Redneck/SF Engineering - Page 2

Sionnach · 06-24-2007, 18:25

This is a great thread. My bit of redneck engineering is more of a convenience than the lifesaving type.

After hiking to a backwoods camp site, setting up camp, and prepping to cook some chow, I realized I had forgotten a very important convenience item--my spoon.

My whittling skills aren't up to making a wooden spoon, so I made a spoon out of 550 cord, a water bottle, and a metal tent spike with my multi-tool.

cold1 · 06-25-2007, 06:38

A buddy of mine inherated (sp?) a little JD dozer. It was down in the woods and ran when his uncle parked it 5 years before. We got it running and found the water pump was cracked. My buddy went out there to replace it and sheard the bolt off at the block. He called me to come help get it out. So we loaded up his tools on the polaris ranger and went out. Well after about two minutes of using his drill the battery goes dead in it. He wanted it the bolt removed today, so he had a set of jumper cables, I had some jumper wires and the drill was 12 volts. I hooked the jumpers up to the contacts in side the drill, Then I hooked them to the jumper cables and the cables to the battery on the polaris. 10 minutes later I had the bolt out.

**Bill Harsey** · 07-10-2007, 10:43

Sorry guys, this was too good not to post.
My shop is 65 miles west of those mountain tops.
Heres the story: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/07/10/fly....ap/index.html

Diablo Blanco · 07-01-2008, 02:58

After my first contract I took a break and then reentered the Army. We were on a bus heading between sites when it broke down. It overheated as the serpentine belt broke on the engine. I took an equal length of 550 cord and put a knot every 3 - 5 inches and replaced the belt with it. Fired up the bus and it ran fine, even better.

Funny thing is, a more senior Sergeant cut the cord and said it wasn't an authorized repair and we could get in trouble so we should wait. Being the new guy I replied "You're not an authorized repair..."

He didn't know how to respond

72_Wilderness · 11-14-2008, 04:07

Vaulted ceilings look really nice, that is until you want to hang something and do not have a ladder. So the crawling/standing on furniture begins, which would normally be enough, but this a fourteen foot vaulted ceiling. An old memory struck my mind and I went to work. One broom, one pen cap, opposite end of pen, chocolate wrappers and one dremel wrench later with duct tape holding everything together I was in business. I say it worked, even if the end of the pen is still stuck on the thumb tack, it hasn’t fallen down.

I had an audience that demand to take a picture of the devise.

h ttp://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u258/72_W_Blackfoot/Misc/100_0140.jpg

I changed the light bulb in the stairwell of the Old Division Tac Shed the same way. One mop, one broom handle, a pencil, a styrofoam cup and a few wraps of duct tape.

72W

freerider04 · 11-14-2008, 14:22

Anyone who's been on a ship might like this one

After having a P-100 pump crap the bed during a drill, we devised a new way to make foam using 2 P-1 dewatering pumps.

Take 1 P-1 and set it up for suction overboard, and discharge into the P-1 pump can (preferrably the plastic square one)

Set the other P-1 up for suction from the first pump can, and discharge to wherever you need foam.

Start 1st pump, puor half a can of AFFF (the 5 gal cans) concentrate into the pump can. When pump can is appx 3/4 or more full, start the second pump.

Viola, instant foam. It's a pretty low quality, low pressure foam, and dissapates kinda quickly, but it will put out fires and provide a vapor barrier.

Add 1/2 can of AFFF about every minute to keep it up.

Longstreet · 11-16-2008, 18:50

I am not sure if this fits this thread, but I think the tip will be greatly appreciated - especially those of you who ride.

Next time you accidently melt your rain gear or the rubber from your boots on the pipes of your bike, try using Easy-Off oven cleaner. Silly me melted part of my Chuck-Taylors on my pipes due to pushing the kickstand down. I tried just about everything to clean off the black smudge that they left. Nothing worked. I finally heard about using oven cleaner and gave it a shot. Not only did it take off the black smudges, it also removed the smudges from the boots my dear girlfriend wore two years prior to.

And to top it all off, my bike smelled lemon clean.

