When It Rains It Pours...

 
mason coal burner
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Post by mason coal burner » Sun. Aug. 21, 2011 1:46 pm

i have a piece of good news . me and my son just found the key to my 4 wheeler that has been missing for a year .

 
samhill
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Post by samhill » Sun. Aug. 21, 2011 2:12 pm

Lets face it Dan, I hope your right but when you consider how many decades the country has been going down hill & deeper in debt I highly doubt anyone that says they can fix things in a short period of time. Even more so anyone that says they will bring $2/gal gas back, unless she is failing to mention that the Gov. is gonna pick up the rest of the cost. And all this without ever raising a tax on anyone, I think I'm gonna buy some metal britches just to protect my butt.

 
mason coal burner
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Post by mason coal burner » Sun. Aug. 21, 2011 2:30 pm

an easy start is lower taxes and deregulate . flat tax for everyone so everyone is on a level playing field . so no matter how many accountants you hire you still pay the same as everyone else . not zero tax like GE on about 14 billion $ profit .

 
BillMarti
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Post by BillMarti » Sun. Aug. 21, 2011 4:09 pm

Well here it goes my boss has been adamant that I come in 1 Saturday and replace some bad pipe fittings on the main feed water pipes in the fire system heater room. So thinking this a easy job I put a pipe wrench on the 1 1/2 pipe reducer and weeeeeeeee I fall off the ladder 3 times I decide this just ain't gonna work. Now I have to rely on my past EFM boiler experience on getting 30 year old pipe reducers out by cutting a couple of slots in the fittings. I get to just where I think is deep enough and the saws all gets jammed in the fitting because the fitting collapsed on the blade OH CRAP now what am I going to do? The blade is about 3/4 out of the fitting and just bends when I pull the trigger on the saws all so I start to rock the blade back and forth and wala it come out. So now I start cutting the next slot and all this time the gears are going around in my head " if the fitting collapsed on the blade then the fitting should come out " so I grab the pipe wrench and sure enough the fitting spins right out. I finish installing the new brass fitting and finish that part of the job now onto the second. I now have anther fairly simple job replace a leaky rusted gate valve with a new 1/4 turn brass valve. I take the valve and a 1 turn loop line off and remember that I forgot the new valve back in the shop so off I g back to the shop. On the way I drop the gauge and discover when I get to the shop there's no lens in the gauge so I go hunting through the gauge I had save when I replaced the ones on the main sprinkler pipes in the past and reuse the one in best shape. I install the valve and gauge and turn the water back on and wouldn't you know no pressure on the gauge. Soooooooo I drain the water pressure again and found that the nipple was blocked at the 6" main so I cleared the blockage and pressurized the system again all is gooooood and 3 hours of grumbling :oops: . Through all of this I found out getting old is no fun. On the bright side I went to harborfreight to purchase their 30" shear,press brake and slip roll for $399.00 -20% plus tax = $340.00. So I go around back to pick it up because they need a fork lift to load it in my truck as I walk into the building the manager want to know if I want a better deal because he has a returned one that's "never been used" so I said how much off and he said $100.00. So I tried not to look all excited and said well I already paid for this one and he said lets go up front and get this takin' care of so when all was said and done I paid $240.00 for a $480.00 item.

Moral of the story always look for the silver lining in that dark cloud! :roll:
'


 
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LsFarm
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Post by LsFarm » Sun. Aug. 21, 2011 8:31 pm

I'm afraid of heights. That is, I don't like the idea of falling out of trees, off of ladders, or off of roofs. Being high above the ground doesn't bother me, just if I'm in not-so-secure surroundings.

So, about 4-5 weeks ago, on a monday, we had a very strong thunderstorm come through. It lifted some shingles off the garage, it removed a piece of aluminum trim from the soffit of the new section of house. I crawled out the second story window onto the porch roof, then up on the steep roof, leaned over the edge, with me on my belly on the shingles, and slid the aluminum trim back over the facia board, and put a few new screws in place of the little aluminum nails that failed the 80mph wind test..
so this repair went well. as I walked back on the porch roof to access the window, I notice a big piece of steel barn-roofing all crumpled up in the front yard. Now where the H*ll did that come from??

