Need opinion please

[Wife'nHubby]

Whoopee! We are a'splitting again! Total repair $87. I suppose you would like to know what was wrong? Hmm... it was the do hicky on the thing a ma jig that was broken. (That's a woman's description!) Not sure I can explain this: It's a Briggs 5.5hp Intek engine manufactured in 2005 on our homemade splitter. We didn't build it, bought it used. There was a washer broken (a 'set washer'?) that is connected to the end of the spring that pulls the valve out. (Did I get that correct, guys?) Valve doesn't seat - engine doesn't run. Fix washer = engine runs and we are splitting wood again!

The small engine repairman came to the house, worked on it a bit checking this and that and ended up having to take it back to his shop to check it out when he found out the washer was broken. He said he would have it back by tomorrow but about 4 hours later he called and said it was done and brought it back and reinstalled it. Also, the governor was set way too high which he adjusted. We are very pleased with the repair and I would love to post the repairman's name but don't know if that is allowed on the message board.

Next project: Repair or replace the cylinder as it is leaking like a sieve - but I was able to split about a face cord today while going thru a lot of hydraulic oil. Anyone know if I can recycle leaked hydraulic oil? Maybe send it thru a filter of some sort and then put it back in?

Thanks for putting up with my questions everyone. Sometimes when you are stuck you just have to ask for help.

Shari

 

[KsWoodsMan]

Yip ! that would keep it from running. Good thing he reset the govenor too. That might be what caused the valve to float and drop the keeper/washer. If that hadn't happened it might have been more expensive had the connecting rod turned loose and grenaded the side of the block.

Sounds like you saved $200 that can be put to good use elsewhere.

That leaking seal probably isnt much more than a $2.00 O-ring. Glad to hear you are back in business and getting the rest of the good out of what you already own.

If you recycle that oil it will need to be very clean and make sure you arent getting ANY dirt or debris in the tank. The pump won't last long trying to push dirt through it.

 

[Wife'nHubby]

I'm not considered a praying man but your family has made it into the few times I do pray.

I meant to thank you for your kind words in my previous email. Hubby was stacking while I was splitting. We kind of have reversed the roles on a lot of things we do around here.

Funny thing happened while I was splitting wood today: I have done a lot of family history research and know that my great-great-great grandfather was a lumberman and lumber mill owner circa 1840's - 1870's in Massachusetts and Wisconsin. I was thinking about him while I was working today - wondering if he ever imagined that almost 140 years later his great-great-great grand-daughter would be splitting wood for heat and using a hydraulic ram to do it...... So much has changed and yet it is the same.

Shari

 

[A. Stanton]

Glad things worked out, Shari. If I hit the powerball I might buy you a new unit.

 

[Jkebxjunke]

glad to hear it.. I guess now you need to find a hydraulics shop before the environmental gestapo try to shut you down for an oil leak but congrats on that.. Hubby sounds like a guy who cant take it easy either... tell him to take care..we are all pulling for him... and you too.

 

[Wife'nHubby]

Glad things worked out, Shari. If I hit the powerball I might buy you a new unit.

Aw shucks, you wouldn't have to do that! There are other people who need it more. We are just overwhelmed with medical bills right now. Blue skies will return for us. We remain optimistic!

Shari

 

[KsWoodsMan]

Ma'am, you are very welcome.

While chopping wood in the cold I drift back to the stories my grandfather once told about growing up on the frontier. I am thankful that I didn't have to fend off a bear and wolves with a speller and my belt on the way to school.

Considering the time and the country it is believable. My great-great uncle was a freighter from West of the Tulsa Ok area and took lumber upriver to a growing town on the prairie. Then hauled dry goods back. Did this for years in nearly any weather by ox and wagon. Took 2 weeks round trip to go the 70-80 miles. An extra day if he had to stop for repairs. He'd go into the woods with an axe and come back with a piece of green oak or hedge made about right for whatever broke. Then finish fitting it by axe or hatchet whichever was needed.

It doesn't seem like there was much they couldn't do then. I guess it just depends on how bad it needs done, but there are some that never lost that ability.

 

[Wife'nHubby]

glad to hear it.. I guess now you need to find a hydraulics shop before the environmental gestapo try to shut you down for an oil leak but congrats on that.. Hubby sounds like a guy who cant take it easy either... tell him to take care..we are all pulling for him... and you too.

