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Small Cabin Forum / General Forum / The Cabin weekend when everything mechanical went to heck
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nicalisa
Member
# Posted: 25 Apr 2011 05:03pm
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Sigh,
Have you ever had a weekend at the cabin that made you think that everything that could go wrong would??? Yup, that was our Easter long weekend up here in BC:)

So getting there was our normal "trip" which is always eventful....so it was by proxy uneventful! got on the ferry, off the ferry, in the water taxi, off the water taxi and onto the beach with all of our stuff. The inlet was at high tide so we weren't waist deep in the drink! Not a bad start!

Went up to get the quad but the Quad wouldn't start....okey dokey. So we rode bessie down to the beach (1982 half time give away at the BC Lions game GMC Sierra Classic) and picked up our stuff and rode up. As we were unloading we parked Bessie in the middle of our property next to the "little house" (this is an important fact:)

We unloaded, turned on the propane, hung our new clear tarp over the front deck (pretty spiffy looking, bright and great for the BC April Showers) and got unpacked. We were pretty proud at how uneventful this trip up was with 2 city folk, 1 lab and 2 young boys!

So at 4 when the tide was going out we all piled into the truck to find out what was caught in the tidal pool to bring home for dinner (easy foraging for night 1 at the cabin:) Tried to start bessie and nothing. key just went round and round in the ignition. So where does that leave us....ummmm with the worlds biggest lawn ornament, cause if the key does not engage, it stays in park so we couldn't even push it out of the way!

We are not of the mechanically inclined, we have no stores let alone garages!! Spent the entire day trying to sort it out. My hubby is great working on quads and motorcycles, but with cars.....not really his thing.

We decided by 6 that we would never again bring a truck into the bush if only the truck fairy would come and take her away. well, no fairy, but a neighbor wandered over to see what the issue was and offered to buy the truck from us. We told him it was his for free if he would make it just go away! Thank god!!!! lawn ornament will hopefully be gone by the next time we were back up and we would learn the lesson to stick to things we know how to fix in the bush!!

Moving on the next am we started the old genny up to finish the cedar siding on the solar lean to shed. Started up like a charm, a few chuggs and away she went....until we started the circular saw. Then she started backfiring like she had a meal of beans and stalled. This went on for over an hour while my husband repeatedly started her while uttering words that you can only imagine while threatening her to drag her out to the bush and beat her before he left her. So the siding project never got finished:)

We dragged out the quad and pulled her apart and found the problem, hole in gas tank, but of course, no stores to fix the problem, so made a list for the next time of what we needed.

Tried to use the iPOD and it too refused to work. What was going on in this world??? just up a quit.

Finally we gave up on anything mechanical and the boys took out a row boat and caught an awesome rainbow trout....hmmm, maybe it was gas conservation week and the world was sending us a memo???

In the line for the ferry on our way home, our car battery died and we missed the ferry we waiting 2 hours for and had to wait another 2 hours with 2 cranky boys (3 if you count the husband) and one smelly dog while the BC ferry folks got us started.

Ah the glories of life in the bush! however as soon as we were home we started planning for the next trip out:)

So the moral of our story.....if your cabin is telling you to take a week off of working and enjoy, listen to it, cause if you don't no telling what the cabin gods will break!

lawnjoky
# Posted: 27 Apr 2011 10:39am
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I just had one of those weeks. My son and I went to the cabin to install saltilla tile on the floores. On the way in we couldn't get up the hill pulling the trailer. I had to hike in and get the atv for some added pull. That was the start. Tiles fell out of the boxes on the road. The next day I ran one over and ruined a tire. The spare leaked. The auto transmission shifter went out. Not only was it almost impossible to get the truck in gear but it was extremely difficult to start because it couldn't tell if it was in park or neutral. Then the generator died.

My son and I looked at each other and said maybe it is for the best as with this curse hanging over us using power tools was probably not a good idea.

Then my son's dog and my dog got in a fight and Iwas bit by my dog, a mild mannered brittany. The bite was on my left little finger and went to the bone. My finger was like halk cut off. We went to the ER and had it sewed back together. After a bunch of x-rays I was told how lucky I am to not have nerve or tendon damage..

We took advantage of the time in town to have the generator and truck repaired as well as purchasing two new tires.

Back at the cabin the trailer was still stuck at our entrance gate. We managed to get it up the hill but we couldn't get it though the gate as the truck just kept loosing traction the night of our arrival. I figured no problem I have a 4x4 tractor with a back hoe attachment. I would simply chain the trailer tonge to the backhoe bucket, lift and tow to the flat spot I would leave it at until we were ready to leave. As I tried to move forward the tractor got on two wheels wanting to roll. If I stopped trying to move forward the trailer started to pull the tractor back down the hill. It is a heavy trailer for hauling the tractor. The pack rats had eaten the tractor seat belt so I wasn't excited about pushing my luck with a roll. I finally got it so it wouldn't roll backward and I ran down and got my son to bring the truck up. We chainec the tractor to the truck and with both pulling we were able to take care of the trailler. Then I discovered a 4x2" chunk missing out of one of the tractor tires.

Back at the cabin I went to use the tractor to load some heavy tool like the band saw and tablesaw and the hydraulics went out on the loader bucket.

At this point I thought maybe we should take the afternoon off and shoot some cans but my son thought it probably wasn't a good idea to play with guns with the curse still upon us.

Erins#1Mom
# Posted: 27 Apr 2011 08:42pm
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Is there a full moon?

Gary O
Member
# Posted: 27 Apr 2011 09:08pm
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Quoting: lawnjoky
my son thought it probably wasn't a good idea to play with guns with the curse still upon us.

Too funny, Jocko, too funny.
Some days.....


Quoting: nicalisa
however as soon as we were home we started planning for the next trip out:)

......and there it is

toyota_mdt_tech
Member
# Posted: 27 Apr 2011 11:17pm
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Thank god for bad luck or some of you guys would have no luck. :D

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