Around on the west side of the big haybarn is a 25' wide 'lean-to' roof over several farm vehicles and a motorhome. The end piece of steel roofing was missing, and the corners of many others lifted and bent from the wind.. the missing piece had pulled 20 screws out of the 1x10 roof planking, the fasteners were still in the piece of steel. the wind had lifted the steel another 20' over the roof of the barn and another 200' to the front yard.. I dragged the steel off the lawn and propped it against the side of the barn..

Last saturday, a week+ ago, I got tired of looking at the crumpled piece of steel, so I dug out the extension ladder, set it against the lean-to roof, stomped on the bottom rung of the ladder, setting the feet in the turf. Up onto the roof with extra roofing screws and a cordless screwdriver. I straightened, stomped, and screwed down the loose corners of the roofing sheets.

Down the ladder, I drag the crumpled piece of steel around the back of the barn, I straighten, stomp on, hammer and bend it to a semi-presentable conditon. I move the ladder, over-extend it, and use it as a ramp to push the piece of steel up onto the the roof, I can't push it all the way up on the roof, because the low angle of the extension ladder makes it pretty rubbery. But I push the piece of steel up and over the balance point, it waves a bit in the breeze, but it's there.
I shorten the ladder, move it back to the first location, stomp on the bottom rung to set the ladder's feet, and up the ladder I go, I reach the eave of the roof, put my foot on the edge of the roof, with my weight off the ladder, the feet slip back on the turf, and the ladder disappears under my other foot..

Well I did a back-first swan dive, landed on my back. I measured it later, it is 10.5' from eave to ground.

Somehow I landed perfectly, butt first, then back, shoulders and head. Onto turf. Thankfully we'd had a lot of rain over the last few weeks so the ground wasn't rock hard. I landed on two pieces of aluminum rain gutter, smashed them flat, one bit my left elbow, drew a little blood, nothing terrible. The foot of the ladder whacked my above my ear, leaving a lump. My glasses flew off, and were 5' behind me.

When I was lying on my back, assessing my body to see if I could/should move I looked up to see the sheet of steel teter-tottering on the edge of the roof, It was a potential guilotine just above me. So I rolled over on my knees and hands and scrambled away from the dent in the ground. I stayed on all-fours for several minutes,turning, stretching, twisting, trying to find what was broken/strained/torn or whatever.. I'm sure I looked like a dog trying to puke.

But, the end result was I had a slightly sore neck.. By now, I'm just pissed. So I tossed the ladder back against the roof, and kicked two divots out of the turf, and planted the ladder about 5" into the ground, climbed up on the roof, screwed down the sheet of roofing and got off the roof.

I had a severe case of the shakes. like I was plugged into the wall, I'm sure my body gave me a big shot of adrenaline when I fell, and it was wearing off. I went in the house, took an Aleve and sat down in the recliner, and woke up two hours later. A bit stiff, but overall, fine.

The only damage other than to my self-esteem, and my ego is a mild 'neck-whiplash'. I have a slightly stiff neck ocassionally.

I'm just damned lucky. I could be dead or wheelchair bound for life.

So, I've reaffirmed my dislike of ladders, roofs and trees. :lol:

Greg L.

 
BillMarti
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Post by BillMarti » Sun. Aug. 21, 2011 8:56 pm

Well Greg,

I don't like heights mainly because I have vertigo I have good days and bad days but I don't fear heights I just have the balance problem so the problem is if I'm on a roof and I look over most likely I'll fall over it.

BTW you lucky dog :roll: I'm glad to hear our OK

 
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CoalHeat
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Post by CoalHeat » Sun. Aug. 21, 2011 10:10 pm

Quite a story, Greg.
I had a near miss on the old barn roof about 15 years ago, almost fell off, 2 1/2 stories. I can go up on the house roof with no problem, the barn has been a problem since the almost fall. When it was time for a new roof I had my contractor buddy do it.

 
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Rob R.
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Post by Rob R. » Mon. Aug. 22, 2011 6:04 am

I'm just damned lucky. I could be dead or wheelchair bound for life.
It only takes a second to get hurt. I bet you had a fresh perspective once you realized you weren't paralyzed or otherwise hurt.


