Eye protectioin for plasma

[Goldchaser]

Hey Pat,

Yea, I am alot like you in that respect. It takes alot to get to me and I try to get along with folks. I took over management of a small production plant shortly after I got out of the service. The new guy, of course, and looked at closely. And went the route of being sabatoged by several underlings who had been up for the job I got. And since I was the outsider, well, you know what likely went on. Ended up getting a good working relationship going with everyone, but it was the toughest job I had ever had.

I had had charge of people in the service but I was taken by surprise by civilian life on the job. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

Got my little tractor running today finally. Was given it by a friend who had left it sitting, non running, outside for 8 years.
Only took me about a month to get it going. And wasnt anything major that needed fixing. He said he couldnt get it started one time, had tried again and still couldnt and gave up on it. And there it sat for 8 years. A while back he asked me if I wanted it, just for hauling it away and I said SURE!!!!
I know he is kicking himself now. I drove it up to his place this afternoon. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

And all I could find that likely caused the problem of him not being able to start it was the pos battery cable was grounding out on the frame intermitantly. That was it. Now, I had to do a bunch of other minor repairs after it sat all those years, but all in all it was in great condition. Goes to show just how sturdy those little Japanese tractors are. Attaching a photo of it.

[Pat]

Dennis, Great story. I suppose you changed most or all of the fluids as after 8 years of breathing in and out any vented cavities could have a lot of condensation. Those things are supposed to have a good little diesel with decent parts availability. Probably don't want to rub his nose in it too much.

Yeah, in the military there is a lot of talk about leadership but much of what masquerades as leading is pushing via orders. Of course this is only surmise on my part as I was never in the military, I was in the Air Force! Civilians don't always respond well to orders but leading by example is pretty effective.

In my free lance consultant period I constantly found disgruntled people who were bitter because I was being payed to tell management the same thing they may have already told management.The difference being they had already told management several things or every possible thing and I told them ONE THING. If nothing else it was independent confirmation of which of the many suggestions might be THE SUGGESTION.

Congrats on the tractor success. I have only been skunked by one attempted engine resuscitation. It was a hand cranked Stuart Marine (British) 1 1/2 HP 2 stroke direct sea water cooled inboard aux for a small (17'3' overall length) sailboat. Once disassembled and not able to find parts I eventually sold the boat sans engine. The removable hand crank was connected to the flywheel by a pair of bicycle sprockets and chain. It had a Lucas magneto, and a centrifugal clutch and no reverse gear. Before it got really sick it served to motor sail us out to Catalina Island from Long Beach a couple times and out to Los Islas Todos Santos, home of world class big wave surfing such as "KILLER'S", off the coast of Ensenada, Baja California Norte, Mexico.

My failure to resuscitate the engine predated the internet and so I had no access to such sources as:

http://www.oldmarineengine.com/histo...ne_engines.htm

Which could have made life easier.

Pat

[Goldchaser]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
I suppose you changed most or all of the fluids as after 8 years of breathing in and out......

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Pat, yea I did. I figure to put about 10 hours on it and then change them all out again. By then any crud that can be worked loose will be and then run it till warm and drain the engine and tranny, change out the filters again and I suppose change out the front axle oil as well. Then I think I will go ahead and repaint it. The paint has been weathered pretty good and there are a few rust spots.

I wont rub it in much to my friend. [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img] Just a little. I appreciate him giving this to me too much. I have been wanting one of these little tractors for a long time. And he gave me the front end loader for it as well as a finish mower and posthole digger that he had for it as well. Those had all been in a barn. But he could have sold those seperate if he had wanted to. So I owe him...alot more than he realizes. Never had anyone give me something like this. I mean, I have given away alot of things over the years. Some of it I guess you could say was valuable, maybe not to me. But I guess value of anything is relative. Like the old saying goes..."one mans junk is another mans treasure".

I dont think leadership in the military and leadership in civilian life are the same at all. You learn decision making skills in the army but you are supposed to be able to lead simply by the rank you wear on your sleve or shoulder. Of course they have the various leadership schools in the military, but the skills needed and used in the military are in many ways far different than those skills and abilities needed in civilian life. I was totally unprepared for the difficulties I faced when I took that first job.

That engine on the link looks fascinating. Something like that would be a trip to rebuild. I do envy you being able to get out on the ocean out there. The one thing I miss. My wife and I lived out in Isla Vista just outside Santa Barbara for a short time. It was just before I took that factory job. My cousin had talked me into going out there when I first got out of the army. He was an engineer out there. We loved the weather and being on the coast. Did alot of fishing and some boating. My cousin now runs a charter boat out of Santa Barbara. Typical californian boatnic I guess you could say. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img] Its a different lifestyle out there. Everything seems to be alot more laid back out there.

Dennis

[Pat]

Ah, Isla Vista... IT took a while before the little gray cells got it together and remembered why Isla Vista had a familiar ring to it. That is where the radical students burned down the Bank of America.

Pat

[Goldchaser]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
That is where the radical students burned down the Bank of America.

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I do believe you are right. But at UC there, they were/are the majority. Downtown Isla Vista...3 or 4 Tofu palaces.. a cafe and a healthfood style mexican cafe........and dont even ask. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] (spew)