RowdyRebel

Doesn't APPEAR to be all that difficult. Trick will be getting everything lined back up. I had a bushing go bad this week...and I guess ya can't JUST get a bushing, so I had to buy the whole danged torque rod. Anyway, I figure I'll pull the old one out, make sure the new one is adjusted to the exact length of the old one, install the new one, and put the shims back exactly as they are now with the old one. That OUGHT to get me close on the alignment. The new torque rod is going on the rear axle on the driver's side, so I figure I'll measure center point to center point on the passenger side and adjust the drivers side to that distance. The front axle SHOULD still be lined up with the steer...so lining the rear up with the front ought to be OK. Does that sound about right? Or am I in for a bigger job than I'm anticipating?

Passenger side door won't unlock very easily. With the door open, I can lock & unlock the door just fine using either the knob on the inside or the key. However, with the door closed (or even the door open, but the jaws on the door latch closed as if the door was closed) the knob cannot be pulled up and the key sometimes turns (very difficult) but the door won't unlock. If I smack the outside of the door a few times while trying to turn the key, it will USUALLY work it's way unlocked to be able to be opened...but it just shouldn't be that difficult. I'm not too familiar with the inner workings of these doors or the locks. What would be the most logical place to begin looking? What would potentially cause this problem? This is why I like my Fords....even if the door is locked, you can still open it from the inside to get out, and doing so unlocks the door. Mack ain't like that...gotta unlock it first.

Hate ta tell ya, but the steering wheel is on upside down

Wow...feels like a completely different mower! I put the new fuel line on the tractor today after work and put a few screws in the hood to attach the hinges. Ran great....most of the rattles are gone. New blades cut through the wet grass pretty easily... Less than $70 in it so far. Still need the new tie rod ends...moving the tie rods to the second hole really increased the turning radius...and requires a lot more turning of the wheel to get it to change direction....but at least the inside wheel ain't getting sucked around in tight turns. Reinforcing the tie rods like I did kept 'em from bending again, so at least I got that right. The wheels are toed in just a little, though...so I'll have to correct that. Doesn't really matter TOO much, though...it's just a friggin lawn tractor....but it still bugged me. Anyway, it's amazing what a little TLC will do for an old piece of "junk".

Been kinda cheesy, but it's near the end and it's starting to get good. Nice looking stretched out 2-stack KW conventional daycab... "Oh look...a drive through gas station" them truckers drove through everything in sight

(1977) A Zen trucker frees his brother from a speed trap with help from fellow truckers and a CB alert Sounds cheesy, but it's got Chuck Norris, so WTH...I'll try 'n watch it. Stting on IFC right now

That ain't even anything that could even REMOTELY be considered music. Usually, the banjos do a good job getting THEM to give ME that "If I wanted to listen to that crap I'd be sitting in your truck" look as THEY roll up THEIR windows... ...which is the exact reaction I was going for when I cranked it up.

I usually keep something like this ready to go in the CD player....and crank it up when they pull up next to me

If you've got it, flaunt it.

Rednecks been lifting their rides for years. Hey look, this one's even for sale! Of course a truck with big mud tires has a purpose...gotta clear them mud holes without getting stuck. I'd say maybe them city folk was tryin' ta clear some major potholes, but with them tiny little rubberband tires on them rims, they'll be replacing their rims every time they hit one. Maybe they just got tired of scraping the bottom of their car every time they hit a bump...or maybe they couldn't clear a speed bump, high centered, and had to call a wrecker? Something had to change... I never understood why someone who was trying to act all tough and be into crime and all that would wear their shoes loose and untied with their pants hanging down like that so they had to hold 'em up as they walk or run....and they wonder WHY they get caught. You just can't run as fast when you have to hold yer britches up with one hand as you are trying to get away while your shoes are falling off. Rednecks been climbing in and out of tall rides for a long time.

Lucky guess....

If ya figger that one out, lemme know

That's what I figgered ...thus the " "

Well heck, looks like we gots us one a them thar celebrities among us...