 
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Richard S.
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Post by Richard S. » Mon. Aug. 22, 2011 6:33 am

LsFarm wrote:I'm afraid of heights. That is, I don't like the idea of falling out of trees, off of ladders, or off of roofs. Being high above the ground doesn't bother me, just if I'm in not-so-secure surroundings.
I certainly hope so or you certainly chose the wrong career:
Tower : Tower to Capt. LsFarm please climb to 16,000 ft.

LsFarm: Kiss my white ass, you have any idea how high that is!
I use to walk around on the top of the coal when the truck was all the way up in the air, even near the edges. Usually I wouldn't even think about it but occasionally the thought would cross my mind I'm 20 feet off the ground, and I'd get a little nervous. Better off being confident, if you laid a 2*4 flat on the ground sideways I could walk back and forth on that thing all day. If it were 20 feet in the air I'd never make it.

-------------

I have a ladder story for you.
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The roof on the very top of the house is flat, about 15*15. The fireman had cut a hole in it and there was a big snowstorm coming. Water didn't matter at that point much but the snow would have made a mess because we still didn't get a chance to look through attic and a lot of the drywall on the second floor ceiling on my brothers side was down. I decided to get a tarp across it. My brother and myself first climbed up the ladder onto the porch, then we used the ladder to climb from the porch up to the top roof in the center, it's only a five foot height but the ladder feet on the porch roof which is pitched slightly and of course shingled . Then we shimmied up valley and the peak to the top of the roof.

As we were coming down my Brother was on the ladder coming off the top roof onto the porch roof and the ladder started sliding backwards. Probably would have been like riding a sleigh right off the end of the porch roof. He shot his arm through the ladder rungs as was able to grab the gutter. Lucky he's like Popeye because it probably would have broke most peoples arms when the ladder hit it. He was able to hold on long enough for me to get down to give him a hand. I jumped from the top roof to porch roof and helped him get off.

 
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LsFarm
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Post by LsFarm » Mon. Aug. 22, 2011 8:45 am

:lol: :lol: :)

Richard: I may try that radio responce some day, probably on my last day, before I retire !!

:lol:

I've never fallen out of or off of an airplane, but I've been off the edge of a roof twice, off ladders several times and out of a tree once.. I think I'll stick
to flying. :-)

Greg L.

 
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Post by Dann757 » Mon. Aug. 22, 2011 10:53 am

Ladder stories! Heights stories! I got a million of 'em. I'll be here all week, folks, try the veal and don't forget to tip your waitress.

Glad you're OK Greg. Guardian angels proven real...

I was fixing a front porch in Phillipsburg one day, my tool belt on full of nails, hammer, square, etc. This front porch had a steep sloping lawn in front of it. I was backing up, looking up at something, and I backed right off the porch. I did a back flip backwards somersault and landed on my feet! Nothing spilled... a guy up the street saw it, I remember him to this day saying, "Are you OK?"

Another time my house painting partner went straight up a 16' extension ladder, that was propped against the gable roof of a small, back stoop that led to a back door. He had a work pot with paint in one hand and a 4" brush in the other. This was first thing in the morning, we were both full of coffee and rarin' to go.
As soon as he got to the top of the ladder it started kicking, it was walking! I saw this whole sequence. He instantly turned around, shot his arms straight out like a Wallenda, and tried to walk down the ladder like a set of stairs! He ended up on his back, and didn't spill a drop of paint. This struck us both as so funny. I fell on the ground laughing.

The pic story is from the time I launched an Estes camera rocket. I lived on 8 acres up the street, 1993. Those rockets used small snapshot rolls of film and a string would trip the shutter at the rockets top height just as the parachute deploys. Well, the wind took the rocket into a treetop, and I stubbornly refused to lose my pic. I found the tree and extended my ladder all the way and took my little Homelite chainsaw up the ladder with me. I tied the ladder top rung to the trunk, and the rocket was hung up on a limb. The limb was maybe 4" at the trunk and 12'. Well, I sawed right through the limb, and it quickly took its own direction right at me! I got out of its way and it bashed the rungs of the ladder on its way down as you see. It was heavy! Young and dumb!!! I still use the one section around the place here lol.

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I'm On Fire
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Post by I'm On Fire » Mon. Aug. 22, 2011 11:29 am

Heh, I can relate. I've been having a rough month that started July 20th. The "issue"; that is completely unrelated to my other "issue", is still not resolved.

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