All About Pocket Knives

Today I found myself in a tenuous situation where the the only two alternatives were to buy a new unit and install at a cost of about $300 or jump on something that I really don't know much about and try to repair it. The unit is a power inverter which I must have in my travels to provide ac current for computer, printer , scanner,copier and microwave not to mention my coffee pot. As I opened up the cover of the beast I was expecting several springs to come flying out of there but to my amazement I see a loose grounding post. Well needless to say I tightened that baby up now I've got electricity and $300 for a new knife!

Congratulations Greg. You are now a certified "fixniction".

Well played Mr. Smith...….well played.

Well thanks fellas! I only celebrate this because in general my repair attempts wind up creating several bags of trash.

You and me both brother! In general, putting a tool in my hands to fix an item is the first step in purchasing a brand new item from Amazon. I am REALLY, REALLY good at disassembling things. Finding and fixing is not so good, and putting it all back together without breaking something else is a very low probability bet.

Further proof that in reality all problems, including electrical problems, are in fact mechanical problems. (saith the mechanical engineer)
Nice job Sir.

Enjoy that new knife ( or knives) !!

Bob

I have found that although most 'items' are complex, when they stop working the reason is most often something minor and easily fixed. Greg gives a good example of this. I bet you (Greg) feel pretty good about deciding to tackle this mal-functioning inverter and then fixing the problem
kj

Well done Greg not only for the outcome but for the attempt. We often underestimate our abilities and take the easy way out. I'm proud of you too, well done Mr. Smith

royal0014 wrote:There are 3 basic rules when troubleshooting D.C. 12/24v accessories. ...
1. check the ground
2. check the ground
and lastly
3. check the ground

This is especially true when the boat trailer lights do funky things.

John

No better feeling than to fix something you felt you would need to go out and buy new!

Snuffy yu dood good.

I'm impressed. No duct tape, bailing wire, or bubble gum! A rare repair indeed.

Ken

God made mechanics because engineers need heros, too...just saying.

Mumbleypeg wrote:I'm impressed. No duct tape, bailing wire, or bubble gum! A rare repair indeed.

Ken

Those and zip ties. I don’t know how I ever farmed before zip ties.

Good job Greg!

Colonel26 wrote:

Mumbleypeg wrote:I'm impressed. No duct tape, bailing wire, or bubble gum! A rare repair indeed.

Ken

Those and zip ties. I don’t know how I ever farmed before zip ties.

Good job Greg!

Zip ties have replaced baling wire for most applications this day and age.

peanut740 wrote:

Colonel26 wrote:

Mumbleypeg wrote:I'm impressed. No duct tape, bailing wire, or bubble gum! A rare repair indeed.

Ken

Those and zip ties. I don’t know how I ever farmed before zip ties.

Good job Greg!

Zip ties have replaced baling wire for most applications this day and age.

I'm fortunate to have a near-hundred year old barn on my place and in it is a 55 gallon drum full of used baling wire - probably a lifetime supply. The guy (now deceased) we bought the place from in 1975 was born on it in 1913 (the house he was born in was no longer standing when we bought it, but the Bois d'Arc posts the house sat on were still there.). He said his dad and neighbors built the barn in 1920. When he fed hay from the loft he threw the wire from the bales into the barrel. For years I followed suit, until we started round baling and stopped storing square bales in the loft. Now we don't even feed in the barn!

But I still use wire from the barrel - I seldom use zip ties.

Ken

I grew-up on bailing wire - we always had a huge pile of wire that had been cut-off the hay bales we fed to the livestock or the straw bales we used for bedding. I never saw a zip tie until I got to college!

We used twine tied bales and not wire.Twine was much easier on the hands.We did get used baling wire from a neighbor for repairs.

Baling wire is more versatile than zip ties.

I would have never been able to fix the carburetor/gas linkage with a zip tie on my 1970 Ford Torino GT.

Nor can you start a fire using a car battery with a zip tie.

Just saying, newer is not always better.

I’ve never seen hay bales tied with wire. In my lifetime it’s always been “grass string” here. Of course, everybody has a ton of grass string hanging in the barn and we tie up most everything with grass string.

I do keep an old roll of electric fence wire around to use for ties. If that counts! Lol

You Yonkers probably never fed a old stationary hay baler with a pitchfork either but I have. It warn't fun.