Mekanikle Ineptitude

Neither of us has ever said, "Boy howdy!  I'd really like to do some routine maintenance on our small engines.  And, while I am at it, I would really ENJOY making a few repairs as well!"  Of course, that's because neither of us is prone to saying "Boy howdy!"  Otherwise, we have been known to make a statement that we would LIKE to have routine maintenance done on the small engines and we would always prefer to get the repairs done as well.  It's just that neither of us is likely to pick these tasks over other tasks.

Would you like to replace some tines on the tiller?

Are we incapable of changing the oil, cleaning the filters and adjusting the throttle cable on a small engine?  No.  We can do that.  Of the two of us, Rob is more comfortable with this stuff than Tammy, but we can both figure it out.  It is safe to say that neither of us is brimming full of confidence and we both know these things take us much longer than it would other persons with more experience with this sort of work.  Hence the tendency to pass the task on to others who seem more inclined to enjoy it when they come around.  This is especially true during the growing season when there is so much to do.

Half of the tines are on (lower half) - almost there!

Sometimes, there just isn't a person who you can pass the work to.  And, sometimes, you realize you really should just get over yourself and improve your own skills (and your attitude while you are at it).  After all, it's not like I haven't done anything like this before.  

Well, ok, I haven't actually replaced the tines on a tiller before.  So, this is a new one for me.

Old tines at left and right.  New in the middle.

 So, why were we replacing the tines on Barty (our walk behind tractor)?  The picture above doesn't do it justice because you can't really see the curved part of the blade on the new tine in the center.  Let's just say the tine on the right is missing half of what it is supposed to have and leave it at that. 

Barty was also treated to the full "spa treatment" with new oil, filter, lube, etc etc.  He's one happy walk-behind tractor now.  We even adjusted the throttle.  Hurray for us.

Ha!  I put it back together with NO extra parts AND it appears to work!

The lawn tractor had better watch out, because it's next.