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Trail and Jeep Maintenance

Trail Maintenance and a broken U Joint

The last wind storm put a few trees down across the trails on my farm. The creek crossing spot has multiples angles that you can attack if from but they were all blocked by two large trees.

I finally got to use the new Chainsaw my dad gave me for Christmas. I took it out of the box for the first time. I was out of fuel so I stole a gallon from the ZJ that I have been working on. I hooked up my fuel pressure tester and jumpered the fuel pump relay and pumped a gallon into my small gas can.

I mixed in the little bottle of 2 stroke oil that came with the saw and filled the tank. Next I added chain oil to the reservoir. I also managed to spill oil all over the new saw and the floor. This oil is very sticky and hard to clean up, I might add.

It took me a moment to figure out how to switch on the ignition. The instructions say to flip the switch them pull the choke. Well before I broke the switch, I realized there was an interlock that causes the switch to flip as you pulled out the choke. I don’t see any other way to flip the switch on.

I pushed the primer bulb a few times and pulled the rope a few times. I was very happy that my new saw roared to life. I made a test cut and I was ready to go to work.

By that time it had started to rain lightly. Janice, Jennifer and I donned our rain gear and headed down the hill. I cut the trees into sections small enough for the girls to haul off the trail.

The first tree was easy, but the second one spanned the creek. Walking across the log was the only way to cross the creek with out getting wet. I walked across the log and found a way to cut the log loose from the stump and let it fall in the water so I could still walk on it.

I hiked back up the hill and got Jenny’s Jeep to help haul away the logs. I drove down in the creek and hooked a strap to the first long section. I drug it down the creek to a place out of the way. When I tried to back up, I got hung up in the mud and started to slide sideways against a tree the overhangs the creek.

I thought I could go forward and climb the bank further down. However the steady rain made the bank too slick to climb from that angle. I tried to drive on down the creek but I got wedged between a rock and the other bank in a narrow and deep section.

I finally was able to walk one front tire up the rock and do a rear dig to bring the back into the right angle to back up the creek. Then I was able to get the proper angle to climb up the creek bank.

One the drama of being stuck was over, I backed back into the creek and lined up to pull the remaining stump. The stump proved too heavy to drag down the creek. The Jeep just dug in and would not move forward. I did manage to get the stump clear of one of the paths across the creek and dislodged form the creek bank. I hoped that soon the creek would rise and move the stump out of the way.

The trail up the hill to the house was already getting very slick as we made our way back up. I had to use much more throttle than normal to climb it. Right at the top we heard a loud pop, but could not figure out what it was.

The next day, the overnight rains had completely flooded the bottom land and the creek bed looked like a lake. The stump was no where to be seen. It will be interesting to see where it ended up when the water recedes.

As I was hiking the trail, I noticed a U joint cap near the spot where we had heard the pop. I crawled under the Jeep and began checking all the U joints. I found the missing cap belonged on the driver’s side axle. Luckily we keep a spare around.

Twenty minutes later we had the spare shaft installed and she was ready to go again. Looks like the C clip twisted out then the cap worked loose. Another argument for welding the caps I suppose. I still have not tried welding the caps.

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Promoting Interest in Safety

Promoting Interest in Safety

One of the common subjects in any safety reference is how to get people interested in safety. Apparently, not getting hurt is not enough motivation for people to be interested in safety. Personally, I prefer to avoid getting injured whenever possible so working safely is just part of my work ethic.

Looking at a 1964 issue of the National Safety Council handbook, they suggest using “a pretty girl” to promote interest in industrial situations. They also recommend “a shaggy dog.” I guess there were not as many women working in industry back in 1964 as there are today.

The 5th edition of the Accident Prevention Manual suggests Using Pretty Girls to promote safety.

I notice that from internet search data that promoting safety is still a big concern for managers. Safety slogans and other safety promotional ideas still rank very highly.

However, it is my observation that all such safety promotions are basically useless. Unless you change the fundamental culture of the workplace, accidents will continue to happen and people will continue to get hurt no matter how many pretty girls hold up safety banners.

In order to create a safe working culture, we first need to consider why people get injured at work. Often injuries are caused by inattention to the job or by taking short cuts. Next we must consider why people take chances with their own safety either by not paying attention or by taking shortcuts.

I often see managers who perceive those who get hurt on the job as being lazy or who are otherwise not trying to do a good job. Often, however, the exact opposite is true. These people want to do a good job but due to their own lack of skill or understanding of mechanical principles, they take unnecessary risks. They may not realize how much danger they are facing; they are simply trying to do the best job they can with minimal effort on their part.

People who get injured may also be unconsciously punishing themselves. It the work environment is oppressive and devoid of positive reinforcement, they may injure them selves in an unconscious effort to prove that they are working as hard as they can.

