All things considered, it only took an hour or two at the most to drop the deck, replace the spindle, and reassemble everything. Impact hammers are nice. I also lubed up the PTO mechanism.
It works now, but it still isn't right. For now I don't think I am going to care.
I tore down the old spindle. Taking off the pulley washer on top, it was very obvious what happened. The bearing literally exploded. This should look like a normal bearing, you shouldn't be able to see inside it. The balls literally fell out when I tipped it upside down.
The bottom bearing got damaged, likely as a result of my trying to use it with the top bearing busted.
After that it was time to look at the generator. I started by yanking my new switch out. That wasn't the problem. I tried to remove the spark plug to check for spark, but I couldn't find my 1/2" deep well socket set. I really need to get all my tools back up into the shed and get everything cleaned out and sorted. I have 4 different locations where tools are stored, and it feels like I have a lot of problems finding the right tool. I have changed spark plugs and done tune ups before, I have the sockets, I just can't find them (apparently there is a 5th location I have forgotten). Perhaps that is a good idea for the project list.
So I pulled the air box off and reinstalled the switch. It started, so there is still something fishy with the fuel supply. The fuel filter is still original, but sitting wouldn't cause it to close off.
I added more gas and eventually managed to get it to run. It took upwards of 20-25 pulls. This is something that might deserve a spot check in a week or two. I am not sure if it just took a while for the fuel to get all the way to the carb, or if the problem was just that I originally only put about a half gallon in it (or more likely both). I will probably be using it to test the camper electrical system though.
I let it cool down (despite running for only a minute or two it heats up really fast) reassembled it and had no trouble getting it to restart. This time I shut it off by running the fuel out of the carb. For now at least, it is good to go.
I had a thought while I was putting it away: it would cost me about 20 bucks to put proper wheels on the base. A generator wheel kit is around 30 (and includes a handle). The boards however are the right size for the electrical extension I am about to build and wood is more expensive than a wheel kit right now, so I decided to repurpose it.
The front yard was dry enough to run the tractor in it. I decided to try to push the stump over, tear it out of the ground. The stump won. I will have to either dig it out or cut it flush.
Now that the generator is fixed, I rearranged the carport a little bit so I can actually walk around freely again. The generator is up against the wall, and the push mower is now under the chop saw. We shall see if this works, or if I smash my knees on the handle.
The parts for the electrical extension are starting to come in. The batteries should be coming in today. The battery charger is here. The inverter is en route. I went out shopping and got the rest of the parts.
After that I wasn't tired enough to go to bed, so I did some other summer-readiness stuff. I cleaned the air filter for the AC, turned on the hose and turned off my heat tapes. Even though it still occasionally gets below freezing, I am not worried about pipes freezing at this point.
Sunday was a pretty nice day. It was windy but warm, but I did a bunch of stuff that would be more annoying with the wind anyways. I started painting the trailer. I was originally a little worried about the brightness of the green (I thought hunter green was darker), but seeing it in action, I have to say that I like it. A lot less boring than black like my other trailer.
In between coats I also worked on the carport repairs. They had a single sheet of acrylic in stock when I went shopping Saturday night, but I have had enough problems finding it that I just bought a roll of heavy duty plastic. I don't really like it, but I don't have to like it, it just needs to work. It isn't nearly as transparent as I would like.
It still does its job. It doesn't let in as much light, but it still lets in enough to accomplish the desired result.
It looks kind of crummy from the outside.
On the short side, I did it a little differently. I am not sure if I like this way of doing it either, but it will also keep the birds out.
I did leave one bay open where all the power cords run.
After that I got around to disassembling the generator base and gave my drill a workout.
I will have to do a little rehab to the boards. The original builder didn't cut the boards real straight (the ends are not frequently square, and they aren't all the same length) and they used the wrong kind of screws to assemble it, which is why a lot of them split, but there are plenty of boards there. I need 10 of these for the shelves, so I have a spare if one is split real bad.
I got them all brushed off and cleaned up some. If Tim still has a power planar, I might run them all through it to get them back to like-new. If it isn't accessible, I might just hit them quickly with my belt sander.
This completes the summer equipment and carport repair, so I have my first project completions for the year.
2021 Projects:
Prepare summer equipmentCarport repair- Windows in shed
- Shed supports
- Table
- South wall siding
- Bridge over creek
- Review options for house (mobile home vs stick built vs modular)
- Trailer hub
- Rebuild smaller trailer
- Level back yard
- Level side yard
- Level front yard
- Clear trees to creek
- Remove dead/dying beech trees
- Retaining walls?
- Eliminate pile of crap in back
- Camper Electrical extension (portable AC power source and generator)
- Clean up/level area down by second parking spot
- Driveway round three
- Fix shed door.
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