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Windom, MN | What do you consider limited mechanical knowledge?
I don't turn many wrenches, unless it's in season and I have to fix it myself. I work off farm and have a family plus farm on nights and weekends. I do not have the time to rebuild things, so the planter and combine usually go into town every other year or so to get a good look over/rebuild. It's expensive, but I just don't have the time to put openers/chains/scrapers on. I also don't have time to change out sprockets/chains/augers on a combine, but have done it in the past. I'll replace the cutter bar on the flex head myself and do a pre season check/fluid changes.
I can usually look at something and see how it works, if it's fairly simple I will try and fix it, but if it requires special tools it goes in because I don't have a robust selection of those. Change oil, belts, bearings (in season), starter goes out and needs work, minor electrical wiring, and coolant flushes I'm good. Overhaul an engine, transmission work, pull a rotor, gearbox repair, and anything more than a capacitor on an electric motor it goes in. I have a truck that needs king pins, and I could probably do it myself but I just don't have the time.
There's opportunity cost in everything. I can't be good at my job off farm and watch my kids grow up if I fix everything around here myself. I know the wife doesn't want me in the shop every night, and I want to watch my children grow up too...it's all going so fast.
But I'm finding I might have to fix more myself because the shops are so short on help they don't get to my stuff in a timely manner anymore. This fall my truck sat at a shop 6 weeks and they still didn't get everything fixed it needed (fixed brakes, wheel seals, and throttle, didn't fix kingpins and tie rods) I have a bobcat that won't start currently and have been trying to get them to come look at it for a week. I've worked on it, cleaned all connections, changed and charged the battery, and it just clicks. I'm down to probably a bad starter/solenoid, but I just haven't had the time to pull the starter myself to swap it out. | |
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Does anyone farm with limited mechanical knowledge?