In order to create a safe working environment, we can begin by placing clear expectations on the work that is to be preformed. By providing clear and detail work instructions that describe the safe and effective way of doing the job, employees will be less inclined to experiment with potentially unsafe methods. Supervision can play a huge role in insuring workers follow the safe work procedures by observing the work. If the procedures need to be changed to match current practice, then the revisions need to be investigated and implemented without delay. Employees should not be allowed to deviate from the prescribed safe and effective work instructions.

Care must be taken by supervisors not to reward unsafe procedures either by actively supporting unsafe practices or by ignoring them. If safety shortcuts are allowed to become part of the routine, a safety culture cannot be established.

For more information on creating a safe and effective working environment, see my other articles. Safety promotions become unnecessary once a safe and effective work environment has been established.

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100 Acre Wood rally

Trip to the 100 Acre Wood

I was once again given the job as Steward for the Rally America 100 Acre Wood Rally. It was held in Salem Missouri, the last weekend of February.

I headed out on Thursday and after driving through some huge thunder storms arrived in time to observe registration and Tech inspection. Both were held at the Dent County fire Station which shows the kind of support they get form the community there.

It was fun to connect with some rally people that I have not seen in a couple of years. I found out that the former organizer of the even Kim Demotte was driving his old Datsun 510 in the event. It as fun to see Kim behind the wheel and in a very well prepared old Datsun.

I caught up with my fellow stewards and we made a plan for the weekend. I went back to my room at the holiday inn and studied the maps and route books. I sat in on the Novice driver class and part of the worker training meeting.

The first day of the rally started in Potosi which is about a two hour drive from Salem. I plotted a route that would take me past a couple of the stages that were to be used later in the day so I could check them out.

I enjoyed the delicious Holiday Inn Express cinnamon rolls while I chatted with the other stewards and other people from Rally America. I looked out and saw that it had snowed overnight. Eventually I headed out to Potosi.

I turned off on TT to check out stage 6. I was quickly met by Road Closed signs and after driving past them, I saw the cause. One of the many low water crossings was flooded by the huge storms that had passed through the area the day before.

In this part of Missouri, they don’t build bridges much. They just pave the bottom of the creek beds. Sometimes they build a small elevated concrete platform to with some culverts so that some of the water can flow under and the rest flows over when it rains. Due to the heavy rains, the creeks were very deep.

I made my way to the start of the stage and was able to get through. The stage road was fine but I then became trapped by the high water again. I had to reverse my course and find another way out.

I met up with the Safety Steward who was looking at the spectator area on stage 5. We both found that we could not follow our proposed route due to very high water on one of the longer crossings. We had to plot a different course that took us out of the way but generally toward Potosi.

I made it to the Parc Expose in Potosi just as cars were starting to arrive and helped set up the first MTC and the start of the Super Special Stage. The Super Special was a rally cross like course around the fair grounds there.

There was a big puddle of water on the inside of the final turn right at the finish line. It was fun to watch the cars splash through. The finish control workers eventually decided to move to the other side of the road to give the competitors more room.

After watching a few cars run the Super Special, I headed out to the first forest stage. Due to some flooding o the transit, the rally master rerouted the course. I observed to make sure every thing was handled correctly and it was. We received a report that Travis Pastrana had crashed on the stage. After the stage was run, I followed the sweep team and helped them drag what was left of Travis’s car to a safe place off the road.

Travis’s Navigator remembered me when he saw me. I had towed his car back to service in one of the Cherokee Trails rallies.

Near the end of the stage I came across one of the participants in our rookie school from the night before. His car had a coolant leak and the engine computer had shut it down on low water. I gave him a jug of anti freeze from my Jeep and some bottles of water. He filled it up and drove to the end of the stage.

I stayed at the finish and watched the second pass through the stage. It was much less eventful than the first.

After that I headed to Steelville to check out service. Along the way, I saw one of the competitors disabled along the transit. I picked them up and gave them a ride to service.

After service in Steelville, I checked on the control checking crews out and then headed back to Salem. I was dark and late when I got back. The stewards met with the Rally Chairman to make adjustments to the procedures for the next day.

Saturday started early with a 7:30 am stewards meeting. I enjoyed the delicious Holiday Inn Cinnamon rolls again. Then I headed to the downtown Parc Expose. I wandered up and down the street looking at the cars and talking with the competitors.

After Parc Expose, I headed out to observe the start of the stages. This stage was repeated directly and I was concerned that they would not get it cleared in time. However, the Rally Master had prepared well and the stage was restated on time.

However after just a few cars started, one crashed blocking the stage road. The remaining cars were turned around and sent to the next stage. I transited the stage and ended up assisting the sweep jeeps with moving the car and a a huge rock that the car had moved into the road.

Luckily then Jeeps were equipped with winches and we were able to easily winch the car off the road and then move the big rock out of the road as well. Moving the rock was a bigger challenge than moving the car but with some simple rigging of a strap and a snatch block, we were able to get it clear of the road.

