The issue is with parts. Because of the burden of paperwork required for an aircraft assembly (wheel halves, bolts, nuts, washers, tube, brake disc, even the aluminum valve stem cap) all requiring documentation , along with the certification of the torque wrenches and pressure gage used, plus the required currency of manuals followed in restoring the wheel assembly to airworthy status (meaning only that the paperwork says the part is legal to fly, safety is a different matter), and considering that all of the wheel assemblies in our inventory are serialized, if we don't have a serviceable assembly there, nobody else's would really work, from a paperwork/documentation standpoint. We had a serviceable assembly in Newark for a few years, but I used it in December on a trip I don't think I mentioned here. I tried to let those in charge know we didn't have any more spares there, but the warning wasn't listened to. I noted it again on Wednesday with the bolt issue , but once again , no action . Thursday night it bit us hard. MAC also has two serviceable assemblies right there, nobody else's would really have the correct parts in Newark , but because of being different companies ,it wouldn't have been easy to install a different operators part on our aircraft . Yes we could have installed their wheel on our aircraft just to get it off the runway, but then the wheel would require a return to service inspection before it could be used again , an expense neither company wants to eat. We were actually very fortunate to have an aircraft mechanic available to help us. MAC has had one there, but they left. Newark is a union swamp, so having someone there means union requirements for whoever it is, $$$$$. One airline there has wiggle room in their union contract allowing their mechanics to assist us, but only if they don't have anything going on with their own aircraft . And that's why overnight shipping costs what it does
So now you get a glimpse into the paperwork game that is a good percentage of my job because I'm not only a mechanic, but also an inspector. We're actually on more relaxed regulations because we fly freight , if we flew people, the rules would be much tougher, and I could only inspect , not turn wrenches as well. I did bring two spare assemblies with me as well.
Wow, that cord didn't last long! And it isn't even cold yet! I wonder how much we'll burn this year when it actually gets to feel like winter. This is the nice thing about having permanent racks, once it's empty I can give it a look over, repair anything needed , and refill it. How I set the spacing of each rack being a pastor I deal with all kinds of people asking for help, and promising to follow through on their end. I have a pile of tires in the corner of the yard from this, and no, he hasn't come back to clean them up. I tried cutting them up to use as pallet blocks, but it's really hard on my miter saw. Tried another idea Ended up figuring out how to use them without having to cut the belts under the tread Ready for another cord And one more base using tires for ground isolation. Had to stack stuff on them to train the tires to flatten out, also to make it easier to finish if this promised snow turns out to be anything other than a tease.
My friend has this 7 ton electric splitter, It even has a two stage pump that you manually shift between . He bought electric to avoid the trouble with gas engines , now it won't turn on. I brought it home to see if I can fix it. He is the guy I give my short wood to because he has a tiny stove that takes 12" max length splits. His dad's Stihl broke, so my friend gave his to his father. I keep offering him my 40CC Echo.
Possibly, but not much, since I've already cut the sidewalls off. I could easily make holes with a spade bit if it becomes necessary .
Some flashbacks from two years ago This was a massive maple they took down less than a mile from here, the homeowner had just had shoulder surgery so he couldn't deal with it. And the picture fishingpol took of the monster being taken down This was during another failed winter, I did most of this work in February , in a tee shirt, sweating to death It took a few months , but we reduced it to nothing but chips and splits. I just burned the last part of the cord this tree might have been in.
This was when I did the minor muffler mod on my Echo CS-590 Timberwolf . Drilling out the holes in the inner baffle and cutting away the baffle that impedes exhaust above the spark screen. And the easiest muffler mod ever on my CS490. Unscrew the spark screen and deflector, remove the choke tube plate, open up the deflector baffle, reinstall the screen and deflector. Then I retuned them both, nice and smooth with more power . I still haven't modded my new 590
Built the top of the rack on the pallet base I made last Monday. If you notice, this rack will be a little taller, almost 6 feet tall, the pallets are 52-53 inches tall, plus the 4x4 on top. This is an experiment to see if I can stack more in less of a footprint . Now that my son is tall enough to reach, even without snow, (since this winter is a dud) In spite of the cold on Saturday, we filled another rack And put quite a dent in the massive pile of splits. Finally seeing my firewood racks working as expected. We've almost emptied this rack, all it needed was some blocks to level it up again, a few more screws, and it was ready to refill. Another half cord stacked for the future , in a two year old rack. I found I build the racks more solidly than I did then, but it's nice to see the concept working out. I wonder if there's another cord left in the dwindling split pile.
The split pile is frozen together and into the ground, my son found a split with a limb attached to use as a sledge to knock them loose. Almost another half cord stacked Probably not even a half cord left, just in time for winter to possibly make an appearance.
Just in case this storm produces more than an inch of slush before turning into rain, The split pile is history almost had a third of a cord left in the pile the first days worth of wood out of the third cord for the year. one of the guys in my church is unemployed, he comes over and splits wood to keep out of trouble, if he does, he's gonna pile whatever doesn't fit in a rack here, that way it won't freeze into the slush
Great plan, sounds like we will be frozen solid for quite some time. Just a few hours to get cleaned up between the slush and the deep freeze.
Currently my wife has the stove cranking out heat , enjoying all those BTU's. Making a real dent in the pile. I'm just happy that all of the wood coming in is dry and ice free, thanks to the covered racks. Friday I flew out to Elmira, N.Y. for work, and drove back starting at 10pm. Went from wide awake , to can't stay awake, so I stopped on the NY / MA border for a nap, woke up to this beautiful view. Some sights along the way home. Disappointed. The first weather event I remember is the blizzard of '78, I get all excited when weathermen start throwing the word blizzard around, then massively dissatisfied. They just don't make blizzards like they used to ! Or nor'easters either!
Beautiful pics. Seems like we have had all rain this winter. More rain today after Sub zero temps here for a few days . We were supposed to get up to 10inches but the weather ppl like always were wrong. Also very thankful for nice dry pieces of wood. It's been a struggle this year keeping my stacks dry but have managed.
So as soon as it stopped raining and sleeting on the snow from the unblizzard, it went to super cold. Instead of taking the kids sledding in Monday, I took them to the pool. The high was only 5, and the wind was blowing hard. Wednesday I rushed home from work so we could enjoy the snow before it was gone. I would have gone skiing, but it was already so slushy, it wouldn't have been any fun. It didn't even get cold enough after dark to make the snow faster, The view from the top of Nun's hill was awesome, as always though. the reflection of the lights of Georgetown center on the clouds. Tubes are the only way to sled as an adult , it's like having shock absorbers.
One of the two nests hidden inside of the last cord we burned. Using the van, a heavy duty cargo strap, and my cant hook to roll a log over to finish cutting through it . Enough room to finish up the the earlier cuts. The cuts were full of ice, but still easier than before. lots and lots of noodles One full, careful stacked trailer load. Works out to a perfect half cord plus!
Why noodle them, when you can roll them over to the splitter and stand them up on your boards? Looks like you have a good size cant hook.
The splitter can't get a bite once they're this big, I kind of think this splitter is wimpy, my old predator 20 ton didn't care. I think it has to do with the wider wedge on the DHT
