So - I've been doing some work on my truck to get it ready for plowing this
winter. It's a '94 Silverado that only plows snow and makes dump runs these
days, with an occasional trip to Home Depot. The frame rails have been
rotting through and the truck has taken on that characteristic
bent-in-the-middle look of Silverado's of this vintage.

No problem for a crafty guy like me - I takes the box off and set it on some
sawhorses outside, and park the truck in my car bay in the garage.
Passenger side went fairly well, with the exception of closer inspection
revealing much more extensive rot than I first anticipated, all along the
frame rails. But - some angle iron, some welding, some new hardened bolts,
some sweat and stink, and that side was shored up enough to at least get
through the winter.

On to the driver's side today. Smoking a cigarette and drinking a cup of
coffee in my bathrobe this morning, I was happy to see that the driver's
side was in better shape than the passenger's side was. Not much better,
but enough so to halve the amount of work I'd have to do. Man - it really
feels like a scene out of a John Belushi movie to stand in your garage in
your bathrobe, smoking a cigarette and drinking a cup of coffee. Oh what
the hell - step out on the front lawn, take a pee, and back into the garage
to plan the day's work.

Off I go to get a shower, jump into my dirty shorts and a shirt I didn't
care if it got welding holes burned in it, and I was ready to get this
crappy job done.

I grabs my grinder and stretch out comfortably on my creeper (hahaha...) and
roll under the truck to start grinding off the rust to get a weld-able
surface. Now... I've never been one to put on gloves when I use my grinder.
Face shield - yes, Gloves? Hell no. Well... there's some stuff I have to
navigate around on this side of the truck - brake lines, fuel lines,
electrical wires - that kind of stuff. So, there's a bit of re-positioning
that takes place in this operation. Twist the grinder this way, that way,
the other way, and all the while hope you don't get into one of those
previously mentioned items.

Yup- somehow during one of those twists or re-positioning things the grinder
hit the frame unexpectedly. Now let me tell you - when I use a grinder, I
have a real man's hold on that tool. I'm not the least bit afraid of a
grinder, but I know very well what they can do. So - no short cuts on my
end - I've got a real man's grip on that tool - right until it winds down
when I shut it off. Except... sometimes - apparently. In the blink of an
eye - or maybe less... that sucker came flying back in the wrong direction.
Wrong being defined as the direction in which I was laying in an awkward
position. I've got both hands on this sucker and somehow it found a way to
twist, and drive itself right into the end of my right thumb. Not along
side of the wheel - straight in as if I were trying to grind a channel from
the tip of my thumb, right up through my thumbnail - which I did.

Can I tell you that this episode both ****ed me off and kinda ruined my
morning? And of course it required that I confess my stupid stunt of the
day in the same way my peers here do.

I did give it all of the appropriate medical attention. Got a clean napkin,
rinsed it under some cold water, twisted that napkin on there real tight,
smoked some more cigarettes and paced around my garage like I was still in
my bathrobe. All of the right stuff.

Sometimes this stuff just jumps out at ya from where you don't even expect
it. Gloves - you bet. From now on. Just as soon as I can get a glove on
my right hand.

Nope - this don't have a damned thing to do with woodworking....

--

-Mike-

"Mike Marlow" wrote in message
...
So - I've been doing some work on my truck to get it ready for plowing
this winter. It's a '94 Silverado that only plows snow and makes dump
runs these days, with an occasional trip to Home Depot. The frame rails
have been rotting through and the truck has taken on that characteristic
bent-in-the-middle look of Silverado's of this vintage.

snip
Nope - this don't have a damned thing to do with woodworking....


As a metal worker/welder/etc, I can relate. I NEVER use a hand grinder
without heavy gloves (and a face mask). And I will use a smaller grinder
with a coarse wheel over a big grinder with a finer disc. Control is
everything. And I take my time grinding off what is needed. I can relate.

And unlike many people I have observed, I am very conscious of where the
debris/sparks are flying. Sometimes some flying sparks can create some real
problems. I also keep water/sand buckets (and/or fire extinguisher) handy.
I am also a big fan of wire brushes (knotted) for cleaning surfaces before I
grind.

As one of the mentors in my youth said, "Learn from this and never do it
again!"

Lee Michaels wrote:
"Mike Marlow" wrote in message
...
So - I've been doing some work on my truck to get it ready for
plowing this winter. It's a '94 Silverado that only plows snow and
makes dump runs these days, with an occasional trip to Home Depot. The
frame rails have been rotting through and the truck has taken on
that characteristic bent-in-the-middle look of Silverado's of this
vintage.
snip
Nope - this don't have a damned thing to do with woodworking....


As a metal worker/welder/etc, I can relate. I NEVER use a hand
grinder without heavy gloves (and a face mask). And I will use a
smaller grinder with a coarse wheel over a big grinder with a finer
disc. Control is everything. And I take my time grinding off what
is needed. I can relate.
And unlike many people I have observed, I am very conscious of where
the debris/sparks are flying. Sometimes some flying sparks can
create some real problems. I also keep water/sand buckets (and/or
fire extinguisher) handy. I am also a big fan of wire brushes
(knotted) for cleaning surfaces before I grind.

