What Do You Fix?

[clean]

I could be wrong, but the hood of a car is pretty heavy. I think that the gas struts really just hold it open, the real power comes from the springs.  Perhaps there is a spring you can either put under the door (on the inside), or alternatively a longer, but less powerful spring that goes over the top (on the outside).  EIther way the locking mechanism would need to be firm. 

But sounds like a good solution so far! 

IF you get snow, would that be a problem getting it to open, especially if you were inside trying to get out.  (assuming that there was an entry from the house, otherwise, the snow would have to be removed before you got in!)

[larryc]

I could be wrong, but the hood of a car is pretty heavy. I think that the gas struts really just hold it open, the real power comes from the springs.  Perhaps there is a spring you can either put under the door (on the inside), or alternatively a longer, but less powerful spring that goes over the top (on the outside).  EIther way the locking mechanism would need to be firm. 

But sounds like a good solution so far! 

IF you get snow, would that be a problem getting it to open, especially if you were inside trying to get out.  (assuming that there was an entry from the house, otherwise, the snow would have to be removed before you got in!)

No struts definitely help you open things like hatchbacks. I found some instructions for determining  which struts you need by putting a board at the strut connection point on the hatch and the other end of the board on a scale. Clever! I'll let you all know how it goes.

[fishbrains]

I replaced the vortex baffle on the mowing deck of my son's lawn tractor. Pretty cool there.

Quite the manly feeling to order a vortex baffle on Amazon. At least until I'm told to add a 4-pack of loofahs to the order.

[ergative]

I replaced the vortex baffle on the mowing deck of my son's lawn tractor. Pretty cool there.

Quite the manly feeling to order a vortex baffle on Amazon. At least until I'm told to add a 4-pack of loofahs to the order.

Don't worry--Amazon will invite you to buy many more vortex baffles in future orders. After all, if you bought a vortex baffle once, surely you'll need many more. Would you like a monthly subscription to vortex baffles? Amazon fully appreciates your manliness.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

I 'sewed up' my old plastic wheelbarrow. Well, I drilled holes in it (along cracks) and threaded them with parachute cord to hold things together for a few more years. I also used some zip ties that I found to patch a crack in the bottom of it. Not my original idea- I saw this online somewhere (that person only used zip ties). I guess you could say, I did some surgery on it. Looks very Frankensteinian. We'll see how long it lasts!

[clean]

DID YOU KNOW....

(this may be a thread to itself someday).

Did you know that on a 12 V battery, the positive and negative terminals are different sizes? 
I learned that today!  I was replacing a battery terminal connector on my truck. I got a 2 pack.  The positive was the one I needed replaced.  It seems that the pack had one size for positive and one size for negative.  I picked wrong!  So I had to redo today's repair! 
I appreciate that one would not want to inadvertently install a battery backwards, so I appreciate that there are 2 sizes.  HOwever, I didnt Know it til now!! 

Did YOU Know this trivia?

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

We replaced a car battery and siphoned (and disposed of properly) 1 year old gas. That is all.