Dozer moving:

[1693TA]

That sounds like a great solution.
One of the things I will miss very much when I retire is the use of the insured and maintained truck and trailers. I'm going to offer to work part time, and won't feel odd asking to use them now and again if I do work.

Keep those channels open and functioning; even if a part time "helper". It pays handsome dividends into the future to keep contacts functioning.

I can't set still long enough to not work. Far too many years "on call" and emergency response for some radar, or communication site off the air, (aircraft need these things) so was on the go a lot. Hard to wind down even after almost four full years of meaningful unemployment, (retirement).

 

[skyking1]

Thank you for you efforts keeping the system running, i have availed myself of your services for many years. Radar, VOR, even NDB's I used for approach fixes. One of the crane operators here was setting a witch's hat the other day and it warmed my heart
Now your work is your play, I hope. That is where I am going in less than 2 years.
I can work for up to 50 hours in retirement and keep drawing my pension, 51 kicks me off for about 3 months and is very costly. I hope to do the 50 for a while to wind it down.

 

[1693TA]

Thank you. Few realize what goes on behind the scenes to keep the NAS operational. I was fortunate in that when in the Navy I worked with/on the Navy version of the Air Force's "AWACS" system. This gave me the airborne perspective of the system. When ready to discharge to civilian life I was heavily recruited by the FAA to come work for them which I ultimately did. Given my background in surveillance and communications at this time, I was "coached" to remain in the radar fields along with the arena of navigation to include TACAN, VOR, DME, NDB, ATCRBS NAREX, VHF, UHF, along with some HF, and last but not least LORAN. This gave me both the military, and civilian sides of the operation from the ground perspective. Really was an enjoyable career overall.

Many of the old systems are going away being replaced with something you fix with a laptop computer and module replacement. Not for me so elected to retire once my section was gutted by retirement attrition. 32 years, 7 months, and 21 days was long enough anyways, but I sure miss the people at times.

 

[skyking1]

My plane still has a KNS-80 RNAV in the panel, It makes off airway nav with VOR an DME. Those were fun to file and fly The Collins PN 101 is hooked to it, serial number 00005 !
Those were the hot tickets in the early jet days.

 

[1693TA]

Wish I could converse intelligently about aircraft equipment but I really wasn't around them whether GA, or the commercial side. Know a lot of private pilots but not their aircraft, or equipment really. I only worked with/on the ground based equipment pilots and aircraft relied upon.

I worked on a lot of REIL, RAIL, MALS, PAPI, VASI, IM, MM, OM, and repeater stations also through the years but many of those facilities are going away. Never did work on localizer, or glide slop equipment as seemingly always had a full platter. I did however string many a cable for these facilities over the years. When the MLS did not take off so well in the early 1990's things really started moving to the GPS segment and it's heavily relied upon now with defaults built into the systems for emergency backup and redundancy.

Last five years I worked was replacing aging radar sets I'd been keeping operational for the prior 19 years upon entering the engineering sector.

 

[skyking1]

cool so you worked on the lights too. They kept you hopping. That KNS-80 I mentioned was one of a very few RNAV units that would take a waypoint as a radial and Distance from a VOR, and compute a direct course to it. You could plot a more or less direct course before LORAN or GPS. You had to fly high enough to see the VOR, and close enough that the DME was usable too. It would hold 4 waypoints so you had a course on your kneeboard as VOR plus distance. As you left one behind you plugged a new one in.
I never had a LORAN, a friend did. We jumped to GPS.

 

[1693TA]

The lights, didn't like those so much once it went into the ALSF-2 arena. 256 incandescent lamps and all having modules installed for remote readback to allow monitoring for when they were not illuminated. A simply overbloated system overall. What a pain in the hindquarters to keep operational. Those and some of the MALS that were recessed in pavement. Those are the nightmares I wish could be forgotten. One of my last projects was working on LED replacements but nothing available at the time was 100% suitable. I understand they are moving along this path now and are using fixtures I selected just before retiring.