As one of the mentors in my youth said, "Learn from this and never do
it again!"

I downplayed how I really focus on safety with these tools Lee, and your
comments are consistent with my practices. Yet - there I was... despite my
best attempts at being on my game...

This was really a "holy cow" moment for me this morning.

Of course the rest of my day was slowed down because I no longer had full
functionality of both hands. Can't tell you how many times I jammed that
thumb into something underneath that truck! Funny how you notice things
like that after a little shop incident...


--

-Mike-

On Fri, 30 Aug 2013 23:58:39 -0400, "Mike Marlow"
wrote:

Lee Michaels wrote:
"Mike Marlow" wrote in message
...
So - I've been doing some work on my truck to get it ready for
plowing this winter. It's a '94 Silverado that only plows snow and
makes dump runs these days, with an occasional trip to Home Depot. The
frame rails have been rotting through and the truck has taken on
that characteristic bent-in-the-middle look of Silverado's of this
vintage.
snip
Nope - this don't have a damned thing to do with woodworking....


As a metal worker/welder/etc, I can relate. I NEVER use a hand
grinder without heavy gloves (and a face mask). And I will use a
smaller grinder with a coarse wheel over a big grinder with a finer
disc. Control is everything. And I take my time grinding off what
is needed. I can relate.
And unlike many people I have observed, I am very conscious of where
the debris/sparks are flying. Sometimes some flying sparks can
create some real problems. I also keep water/sand buckets (and/or
fire extinguisher) handy. I am also a big fan of wire brushes
(knotted) for cleaning surfaces before I grind.

As one of the mentors in my youth said, "Learn from this and never do
it again!"

I downplayed how I really focus on safety with these tools Lee, and your
comments are consistent with my practices. Yet - there I was... despite my
best attempts at being on my game...

This was really a "holy cow" moment for me this morning.

Of course the rest of my day was slowed down because I no longer had full
functionality of both hands. Can't tell you how many times I jammed that
thumb into something underneath that truck! Funny how you notice things
like that after a little shop incident...

As I look back all the little short cuts were accidents waiting to
happen. Most of us here have a few years on us and you come to
realize the odds are being spread over a smaller area. I've had some
recent reminders I'm not in my 20's to 40' and better factor the old
fart into the occasion. Glad it wasn't any worse.

Mike M

Mike Marlow wrote:
So - I've been doing some work on my truck to get it ready for plowing this
winter. It's a '94 Silverado that only plows snow and makes dump runs these
days, with an occasional trip to Home Depot. The frame rails have been
rotting through and the truck has taken on that characteristic
bent-in-the-middle look of Silverado's of this vintage.

No problem for a crafty guy like me - I takes the box off and set it on some
sawhorses outside, and park the truck in my car bay in the garage.
Passenger side went fairly well, with the exception of closer inspection
revealing much more extensive rot than I first anticipated, all along the
frame rails. But - some angle iron, some welding, some new hardened bolts,
some sweat and stink, and that side was shored up enough to at least get
through the winter.

On to the driver's side today. Smoking a cigarette and drinking a cup of
coffee in my bathrobe this morning, I was happy to see that the driver's
side was in better shape than the passenger's side was. Not much better,
but enough so to halve the amount of work I'd have to do. Man - it really
feels like a scene out of a John Belushi movie to stand in your garage in
your bathrobe, smoking a cigarette and drinking a cup of coffee. Oh what
the hell - step out on the front lawn, take a pee, and back into the garage
to plan the day's work.

Off I go to get a shower, jump into my dirty shorts and a shirt I didn't
care if it got welding holes burned in it, and I was ready to get this
crappy job done.

I grabs my grinder and stretch out comfortably on my creeper (hahaha...) and
roll under the truck to start grinding off the rust to get a weld-able
surface. Now... I've never been one to put on gloves when I use my grinder.
Face shield - yes, Gloves? Hell no. Well... there's some stuff I have to
navigate around on this side of the truck - brake lines, fuel lines,
electrical wires - that kind of stuff. So, there's a bit of re-positioning
that takes place in this operation. Twist the grinder this way, that way,
the other way, and all the while hope you don't get into one of those
previously mentioned items.

Yup- somehow during one of those twists or re-positioning things the grinder
hit the frame unexpectedly. Now let me tell you - when I use a grinder, I
have a real man's hold on that tool. I'm not the least bit afraid of a
grinder, but I know very well what they can do. So - no short cuts on my
end - I've got a real man's grip on that tool - right until it winds down
when I shut it off. Except... sometimes - apparently. In the blink of an
eye - or maybe less... that sucker came flying back in the wrong direction.
Wrong being defined as the direction in which I was laying in an awkward
position. I've got both hands on this sucker and somehow it found a way to
twist, and drive itself right into the end of my right thumb. Not along
side of the wheel - straight in as if I were trying to grind a channel from
the tip of my thumb, right up through my thumbnail - which I did.

Can I tell you that this episode both ****ed me off and kinda ruined my
morning? And of course it required that I confess my stupid stunt of the
day in the same way my peers here do.

I did give it all of the appropriate medical attention. Got a clean napkin,
rinsed it under some cold water, twisted that napkin on there real tight,
smoked some more cigarettes and paced around my garage like I was still in
my bathrobe. All of the right stuff.

