So if you didn't do anything airgun related what did you do today?

[Back_Roads]

  The ditch is cleared, let it rain and watch it drain

[Blowpipe Sam]

Gil

He had his good days.  Unfortunately he was also mentally ill and he got progressively worse as he got older.  An otherwise gentle and inoffensive man who drove those close to him nuts from frustration.  We cared for him for about seven years over the last two decades as he came and went.  He finally got to the point where we couldn't care for him about a year ago (OCD).  He has been in group home for mentally ill men since then and appeared very happy. I'm glad his last days were spent someplace he liked.

[Scrambler82]

Worked on the fence along side the garage, one side at least.
Tomorrow, if not too hot, I will start the second side of the fence.

Tomorrow may also bring some field brush cutting.

[Rabbit\Squirrel Killer]

We arrived at our son's house at 4:52 PM  We spent the evening talking.

[Sqrl Klr]

Drained the pool partially since flooding got it too full then forgot and ran the pump dry for around an hour so I shut the pump off filling it with cold water then spent hours filling the pool and thankfully I don't have a shot pump as it runs Surprisingly.

Picked up limbs from my yards then after winds blew through I had many more to pick up tomorrow and also had a tree fall on the fence. Thankfully the neighbor fixed it.

[airgunaut]

Friday the 13th started out pleasantly but took a nasty downcurve in line with its moniker.

I had parked the truck at a pond for about 1.5 hrs, only to have it fail to start until the 3rd or 4th attempt. Dashlights came on, all gauges showed normal condition, but no click, no starting. I don't know why it eventually did start, but it fired up strongly and normally when it did. This had never happened before (except when the battery was dead, and then there were no dash lights). I drove it to the gas station to top up the tank and the same thing happened when I tried to leave. I drove home, dropped off gear that was in the bed, leaving the engine running. Checked gauges again, opened the hood to look for loose connections (none), fretted over why poop happens on the weekend or a holiday.

That's when I saw the screw in the right rear tire. Good gosh, what luck.

I made a couple of calls and drove back to town. First stop was at an auto repair shop, where I made an appointment for next week. Well, guess what, when I tried to leave, the problem showed itself again. Two of their less-experienced workers checked a few things, which in itself at one point felt like a bad comedy. But the battery was deemed good, which I had already concluded.

Next stop was a Big O store. I warned the manager that the truck not only had a tire that needed repair, but that it probably would balk at restarting again. He got in and--voila!--saw it for himself. But this time I hit a mini jackpot. This guy told me that the clutch safety switch often breaks, and when it does the trick to get it started is to use the clutch cancel rocker switch that's on the lower dash. I thought that was intended for use when you would otherwise need three feet (one on the brake, one on the clutch, and one on the gas), such as stalling on a loose, steep uphill. It allows starting the engine without pressing the clutch pedal, and I had needed it only one time so far. It works also as a way to start when the clutch safety switch is acting temperamental.

While waiting for the tire repair, I called the dealership 75 miles away to order a new switch, which will take about a week to get there. Well, after I got home I contorted myself and shone a bright light at the clutch pedal and related parts. I never saw broken plastic bits, but I vaguely remember seeing something that looked like a rubber plug somewhere. I might have dislodged or shredded it when removing the floor mat weeks or months ago. I could feel that a rubbery circular pad/base on the pedal arm had less than half of it there, and it looked like something should have filled a hole there. There should be a hard rubber pluglike thing that presses a little button down when the clutch pedal is depressed. If I'm lucky, that plug is all I need to buy or juryrig, and the switch itself might be fine.

The nice thing is that Big O repaired the tire free of charge even though I told them I bought the tires elsewhere. 👍  They do carry the same brand, so I might buy the next set there.

Tomorrow:  check all the tire pressures on truck and trailer, order a replacement clutch pedal stopper plug, look at the brake pedal plug while I'm contorting myself...if that one crumbles or pops out, the brake lights stay on and drain the battery. The truck is 20 yrs old, so these kinds of things will happen.