noworries
11-14-2005, 06:44 PM
As I tended the burn pile yesterday whilst enjoying a cold Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, my daughter who was out gathering up brush in the trailer with the GTH2548 comes running up. "The tire's wobbling around," she says. So I grab the air tank from the shop to go reseat the tire that's probabaly unseated itself. "No," says she, "the whole tire's about to fall off! The tractor got kinda squishy feeling and I noticed that the back tire wobbling around."
When we get to the tractor I gently explain to her, "No, the tire's fine. The wheel's about to fall off." "Same difference," she says in that cute way of 14-year olds. There were two bolts just barely holding the left rear wheel to the hub and the wheel stuck out to the side at an unseemly angle.
I then explained the concept of strict liability to her, under which the person who breaks the tractor is automatically responsible. We had a good laugh at that while we went for some wrenches.
I had her jack up the tractor with the electric sleeve hitch and a pine round that was nearby and lowered the Johnny Bucket to stablize the side-to-side wobble. We then removed both 55# wheel weights from that side. We found one lug bolt in there floating around, and two more just barely threaded in. The other two were long gone. We got it going again in short order with the three bolts but left the weights in the trailer till I can get some new bolts.
So, guys, remember to "check your nuts." I know, its particularly hard with wheel weights, but you've been warned. I'm going to double nut the back of the lug bolts on the hub sides.
As an aside, my daughter had a great time for a couple of hours driving the tractor around, particularly since her brother wasn't home to fight with over seat time. She said, "Daddy, my first car is a tractor." Then later, "Everybody should drive tractors instead of cars." My heart was glad -- it would be a better world, wouldn't it.
When we get to the tractor I gently explain to her, "No, the tire's fine. The wheel's about to fall off." "Same difference," she says in that cute way of 14-year olds. There were two bolts just barely holding the left rear wheel to the hub and the wheel stuck out to the side at an unseemly angle.
I then explained the concept of strict liability to her, under which the person who breaks the tractor is automatically responsible. We had a good laugh at that while we went for some wrenches.
I had her jack up the tractor with the electric sleeve hitch and a pine round that was nearby and lowered the Johnny Bucket to stablize the side-to-side wobble. We then removed both 55# wheel weights from that side. We found one lug bolt in there floating around, and two more just barely threaded in. The other two were long gone. We got it going again in short order with the three bolts but left the weights in the trailer till I can get some new bolts.
So, guys, remember to "check your nuts." I know, its particularly hard with wheel weights, but you've been warned. I'm going to double nut the back of the lug bolts on the hub sides.
As an aside, my daughter had a great time for a couple of hours driving the tractor around, particularly since her brother wasn't home to fight with over seat time. She said, "Daddy, my first car is a tractor." Then later, "Everybody should drive tractors instead of cars." My heart was glad -- it would be a better world, wouldn't it.