Sometimes this stuff just jumps out at ya from where you don't even expect
it. Gloves - you bet. From now on. Just as soon as I can get a glove on
my right hand.

Nope - this don't have a damned thing to do with woodworking....


Phew! What a relief. I thought you were going to cut through the gas
line. Condolences to your thumb.

--
 GW Ross 

 Weird enough for all practical 
 purposes. 

"Mike Marlow" wrote:

So - I've been doing some work on my truck to get it ready for
plowing this winter. It's a '94 Silverado that only plows snow and
makes dump runs these days, with an occasional trip to Home Depot.
The frame rails have been rotting through and the truck has taken on
that characteristic bent-in-the-middle look of Silverado's of this
vintage.
A tale of woe
Nope - this don't have a damned thing to do with woodworking....
----------------------------------------------------
How much is that puppy worth?

What does a replacement vehicle cost?

What does it cost to contract out snowplowing your place for a season?

Lew

Mike Marlow wrote:
I did give it all of the appropriate medical attention. Got a clean napkin,
rinsed it under some cold water, twisted that napkin on there real tight,
smoked some more cigarettes and paced around my garage like I was still in
my bathrobe. All of the right stuff.

Wish you a quick recovery! And please don't do that again!

Bill

G. Ross wrote:


Phew! What a relief. I thought you were going to cut through the gas
line. Condolences to your thumb.

Now that would have just capped the morning off in fine manner!

--

-Mike-

Lew Hodgett wrote:
"Mike Marlow" wrote:

So - I've been doing some work on my truck to get it ready for
plowing this winter. It's a '94 Silverado that only plows snow and
makes dump runs these days, with an occasional trip to Home Depot.
The frame rails have been rotting through and the truck has taken on
that characteristic bent-in-the-middle look of Silverado's of this
vintage.
A tale of woe
Nope - this don't have a damned thing to do with woodworking....
----------------------------------------------------
How much is that puppy worth?

Don't really know. 4 WD trucks hold their value owing to the winters around
here.


What does a replacement vehicle cost?

More than I've wanted to pay for a long time now. The truck has been paid
for for a long time and I never wanted to spend the money or incur a loan
for a truck just to plow snow and make dump runs. Up until now it has not
been all that bad patching it together as it needed. At this point, it's a
whole different thing. I'm debating the merits of buying a rolling chassis
and moving everything over, and of just replacing the truck with a newer
model. This fix was just something to get the truck through the winter and
then I'd worry about replacing it in the spring.



What does it cost to contract out snowplowing your place for a season?

It's not so much the cost as it is the way I plow. I have a long drive way
(350 feet), with a large parking area, and I plow way back into the woods
and lawn areas to allow for a full winter snowfall. It would be almost
impossible to get someone to plow the way I do all season long. I even plow
along the back of the garage to where my fuel fill is located so the
delivery guy does not have to trudge through the snow to get to my fill.

In the end - I may contract out plowing, but I never had to worry about it
over the past 30 years because I've always had a reliable truck of my own.

--

-Mike-

On 8/31/2013 12:48 AM, Lew Hodgett wrote:
"Mike Marlow" wrote:

So - I've been doing some work on my truck to get it ready for
plowing this winter. It's a '94 Silverado that only plows snow and
makes dump runs these days, with an occasional trip to Home Depot.
The frame rails have been rotting through and the truck has taken on
that characteristic bent-in-the-middle look of Silverado's of this
vintage.
A tale of woe
Nope - this don't have a damned thing to do with woodworking....
----------------------------------------------------
How much is that puppy worth?

What does a replacement vehicle cost?

What does it cost to contract out snowplowing your place for a season?

Lew


I don't know exactly what the medical cost were, but about a year ago
when I had my table saw accident, seven stitches cost me nearly $3000.
Which would have been a good down payment on a newer truck.

Keith Nuttle wrote:

I don't know exactly what the medical cost were, but about a year ago
when I had my table saw accident, seven stitches cost me nearly $3000.
Which would have been a good down payment on a newer truck.

Yeah - it's always easy to see that in hindsight - or... that's when we look
at these things. Though this was a nastier job than most, it was still just
a repair. Kinda ugly - but just a repair. Hardly seemed worth thinking
much about. All Siverados break in the middle when they get to this age and
you kind of just know you're going to have to fix it or replace it. And
then...

But in reality, that kind of an accident can happen while doing just about
anything.

--

-Mike-

On 8/30/2013 8:26 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:


On to the driver's side today. Smoking a cigarette and drinking a cup of
coffee in my bathrobe this morning, I was happy to see that the driver's
side was in better shape than the passenger's side was. Not much better,
but enough so to halve the amount of work I'd have to do. Man - it really
feels like a scene out of a John Belushi movie to stand in your garage in
your bathrobe, smoking a cigarette and drinking a cup of coffee. Oh what
the hell - step out on the front lawn, take a pee, and back into the garage
to plan the day's work.