PAPI was an old system and for the first couple of years after initial installation, was intermittent in operation as the slightest amount of ground shift would knock it out of service. Five minutes of alignment on the four boxes and it was back up till the next iteration. After the soil stabilized, they were rock solid in performance.

 

[Willie B]

It has long been a problem getting equipment moved. Owning truck & trailer is a lot of cost & work, I could pay a hauler to do it many times before their fees would exceed the cost of owning. Nonetheless, I own truck & trailer because I can't usually find anyone willing to do it on short notice. I have waited weeks in the past to get a machine moved. I routinely drive a backhoe 10 or more miles rather than wait.

Your having an arrangement with a truck owner is a valuable asset.

 

[Willie B]

I would love to have my own truck and trailer, just because I can, but the costs of ownership just become absurd to the point it can't be justified. Only way it makes sense is to be a trucking company, or have a business that requires frequent moving of your own equipment, neither of which I do.

I get your concerns @1693TA , especially since you already own the right equipment to do the job. I don't own the equipment, and find it extremely difficult to justify buying it.

Someone near you is like me with old truck & trailer, doesn't see much use, and willing to make a run for hire now & again. While my son frequently hauls something for one of his friends, I seldom get a request from a paying customer. Most hauls have either been free, or gas money transactions. The old truck was a real gas hog, and filling the gas tank after a haul seemed to offend most of my "customers". Diesel isn't so bad, MPG is far greater.

 

[1693TA]

During harvest the grain haulers run 24/7 without stoppage for a few weeks around here. It is crazy the amount of trucks lined up at the elevators at that time. Both of this party's tractors are on Illinois Mileage plates which disallow out of state operation, and limited mileage constraints apply. I think it is 7K per year with mileage reporting required. Not really a problem as they run about five weeks constant on theirs, and family/friends farms and the trucks mostly sit the balance of the year. The RGN trailer is used to haul the combines in for annual checkover and maintenance routines. Mice love to make homes in these, (ready food supply) and can be very hard on wiring.

There is a LOT of machinery in a modern combine too.

 

[1693TA]

Finally cleaned out a spot large enough to store the machine inside my shop and may bring it home this weekend.

Quick video of second engine start and first blade operation in over three years setting dormant. Had to install one new group 45 starting battery as it would not test adequately but other one did? Vendor only had a single on hand and another is ordered. Machine has been on two battery tenders whenever setting any length of time but they are aged.

https://imagesmiths.zenfolio.com/dozerstartup/ha6033fff#ha6033fff

 

[skyking1]

looking good.! I did not see a cloud building down from the shop ceiling so that was a good thing

 

[Welder Dave]

Nothing like having good neighbors you can help each other out when needed. I'd love to be able to license my dump truck reasonably for my own use but there's no such thing as reasonable.
I'm not going to be asking my neighbor for too many favors or even to hire out. He wanted 150 litres of diesel to bring his hoe over and pull my dump truck out. Didn't think about it at the time but sure did when I bought the diesel. Diesel was $120/L so cost me about $175 to get pulled out. All in took him about an hour to walk over, pull the sand out of the box, pull the truck out and spread the sand where it was and walk the hoe back to his place. Interesting is that he charges $150/hr. for the hoe. I certainly have machines that he could benefit from and now have a grader to boot. I think it's more his loss than mine but still shake me head a little a next door neighbor would want that much to pull me out.

 

[1693TA]

looking good.! I did not see a cloud building down from the shop ceiling so that was a good thing

She runs just about as good as new. Nothing really required with exception of a good routine service to go back to work.

Thanks,

 

[1693TA]

Nothing like having good neighbors you can help each other out when needed. I'd love to be able to license my dump truck reasonably for my own use but there's no such thing as reasonable.
I'm not going to be asking my neighbor for too many favors or even to hire out. He wanted 150 litres of diesel to bring his hoe over and pull my dump truck out. Didn't think about it at the time but sure did when I bought the diesel. Diesel was $120/L so cost me about $175 to get pulled out. All in took him about an hour to walk over, pull the sand out of the box, pull the truck out and spread the sand where it was and walk the hoe back to his place. Interesting is that he charges $150/hr. for the hoe. I certainly have machines that he could benefit from and now have a grader to boot. I think it's more his loss than mine but still shake me head a little a next door neighbor would want that much to pull me out.

