unbelieveable

Dune Country · Aug 30, 2017

Ladies and gents I am not making this up!!

My BIL just retired a couple of month ago and bought a 28' travel trailer. Got it home and figured out that he could not make the swing into his driveway so he brought it down here for awhile. In the meantime he built a cover for the RV and fixed the drive way apron, got it home and backed it in and the shed was to narrow to be able to put the slide out, out, honest mistake I guess.

SWMBO wanted to go see her sis so we went up there. Our mazda bottomed out on the drive way so I asked him if he wanted me to grade the drive for him, sure he says.

Walked over to his Kabota 7001 with a FEL and grade box on it, he said he was going to get one of those DR grader things and I told him to let me take a lick at it.

As he's showing ME how to run the tractor I pull the dip stick, I asked him "when was the last time you changed this oil (he's had the tractor for 20 years!!) he said never and now I'm afraid to change it because it might break some sludge loose and clog something up??? off to the parts store for oil and a filter.

Got it fired up and he says that some times you have to reach in and give the fan a push because sometimes you start it and the fan doesn't turn......tightened the fan belt for him......got the drive graded though, just can't figure out how he gets by.

grandpa Love · Aug 30, 2017

We all have at least one of them
in our families!! If that makes
you feel better. Lol

jm. · Aug 30, 2017

I had a 22 year old Kubota in the shop that the man swore he had never changed the fuel filter, wondered why it was just barely running. Some folks,

Patch700 · Aug 30, 2017

Lol , I definitely know where you're coming from.

The father in law is about as carefree as it gets when it comes
to maintaining things.. I can't tell you how many times I've had
to fix his stuff ranging from his 12hp craftsman rite on up to his
1086 fel tractor.. Makes me chuckle wondering how in THE
WORLD he gets by the way he does and I can't catch a break
lol.
Seems like if I go 10hrs over on a svc I wind up spinning a
bearing or puttin a hole in the block lol.

Dune Country · Aug 30, 2017

oh thers more, he stopped me to show me where the drain basins were, already spotted them. went to start it up and would barly turn over, does that he says, I'll go get the battery charger. Looking around I spot the compression release, rusted solid. I reach in and push the lever, got it turning and released the lever, fired right up, he goes "what's that?"

There's more :roll:

Billy Shafer · Aug 30, 2017

I had a guy bring me a new Honda generator.Locked up solid.Checked the oil not a drop in it and low oil switch unplugged Ask the guy about it he told me that wire wouldn't let it start. So he unplugged it. I just handed it back to him and told him next time put oil in it.

oldtanker · Aug 30, 2017

My BIL, farmed his whole life. Terrible I tell you! Couple of years ago he was asking me about replacing the hydraulic pump in an IH/Farmall 826 that he and his dad bought new. Tractor looks real bad, over 20K hours. I ask when was the last time he changed hydraulic oil and filter. "He says I think they did when I had the TA rebuilt". That was like 20 years before. I told him to try changing it before he spent big money. Works fine now.

Rick

jacksun65 · Aug 30, 2017

I was at a truck garage getting oil changed, guy next pit over needed a dip stick lost his he said. They
only had generic ones that you change the oil and mark. He said ok they pulled the drain plug nothing
came out. mechanic put his finger in and still nothing came out he said its like hard grease. they got a
long screw driver wiggled it around and got a little over a gallon to come out. They asked him when the
last time the oil was changed, not as long as he had driven the truck 4yrs. They told him they would
have to drop the pan and clean it to get the right amount of oil in it. he said never mind fill it up
with oil and Ill be gone.

morgan in ar · Aug 30, 2017

If you don't know who it is in your family, it's probably you.

Jim Phillip · Aug 30, 2017

This is what happens when your SIL uses the box scraper as a bulldozer!

RedMF40 · Aug 30, 2017

Brother used to bring his car to dealership for any service--oil changes, whatever. I looked at his tires after a dealership oil chg and "safety inspection." They were all bald, barely any tread left.
Well, it DOES slide in the rain, he told me--but he was confident the Honda dealer would have said something if his tires were dangerous. Right.

Eldon (WA) · Aug 30, 2017

and.....

Dune Country · Aug 30, 2017

(quoted from post at 22:06:28 08/30/17) and.....

You asked Eldon,
some years ago he has a successful business, doing well, he bought a 20' Duck worth boat,
first time launching it he nicked a curb and flattened a trailer tire. Launched the boat and had a friend watch the boat while he went to get the tire fixed, boat sank, forgot to put the drain plugs in, boat sunk at the ramp, pisse$ off people. got boat out, new starter and oil change....went out again a couple of weeks later, launched boat, parked and came back to the dock, boat sunk,"nobody told me there were "2"drain plugs!!!

Next time out he headed out to buoy 10 on the Columbia river, (utube it), sold said boat, just glad he made it back

not picking on the guy, he is family but....just saying.

SDE · Aug 31, 2017

I thought that the wheel horse rider at the end of a driveway was lawn art. No, it had died there. I checked the oil and it was black and low. She had had it for seven years and did not know where the drain plug was. That answered that question. When was it changed last? It hasn't.
SDE

BarnyardEngineering · Aug 31, 2017

(quoted from post at 20:33:45 08/30/17)
Brother used to bring his car to dealership for any service--oil changes, whatever. I looked at his tires after a dealership oil chg and "safety inspection." They were all bald, barely any tread left.
Well, it DOES slide in the rain, he told me--but he was confident the Honda dealer would have said something if his tires were dangerous. Right.

