In the Shop

• Profanity Optional
  How to deal with broken bolts (3/14/2009)

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• Diagnostic Tricks
  An electrical system that works at start-up but kicks out after the machine has run for a while hints of a faulty relay or weak circuit breaker (11/4/2008)

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• In the Shop: A Guide to the Wife's Vehicle
  You work on $100,000 combines and tractors without fear, but opening the hood of your wife's SUV causes you to break out in a cold sweat. What should a mechanically inclined farmer be able to do on modern vehicles?

  (7/8/2008)

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• In The Shop: Should Have Known Better
  I learn from my mistakes—most of the time. (3/14/2008)

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• In The Shop: The Right Tools, The Right Diagnosis
  There are two techniques for diagnosing problems in farm equipment. (2/15/2008)

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• In The Shop: Fast and Dirty Welding
  The times and places you need good welds are often the times and places it's difficult to create good welds. When equipment breaks in the field, it's time for fast and dirty welding.

  (1/11/2008)

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• In The Shop: Electrical Troubleshooting
  Diagnosing electrical problems on farm equipment can be as simple as replacing a burned-out bulb or as complicated as identifying a faulty computer module. In either case, the cause is the same: an interruption in the flow of electricity.

  (12/11/2007)

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• In The Shop: Good, Better, Most Expensive
  Is a ¾" wrench that retails for $30 from a top-of-the-line tool manufacturer better than a ¾" wrench in the $5 bargain bin at the hardware store? Maybe.

  (11/20/2007)

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• In The Shop: Fastener Facts
  Bolts, nuts, screws and washers are simple in design yet perplexing when it comes to proper usage. More than likely you've wondered... (3/17/2007)

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• In The Shop: Which Tools and Why?
  What is it about the tool department of the local hardware store that slows down time? What should have been a quick five-minute trip to pick up a hammer, wrench or socket becomes a half-hour spent deciding which one to take home. (2/16/2007)

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• In The Shop: What’s In Your Toolbox?
  When we visit a neighbor's farm shop, we like to scope out their tools—it's fun to compare what we own to what we'd like to have. Here's a list of tools frequently found in farm shops, pickups and sliding around on the floors of tractor cabs. (2/2/2007)

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• In The Shop: Field-Worthy Tools
  Machinery breakdowns rarely happen in the farmyard, so every farmer needs a contingency plan for repairing equipment in the field. (1/12/2007)

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• In The Shop: Dream Tools Come True
  Every year family members ask what do you want for Christmas, and every year you give them a list of reasonably priced practical tools to add to your toolbox. (12/8/2006)

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• In The Shop: Can You Do It Yourself?
  There are many equipment repairs that farmers are qualified to make, and there are just as many repairs that farmers are tempted to tackle but shouldn't. (9/1/2006)

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• In the Shop: Twice-a-year tools
  Ever hear of a ratchet-head half-moon wrench? A battery terminal clamp puller? How about a thread-restoring file? (7/29/2006)

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• In The Shop: Defining “Worn Out”
  How do you determine if a V-belt, roller chain, bearing, shaft or other mechanical component on a piece of farm equipment is worn out? Once it breaks, the question is moot. (3/19/2006)

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• In The Shop: The Art of Welding
  Welding frustrates many of us. We enjoy the challenge but are never satisfied with the results. There's too much spatter, too many voids or the finished welds don't look right. (2/21/2006)

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• In The Shop: High-Tech Terminology
  Your mechanic says you need a new relay to power up the driver in the processor that controls the solenoids for your three-point lift system. What the heck is he talking about? (1/30/2006)

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• In The Shop: Bench-Top Buffet
  Workbenches in farm shops accumulate an array of squeeze tubes and aerosol cans that promise to cure all our sealing, gluing, lubricating and rust-busting problems. Most of the products perform as promised if they are used appropriately. (1/17/2006)

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• In The Shop: When the Weather is Frightful
  Winter is a great time to cuddle up to a space heater and take a seat at the workbench. It's kind of cozy listening to the radio and fixing spray pumps or doing maintenance on planter metering units while the north wind blasts fiercely cold precipitation against the walls of the shop. (12/28/2005)

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