Gotta say, yer a class act Mike. Better days with the thumb. I trust
your shots are up to date. :-)
mahalo,
jo4hn

On 8/30/2013 11:58 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:
Lee Michaels wrote:
"Mike Marlow" wrote in message
...
So - I've been doing some work on my truck to get it ready for
plowing this winter. It's a '94 Silverado that only plows snow and
makes dump runs these days, with an occasional trip to Home Depot. The
frame rails have been rotting through and the truck has taken on
that characteristic bent-in-the-middle look of Silverado's of this
vintage.
snip
Nope - this don't have a damned thing to do with woodworking....


As a metal worker/welder/etc, I can relate. I NEVER use a hand
grinder without heavy gloves (and a face mask). And I will use a
smaller grinder with a coarse wheel over a big grinder with a finer
disc. Control is everything. And I take my time grinding off what
is needed. I can relate.
And unlike many people I have observed, I am very conscious of where
the debris/sparks are flying. Sometimes some flying sparks can
create some real problems. I also keep water/sand buckets (and/or
fire extinguisher) handy. I am also a big fan of wire brushes
(knotted) for cleaning surfaces before I grind.

As one of the mentors in my youth said, "Learn from this and never do
it again!"

I downplayed how I really focus on safety with these tools Lee, and your
comments are consistent with my practices. Yet - there I was... despite my
best attempts at being on my game...

This was really a "holy cow" moment for me this morning.

Of course the rest of my day was slowed down because I no longer had full
functionality of both hands. Can't tell you how many times I jammed that
thumb into something underneath that truck! Funny how you notice things
like that after a little shop incident...


And that my friends is why a saw stop makes sense. Because **** does happen.

--
Jeff

On 8/31/2013 12:43 AM, G. Ross wrote:
Mike Marlow wrote:
So - I've been doing some work on my truck to get it ready for plowing
this
winter. It's a '94 Silverado that only plows snow and makes dump runs
these
days, with an occasional trip to Home Depot. The frame rails have been
rotting through and the truck has taken on that characteristic
bent-in-the-middle look of Silverado's of this vintage.

No problem for a crafty guy like me - I takes the box off and set it
on some
sawhorses outside, and park the truck in my car bay in the garage.
Passenger side went fairly well, with the exception of closer inspection
revealing much more extensive rot than I first anticipated, all along the
frame rails. But - some angle iron, some welding, some new hardened
bolts,
some sweat and stink, and that side was shored up enough to at least get
through the winter.

On to the driver's side today. Smoking a cigarette and drinking a cup of
coffee in my bathrobe this morning, I was happy to see that the driver's
side was in better shape than the passenger's side was. Not much better,
but enough so to halve the amount of work I'd have to do. Man - it
really
feels like a scene out of a John Belushi movie to stand in your garage in
your bathrobe, smoking a cigarette and drinking a cup of coffee. Oh what
the hell - step out on the front lawn, take a pee, and back into the
garage
to plan the day's work.

Off I go to get a shower, jump into my dirty shorts and a shirt I didn't
care if it got welding holes burned in it, and I was ready to get this
crappy job done.

I grabs my grinder and stretch out comfortably on my creeper
(hahaha...) and
roll under the truck to start grinding off the rust to get a weld-able
surface. Now... I've never been one to put on gloves when I use my
grinder.
Face shield - yes, Gloves? Hell no. Well... there's some stuff I
have to
navigate around on this side of the truck - brake lines, fuel lines,
electrical wires - that kind of stuff. So, there's a bit of
re-positioning
that takes place in this operation. Twist the grinder this way, that
way,
the other way, and all the while hope you don't get into one of those
previously mentioned items.

Yup- somehow during one of those twists or re-positioning things the
grinder
hit the frame unexpectedly. Now let me tell you - when I use a
grinder, I
have a real man's hold on that tool. I'm not the least bit afraid of a
grinder, but I know very well what they can do. So - no short cuts on my
end - I've got a real man's grip on that tool - right until it winds down
when I shut it off. Except... sometimes - apparently. In the blink
of an
eye - or maybe less... that sucker came flying back in the wrong
direction.
Wrong being defined as the direction in which I was laying in an awkward
position. I've got both hands on this sucker and somehow it found a
way to
twist, and drive itself right into the end of my right thumb. Not along
side of the wheel - straight in as if I were trying to grind a channel
from
the tip of my thumb, right up through my thumbnail - which I did.

Can I tell you that this episode both ****ed me off and kinda ruined my
morning? And of course it required that I confess my stupid stunt of the
day in the same way my peers here do.

I did give it all of the appropriate medical attention. Got a clean
napkin,
rinsed it under some cold water, twisted that napkin on there real tight,
smoked some more cigarettes and paced around my garage like I was
still in
my bathrobe. All of the right stuff.

Sometimes this stuff just jumps out at ya from where you don't even
expect
it. Gloves - you bet. From now on. Just as soon as I can get a
glove on
my right hand.

Nope - this don't have a damned thing to do with woodworking....


Phew! What a relief. I thought you were going to cut through the gas
line. Condolences to your thumb.

