float rises and falls the square rod rotates causing the needle on the gauge to move.
Simple enough ehhhh! Try finding a new float. Well…maybe someone out there can, but for quite a while I couldn’t. So I started to design me a new float.
Now gasoline has a lower specific gravity than water, so I need something lighter than that. I thought that I could make two hollow cylindrical spheres and affix them together. Then it hit me! What was I thinking????? The original design was cork! Being part Italian I have plenty of cork! Well…maybe not in the shape of the original design, but I can improvise.
So what I did was use two wine corks…actually the imitation type corks…drilled a center hole in them and notched the ends by hand. Yes…by hand. The imitation corks have more forgiveness in them to bend and stretch around the rails and you can cut a slit down the center hole to allow it to open up and form around the square rod without tearing it. I used two corks to make up for the original height. I didn’t even try to physically connect them. I’ll let gravity do the work.
I know…an insult to all those perfectionists out there, but hey! It worked. And before anyone asks…I tested the corks first by letting them sit in a cup of gasoline for a week, just to make sure they didn’t dissolve.
A quick fix to a problem without any special equipment or skills. I am pleased. I hope if you have a similar problem you too can make an easy repair.
The float is a simple mechanical device that slides up and down on a set of rails. Through the center of the float is a square rod that slides through a square hole in a metal retainer affixed to the top of the cork. As the float rises and falls the square rod rotates causing the needle on the gauge to move.
Simple enough ehhhh! Try finding a new float. Well…maybe someone out there can, but for quite a while I couldn’t. So I started to design me a new float.
Now gasoline has a lower specific gravity than water, so I need something lighter than that. I thought that I could make two hollow cylindrical spheres and affix them together. Then it hit me! What was I thinking????? The original design was cork! Being part Italian I have plenty of cork! Well…maybe not in the shape of the original design, but I can improvise.
So what I did was use two wine corks…actually the imitation type corks…drilled a center hole in them and notched the ends by hand. Yes…by hand. The imitation corks have more forgiveness in them to bend and stretch around the rails and you can cut a slit down the center hole to allow it to open up and form around the square rod without tearing it. I used two corks to make up for the original height. I didn’t even try to physically connect them. I’ll let gravity do the work.
I know…an insult to all those perfectionists out there, but hey! It worked. And before anyone asks…I tested the corks first by letting them sit in a cup of gasoline for a week, just to make sure they didn’t dissolve.
A quick fix to a problem without any special equipment or skills. I am pleased. I hope if you have a similar problem you too can make an easy repair.
LOL