Surely wish I had good neighbors but do not. They ask nothing of me, nor I them. I only get taken advantage of once or twice till a trend is set, (as in no reciprocity in the relationship) which is then "washed out". I've left both of these "neighbors" stranded in their own driveways during deep snow to hire out their plowing for access while cleaning my own with the skid steer.

Of course I smile and wave as I wouldn't want anyone to think me a "prick", or anything like that.

Of course there is more to the story but the gist is one sided relationships are not tolerated long at all. Plenty in this area I clean their drives without charge, (as example) for as the relationships are very reciprocal in nature. Not always money involved as home baked goods go a long way with me as does good conversation.

 

[Welder Dave]

I hauled sand from my other neighbors back field. He's 84 now and living in a seniors lodge. He used my trailer to haul bales and did a bunch of damage to it but I never said anything because he's always supported me. Of course I asked if I could haul sand from his property. The old neighbor let the new neighbor put cattle in his field no charge. The new neighbor is building up his 10 acres and just helped himself to clay from the old neighbor without even asking. That's not good in my book. You don't just help yourself without at least getting permission.

 

[emmett518]

True, but one of the things I learned is that you need to politely speak up, set boundaries and insist that your needs are met. No need to yell, cop an attitude or get angry, but you do have to speak up when things aren’t right.

 

[Willie B]

Surely wish I had good neighbors but do not. They ask nothing of me, nor I them. I only get taken advantage of once or twice till a trend is set, (as in no reciprocity in the relationship) which is then "washed out". I've left both of these "neighbors" stranded in their own driveways during deep snow to hire out their plowing for access while cleaning my own with the skid steer.

Of course I smile and wave as I wouldn't want anyone to think me a "prick", or anything like that.

Of course there is more to the story but the gist is one sided relationships are not tolerated long at all. Plenty in this area I clean their drives without charge, (as example) for as the relationships are very reciprocal in nature. Not always money involved as home baked goods go a long way with me as does good conversation.

I've lived in two houses in one neighborhood 64 years. I plow the neighbor's driveways, dig their rocks, stumps out. I built my neighbor a special drawbar for his baby tractor.

I am blessed with good neighbors, they are blessed with me.
My beautiful Top Kick in the background.

 

[1693TA]

The old adage of "screw me once, shame on you", "screw me twice, shame on me" applies here. I help many in the "hood" and will continue to do so, but again, reciprocity has to apply and usually does.

Was yapping with the seller a bit yesterday and he tells me the #1 injector line started spraying fuel again so I'm going to replace the crush washers on all the lines. Prior to purchase he told me the front pump seal went bad and was rebuilt, but the replacement crush washers were thinner than the originals and I suspect this is the problem.

I was also told it was taken out of the shed, and ran around the yard to ensure everything worked as it should. No dirt to push but trans and steer clutches worked well in both directions and functions.

Getting anxious for the toy to come home now.....

 

[Willie B]

I make my living as an electrician. Earthmoving machines are an obsession, part of my neurosis, they are also the tools of my profession. Welding equipment & mechanical skills came with the territory. I rarely charge neighbors, except electrical work. You want your house wired free? Call my competitor, I'm your neighbor, not a fool. By the way, if you want to be my friend so you can get free stuff, I'll wave as I drive by.

Most of my neighbors aren't able to do what I can do. None are wealthy, (except the guy on the Cub tractor, who just bought a mansion in Connecticut) I have to figure that one out!

While I don't ask them to reciprocate, I'm pretty self sufficient, I wouldn't hesitate to ask any of them to follow me to "the land" to give me a ride to move another machine. No, I've never been refused.