So how's a dealer to win? They're money grubbing cheats for suggesting that your car may need something like, say, TIRES, and now they're negligent for not suggesting that your car could use a new set of tires.

johnlobb · Aug 31, 2017

I have a new neighbor somewhat like that, but at least he does ask questions. And he learns from the answers. Our dog groomer lost her husband about a year ago and has been trying to operate all the equipment he left. She has 2 Scag zero turns, a 72" and a 60" and 2 small Kubotas with FEL's and other attachments and various chain saws, weed wackers and more. I got a call from her to come over to look at he big Scag with the water cooled Kawasaki and just a little over 300 hours. It quit running, no oil. She forgot to check it. New engine, $1840 plus freight and labor to install. She's trying, but this one little detail slipped by her.

BarnyardEngineering · Aug 31, 2017

Don't know why it's so unbelievable. That kind of negligence is quite common.

If you didn't have someone in your life to show you proper maintenance on machinery growing up, you probably won't do it later in life. City slickers, townies, suburbanites, whatever you call them, at most had a simple push mower growing up, which you used until it quit then Dad bought another one. Now they are playing "gentleman farmer" with their compact tractor on their .64 acre lot.

Thankfully you don't put a lot of hours on a tractor on .64 acres, so even if you don't change the oil but every 20 years, it's not such a big deal.

db4600 · Aug 31, 2017

I've seem the same result out of a 60 old man that grew up on a farm, served in the Navy and worked for a dirt contractor. He broke the casting off the 3-point arm on a 686 using it as a bulldozer. The frustrating part was the tractor had a 2250 loader and material bucket on it at the same time. Nobody told him that it should be used that way so he learned the hard way. The problem with this guy is that he's a slow learner.

Traditional Farmer · Aug 31, 2017

Hey don't knock it I've made a lot of $$$$ over the years buying tractors from guys like that after they blow an engine or have other issues.

Larry EC-OH · Aug 31, 2017

Truer words were never typed..... LOL

RobCons · Aug 31, 2017

Got a neighbor like this. He is 68 years old now. Just drives and uses things till they stop, tries to find someone to fix it for free, then gets a new one. Basically walks around with his head up his rear end.

oldtanker · Aug 31, 2017

(quoted from post at 05:20:41 08/31/17) If you didn't have someone in your life to show you proper maintenance on machinery growing up, you probably won't do it later in life. City slickers, townies, suburbanites, whatever you call them, at most had a simple push mower growing up, which you used until it quit then Dad bought another one. Now they are playing "gentleman farmer" with their compact tractor on their .64 acre lot.

You are dead on with the first part of that. When I was a kid I remember families that didn't do anything in the way of fixing anything. This would cover all of the 60's. My dad fixed everything himself and taught me but my friends didn't learn anything. So they couldn't pass anything on to their kids who now can't pass anything on to their kids.

But I know farmers, my BIL included who grew up on the farm who are no better than the "city slickers, townies, suburbanites or any others that you mention who grew up with tractors, combines and swathers who are NOT playing gentleman farmers, they make their livings farming!

Rick

RedMF40 · Aug 31, 2017

So how's a dealer to win? They're money grubbing cheats for suggesting that your car may need something like, say, TIRES, and now they're negligent for not suggesting that your car could use a new set of tires.[/quote]

Yes, if a safety inspection is included with the oil change, the dealer should have told my brother his tires were worn out. For the "money-grubbing" part--your words, not mine. I offered no opinion on the profit motives of car dealerships, but if they're in the business of working on cars they should take the work seriously. My comment spoke more to my brother's blind faith that someone would have told him his tires were no good even though he could see this for himself. This falls under the category of "unbelievable."

NCWayne · Aug 31, 2017

Just read all of the replies. All I can say is you ought to be a mechanic for a living.....the stuff I have seen as it applies to people taking care of their equipment, or not, yet expecting it to outlive them, can be amazing.

I've seen air filters that were level full. I've seen filters not changed for over 20 years.

I've seen 8V-92 Detroit ran without water to the point the block was cracked from the deck to the mains, front to back, on both sides, and the operator swears up and down it never ran hot.

I've seen the main drum shaft on a crane wear the bushings out in about two months. The operator swore up and down he'd used a whole case of grease on it. His problem was they used blue grease, and we used red grease. What color grease do you think I found in the lines when I pulled them off? The look on the equipment managers face when he found out it wasn't going to be a warranty job was priceless.

Cue P. · Aug 31, 2017

Give the fan a push !!??? Does he still have all of his fingers?

K Effective · Aug 31, 2017

My Father-in-Law, rest his soul, never was mechanically inclined, and was a big-wig local businessman, so he took all of his maintenance/repair work to other local businesses- oil changes, furnace filters, everything. So, my wife and her brother never got any training, and would do the same. Hopefully, some mechanism prompted them to, or they would just not know to take it in, say for bald tires.

Being willing and able to perform routine maintenance, much less more complicated activities like head gaskets or brake jobs makes me look like a genius to them.

Or, maybe it is just that I am a genius. Or, my movie-star good looks. Perhaps it's my humility. Not sure...

jim buford · Sep 2, 2017

No one in my family is mechanically inclined including myself. But my brother and I are always trying to learn so we can take care of
equipment. We at least get whatever books are available on a piece of equipment AND read them. Helps!

Anguspg · Sep 12, 2017

l remember hearing about a fellow who got annoyed by a squeaking cooling fan belt and decided a good greasing would help with the noise, he was later seen with the hood up in a cloud of steam.
Being a mechanic myself for over 30 years, I wonder how these others think , but at the same time I realize that everyone is not born for the trade and I do understand and feel bad for the people who are not inclined to understand how mechanical things work. Funny stories are ok.

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