I can't believe it's time to do this again. As I was riding home from the store the other day I started to hear this screech screech sound and after looking around to see who was following me and finding no one I decided it was probably me. Sure enough, on further investigation I found that my right pedal was dry. Damn thing, you'd think that it would hold its lube longer. It onlysat outside over the winter since I oiled it last. These pedals are original equipment on my 1975 Schwinn. I've had them apart once to see if I could fix them until they were broke but they are bullet proof. I'm considering a zert fitting in the end now. That ought to make things plenty greasy. I'll probably consider that for a couple of years first. No sense in being hasty.
This, boys and girls, is a electric pole saw. Doesn't look like much does it? It's an old man killer. It's sitting on my tomato cages that I use to keep the rampaging killer tomatoes contained later in the season. In the distance under the wheel barrow is the worm bin where kitchen scraps are turned into worm shit. Doesn't look like much for a years worth does it? The new bin is immediately to the right at the very edge of the picture. That old rusty wheel barrow just to the right of the pole saw one of my neighbors threw out six year ago as trash. I've been using it ever since.The pole saw only weighs 8.5 pounds (3.86 kilos) when I take it out of the shed but after about 30 minutes it weighs 300 pounds(136 kilos).
The pole saw was bought to get even with the evil Hackberry trees you see here. They pretty much killed my garden last summer so I trimmed their limbs just as they are starting to bud this year. Let's see how they like that. Of course that pole saw punishes at both ends and I am a worn out sore mess. So far the trees have hurt me as much as I have hurt them but it ain't over yet. As soon as I can rent a cherry picker I'm going to commit further havoc. If it's worth doing it's worth overdoing.
Nothing is made to last. This heavy paper weight only lasted three years and the original battery only lasted one year. The battery supplied voltage now fluctuates from 80 to 130 volts. The light bulb is in it to supply a load while I check it out. Something on the circuit board is no longer doing it's job and I suspect that is intended. I can't isolate it and I have been unable to find a new circuit board. It was intended by the manufacturer to be land fill. I don't think I'll buy another. This is my third go around with these things with the same results. I guess I'm a slow learner.I think tomorrow I'm only going to do things that don't require me to put my arms over my head that is if I can even get out of bed.
5 comments:
I just stuff those pedals full of Mobil1 synthetic grease. It makes them faster.
I find that the best way to deal with those evil hackberries is at ground zero, no pole saw for me, then a stump grinder and problem solved.
Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you. I loved this post, it made me laugh, a good way to start my day.
When I first started working as a mechanic in the bike shop, circa 1992-93, standard pedals were still the norm (especially for distance riders and commuters). People actually expected pedal servic on an overhaul, and I gladly provided it.
I suspect that if you went into 100 bike shops, today, 99 of them whould have no idea how to adjust or overhaul pedal bearings (or resize a fork crown, for that matter).
I would say that I miss rebuildable components, but the fact is that I still use them on most of my bikes. I guess what I miss is a bike industry which produced rebuildable components, rather than landfill-waiting-to-happen.
Pedals usually survive the problems junk bikes have so I have a goodly supply. I use only platform pedals and prefer the kind I can use barefooted. These pictured are 35 years old and I can't bear to discard them. I wrap them in old inner tubes. Next time I have to take them apart I am going to try some heavy grease but I don't need anything for speed. 10 is fast enough.
I find that most anything on a bike can be rebuilt and do so unless it is just totally trashed. As far as rusty components go rust is just another color.
About them trees. I would cut them down but I can't without taking a chance on significant damage to other stuff. To have them taken down is $500 a pop. No thanks. But I can turn them into low rise shade bushes and that's the plan.
Terria: I got a chuckle out of writing it but I was up about 3 am taking ibuprophen for two nights and that wasn't near as funny.
Being old is a pain, literally.
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