Gotta admit, that's where I thought it was leading... all this talk for
a little boo boo... ;-)



--
Jeff

jo4hn wrote:
On 8/30/2013 8:26 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:


On to the driver's side today. Smoking a cigarette and drinking a
cup of coffee in my bathrobe this morning, I was happy to see that
the driver's side was in better shape than the passenger's side was.
Not much better, but enough so to halve the amount of work I'd have
to do. Man - it really feels like a scene out of a John Belushi
movie to stand in your garage in your bathrobe, smoking a cigarette
and drinking a cup of coffee. Oh what the hell - step out on the
front lawn, take a pee, and back into the garage to plan the day's
work.

Gotta say, yer a class act Mike. Better days with the thumb. I trust
your shots are up to date. :-)
mahalo,
jo4hn

You got something against bathrobes? Or is it the coffee that you don't
warm to?

--

-Mike-

woodchucker wrote:

And that my friends is why a saw stop makes sense. Because **** does
happen.

Despite all of your experience, knowledge and care.

--

-Mike-

On Sat, 31 Aug 2013 00:43:58 -0400, "G. Ross"
wrote:

Mike Marlow wrote:

Snip
Sometimes this stuff just jumps out at ya from where you don't even expect
it. Gloves - you bet. From now on. Just as soon as I can get a glove on
my right hand.

Nope - this don't have a damned thing to do with woodworking....


Phew! What a relief. I thought you were going to cut through the gas
line. Condolences to your thumb.

I was thinking it was going to be a different protuberance -- one much
more valuable than a thumb.

Gordon Shumway wrote:
On Sat, 31 Aug 2013 00:43:58 -0400, "G. Ross"
wrote:

Mike Marlow wrote:

Snip
Sometimes this stuff just jumps out at ya from where you don't even
expect it. Gloves - you bet. From now on. Just as soon as I can
get a glove on my right hand.

Nope - this don't have a damned thing to do with woodworking....


Phew! What a relief. I thought you were going to cut through the
gas line. Condolences to your thumb.

I was thinking it was going to be a different protuberance -- one much
more valuable than a thumb.

You don't think I'd publically admit to THAT, do you?


--

-Mike-

"Mike Marlow" wrote in message ...

Gordon Shumway wrote:
On Sat, 31 Aug 2013 00:43:58 -0400, "G. Ross"

I was thinking it was going to be a different protuberance -- one much
more valuable than a thumb.

You don't think I'd publically admit to THAT, do you?

I guess is would depend upon your tendencies towards factitious disorder or
even Munchausen syndrome... ;~)

John
....back from my latest bicycle trip. FL to NY this time!

Lew Hodgett wrote:

What does it cost to contract out snowplowing your place for a
season?
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Mike Marlow" wrote:

It's not so much the cost as it is the way I plow. I have a long
drive way (350 feet), with a large parking area, and I plow way back
into the woods and lawn areas to allow for a full winter snowfall.
It would be almost impossible to get someone to plow the way I do
all season long. I even plow along the back of the garage to where
my fuel fill is located so the delivery guy does not have to trudge
through the snow to get to my fill.

In the end - I may contract out plowing, but I never had to worry
about it over the past 30 years because I've always had a reliable
truck of my own.
---------------------------------------------------------------
I know you're in the up state NY snowbelt so you're probably in the 15
ft/yr area.

Sounds like if you contracted removal at $150/ft you would be ahead of
the game.

Good grief, what's a 2 stage snow blower worth these days, $2K max?

Take a little longer than a plow, but you get some exercise in the
process.

Lew

Lew Hodgett wrote:

---------------------------------------------------------------
I know you're in the up state NY snowbelt so you're probably in the 15
ft/yr area.

Sounds like if you contracted removal at $150/ft you would be ahead of
the game.

Good grief, what's a 2 stage snow blower worth these days, $2K max?

Take a little longer than a plow, but you get some exercise in the
process.


My wife and I were just having this very discussion today. If it were just
snow removal, that would be a pretty easy consideration. But then there's
the other uses of a truck. And... then there's the thought that I've had a
truck for over 30 years, and man... I'm not sure I want to be a guy without
a truck. That's a big part of where we are now - the old girl has owed us
nothing and it served a multitude of purposes very well over the years.
And... I just had to have a truck. Snow. Dump runs. Home Depot. Haul my
garden tractor to the church to mow the lawn. Help people out. Pull people
out of snow banks. All that junk. I built a trailer that will carry 2 tons
of cargo to pull behind it. Hell... I'm invested! I just hafta have a
truck.

So - the saga goes... deliberating what we are going to do in the spring.
This much I can assure you - logic will only be part of the thought process.

--

-Mike-

On Sat, 31 Aug 2013 16:24:12 -0400, "Mike Marlow"
I was thinking it was going to be a different protuberance -- one much
more valuable than a thumb.

You don't think I'd publically admit to THAT, do you?

At *your* age, one has to consider that the thumb might well be the
more valuable protuberance.

Lew Hodgett wrote:

I know you're in the up state NY snowbelt so you're probably in the 15
ft/yr area.

Sounds like if you contracted removal at $150/ft you would be ahead of
the game.

Good grief, what's a 2 stage snow blower worth these days, $2K max?

