Dear reader of the mundane, you are in for a thrill.
As I have noted in several previous blogs, I farm with junk. I use the term "farm" loosely because in reality, I would not make a pimple on a farmer's behind. In any case, back to the junk.
Most of my equipment is old...shit...it's all old. Most of the time, I enjoy working on it because I am masochistic that way. Unfortunately, most of the time does not mean all of the time. My hay is cut and laying flat on the ground. My old New Holland Rake is raring to go and I expect to be raking tomorrow, if it does not rain (blues, despair and agony on me). My 826 Farmall tractor is repaired and running like a champ (another story, but a major dissection and rebuilding of hydraulics was required). The only project left was a bad bearing on my old Vermeer round baler.
Bad bearings are a potential fire waiting to happen when it comes to round balers (or any baler for that matter). Replacing this one was going to be no small task because it is located right behind the main feed roller sprockets. I have been procrastinating on fixing it, which is foolish because now I am paying the price.
I estimated that it would take a day of work to disassemble, replace the bearing and reassemble. Two sections of 80 chain needed to be removed and on section of 60 chain. Three bolts removed for the taperlock bushing in the sprocket, re-insert the bolts in the threaded removal holes and the sprocket should come right off, giving access to the set collar and bearing behind it. I am expecting that I will have to cut the bearing off the roller shaft, but this, although time consuming, should be a fairly straightforward job once I clear all the grease away.
All goes well until it is time to remove the taperlock for the sprockets. As I tighten the bolts to push it out of the sprocket it appears to be moving...a little more...a little more...wait! Shit! there is a crack at one of the bolt holes and the entire flange appears to be cracking away from the sleeve...holy crap...now what. I tap on the flange with the hammer and boom...it falls off. Sensing that I am screwed, I decide it is time for a beer. As I sit on my stool drinking the beer and looking at the sprocket I can see no other alternative at this point but to drill some holes all around the taper sleeve and hopefully it will loosen up.
I am still frustrated as I will need to order a part and it is Sunday...of Labor Day Weekend...so no ordering until Tuesday.
I carefully begin to drill holes. My drill bit is not long enough to make it all the way through the bushing, but I think I am making progress util....the drill bit breaks...in the bushing. FUCKER!
Now I am probably relegated to using the torch....something that I am loath to do because, as I mentioned before, fire and greasy old balers are not a good combo. I go to the door of my shop and some dipshit has parked in front of it in order to eat at the restaurant across the street. I need to get the baler outside, because if it is going to go up in flames accidentally, I would just as soon it was not in my shop.
I walk over to the restaurant and go in and ask the waitress to please ask whoever parked in front of my door to move their damn truck...guess what...they aren't in the restaurant. They are nowhere to be found. As I walk back to my shop I am considering the damage my tractor with loader and chain will do to their nice Dodge truck.
I figure it is time for a break, before I break something that does not belong to me and I load up my dogs, who have been watching my ranting bemusedly from the couch I have in my shop and head for home figuring I will tackle this mess tomorrow before I rake hay.
I did however tape (with very sticky duck tape - and lots of it) a note to the dumb-ass's window that said, "next time you park your truck in front of my door, I will scrap it."
The only satisfying part of the note was the tape and knowing what a pain in the ass it will be to get the gum off his windshield.
