Solving those head-scratching equipment problems

Friday, December 5, 2014

Sometimes you can deal with them yourself by trial and error. Sometimes you need the help of experienced service personnel. Three case histories from the author's files

by RALPH WINFIELD

In recent years I have survived three major head-scratching situations. The first one I solved myself. In the case of the other two, I was able to contact the right person to help me out.

When you buy a new tractor or other relatively expensive piece of equipment and it does not work as well as it should, you start asking questions. Sometimes you get good answers based on the previous experience of the service personnel; at other times, you have to find the answer by trial and error.

Case one. About 10 years ago, I bought a brand new 55 h.p. utility tractor. It was not intended for constant field duty and when the tractor was operated continuously for more than half an hour, it tended to become less and less powerful, just as if the fuel supply was being restricted. If stopped for a period of time and restarted, the power decrease just started over again.

I asked the dealer's service manager about this and he said he had never heard of this happening. Nor did his company information system indicate previous solutions for this problem.

But one day I was using the tractor to pick up and spread a load of fertilizer. As I travelled up and down the field, the tractor started to slow down going up very nominal grades. The tractor had an open station and the fuel tank was right behind the seat. I reached back and loosened the fuel cap. The tractor took right off!

Then the questions started. Where are the pressure relief valves in the fuel system? The fuel cap only had an over-pressure relief valve. But hidden behind the SMV sign on the back of the fuel tank was the evacuation relief valve. It was supposed to let air in as required to allow fuel out. Its primary purpose was to prevent a fuel spill in the event the tractor rolled over.

I was given a new $20 valve and the tractor has been running well ever since. I am hoping that solution was posted on the manufacturer's website for the benefit of other dealers and customers.

Case two. In the early 1990s, I built a new well-insulated but unheated farm shop. A large south-facing translucent door provided light and solar heat for all work projects.

I was offered an older combination refrigerator/freezer unit at no cost, delivery included, an offer impossible to refuse. The refrigerator served a dual purpose. It provided cool beverages and overflow freezer space.

However, with electrical rates increasing dramatically, I checked out two energy guzzlers around the farm. One was the older chest freezer in the house, the other the fridge/freezer in the shop. The old chest freezer in the relatively warm house basement was replaced immediately.

A new, larger, energy-efficient fridge/freezer was delivered to the shop in January 2012. It had "normal" settings for each of the two compartments. However, in the cooler environment of the shop from January through March, normal is not normal. The freezer would not freeze unless freezing also occurred in the refrigerator section. I bought two thermometers, one for each compartment. They verified the dilemma that I was facing.

It was back-to-the-book time. Sure enough, there in black and white was the statement: "This unit will not work properly in environments of less than 55 F (12.8 C)."

I first visualized an insulated enclosure with an external heat source, probably a small fan-forced heater. This would be expensive and a little unwieldy if one had to open multiple doors or disassemble the enclosure for the summer period. The reality is that we had started a market garden and that larger refrigerator was to become an integral part of the temporary food storage system.

My next move was to call the 800 number listed in the installation/operation manual. The call centre person could not help, except that she gave me the phone number of a service centre for the unit.

I lucked out. I talked to a technician who had experienced this dilemma many times. He told me how to "trick the unit" without physically modifying it and thus avoiding destroying the CSA (Canadian Standards Assoc.) approval. If you change the wiring of an approved electrical device, you effectively permit the electrical inspection authority or your insurance company to demand that you not use the device.

As a result of that one phone call to the right person, we now have a very serviceable newer, energy-efficient refrigerator/freezer that has performed well through two winters.

Sorry, no trick description or photo is, or will be, available!

Case three. Most of us in rural areas have a standby electrical generator. When necessary, it not only keeps the lights on but more importantly provides water and keeps the heating system working. The old standby manually operated water pump is long gone!

Unless it is critical for animal/bird life, most of us have a power-take-off (pto) generator that is operated by a tractor if and when necessary. The tractor is likely to be more dependable than a separate engine that is not test run as often as it needs to be for infrequent emergency use.

About two years ago, I took the pto generator out for use, only to find that it produced absolutely no electrical power. I checked the fuses and connectors, etc. Still no power. I contacted an experienced electrician. We tried again with no luck.

Then I did what I had to do. I started pricing new and used replacement generators. That was scary considering the number of times I have used the existing unit in the last 30 years.

Fortunately, I have a former student who has been selling standby generators for more than 40 years. As soon as I told him my dilemma, he asked me the make of the generator. When I told him, his response was immediate. He said the diode had failed.

Knowing that he still sells that make of generator, I asked if diodes were available. He assured me that they were and he probably had them in stock. For $40 and a road trip, the old generator is working as good as new.

When I walk by that generator, which is parked in the corner of the new shop, I turn the pto shaft a quarter or half turn. Next to test running it as often as one should, this small turn changes the bearing settings as well as the orientation of the heavy rotor on the generator (alternator) shaft so that the shaft does not sag. Something to think about!

Experiences like these with positive outcomes are always great to share. Unfortunately, many of us have some negative stories to tell as well.

About 10 years ago, I bought a brand name U.S.-made portable air compressor. Earlier this year, the electrical control switch failed. This is a two-way switch that senses air pressure to start and stop the air compressor at preset pressures, or can be switched to manual.

Well, guess what? A replacement American-made switch was not available from the manufacturer/distributor or even on eBay! In desperation, I finally did what I had to do. I modified all the air connections to accept a Chinese-made air pressure switch that seems to be the standard switch for all of the presently available small (20 gallon, 150 psi) compressors.

Positive outcomes based on finding good information from reliable sources still make the day for most of us older farm folk. BF