Take a little longer than a plow, but you get some exercise in the
process.
---------------------------------------------------------------
"Mike Marlow" wrote:

My wife and I were just having this very discussion today. If it
were just
snow removal, that would be a pretty easy consideration. But then
there's
the other uses of a truck. And... then there's the thought that I've
had a
truck for over 30 years, and man... I'm not sure I want to be a guy
without
a truck. That's a big part of where we are now - the old girl has
owed us
nothing and it served a multitude of purposes very well over the
years.
And... I just had to have a truck. Snow. Dump runs. Home Depot.
Haul my
garden tractor to the church to mow the lawn. Help people out. Pull
people
out of snow banks. All that junk. I built a trailer that will carry
2 tons
of cargo to pull behind it. Hell... I'm invested! I just hafta have
a
truck.

So - the saga goes... deliberating what we are going to do in the
spring.
This much I can assure you - logic will only be part of the thought
process.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OK, let's go with the given,
YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE A PICK_EM_UP TRUCK.

The question is what kind?

At one end we have a gas guzzling F150 /w/ 4 wheel drive that you only
really need maybe 5% of the time and gets maybe
15 MPG in the urban traffic areas.

At the other end we have a Toyota "Tonka Toy", 4 cyl, 5 spd manual
tranny that gets about 25 MPG in the urban traffic areas.

Add a flat top cover over the bed and you have space to carry ALL
kinds of things, but you have limited towing capability.
(I added a bumper mounted trailer ball just to have some trailer
hauling capability)

I went the Toyota "Tonka Toy" route in the 1999 model year and never
looked back. Averaged about 30K miles/yr for the first 10 years while
building the boat.

Lots of trips to Home Depot, the fiberglass distributor (300
lbs/roll), the
local shooting ranges to collect spent lead to pour a ballast,
all 20,000 lbs of it.

The list goes on but you get the idea.

Hauled everything I needed to haul and still looked good at night.

After the boat, less than 3K/yr.

I bought it as my LAST vehicle purchase and is proving to be a good
choice.

I expect the useful service life to exceed 300K.

Now have about $125K so have a way to go.

Maintenance has consisted of replacing the battery(s), rubber parts
including hoses,
a cranking motor and a 100K tune-up.

I can't complain.

Being able to function as a tow truck is nice, but very expensive.

Besides, that why people buy towing insurance.

Have fun.

Lew

wrote:
On Sat, 31 Aug 2013 16:24:12 -0400, "Mike Marlow"
I was thinking it was going to be a different protuberance -- one
much more valuable than a thumb.

You don't think I'd publically admit to THAT, do you?

At *your* age, one has to consider that the thumb might well be the
more valuable protuberance.

Hey you....

--

-Mike-

Lew Hodgett wrote:

OK, let's go with the given,
YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE A PICK_EM_UP TRUCK.

The question is what kind?

At one end we have a gas guzzling F150 /w/ 4 wheel drive that you only
really need maybe 5% of the time and gets maybe
15 MPG in the urban traffic areas.

That'd be my Silverado. That's the reason it has been a third vehicle for
the past 10 years or so. It was paid for, so it didn't cost any more than
the cost of insurance and the like to keep it on hand, and to have all of
its capabilities.


At the other end we have a Toyota "Tonka Toy", 4 cyl, 5 spd manual
tranny that gets about 25 MPG in the urban traffic areas.



The list goes on but you get the idea.

Hauled everything I needed to haul and still looked good at night.

That is a consideration that is on the short list right now. I'm not
opposed to a truck like that and I do have a trailer that I built a couple
of years ago, that will carry all I need to carry.




Maintenance has consisted of replacing the battery(s), rubber parts
including hoses,
a cranking motor and a 100K tune-up.


My Silverado has been pretty good to me in terms of maintenance. Normal
brake stuff and the likes, and a tranny. The tranny is a victim of plowing
snow. I had it fully remanufactured by a friend who was a tranny tech, and
paid under $500 total for parts and labor. Other than that - not really
anything substantial up to this point. The frame rot is mostly a rust belt
thing, coupled with the fact that a vehicle that spends most of its time
sitting outside and not being driven, rots out faster than a daily driver.


I would also consider getting a rolling chassis and moving everything over
to it. That all depends on the price of the chassis, since there certainly
would be incidental costs once that process began. I'm undecided if I even
want to screw with that.

But - it's a spring '14 decision either way. Lots of time to think of
things and change my mind several times.

--

-Mike-

Lew Hodgett wrote:

OK, let's go with the given,
YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE A PICK_EM_UP TRUCK.

The question is what kind?

At one end we have a gas guzzling F150 /w/ 4 wheel drive that you
only
really need maybe 5% of the time and gets maybe
15 MPG in the urban traffic areas.
-----------------------------------------------------------


"Mike Marlow" wrote:


That'd be my Silverado. That's the reason it has been a third
vehicle for the past 10 years or so. It was paid for, so it didn't
cost any more than the cost of insurance and the like to keep it on
hand, and to have all of its capabilities.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Lew Hodgett wrote:

At the other end we have a Toyota "Tonka Toy", 4 cyl, 5 spd manual
tranny that gets about 25 MPG in the urban traffic areas.
The list goes on but you get the idea.

