Shaker arm "linkage" Q for Mark III owners

That 'new-used' Mark III came with some coal right??? are you going to fire it up for a 'test run' tonight??

Greg L

No, need a couple pieces if pipe before I can do that, but I plan to next week. And yes it came with a ton of coal.

BK

The Mark III weighs in at 530 LBS, I would imagine it's fairly heavy even with the add-ons removed. Looking forward to the reports once you get it burning.
How's the Yuengling?

titleist1 wrote:Harmon then said to have the customer arrange for a welder to come out and fix it and they will pay for the house call.

In my opinion the proper procedure would be to ask Harmon what welding rod, welding method (stick, MIG or TIG) and pre or post welding heat treating needed. Ideally you want it writing. Remember you are going to be paid only once under warranty. You want it done right. No matter how good the welder is, he/she is not a metallurgist and is only making an educated guess on a suitable welding technique. Clearly the manufacturer is having problems, it's questionable the long term reliability of your fix. If the repair was made according the the manufacturers specs by a certified welder you might be able to get it fixed again on their nickel if needed. All of this will be a PIA and expensive.

greedy unions????without we would be working for peanuts,I am sure your children will find out.
how much do the ceo,s make ?? golden parachutes?Yeah,it is ALL the workers fault.
Them boys at GM are doing JUST what mangament told them to do.
Some good welders are metalugist almost,they know stuff.I trust a good one
A buddy with a welder does not always equal a welder.
Probably the best welder would be a union welder,best I have seen anyway,it was called skilled trade,now you want to call them a team member,like at walmart.well good for you.and nobody else.
Cheers
GW

greg white wrote:greedy unions????without we would be working for peanuts.

True, decades ago you could say that, they did have their place in history. But now, as Greg says they are "greedy" and only really help the lazy, sorry but that's what I've seen. I know guys who sit all day because they needed a extension cord, ah but you need a Union Electrican to get one and plug it in for you....yes you heard me, happens all the time down at the shipyard.
Interestingly, almost every major union supports Democractic/Socialist candidates.

Oh and before you throw stones at CEO's ( to easy) try looking at your own Crime Boss...errr Union Bosses and the Ching-Ching they collect.

greg white wrote:Yeah,it is ALL the workers fault.
Them boys at GM are doing JUST what mangament told them to do.
GW

I never said it was the worker's fault. If you need a job and the field you are qualified in happens to be controlled by a union then you have to become a union employee. They you do what the union says to do. The company didn't tell the workers to go on strike, the union did.
One of my friends is a union electrician. approx. 40 to 50% of the time he is out of work, collecting unemployment. He refuses to go out and work in a non-union setting because the IBEW forbids it. So he sits around bemoaning his lack of money and waiting for the union hall to call him with a job.
I'm sorry, that's not for me. I need a steady paycheck, benefits, and a 401K, all of which I have been able to find without the help of the unions.
BTW, I did work in a union shop at one time, I wasn't impressed.
I really don't feel all the major employees would be wringing their hands with glee if the unions disappeared, they would realize that they can finally become competitive with other manufacturers and the rate of production in America would increase, less work outsourced overseas where it's done for less.
I've worked in non-union shops which provided the same benefits for the employees so there was no need for a union, the employees didn't want it, why add the union dues deduction to their paychecks when there was no need?

"the Company is your friend"that is what Henery Ford told the boys,Eh?
The only reason you make what you make is cause of the unions,you will NEVER convince me other wise friends.
Lazy ,lazy,lazy, bullshirt,where is the boss?
Never mind you guys know,yep.
I am thru.
GW

Sorry, GW, I'm just voicing my opinion, that's all. You have yours and I have mine. Doesn't mean I wouldn't buy you a beer, and sit down and talk about coal and our stoves, we just won't discuss a certain topic, just like the political opinions that raged here as well.

Regarding the lazy boss, I see that in the company I work for as well, the managers that are the corporate ladder climbers that can't give you a straight answer to a simple question. In the business I am in customer service is a priority, but some of these guys are too focused on their department's sales figures and their bonuses. Their goal is moving up to the next management level, not taking care of the customer. All of the salespeople and office employees are disgruntled while the management is oblivious. I stay away from the office as much as possible, it took me 8 months to get a sales report on an account we are slowly loosing to competition. Every time I brought the subject up there was always a story about how we are going to get the business back and meetings were scheduled---blah---blah---blah---going on for 2 1/2 years now.

I think we need to get this thread back on topic before the "boss" gets upset.

I like a lively debate as much as the next guys so here goes:

I have worked both union and non union shops, heck we at Boeing even have a union for engineers (SPEA). Non of the statements made in this thread are completely true for all those work situations. IMO they are neither good nor bad, in fact all generalities are untrue including this one.

We have mostly lost the fine tradition of apprenticeship in this country except for some unions. I personally think that the country is getting weaker and weaker for sending our skilled work over seas. You can ask who is at fault? The answer is not simple nor easy to find out since the political funny business by politicians and corporations is very hard to see clearly. I will say that the almighty dollar does determine most of the decisions that are made in that regard, and while we are on that subject why should today be any different. There always will be those who exploit others and make money while riding on their backs. It is a time honored fact about human nature.

So at the risk of stirring up the political discussion, I say unions have their place and do serve a useful function in some cases. Now if we can just find a way to increase skilled labor rather than decrease it in this country we will all be better off for our collective futures. I for one do not want to be subject to an economy based entirely on providing services for our population while sending all our skilled work to other countries.

I raise a toast to anyone who finds a way to be self sufficient and make their own repairs in a safe and fun manner.

And BTW good luck getting any money out of Harman.

"And BTW good luck getting any money out of Harman. "

Matthaus, you were right, they aren't shy about stall tactics when it comes to paying out!!

Called the dealer yesterday since it has been about 3-4 weeks since dropping off the receipt for the welding repair and Harmon hadn't paid yet. They called Harmon and then called back to say it may be another 3-4 weeks before the check is issued. Harmon said they were about 4 weeks behind in payments but didn't give a reason. I'm going to keep on them just for the fun of it.

Can I ask a semi-related question. I was in the Harmon dealer's shop, looking over the Mark II and III. I have a friend probably buying one (and one would be my probable replacement). When I pulled the grate handle, the gap between grates sure opens up a lot. Do you lose burning coal to the pan?

You can, and then you develop a light touch!

You get the feel of it pretty quick on how much to move the shaker arm to get the ash to drop without losing the fire in the ash pan. I have, on the very rare occasion , not been paying attention enough and got the grates jammed. I have learned to leave them alone for a few hours until the offending bits of coal burn more and develop more ash so they crumble easily and I don't dump the fire.

Just thought I would finish the story on this experience, I received the check in the mail on Friday for the weld repair. It came from the dealer. Harmon wouldn't pay out directly to an end customer. They had to credit the dealer and then have the dealer cut me the check. This was after a few more phone calls on my part to both the dealer and Harmon directly (the dealer gave me their #). Hopefully I won't have any more service issues with this stove as Harmon and their dealer were less than quick resolving the issue.