April 27, 2021 - Tuesday morning
32 degrees/cloudy/calm winds
Pentoga Road
It's a gray, dark, wet, chilly, scene outside our windows this morning. With a mixture of heavy snow and rain falling for much of the past twenty four hours, once melted down, total precipitation measured 1.15 inches. With today's high forecast to be near 60 along with rain, any gray/white stuff remaining on the ground should be gone by nightfall.
I skipped yesterday morning's walk as I didn't feel like getting drenched. That, coupled with walking through two to three inches of sticky, wet, snow, would have made for a miserable trek. I'll have enough of that next year on the trail.
Sargie and I made our way to town where I heard the expected news from Dan the mechanic. The 9 HP engine that's powered the backhoe for the past seven years would cost more to repair than the cost of a new one.
I thanked Dan and brought it back home.
The rest of the day was spent measuring the old motor, mostly the mounts, shaft size and height, and so on. After that came comparison shopping online.
I found one company that sells a newer model of this exact motor, but discovered they are completely out and don't anticipate getting any for some time. As usual, it's the Covid/supply line thing.
Online excursions to Ebay and Harbor Freight were my next stops where I compared specs and looked for suitable candidates. Several motors looked promising.
Talk about frustrating. Neither the cell phone nor the house phone would work yesterday. Maple Valley (if HGTV can name every featured house, so can we) is about as far above sea level as Death Valley and is one of the lowest places in the area, possibly on earth. Using the cell phone is only possible with the aid of a booster and then at best, it's iffy. The house phone is a VoIP that runs through the satellite internet which is fine and dandy as long as the signal is strong. With the current weather conditions, neither work satisfactorily.
I'd be talking to one business or the other only to have them continually ask if I would call back, that they couldn't understand me.
C'mon Elon Musk and your Starlink satellite service. I've made the downpayment. Now I'm waiting for the equipment to arrive.
After a day of inquiry and frustrating phone calls, I think I'll purchase a new engine today from Harbor Freight. Their Predator line has great reviews and it appears that both the 8 HP and the 13 HP will fit the backhoe. Their 8 HP is actually larger and stronger than the old 9 HP I've been using, so I'm leaning that way. We'll see.
I'm heading out the door fairly soon for my morning walk. After skipping yesterday, I don't want my legs to think they are on vacation.
I've come to the conclusion that a daily walking regimen is like going to church. Once you begin doing it regularly, it's easy. If, for some reason, you stop, it's hard to get back into it. With next February's hike looming, the second option isn't a choice.
Sargie and I will be heading to Escanaba later today to go engine shopping. Well, okay, I'll go engine shopping. She'll head into Marshall's which is located next door to Harbor Freight. Sargie Pants has about as much interest in tools and engines as I do shopping the clearance aisles for female delicacies.
Time to shake, rattle, and roll.
After all, a man's work is never done.
So are the tales from Pentoga Road...
No comments:
Post a Comment