I try to keep him active or else he prefers to be a couch potato! He has an LVAD (Left Ventricular Artificial Device) implanted in his chest which makes it very difficult and painful to bend down to reach something on the ground so I piled the cut wood on a stump so it was easier for him to stack. Not to turn this into a medical post, but if you would like to see what he has keeping his heart 'ticking', here's a website: http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/treating-left-ventricular-device
Basically, 1/2 of his heart is being run by the LVAD running on batteries during the day and at night he is connected to house power.

Shari

 

[Jkebxjunke]

I try to keep him active or else he prefers to be a couch potato! He has an LVAD (Left Ventricular Artificial Device) implanted in his chest which makes it very difficult and painful to bend down to reach something on the ground so I piled the cut wood on a stump so it was easier for him to stack. Not to turn this into a medical post, but if you would like to see what he has keeping his heart 'ticking', here's a website: http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/treating-left-ventricular-device
Basically, 1/2 of his heart is being run by the LVAD running on batteries during the day and at night he is connected to house power.

Shari

interesting... isn't medical science amazing? but I can hear it now... "get off that couch mister or I pull your plug !!" ( just kidding) but seriously I hope he gets one soon... also if he complains his batteries are low.. bring out the 100 ft extension cord...

 

[Wife'nHubby]

also if he complains his batteries are low.. bring out the 100 ft extension cord...

Actually, it is a console that he gets connected to and it only gives him about 15' of maneuverability. Seriously though, when his batteries get low (they last anywhere from 5-7 hours) they 'beep'. We then have just 5 minutes to get him newly charged batteries or he would be a goner. I have to make sure hubby is 'charged' good enough before I start the splitter because there is no way we could hear his alarms with the noise of the splitter running. Needless to say, life is interesting in our house.......

Shari

 

[Jkebxjunke]

Actually, it is a console that he gets connected to and it only gives him about 15' of maneuverability. Seriously though, when his batteries get low (they last anywhere from 5-7 hours) they 'beep'. We then have just 5 minutes to get him newly charged batteries or he would be a goner. I have to make sure hubby is 'charged' good enough before I start the splitter because there is no way we could hear his alarms with the noise of the splitter running. Needless to say, life is interesting in our house.......

Shari

only 5 minutes... wow.. not much of a warning.... you think they would have a bit more than that... but then I figure they think the person is supposed to just sit around and wait...

 

[WetBehindtheEar]

Hey Shari,

I work in electrophysiology (heart rhythm disorders) and you know WAY more about this than I do. But I have to ask..

Given your husband has an LVAD, is he on a transplant list? I always thought they were a bridge to transplant.

The patients I ran into with them were always REALLY weak and REALLY sick. I'm amazed he's feeling up to stacking firewood. Kudos to him! (and you, too)

Good luck! :greenchainsaw:

 

[superfire]

glad we got you going again

checking in and finding out how the repair went. repair worked was good news. the repair cost under a 100 saw chips is unbelievable glad you got it running, hope you and your partner in the wood cutting business are doing ok. check your phone book under hydraulics and call a few of the shops, they be will be able to fix the ram or sell you a rebuilt one cheaper. some times a rebuilt ram can be had cheaper then repairing a leaker.

 

[Wife'nHubby]

Hey Shari,

I work in electrophysiology (heart rhythm disorders) and you know WAY more about this than I do. But I have to ask..

Given your husband has an LVAD, is he on a transplant list? I always thought they were a bridge to transplant.

The patients I ran into with them were always REALLY weak and REALLY sick. I'm amazed he's feeling up to stacking firewood. Kudos to him! (and you, too)

Good luck! :greenchainsaw:

Electrophysiology - a term we know well! He also has a pacemaker and a defibrillator. He is my 'mechanical marvel'! Yes, he has been on the heart transplant list since 12/06 but got his LVAD 12/07 because his PA's were way too high (in the 80's before LVAD, down to 30's immediately after LVAD). Yes, most patients like hubby are as you describe and his doctors are also amazed at how well he is doing. The things he can do he does slower than normal and most often can't finish the job but he tries and I give him credit for that. The main problem working is he has a 10 lb. weight lift limit and the problems with bending down. There's more to it and so many doctors I have lost count. Hubby does what he can and I encourage him to remain active. It's like being an athlete (albeit sick athlete) who must stay in shape for a marathon (a heart transplant).