I'm still trying to figger it out....could go a few differn't ways 1) Dude looks like a lady 2) Blonde don't realize she can't make a donation on the 4th floor 3) Lezbo wanna have a kneehigh and can't get knocked up by her lover

This time it is an old Craftsman mower...GT/18 of early '80's vintage. Grandpa used to take pretty good care of it for many years...even if he was a bit of a penny pincher. Unfortunately, once he could no longer get around to keep up with the maintenance on it, the family neglected it...and when he could no longer get on it to mow, the family abused the hell out of it. After he passed away nearly 5 years ago, the family just flat-out trashed the thing. Grandma & grandpa had an acre lot, and grandpa used to roll the yard every spring...get rid of the frost heaves and mole hills and give a nice, smooth lawn to mow all year. That hasn't been done in a while, now, and grandma can barely walk in the yard without worrying about twisting her ankle and falling. That doesn't stop the family (my older brother) from mowing the yard in high gear...he just wants to get the job done and get out of there...not to mention, his tendency to crash anything with wheels he's ever touched. Anyway, they made grandma buy a new mower (and whaddayaknow, dumbass brother crashed it his first time out...not to mention already lost parts out in the yard that rattled off) By the time I picked up the old mower, it wasn't even running. It was BARELY running when my brother ran it up onto a pile of wood to park it in the yard (instead of leaving it in the garage) until I could get up there to pick it up. Took me all of 20 minutes to remove the tie rods, pound them straight on the vice, and reinstall them. The tie rod ends are a little loose...but they'll manage...for now. $10 fuel pump rebuild kit and less than 15 minutes, and the mower was running again...enough that I was able to rip through the grass in the back yard. Yeah, that was their OTHER complaint...it didn't cut the grass very well. When I pulled the blades, I saw why. Not only was one of the blades loose, but I've seen butter knives with HANDLES sharper than the alleged cutting edge of these blades. Let's just say they were "well rounded"...might pass for a blunt object, but nowhere near sharp enough to even remotely pass for a blade of any type. I thought about sharpening them...even hit one with the grinder to start putting an edge on it...but after 20+ years of use and being sharpened, there really wasn't much left on the blade TO sharpen. The "cutting edge" of the blade was already an inch narrower than the rest of the blade. So, I went running around town trying to find new blades. Checked Tractor Supply Co., Orschlen's, Lowes, Sears, even ran out to the John Dear place Sears recommended. No luck. I was on my way up to Bucheit for some other items when I saw Sappington Pro Outdoors right next door (which is also the Kawasaki dealer...not sure why I didn't think of them earlier). Anyway, I walk in and ask...and they take me into a room that has one entire wall dedicated solely to lawn mower blades...every type, size & style imaginable. It took a little looking, but I found the blades I needed. I also picked up 6' of fuel line (to make sure I have enough) and a fuel filter. The old fuel line is cracked & rotted...and if the inside looks even 1/2 as bad as the outside, it would explain why the tractor didn't want to run until I pulled the fuel filter and blew it out....probably got bits of rubber hose blocking it up. Anyway, over to Bucheit to get some 16 gauge 1/2" tubing (the 3/8" ID slips snugly over the 3/8" tie rods), battery hold down bolts (the tractor is missing one so the battery is loose), and about $1.50 in bulk screws reattach the hood brackets). When I got home, I pulled the tie rods (again) since they were slightly bent again when I mowed...the tie rod ends are loose enough that there is just enough play in the wheels that if I turned the wheel all of the way, the inside wheel would get sucked around and I'd have to stop, get off, and manually turn the wheel back straight. I straightened 'em out again, and measured the distance between the jam nuts and cut the tubing to the exact length I needed. Pull one end off, slip on the piece of tube, tighten the jam nut to the tube, then the tie rod end to the jam nut. When I put it all back together, I used the second hole on the wheel end...won't turn as sharp or as quick, but it'll also be easier on the tie rods and it should keep the inside tire from getting sucked around during a tight turn. I gave it a few squirts of grease on the deck and kingpins, too. All that's left to do is change the fuel line and it ought to be back to a decent condition. Total expense to date is less than $70 and barely an hour of my time actually turning a wrench. The fuel line will probably double the time, since I'll have to remove the seat and sheet metal above the tank to get to that end of the line. Not bad for a "junk" mower. I'll probably have to tear down the engine eventually...it is nearly 30 years old, been run hard & put away wet for 5-10 of those years. It uses a little oil (probably leaking out of the front seal), and when it bogs down, it blows white smoke that smells like raw fuel out of the exhaust. That'll probably be a winter project. I could probably just buy a new engine to bolt in there, but what would be the fun in that? Besides, that ain't the way grandpa would have done it. Loaded up to bring to it's new home Back yard in need of a serious mowing After a couple passes... Looks MUCH better...but still not great Jack it up 'til the fuel spills out, then let it down 'til the fuel stops spilling...gives ya maximum room ta change the blades

