Last week I told you how I finally got the skid loader humming again. But, honestly, the story of just how it broke down is too good to not share.
First, there was that mud. Now, I wasn’t the one who was driving it when it got stuck, and I won’t name any names. (Love you, sweetheart!!) ANYway, the machine got itself good and stuck, and we realized the older tires it had weren’t going to cut it. So: new tires. Solid rubber ones with huge honkin’ treads. Heavy enough that it took two people, a lot of cursing, and a few bruises to wrestle a single tire into place. Mind you, we had to use a smaller skid loader to pull the bigger skid loader out of the mud first. But next time, we’re taking the skid to the tire shop, not the tires to the skid.
With the new tires on, I started moving dirt…only to almost immediately start losing power. Turns out, the fan belt had slipped, hence the lovely sight of coolant spouting up through the engine cage like Old Faithful. Did I mention a shed was being delivered the next day, and the skid had broken down right in the path of where it needed to be hauled? Timing is everything.
So, new belt. Thank you, Ralph at Hovis Auto – Hero of the day! But when we got in there to fix things, it wasn’t just one belt. It was two. The smaller belt had shredded, pulling the larger one off. And then, we realized the culprit: a loose bolt on the fan cage that had been chewing the whole thing to pieces. Lovely. Back to Hovis. Another belt. Some engine degreaser. And… maybe some new filters for good measure. When WAS the oil last changed??
We got the belts replaced, the fan cage bolted down, and the machine fired up again, and not a minute too soon. I moved the skid out of the way – I kid you not – just as the shed delivery truck pulled into the end of our driveway. That’s sitcom timing right there.
But of course, the story wasn’t over. After we got the oil changed, I got to work. And after a couple solid weeks of dirt work…the engine temp spiked again. I actually noticed it immediately this time, and stopped before anything starting spurting. Yay me. Then I thought, hmm, maybe I should check those pesky belts? And…well…yes and no. The whole dang FAN had fallen off. Thankfully there was no damage, but still, that’s a sight you don’t forget. So, belts back on, fan back on, bolts tightened within an inch of their life, and mental note to recheck weekly.
And now? Well, now the machine has decided to throw a DPF (diesel particulate filter) error. Which means I get to swap out the fuel filters and poke around the emissions system. I also finally noticed how much cleaner and newer the fuel cap seems to be compared to everything else, which led to the sneaking suspicion that maybe – just maybe – the previous owner had been running this machine without a cap at all. Which would explain the fuel gauge acting funny, and… well, here we are.
As amusing as this whole chain of events is (in retrospect, anyway), it’s a classic example of that old game of “What Will Break First?!?” Sometimes it’s the obvious things: belts, bolts, filters. But more often it’s the little things we overlook: a loose fastener, a mysteriously pristine cap, tires that don’t quite fit the terrain. Those smaller, more hidden weaknesses tend to be the killers, the ones that set off a whole chain reaction.
Machines break this way. So do bodies. So do communities.
Ignore the little stuff, and you’ll be fixing the big stuff over and over again – usually at the worst possible time. Like, say, with a shed delivery truck idling in the driveway.
Selina Pedi-Smith
Founder, Pellere Foundation
