Broken Stuff

RICMIC

Veteran member
Feb 21, 2012
2,011
1,787
Two Harbors, Minnesota
I get you C.C. I just brought my snowmobile trailer to my 85 year old mechanic to replace the hubs. It is getting almost impossible to find people who can still fix stuff, especially appliances.....throw it away and get a new one (that doesn't last.) Now my John Deere tractor has a fuel leak, and I don't have the time or experience to fix it. I have a mechanic friend who recently retired who will likely end up with the job, but he won't charge me for his time because he says that he doesn't want to "go back to work."
In the last five years, I have replaced 3 refers, and a dishwasher. I spent an entire day replacing the dishwasher because it required a major plumbing redo in the kitchen. Today I am headed to the shack because the 24' steel bridge washed out....we have spent two days getting it back in place, but now have to build some ramps for it because much of the bank has washed out. That I can do, as carpentry is right up my alley.
 

JimP

Administrator
Mar 28, 2016
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Gypsum, Co
View attachment 47842

Tread separated on the tire and blew the fender off.
That must of been a lot of whopping before you got it stopped.

Been there done that. I once had a 10 ply trailer tire start to come apart. I nursed it home 150 miles without it coming completely apart. Quite a few good people would pass me as I was doing 50 in a 75mph zone and indicate that I had a problem.
 

RICMIC

Veteran member
Feb 21, 2012
2,011
1,787
Two Harbors, Minnesota
Well the travel part of my antelope hunt turned into an absolute shit show. Only 50 miles from home (for a 2,200 mile round trip), I hit a hard rubble spot coming out of a tunnel in a construction area. The rear axel on my trailer broke completely off and it bounced into the other lane on the new wheels that I had just installed. Thank God that it was 4:15 AM with no other traffic on the road, or the result could have been tragic. With the help of a local police officer, I was able to recover the axel. When I was able to pull over at the next exit and saw him at a station, he said, "I know exactly where that happened." I was able to limp a few miles to my hunt partner's house where we left the trailer and rented a U-haul for the Ranger, and my bud drove his truck for the gear. My truck had a pop-up camper on it, and that gave us some issues on the return trip. But that's another story.
On a positive note, we did have a successful hunt and brought home two good antelope. Pictures and story to follow after a get all the crap taken care of.
 

JimP

Administrator
Mar 28, 2016
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Gypsum, Co
The rifle seasons are just starting here in Colorado so it is about time to take a drive to see the carnage that is happening to trailers from out of state as hunters show up.

I was thinking a few years ago that a person could make a pretty good seasonal living just of a portable welding rig fixing trailers that break down as hunters drag them up to their camping spots on our nice roads in the hills.
 

idcwby

Administrator
Jun 23, 2015
2,137
5,105
Idaho
That must of been a lot of whopping before you got it stopped.

Been there done that. I once had a 10 ply trailer tire start to come apart. I nursed it home 150 miles without it coming completely apart. Quite a few good people would pass me as I was doing 50 in a 75mph zone and indicate that I had a problem.
I was going 65 when it happened. Wish I could’ve seen the fender blow off. Was able to get it stopped fairly quickly. Was able to recover the fender even, can’t reuse it though.
 
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mallardsx2

Veteran member
Jul 8, 2015
3,879
3,167
Now that deer season is over I can finally get to banging and clanging around the house. Repairing the trailer fender that got the crap dented out of it by a limb that fell off a tree. Figured I would replace the rotting trailer deck while I’m at it.
Then, I’m send this trailer down the road and putting that cash towards the animal mount slush fund that is toast at this point..

48334
 

JimP

Administrator
Mar 28, 2016
7,254
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71
Gypsum, Co
My Harbor Freight special floor jack had a blowout yesterday. But after 25 or so years with some pretty good use I guess it's about time. The bolt that holds the caster to the jack sheared off, and while I thought about just replacing the bolt I couldn't find all the ball bearings.

I picked up a 4 1/2 inch grinder at the same time and after all kinds of use it's still going strong.20250117_101357.jpg