Shari

 

[Jkebxjunke]

and if I am not mistaken.... by him staying active helps alot and will help alot when the transplant comes through. and should be a big aid in the recovery processes.

 

[Wife'nHubby]

and if I am not mistaken.... by him staying active helps alot and will help alot when the transplant comes through. and should be a big aid in the recovery processes.

You got it! Various family members critique me for 'encouraging' hubby to do things but in the end it is for his own good health that I do so.

shari

 

[hickslawns]

Shari- Hat's off to you and your hubby!! You come across as quite a strong woman and I am sure your husband appreciates this.

In regards to the ram leaking, I wouldn't get too scared of it. Many have a screw on cap which holds all the packing materials (possibly just o-rings). Post some pictures if you get a chance of each end of the ram or the whole thing. Might be able to walk you through this on the "world wide web". Always like helping someone out, especially if they are doing everything they can to help themselves. It is those which sit around waiting to have it handed to them which irritate me. I just wish I was closer and I would be over there splitting for you/with you and getting the leak fixed. You are a great person. I can tell from your posts. God bless. Phil

 

[Jkebxjunke]

You got it! Various family members critique me for 'encouraging' hubby to do things but in the end it is for his own good health that I do so.

shari

they mean well but ya know... they need to realize let the guy do what he wants... if he sits around there is a real danger of his health deteriorating to a point where he will not be a good candidate... and really what kind of life is that to just sit there... my wife used to work in a local nursing home... and man what a depressing place that was... you and your hubby sound like you are taking things one step and day at a time... adjusting where you need to and keeping active together... and God forbid.. if things don't pan out... at least you had good memories of working and doing things together... than watching him sit there like a lump... Im sorry I had better stop now..I kinda know and feel a bit about the situation... I lost my Mom to cancer... and to just watch her waste away with nothing able to be done feeling so helpless... I guess the thing is cherish each day you have. I hope I didn't up set you.
He is lucky to have such a strong willed woman to stick by his side through thick and think... if I remember correctly isnt that part of the vows?

 

[Wife'nHubby]

if I remember correctly isnt that part of the vows?

That is the golden one.

 

[Wife'nHubby]

Shari- Hat's off to you and your hubby!! You come across as quite a strong woman and I am sure your husband appreciates this.

In regards to the ram leaking, I wouldn't get too scared of it. Many have a screw on cap which holds all the packing materials (possibly just o-rings). Post some pictures if you get a chance of each end of the ram or the whole thing. Might be able to walk you through this on the "world wide web". Always like helping someone out, especially if they are doing everything they can to help themselves. It is those which sit around waiting to have it handed to them which irritate me. I just wish I was closer and I would be over there splitting for you/with you and getting the leak fixed. You are a great person. I can tell from your posts. God bless. Phil

Regarding the ram: The small engine repairman that was here today said he was going to try to connect us up with a fellow he knows who may be able to repair it. Hubby and I checked at the local Farm & Fleet store today and found what appears to be a similar ram (3000psi, 4" diameter) but it was pricey. The main problem we have with replacing the ram is that the one we have has no i.d.'s on it so we are not sure what size psi it is. Judging by the size, it looks like the one we saw in the store today. Same problem with the pump: Pump is okay, working fine, but no i.d.'s on it to know what volume it is and I know (from reading here on the list) that the pump and the ram have to be correlated therefore I am all for repairing what we have just to keep the original components together. Whoever built this critter knew what they were doing - I went thru some 18" x 24" long pieces this afternoon.

Right now I am done with the splitting so any repair on the ram can wait a bit.

A good friend dropped off about 1/2 pickup load of dead limbs this afternoon. They are small and just need to be cut to length. Now don't laugh, we bought an 18" electric chainsaw this afternoon with money saved on the Briggs bill. This replaces our $5 Remington 16" that we bought used about 8 yrs. ago and have now put it in semi-retirement. Gas engines and I have always had a love/hate relationship so I opted for electric as hubby can not do the cutting. I can't pull start a chainsaw due to an old injury to my right shoulder - bummer when you get old, right? I'm doing fine starting the log splitter because the way the engine is mounted it is a natural left arm pull start. Actually I do a two-arm pull but pull to the left. We don't normally do a lot of cutting so we should be fine with the electric and with the 18" we can cut bigger if we need to.

We are really 'small potatoes' compared to you guys and we do appreciate all the help.

Shari