MORE PROOF DAD WAS RIGHT

Sunday brother Loy and I went to Strum Island to repair the rototiller. It had broken down in the food plot near "Loy's Log" - a section near one of the ravines traveled by deer on their way from the HAAP property to the sluice.

Loy's log is a hollow tree approximately six feet in diameter that brother Loy used to occupy when hunting from the ground. We later constructed a ground blind at the edge of the food plot that is about a quarter acre in size. The plot is about 75 yards up on the island from the sluice and another 100 yards to the cabin.

Repair was going to be tough on site since it has rained several times after the belt broke. Having locked up, the tiller was immobile because the drive belt slipped off and clogged the tine belt. Mud from splashing thunderstorms had covered the plate that protects the belt drives from the bottom of the tiller. We decided to lift the rear-tine tiller into a wheelbarrow and take it to a picnic table at the cabin where we could get to the machine.

Having bought both belts rather than just the defective one, the repair went smoothly taking about thirty minutes.

So, this repair job began with obtaining the model and serial numbers from the disabled tiller. Next was an unscheduled trip to the office to access the internet to identify the part numbers on the belts. I then called the repair shop I normally use to see if they carried the belts. "Yes" was the answer I wanted and got. Unfortunately, the clerk added, "but one isn't in stock and has to be ordered. You'll have to come pay in advance since it has to be ordered." A 40 minute round trip resulted in payment for the belts. A second 40 minute round trip picked them up when the out-of-stock belt arrived. Sunday was the first day both Loy and I had for the repair job. 20 minutes of driving, 10 minutes for the to and from boat trip, and 30 minutes to do the repair job. Once again I hear Dad's voice: "All one hour jobs take three hours!"