I then moved down to stage nine to make sure that the lack of transit times had not caused too much trouble for the control workers. After the stage I decided to follow the sweep vehicles again to see if they were doing their job correctly. Just a short way into the stage, there was a Honda stuck just off the road. The fast sweep had stopped to give them a chance to get back in the rally. I Pulled off the road well behind all the sweep vehicles and assisted in the recovery as well as checking on the competitors.

When it was all cleaned up, I walked back to my Jeep and noticed that the door would not open. I looked closer and realized that the Sweep truck had backed into my fender pushing it into the door. I had to dig in the back to find a pry bar to move the fender so I could get in. I caught up with them later and asked the guy about hitting my Jeep. He tried to deny he had hit it but them I showed him the matching scrape on the side of his truck.

I drove on to Viburnum to check on service there. After service, I headed up to Stages 12 and 14 which was a turn around stage. I assisted in setting up the finish control where the start had been. The control workers offered me a sandwich. I guess I looked hungry and I was.

I worked my way back to Salem in time for the champagne spray for the winners. They can’t use real champagne due to Salem’s laws about open containers of alcohol so they use sparkling grape juice.

The awards party at the eagles lodge lasted well into the morning. I made it back to my room and fell asleep around two am.

The drive home on Sunday was pleasant with much better weather than the trip out. I missed a turn. I ended up north of my intended route but found an interesting mining museum. It was not open but I took time to explore outside the fence and found it very interesting. It did not say what they mined there, but since the towns have names like Steelville, Iron Town and the like I assume they mined iron ore.

I crossed the Mississippi at Cape Gerardo. The Mississippi river was much higher than it had been on the trip out.

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Dana 35 Yoke upgrade

Dana 35 Yoke upgrade

The modern Dana 35 holds the drive shaft with straps and bolts. The older Jeeps used U bolts to hold the drive shaft in place. The only difference in the yokes is that the newer one is tapped for threads to hold the bolts instead of being drilled for the larger U bolts.

This week I was reinstalling the straps on my rear drive shaft and stripped the threads on one of the bolts. Rather than try to repair the threads, I elected to retrofit the older U bolts to my yoke.

I used the U joint kit from Crown Automotive (A490K). This kit comes with two U bolts and four nuts and lock washers. They appeared to be over bent just a bit and I had to spread the legs to get them parallel. Otherwise the quality was fine.

I began by drilling 5/16 holes where the bolt holes were. These holes were a bit too tight for the U bolts so I used an 11/32 drill instead. The bolts fit fine in these holes. The casting of the yoke was easy to drill. I used water form a spray bottle to keep the bit cool.

I reinstalled the drive shaft and tightened the U bolts for a nice snug fit. The whole job took about 30 minutes.

If you don’t want to drill your yoke or if it is broken, you can get the whole kit including the yoke, a new seal and U bolts from Crown – part number D35-YOKE-UBK.

I will be modifying the front later using kit D3044-Yoke-UBK because there is not enough room for the nuts on the back of the stock yoke.

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Machine Tool Safety

As I look at the scar on my left index finger, I am reminded of how fast a machine tool can cause an injury. I was a teenager working in my grandfather’s machine shop when it happened. I was using the large drill press to counter bore holes in the cutting edge of a bulldozer blade.

The drill press was very old and was definitely not built with safe operation in mind. I am not sure why, but the procedure involved sliding the heavy plate into position under the drill bit while the bit was still turning slowly in the chuck. I was wearing gloves to protect my tender hands from the sharp edge of the blade. The bit caught my glove, and although it was turning slowly, it began to wrap my finger around the bit all too quickly.

I was able to hit the power switch but the drill continued to coast until my whole arm was wrapped around the spindle. I reluctantly called to my grandfather for assistance. He manually turned the drill backwards as I unwrapped myself from the machine.

I was very lucky to have escaped with just a cut on my finger. I quick bandage and I was back to work; this time without gloves.

Machine tools can be very unforgiving when body parts are caught on or in them. The nature of the work also brings hands and fingers dangerously close to the rotating parts. It is easy to get accustomed to the proximity and get caught.

Gloves and loose clothing can easily get caught. Neckties should not even get close to the machines.

Procedures need to be developed to minimize exposure to the hazards. Making sure the rotating parts have stopped before relocating the work or taking measurements is one good place to start. I have seen many experienced machinist take caliper readings while parts are being cut in a lathe. Such practices endanger the worker and the equipment.

Guards are often a huge annoyance to machinists. However, if the guards are constructed of clear materials and made to easily open and close, they can add safety without interfering with the work to be done.

When developing procedures and procuring safety equipment, it is important to work closely with the machinists to make sure that the safety equipment does not interfere with the work. Otherwise, the safeties will be bypassed and procedures overlooked when supervision is not around.

Machine tools are a part of most modern workplaces. They can be used safely and effectively if proper precautions are taken.