Diablo Blanco · 12-23-2008, 20:32

another time we had a SAW that was missing a pin to hold the pistol grip in. Someone had used 550 cord to replace the pin but the SAW kept going run-away on us. I took a closer look and noticed the problem was the bolt wasn't catching on the trigger latch. Using some baling wire and my leatherman I tightly wound the wire between the grip and main body. Worked perfectly.

chipw · 12-29-2008, 14:35

Saw this on another blog and thought it fit here nicely.

Using a hybrid auto as an emergency generator:

http://lifehacker.com/5118575/use-a-...ency-generator

**Bill Harsey** · 01-01-2009, 10:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brush Okie

Chain saws open doors FAST!

And might discourage most folks from trying to hold it closed against you.

Great posts here.

ODA CDR (RET) · 03-09-2012, 13:15

here's a few for the youngsters.

Learned this one in the big house, (younger years).
Collect as many as you can find filtered cigarette butts. Remove the outer paper until you have only the fiberglass portion. Rip them open and lay them on something very flat, in a long 2"-3" wide and 4"-6" long, letting them overlap each other. Then set the pile on fire and wait till it becomes a blob. Than lay something flat on top of it to put it out. What you are left with is a piece of hard plastic. Can be shaped and sharpened on the sidewalk and wrapped for stabbing or placed length wise in a bar of soap for slicing.

If your ever stuck with a dead battery in a standard tranny vehicle, you can jump start it by jacking it up and wrapping a tow strap around the drive wheel and pulling like your starting a lawnmower. Helps with two jamokes pulling.

If you ever find yourself fishing for Peacock Bass in Lake Gatun, you can use a 1" piece of Burger King straw. Cut the straw, feed it onto the line then tie your hook and let the straw slide down to the hook. Happy fishing.

PSM · 03-09-2012, 13:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by ODA CDR (RET)

If your ever stuck with a dead battery in a standard tranny vehicle, you can jump start it by jacking it up and wrapping a tow strap around the drive wheel and pulling like your starting a lawnmower. Helps with two jamokes pulling.

Why not have the other jamoke push you while you sit inside and mind the clutch?

Pat

ODA CDR (RET) · 03-09-2012, 13:38

Sometimes your in sand and thats even too hard for a steely eyed jamoke!

PSM · 03-09-2012, 14:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by ODA CDR (RET)

Sometimes your in sand and thats even too hard for a steely eyed jamoke!

Ah! I read it as "stuck with a dead battery" rather than stuck "and" a dead battery. Poor jamokes, what else could happen, a flat tire?

Pat

TF Kilo · 03-09-2012, 23:44

I figure it's an appropriate point to relay this experience.

I recently had to move from AK to NV... 2 vehicle convoy, pickup towing our trailer, blazer just on its own.

Ended up having the rear U-joint on the rear driveline break in two.... in the middle of bum-f Canada.

So, although the driveline was still working but with a nasty clunk... ended up stopping on the roadside at a pullout, jacking up the rear end to get some play in the driveline through the slack in the rear suspension, and disconnecting the entire rear driveline.

It's a press-fit on the actual driveline for the front U-joint, and with it being a slip yoke I couldn't leave it on the transfer case because it'd fall right out.

Put a pan out, collected all the fluid that came out of the transfer case... and rigged up a cover for the rear output with electrical tape, 550 cord, then re-filled the transfer case as best I could given it being a roadside repair.

Put the transfer case in 4 wheel High, and continued on the drive with no ill effects and no leaking worth discussion... Was rather proud of myself.

The next town we got into, we spent the night in a NAPA service shop's parking lot considering we pulled in at about 0300. 0700 rolls around, they open up. Not able to get the proper U-joint, but they improved on my repair with a rubber cap from... well, I don't know, but this rubber cap when anchored with a pipe clamp fits perfectly and is now in the vehicular repair pelican we keep in the truck at all times... if we have an issue again, we have that for an emergency repair if necessary.

Ended up getting the driveline repaired in Prince George at a gear and driveline shop... they had the parts on-hand, and also fixed a couple other things for free.

So, if you have rear driveline issues that deadline a 4wd truck, consider pulling the driveline and covering up the tail housing, then continuing in 4x4 high... it'll work on the trail and it'll work on the road.