two steps forward, one back (workshop build update)

[Wild Turkey]

Okay, got the trench passed by the electric company, but they won't hook up the power until they get an approval notice from the County Planning and Zoneing folks.

So I call P&Z for an inspection, but then I discover there are two different "final" inspections and one can't be done before the other.


Finally get it straight that P&Z needs to do a building inspection before the electric folks (RECC) will do the electric final and hook up the power.

But that's not the "final" P&Z inspection -- that will come after I get the electricity hooked up and all the doors hung.

But tomorrow both the RECC and the P&Z inspectors will be there so maybe they will work things out. 


Once I get the electricity hooked up then I can weld up the door frame for the service door and can get the final inspection and get the insulation in and the OSB walls up and start moving stuff in.

I would work on it this afternoon but LOML has decided to buy a van (her current one has 102k miles on it and has made a couple of hints that trouble is ahead
) and I have to go along "just in case"
  

And I just got back from the tractor dealer.  Both rear axles broken and some gravel in the hydraulic reservoir.  Somebody dumped a handfull of dirt and rock down the filler tube.  Previous owner had the system cleaned and replaced the fluid but either they missed something or there's been a second incident.  

But I've got to find $2k to get it out of hock and start digging my basement before the time runs out on the permit. 

I'm fast learning why many "contractors" are somewhat crazy

[daddo]

102k is just broke in. You should double those miles.  What brand gives trouble at 100k miles?

Yeah- that's the one that caught my eye.

[Wild Turkey]

It's a 2011 Grand Caravan, the sixth one we've owned.  All have gone well past 100K (except one) with few problems.  We kept the 2006 one because it was worth more as an extra vehicle than they offered as trade-in.  It's currently at 209K miles and going strong.

There's two problems that make me ready to trade.  At 98K miles we had the plugs replaced when the "check engine" light came on intermittently and found out there's been enough trouble with the engine that there's a special extended warranty on it.  There's also an occasional "thunk" from the front suspension that makes me very suspicious that something's gonna break but we can't isolate it.  

The frosting on the cake for LOML is the dealer is offering some discounts that may mean she could have a new van at a lower payment than we're paying on the 2011


Update: two-hour drive to the dealership and brought the old van home. They (it's HER van) ended up about $2K apart which put the payments over her self-imposed limit. Now we'll drive it 'til it dies.

[fredhargis]

When this shop gets finished and all you have of this is the bad memories, it will seem worth it. But man, those zoning folks down there must see themselves as Kings of all things. Just know I am sympathizing with you (can't do much else).

[Mr_Mike]

And I just got back from the tractor dealer.  Both rear axles broken and some gravel in the hydraulic reservoir.  Somebody dumped a handfull of dirt and rock down the filler tube.  Previous owner had the system cleaned and replaced the fluid but either they missed something or there's been a second incident.  

But I've got to find $2k to get it out of hock and start digging my basement before the time runs out on the permit. 

Building issues seem "situation normal". Hopefully it will resolve when the inspectors show up.

Tractor: Glad to see it wasn't your usage. Sucks, but the price doesn't seem too bad considering the damage. So, the previous owner informed you about the gravel prior to sale? Not that I would have done anything different if he said he had it cleaned. Not sure how that affects the axles though. Diff is a good possibility since the oil fill is above the diff. I'd make sure its checked.

[Wild Turkey]

Update: Inspector had a small gripe about needing a 2x8 header above the windows instead of the 2x4 framing crew put in but all I have to do is send in some pictures once I get them in and all is well.

Electrical inspector will be out Monday, hope it goes as smoothly.

[fredhargis]

fingers crossed.....

[Stwood_]

And I just got back from the tractor dealer.  Both rear axles broken

Well that's an unusual breakdown.

[EricU]

I looked in your other threads and didn't find the tractor story.  How did two axles get broken?

[Wild Turkey]

I looked in your other threads and didn't find the tractor story.  How did two axles get broken?

Bought a 10-year-old Kubota M5700 (with 680 hours on it!) from a friend.  It made a noise when you used the individual brakes.  I used the 3-point backhoe to dig the trench for my power line and (since the trench had a post on one end and a building at the other) I had to cross the foot-wide, 4' deep trench.  Tractor got halfway across and stopped.  Rear tires wouldn't move.  Backhoe wasn't strong enough to push the tractor out of the trench.  Got the truck towed out of trench, then it was able to move using the front wheels to pull it to the dealer.  I thought it was a brake problem because it made noise when I hit the brake pedal but the noise was the axle stubs grinding together.

Turns out one axle had been broken for a while and other broke when I was trying to cross ditch.