Hauled everything I needed to haul and still looked good at night.
------------------------------------------------------------
"Mike Marlow" wrote:

That is a consideration that is on the short list right now. I'm
not opposed to a truck like that and I do have a trailer that I
built a couple of years ago, that will carry all I need to carry.
------------------------------------------------------------
Lew Hodgett wrote:

Maintenance has consisted of replacing the battery(s), rubber parts
including hoses,
a cranking motor and a 100K tune-up.
---------------------------------------------------------
"Mike Marlow" wrote:

My Silverado has been pretty good to me in terms of maintenance.
Normal brake stuff and the likes, and a tranny. The tranny is a
victim of plowing snow. I had it fully remanufactured by a friend
who was a tranny tech, and paid under $500 total for parts and
labor. Other than that - not really anything substantial up to this
point. The frame rot is mostly a rust belt thing, coupled with the
fact that a vehicle that spends most of its time sitting outside and
not being driven, rots out faster than a daily driver.

I would also consider getting a rolling chassis and moving
everything over to it. That all depends on the price of the
chassis, since there certainly would be incidental costs once that
process began. I'm undecided if I even want to screw with that.

But - it's a spring '14 decision either way. Lots of time to think
of things and change my mind several times.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Lew Hodgett wrote:

What you need to do is liquidate, load up a rented U-Haul, strap on a
snow
shovel on the front grill and head to Florida.

When you get far enough into Florida that as you're getting gas, a
passerby comments, "Haven't seen one of those shovels in years",
you know you've gone far enough.

Time to turn in the U-Haul, start negotiations on a golf cart and
learn who
has the best "Early birds"G


Lew

"Lew Hodgett" wrote in news:5222ca79$0$46281
:

Lew Hodgett wrote:

What you need to do is liquidate, load up a rented U-Haul, strap on a
snow
shovel on the front grill and head to Florida.

When you get far enough into Florida that as you're getting gas, a
passerby comments, "Haven't seen one of those shovels in years",
you know you've gone far enough.

Time to turn in the U-Haul, start negotiations on a golf cart and
learn who
has the best "Early birds"G


Lew


We were down by Gulf Shores, AL as a tropical storm blew sand over the
road. Sure looked a lot like snow, but it won't melt away. Looked like
many of the techniques for dealing with it are similar too. Push the
sand away with a blade and cleanup the rest (brush/salt).

The nice thing about snow is if you leave it alone it'll melt in a few
days/weeks/months (depending on where you are.)

It sure is fun to plow, too.

Puckdropper
--
Make it to fit, don't make it fit.

Lew Hodgett wrote:

Lew Hodgett wrote:

What you need to do is liquidate, load up a rented U-Haul, strap on a
snow
shovel on the front grill and head to Florida.

When you get far enough into Florida that as you're getting gas, a
passerby comments, "Haven't seen one of those shovels in years",
you know you've gone far enough.

Time to turn in the U-Haul, start negotiations on a golf cart and
learn who
has the best "Early birds"G


Except that when we talk like that in our household, we use the term
"Carribbean" instead of "Florida"...

--

-Mike-

On 8/31/2013 11:33 AM, Mike Marlow wrote:
jo4hn wrote:
On 8/30/2013 8:26 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:


On to the driver's side today. Smoking a cigarette and drinking a
cup of coffee in my bathrobe this morning, I was happy to see that
the driver's side was in better shape than the passenger's side was.
Not much better, but enough so to halve the amount of work I'd have
to do. Man - it really feels like a scene out of a John Belushi
movie to stand in your garage in your bathrobe, smoking a cigarette
and drinking a cup of coffee. Oh what the hell - step out on the
front lawn, take a pee, and back into the garage to plan the day's
work.

Gotta say, yer a class act Mike. Better days with the thumb. I trust
your shots are up to date. :-)
mahalo,
jo4hn

You got something against bathrobes? Or is it the coffee that you don't
warm to?

Neither. Seriously. But take off the bathrobe before you pee. Also, I
am a John Belushi fan. He turned slobbery into an art form. Think Bluto.
mahalo,
jo4hn

jo4hn wrote:


Neither. Seriously. But take off the bathrobe before you pee. Also, I am
a John Belushi fan. He turned slobbery into an art form. Think Bluto.
mahalo,
jo4hn

There you go - taking this to a serious level. That was not part of the
plan. But - I'm a Belushi fan as well. Well said about turning slobbery
into an art form.

--

-Mike-

G. Ross wrote:
Mike Marlow wrote:
So - I've been doing some work on my truck to get it ready for plowing
this
winter. It's a '94 Silverado that only plows snow and makes dump runs
these
days, with an occasional trip to Home Depot. The frame rails have been
rotting through and the truck has taken on that characteristic
bent-in-the-middle look of Silverado's of this vintage.

No problem for a crafty guy like me - I takes the box off and set it
on some
sawhorses outside, and park the truck in my car bay in the garage.
Passenger side went fairly well, with the exception of closer inspection
revealing much more extensive rot than I first anticipated, all along the
frame rails. But - some angle iron, some welding, some new hardened
bolts,
some sweat and stink, and that side was shored up enough to at least get
through the winter.