Check truckpaper... http://www.truckpaper.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=2303472 http://www.truckpaper.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=2432528 http://www.truckpaper.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=2421516 http://www.truckpaper.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=2246954

Might have had something to do with it...

LOL...I've been banned at that message board. Apparently, a certain moderator doesn't like being told he doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground.

Transcraft used to build trailers right up the road from me...I actually parked the Mack in their driveway to hit the DMV across the street on the way home yesterday (had a few plates to renew....and go figure, I found another renewal in my PO Box just minutes AFTER leaving the DMV. Good thing its a small town with no waiting. Anyway, the plant shut down about a year or so ago (I forget exactly when)...and I'm sure there were rumblings about the potential closing internally before that. While I don't quite understand the mentality, I know it exists...some people just don't GAFF about the quality of their work when they think they are going to get canned. I usually tell 'em to get a real truck & learn to drive it and they wouldn't have any problems either. If you think about it, though, you had the advantage. All your drive axle weight was focused on 4 tires, providing you with increased traction on every tire. Fully loaded, you can run up to 20K on those 4 tires...5,000 pounds/tire. He can only run up to 34K on 8 tires...4,250 pounds/tire. More weight per tire = more traction per tire and less likely to spin. I doubt either one of you were fully loaded, though...and if he's hauling similar equipment on a similar trailer, you were probably running similar weights on the drives. In other words, he has 1/2 the weight on every drive tire for a significant loss in traction available under each and every tire...and if he had air ride, he's at an even greater disadvantage. Couple that with the fact that he probably didn't have full lockers on his old KW. If he had a power divider, he had just as many tires digging in the dirt as you did...'cept he had 1/2 the load on each of 'em. The knucklehead behind the wheel further compounds his problems... Even with competent drivers in both trucks, my money would have been on the Mack...

http://www.showmes.com/ I'm an irregular regular at the Cape location...don't get there as often as I used to....but often enough that they all know me and know what I want.

Hell, I find it's rather easy to get my truck cleaned up. I just pull up, order a sammich, and it gets washed while I eat

A powerful senator dies after a prolonged illness. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance. "Welcome to Heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you." "No problem, just let me in," says the guy. "Well, I'd like to but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in Hell and one in Heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity." "Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in Heaven," says the senator. "I'm sorry but we have our rules." And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to Hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him, everyone is very happy and in evening attire. They run to greet him, hug him, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people. They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster and caviar. Also present is the Devil, who really is a very friendly guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go. Everyone gives him a big hug and waves while the elevator rises. The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on Heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him. "Now it's time to visit Heaven." So 24 hours pass with the head of state joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns. "Well then, you've spent a day in Hell and another in Heaven. Now choose your eternity." He reflects for a minute, then the senator answers, "Well, I would never have said it, I mean Heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in Hell." So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to Hell. Now the doors of the elevator open and he is in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags. The Devil comes over to him and lays his arm on his neck. "I don't understand," stammers the senator."Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and club and we ate lobster and caviar and danced and had a great time. Now all there is, is a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. The Devil looks at him, smiles and says, "Yesterday we were campaigning! Today you voted for us! The election is over."

Is that Builders Transportation Co. out of Memphis? I used to drive for them a few years back. Unfortunately, they weren't a Mack fleet anymore by the time I got there...got stuck in a freightshaker.