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Recent content by richard.bessey

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    Compact overheats until the hood is opened...

    I was in a similar situation with a generator, kept over heating despite a completly cleaned and fully functional coolant system. Here is what I did with a infrared thermometer and thermometer. Measure the top of the radiator (from engine), bottom of radiator (to engine), air temperature into...
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    power inverters

    I am a solar power nut, here is what I have learned. I used a little 400 watt harbor freight inverter for several years, worked OK, but you couldn't leave it on because it pulled about 1-2 amps with no load. Also, 400 watts is not enough power to run a lot of things. You can run a small drill...
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    Decal removal?

    A sign guy showed me a trick, get a heat gun or hair dryer, get it hot to the touch, makes the adhesive soft and easier to remove.
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    Today's phone call; Help. I got low power and smoking.....

    Wow! After reading the topic, I immediately thought it was a turbo failure. How many hours on the turbo?
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    New shop layout ideas

    I am a much smaller scale, but here is what I have learned. Put your air compressors, generators, and any other big noisy appliances outside in an adjoining shed. Smartest thing I did in my shop! Air plumbed throughout the entire shop is great. I haven't done hanging hose reals, just plug into...
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    waste oil furnace/heater

    You can build one, they are pretty simple. Get the oil hot, blow in some air, and it will burn. I tried building a small one and ran into problems for controls (If the flame goes out, shut the machine down) A local farmer I know has a real one in there shop. Works great, they pay for service...
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    Screw up charges

    A couple things come to mind. Please note, I am not a professional mechanic, just a backyard DIY'er that surfs these forums. 1st, Yes, you have to charge the customer something for sourcing parts. As and independent mechanic, you have the best connections to find who and where to get the parts...
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    Mileage charges

    Moonlite - Your rates sound pretty reasonable. In our area, its usually a 20 mile limit (Beyond 20 miles gets charged, under 20 is free) Thought - If customers complain about mileage fees, ask them "I am sorry, next time you can bring your broken machine to my shop" I would imagine the cost of...
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    What Are The Best Tools On The Market?

    I work on the smaller stuff and lots of electronics. I agree, the big brands make the best big tools (snap-on, matco, etc...) For me, I focus more on good meters like Fluke and Klein makes some really good stuff. For the smaller then 3/4 inch stuff, I have a big mix of everything from Craftsman...
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    How to test if starter bad

    I had a similar problem on my little pickup. Get a volt meter, put one lead on the battery lead, the other on the lead of the battery. Press the starter button (May need someone else do this for you) and watch the voltage accross the lead. If memory serves me right, you should see no more then 2...
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    Good Shop.....Bad Shop

    One more thing - If I were to build a brand new shop, I would have a separated room from the rest of the shop as a workshop area. After you remove X part off of the car/truck/trailer/equipment, its nice to have a well lit, comfortable, heated/air conditioned area to disassemble smaller parts.
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    Good Shop.....Bad Shop

    I was just chatting about this with a relative, here is what I learned (This is his own shop behind his house) We were walking around his shop, and he had a couple things that made me jealous: A pull in work area, and seperate car parking areas. The work area, he embedded rail road ties upside...
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    What is a fair price for crushed gravel?

    Yesterday I picked up 3,000 pounds of 3/4 chip just over $20, loaded in my pickup
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    Need some CAT help/advice

    If it were me, I would pull the heads, just to see whats wrong with it. You never know, it might be something simple. You could do it yourself or hire a mechanic. Problem is to pull the heads, it looks like about 1/2 of the engine needs to be taken apart to get the head off. Even when you do get...
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