On to the driver's side today. Smoking a cigarette and drinking a cup of
coffee in my bathrobe this morning, I was happy to see that the driver's
side was in better shape than the passenger's side was. Not much better,
but enough so to halve the amount of work I'd have to do. Man - it
really
feels like a scene out of a John Belushi movie to stand in your garage in
your bathrobe, smoking a cigarette and drinking a cup of coffee. Oh what
the hell - step out on the front lawn, take a pee, and back into the
garage
to plan the day's work.

Off I go to get a shower, jump into my dirty shorts and a shirt I didn't
care if it got welding holes burned in it, and I was ready to get this
crappy job done.

I grabs my grinder and stretch out comfortably on my creeper
(hahaha...) and
roll under the truck to start grinding off the rust to get a weld-able
surface. Now... I've never been one to put on gloves when I use my
grinder.
Face shield - yes, Gloves? Hell no. Well... there's some stuff I
have to
navigate around on this side of the truck - brake lines, fuel lines,
electrical wires - that kind of stuff. So, there's a bit of
re-positioning
that takes place in this operation. Twist the grinder this way, that
way,
the other way, and all the while hope you don't get into one of those
previously mentioned items.

Yup- somehow during one of those twists or re-positioning things the
grinder
hit the frame unexpectedly. Now let me tell you - when I use a
grinder, I
have a real man's hold on that tool. I'm not the least bit afraid of a
grinder, but I know very well what they can do. So - no short cuts on my
end - I've got a real man's grip on that tool - right until it winds down
when I shut it off. Except... sometimes - apparently. In the blink
of an
eye - or maybe less... that sucker came flying back in the wrong
direction.
Wrong being defined as the direction in which I was laying in an awkward
position. I've got both hands on this sucker and somehow it found a
way to
twist, and drive itself right into the end of my right thumb. Not along
side of the wheel - straight in as if I were trying to grind a channel
from
the tip of my thumb, right up through my thumbnail - which I did.

Can I tell you that this episode both ****ed me off and kinda ruined my
morning? And of course it required that I confess my stupid stunt of the
day in the same way my peers here do.

I did give it all of the appropriate medical attention. Got a clean
napkin,
rinsed it under some cold water, twisted that napkin on there real tight,
smoked some more cigarettes and paced around my garage like I was
still in
my bathrobe. All of the right stuff.

Sometimes this stuff just jumps out at ya from where you don't even
expect
it. Gloves - you bet. From now on. Just as soon as I can get a
glove on
my right hand.

Nope - this don't have a damned thing to do with woodworking....


Phew! What a relief. I thought you were going to cut through the gas
line. Condolences to your thumb.



Well, we wouldn't have heard this story if he did, unless you subscribe
to his local newspaper.

--
Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeros after @

"Mike Marlow" wrote:

Except that when we talk like that in our household, we use the term
"Carribbean" instead of "Florida"...
--------------------------------------------------------
With boat, that works.

Lew

"Puckdropper" wrote:

The nice thing about snow is if you leave it alone it'll melt in a
few
days/weeks/months (depending on where you are.)

It sure is fun to plow, too.
-------------------------------------------------------
All you have to do is look at the crap such as the soot build up from
the coal fired utility across town or the road slush after a few hours
that turns that white snow an ugly gray.

I suppose if you like to freeze your rear end off, being around the
stuff
might be ok.

Me, if I want to see snow, all I do is step outside into 75F
surroundings,
look north to see the snow covered mountain tops starting at about
5,000 ft some 20-30 miles away.

BTW, no bugs either.

Time to head to the beach where anything below 60F is not considered
fit for human habitation.

Lew

On 8/31/2013 11:27 AM, woodchucker wrote:
On 8/30/2013 11:58 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:
Lee Michaels wrote:
"Mike Marlow" wrote in message
...
So - I've been doing some work on my truck to get it ready for
plowing this winter. It's a '94 Silverado that only plows snow and
makes dump runs these days, with an occasional trip to Home Depot. The
frame rails have been rotting through and the truck has taken on
that characteristic bent-in-the-middle look of Silverado's of this
vintage.
snip
Nope - this don't have a damned thing to do with woodworking....


As a metal worker/welder/etc, I can relate. I NEVER use a hand
grinder without heavy gloves (and a face mask). And I will use a
smaller grinder with a coarse wheel over a big grinder with a finer
disc. Control is everything. And I take my time grinding off what
is needed. I can relate.
And unlike many people I have observed, I am very conscious of where
the debris/sparks are flying. Sometimes some flying sparks can
create some real problems. I also keep water/sand buckets (and/or
fire extinguisher) handy. I am also a big fan of wire brushes
(knotted) for cleaning surfaces before I grind.

As one of the mentors in my youth said, "Learn from this and never do
it again!"

I downplayed how I really focus on safety with these tools Lee, and your
comments are consistent with my practices. Yet - there I was...
despite my
best attempts at being on my game...

This was really a "holy cow" moment for me this morning.

Of course the rest of my day was slowed down because I no longer had full
functionality of both hands. Can't tell you how many times I jammed that
thumb into something underneath that truck! Funny how you notice things
like that after a little shop incident...


And that my friends is why a saw stop makes sense. Because **** does
happen.


but how is mike going to get a sawstop under his truck? does he need the
extended rail set too?