Gadzooks! (Scroll down to **** if you want to skip the long-winded story
and get right to the point of the matter)
I come out of the woods from cutting firewood (I use my M35, "The General",
to drag logs, make roads and cross streams).
I decide to unwind the winch cable to get the kinks out.
A simple task eh?
Nay sez the gremlins that inhabit my truck!
I pull out the cable and secure it to a post. I backs up the General and lo
and behold I pops the winch cable right out of the winch.
All the tools are at the bottom of Vickerman hill (22 miles of twisty road
that is nearly straight down. The General manages third gear up this beast.
Gives me time to have a cigar before I go into the wood so it's not all that
bad but back to the story...).
I abandon the cable along side what passes for a road in these parts and
head down to get myt beloved spouse (she helps me out of messes like this
because although it's a pain in the rear divorce is a bigger pain).
I picks up Michele and explain about the winch cable. On the way out of
town (and up Vickerman hill) the General starts singing a new song. "Squeek
Squeek Squeek" it goes with each revolution of the wheel.
That's odd I think. Michele is beginning to look concerned.
The General now starts bouncing up and down in time with the squeeks. Hmmm,
singing and dancing isn't natural for this beast I think I'll have a look.
I pull over (on Vickerman hill... remember...). I walk around the truck
looking for squeeky thinkgs and touching stuff that would be broke if it was
hot. Nothing was hot. Nothing was broke. Nothing was squeeky. That is
until I came to the passenger side front wheel. All the lug nuts were gone
save one. The squeak was the wheel wobbling back and forth. Michele looks
at the wheel and asks (I honestly think this is her favorite question.),
"Now what are you gonna do?"
I happened to have a spair lugnut in the toolbox (don't leave home with out
it). I jack up the General and put on the spare lugnut and off we go back
up Vickerman hill.
The wheel is no longer true (I've got bunches so no problem) so the General
still dances around a bit but we managed to retreive the winch cable and
come back down the hill in time to have a couple of scotches before I hit
the hay.
The good news is I get a day off from cutting firewood. The bad news is I
have to spend it fixing the General.
**** Anybody know the specs on the lug nuts and studs for an M35? I think I
can get them locally and have it fixed by tomorrow if I know what to ask
for.
Thanks for the help,
-=-
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Aug 07 2001 - 09:34:12 PDT