A weekend filled with good news, and news that was at worst not completely bad.
Yesterday morning while cutting juniper in some fairly rough country I moved the Jeep and trailer and heard an unusual *SPRONG* from the front end. Came round the front of the Jeep and saw something ominously large and important-looking hanging from the front axle. Turned out to be the left stabilizer link, which on this particular Jeep is an aftermarket part. The link also turned out to have a quick-release pin on its bottom connection, which is unusual in my experience. The top of the link is bolted to the stabilizer bar, and that bolt (welded to the link, of course) had broken in two. Landlady told me those links are made to disconnect, to give the axle more clearance during rock-crawling. In this particular case, since the Jeep so rarely sees actual road, the fix is to disconnect the link on the other side. I will try to find a replacement, though. And why didn't they put BOTH ends on big beefy quick-disconnect pins? Is the thing supposed to just HANG there while you're rock-crawling?
It took most of the afternoon, but I did get all the billets cut that my customer wanted. Also cleared that woodlot of all the usable wood, which has the dual benefit of moving that lot toward being the horse pasture my customer envisions, and ensuring that I will not be called into that lot to cut more wood. YAY! Yesterday evening I felt rather used up.
Bad news, while I was doing that M installed the two parts I'd been waiting for onto his tractor, and though it started once it would not run. No way I was messing with it yesterday evening, but this morning we went out to try and see what the problem is. To our delight and confusion, the tractor started right up and ran perfectly. I do not know what this means, but it seems that Gulchensittenrusten is back to being Gulchendiggensmoothen - at least for now. M ceremoniously scooped and dumped the first bucket-load of dirt to berm his house and transform it from M's Dome to M's Earth-Bermed House. A red-letter day.
We got Landlady's guns moved from her barn to her house, which I suppose sort of officially transfers them from my custody to hers, which does not make me unhappy. M and I also moved the generator to the Lair, giving me the power I need to run a tile saw. Supposedly the only paying job I have this coming week will be over on Monday, not counting shit-shoveling and some dirt-moving for M, which hopefully means I can start tiling my kitchen counter. Once I get the counter done I can mount the sink. Once I get the sink mounted I can finish the cabin plumbing. This will get me back on track for MOVING IN.
Gooood weekend. It is now starting to rain which gives me an excuse, not that I planned on needing one, to collapse in a heap.
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2 comments:
Good to hear that you are making progress. But be good to yourself. There is a balance in there somewhere... I've even found it a few times. :)
Those pins are not terribly difficult to find. I spent a few minutes arguing with mine today out off El Toro Road just before running up and down a sliver of Trabuco creek near Holy Jim Canyon. Must have maximum articulation, dontchaknow. When they are sprung loose you need to tether at least one end of the sway bar up to the frame otherwise they have a tendency to eat inboard sidewalls.
Buck.
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