The following commentary does not necessarily reflect the views of AgWeb or Farm Journal Media. The opinions expressed below are the author's own.
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The following commentary does not necessarily reflect the views of AgWeb or Farm Journal Media. The opinions expressed below are the author's own.
As a farm machinery mechanic and writer, Dan brings a hands-on approach that only a pro can muster. Along with his In the Shop blog, Dan writes a column by the same name as well as the Shop Series for Farm Journal magazine. Always providing practical information, he is a master at tackling technical topics and making them easy for all of our readers to understand. He and his wife, Becky, live near Bouton, Iowa.
I've mentioned in earlier blogs that I like Vise-Grip pliers. I feel having multiple types and sizes of Vise-Grips in my tool inventory improves my performance as a mechanic.
One of my co-workers thinks I've gone overboard about Vise-Grips, and describes my affection for those tools as," ...nearly a fetish." I've therefore felt defensive any time I added another type or size of Vise-Grip to my inventory.
But last week, while making a major repair to a combine, I gained factory endorsement for my affection for Vice-Grips. There, in the official repair manual for that machine, in the midst of the detailed instructions on how to disassemble and remove the clean grain elevator housing, were the words "Use lock-jaw pliers as illustrated in photo to remove front seal." In the photo was a pair of Vise-Grips clamped to the metal seal. Even better, the picture showed someone bashing on the Vise-Grips with a hammer to remove that seal. It nearly brought tears to my eyes, seeing Vise-Grips being used in exactly the way I've used them so many times.
Well. let me tell you, the sun shined and the angels sang in Dan's world as I marched across the shop and shared that information with the co-worker who considers Vise-Grips a lesser tool, and my Vise-Grip collection a near-fetish.
I guess even a blind pig stumbles across an acorn every now and then.
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