Hello, Rural King, May I help you?

 (yes, it is an old photograph)

First thing Wednesday morning I was going to start the north irrigator. The seed corn is still pretty small and it isn't dry.  But with the weather forecast it might be by the time I get a circle made. So I jump on the Mule and go to the field.

I'm driving back to the pivot when I notice one wheel rim has gear lube on it.  Of course, and I don't have any.

Ring. Ring "Hey, could you bring me some gear lube?"

Aman brings me exactly what I asked for.  But I didn't specify the 2 1/2 gallon jug stuff.  He brought the John Deere GL-5 synthetic gear lube the corn head uses.  It comes in quart bottles ... for a reason. I think the last 2 bottles I bought were like $32 EACH.  So we go back and get the less outrageous stuff.

We fill the gear box up and flag it so we watch it closely.

Engine starts up, runs fine, and as I'm walking to the control panel on the pivot starts running rough.  OH ___.  I run back and turn the fuel valve on and it starts running better.  I go back to the pivot, push the go button .. and the voltage drops from 480 to 300 and the engine kind of pulls down. Shut everything down. Look ... look ... call Reinbold.  "Please leave a message.  ... This subscriber cannot accept messages at this time"  Try again, same thing.

Call Carlisle.  No answer at office.  Call Kyler's cell.  He's someplace on the east side of Indiana, but says try this and this.

Go home, get Ohm meter (remember, I was driving the Mule), come back, climb tower, check, climb next tower, check, climb next tower ... continuity to ground.  Not good.  Call Kyler again.  Yep, bad stator on motor.  (translation: the coil part is bad.  Don't replace whole motor, just case and coil) He'll see if someone can go to the shop and set one out.  I tell him to set out two.

Drive to Carlisle, get two boxes that probably cost twice what they should.  Put it on, it tests good. Start irrigator up, it walks, but safety shuts down.  Restart, back up so in line, restart, it works.   Go check out other irrigator, move it to make sure IT works, shut down, drain oil, check on north one again.  Working just like it should. Go to shop, do some stuff for an hour or so, come back past on way to meeting in Effingham.

It is shut down, has been long enough all the water drained out.  Probably quit about the time I crossed the creek going to the shop.

Start engine, run up to speed ... and fire starts coming out of cable from generator to pivot, a couple feet from the generator.

Yes, I did a quick shut down.  I look it over.  Cable is original.  I peel back the cover to see if I can shorten it up and get by.  Inner conductor insulation is cracked and whenever I flex it cracks worse.

I call Rural King.  "Hello, Rural King,This is ______.  May I help you?"  I get transferred to electrical. 2 1/2 minutes later (my phone has a timer) I hang up and redial.

"Hello, Rural King,This is ______.  May I help you?"

"Yes, I was waiting on someone from electrical and we were disconnected." (I didn't say HOW we were disconnected) I get put on hold for about a minute. Someone picks up the phone.

"I need some electrical cable to go from my generator to my irrigator pivot.  It has 4 10 gauge wires in a rubber cover."

"I don't have any 10 gauge.  I have 8 gauge."

"OK, I'll make it work.  When do you close?"

"6:00"

"I'm headed your way"

That is 50 minutes and it takes about 25 to get there. 6:00.  The only farm store in 50 miles and they close at 6:00 in farming season.

I get there, grab a cart, and go to electrical.  "I don't know who you talked to, but the only 4 conductor anything we have is this."  "This" is indoor 3 conductor 10 with what looks like a 14 gauge bare ground.

He does have some very good looking 3-10 heavy cover outdoor cord.  So I buy 30 ft of it and a 50 ft 10 gauge extension cord and a new plug.

Yes, I did.  And Yes, it does look odd.  And Yes, I do intend to fix it right.  But it is working.

I start it up, Everything looks good.  I install some end gun stops while it runs a bit.  I head down the drive about 15 minutes before sunset.

Wait a minute.  That tire looks low.  It is. And that tower has a flag on it to check the gearbox closely. On that wheel.

So I go back, shut it down, and decide to let the ground firm up overnight before messing with that.

And my wife says I am grouchy when I get home.