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Re: A wrenching problem

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On Sat, 31 Oct 2015 13:35:39 -0400, benj wrote:

> 
> Those particular ratcheting wrenches are stamped cheapo crap with very 
> large ends that won't fit tight spaces (the spaces around nuts and bolts 
> are always tight due to Murphy's Law). There are better ones.
> 

Better?  Well, let's just say that there are a variety of wrenches
available to suit a variety of access situations.  The average mechanic,
therefore, must invest a fortune in different tool sets to cover all,
or most, possibilities -- if he can afford it.

Furthermore, Murphy's law is not the culprit.  The reason for most
difficult access situations is POOR DESIGN.  Most goods are not made
to be repaired.  They are made to be discarded after a certain time
period  and thus no thought whatsoever is usually given to providing
a convenient access.

I had to replace the oil pan on my vehicle.  The whole fscking engine
had to be removed, at great expense, to obtain access to a $50 part.
The same for spark plugs.  The same for fuel pumps.  Etc., etc.
To change out a simple starter on my vehicle, I once had to piece together
a chain of several socket extensions, including TWO universal joints,
totaling about three feet in length so as to thread through a labyrinth
of obstructions in order to reach the two bolts that held the goddamned
thing.  When I walked into the auto parts emporium to get a replacement
the clerk began to heartily laugh: "I'll bet you had a time gettin' this
off!"

Once, after measuring a low voltage output, I realized that I needed
to replace the alternator on my auto.  A look around revealed the faulty
original sitting beautifully in an unobstructed location.  I was overjoyed.
After quickly removing two bolts I began to pull but the thing wouldn't
budge. Looking more closely I discovered a third bolt completely buried
in a deep ravine of steel forgings and casts.  It required many hours of
frustration to finally free the part.

A military fighter jet is designed for continuous maintenance and
the design engineers give great attention to including convenient
access as part of the overall design.  But the same is not true for
the flood of other goods on the consumer and professional market.    

Good design costs $$$ and will not make it in the competitive world
of trash goods that we know and enjoy.  As a consequence, the repairman
always has the frustrating job of playing nimble contortionist

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A wrenching problem Sam Wormley <swormley1@gmail.com> - 2015-10-30 21:43 -0500
  Re: A wrenching problem Fabian Russell <root@localhost.localdomain> - 2015-10-31 02:56 +0000
    Re: A wrenching problem xxein1@att.net - 2015-10-31 10:06 -0700
    Re: A wrenching problem benj <none@gmail.com> - 2015-10-31 13:35 -0400
      Re: A wrenching problem Fabian Russell <root@localhost.localdomain> - 2015-10-31 18:06 +0000
        Re: A wrenching problem jimp@specsol.spam.sux.com - 2015-10-31 19:03 +0000
          Re: A wrenching problem Fabian Russell <root@localhost.localdomain> - 2015-10-31 19:33 +0000
            Re: A wrenching problem jimp@specsol.spam.sux.com - 2015-10-31 19:50 +0000
          Re: A wrenching problem benj <none@gmail.com> - 2015-10-31 17:07 -0400
            Re: A wrenching problem Fabian Russell <root@localhost.localdomain> - 2015-10-31 22:22 +0000
              Re: A wrenching problem benj <none@gmail.com> - 2015-10-31 23:12 -0400
                Re: A wrenching problem Fabian Russell <root@localhost.localdomain> - 2015-11-01 04:04 +0000
                Re: A wrenching problem "Ross A. Finlayson" <ross.finlayson@gmail.com> - 2015-10-31 21:29 -0700
                Re: A wrenching problem Fabian Russell <root@localhost.localdomain> - 2015-11-01 06:28 +0000
                Re: A wrenching problem olli.dp3@gmail.com - 2015-10-31 23:09 -0700
                Re: A wrenching problem benj <none@gmail.com> - 2015-11-01 10:49 -0500
      Re: A wrenching problem Fabian Russell <root@localhost.localdomain> - 2015-10-31 18:26 +0000
        Re: A wrenching problem benj <none@gmail.com> - 2015-10-31 16:56 -0400
          Re: A wrenching problem Fabian Russell <root@localhost.localdomain> - 2015-10-31 21:25 +0000
          Re: A wrenching problem Fabian Russell <root@localhost.localdomain> - 2015-10-31 21:33 +0000
            Re: A wrenching problem benj <none@gmail.com> - 2015-10-31 22:56 -0400
      Re: A wrenching problem Fabian Russell <root@localhost.localdomain> - 2015-10-31 19:04 +0000
        Re: A wrenching problem benj <none@gmail.com> - 2015-10-31 17:25 -0400
        Re: A wrenching problem dvus <dven1@adelphia.net> - 2015-11-01 08:29 -0500
          Re: A wrenching problem benj <none@gmail.com> - 2015-11-01 10:21 -0500
            Re: A wrenching problem dvus <dven1@adelphia.net> - 2015-11-01 22:43 -0500
          Re: A wrenching problem R Kym Horsell <kym@kymhorsell.com> - 2015-11-01 18:48 +0000
      Re: A wrenching problem Fabian Russell <root@localhost.localdomain> - 2015-10-31 20:13 +0000

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