FARM HACKS: REPAIR MAKE-DOS

These tricks make quick work of repairs when you can’t find the right tool.

USE A GREASE-FILLED SYRINGE TO PACK BEARINGS

When packing grease in wheel bearings, it’s hard to be sure if grease is getting inserted into all the cavities around the rollers or balls and between the outer and inner races. Rather than pack the bearings by hand, employ an old, grease-filled livestock syringe instead.

This allows you to insert the syringe’s needle between the rollers or balls and races, and to quickly pack the bearing, minimizing the mess while filling all cavities with lubricant. 

FLEXIBLE SPARK PLUG EXTENSION GETS IN TIGHT SPACES

There are times when it’s hard to hand-start a spark plug in some engines, particularly when space is limited, as is often the case on many modern vehicles.

The solution is to create a flexible spark plug extension from an air hose or similar tubing with a ½-inch interior diameter. The porcelain top of the spark plug fits snug inside the hose and won’t drop out. Also, the hose is stiff enough to provide twisting torque. The hose can be cut to any length to suit a particular situation.

SUPER RUBBER BANDS KEEP THINGS TOGETHER

Are you always losing those straws on spray lubricant bottles? Or how about chuck keys or adjustment wrenches on power tools that go missing. Tired of having the rubber hose on your grease gun whip around leaving a trail of grease behind on toolboxes – or you?

The quick solution is to create these super rubber retaining bands from bicycle tubing. You can cut the tubing at various widths to suit the job – narrower for spray lubricant can straws and wider to hold the end of a flexible grease gun hose or drill chuck key. 

HOW TO SEAT THE BEADS ON SMALL TIRES

If a tire on a small cart or wheelbarrow goes flat, the beads on the tire often lift away from the rim seat. The resulting gap allows too much air to escape, preventing the tire from being reinflated.

To push the bead against the rim seat, first apply bead seat sealer on the seat. Next, employ a ratchet strap to deflect the center of the tire. This causes the sides of the tire and, thus, its beads, to move outward against the rim.