The new news 24 thread

[Rust Collector]

3 hours ago, Stinkwheel said:

I'm really glad you are using this as a normal everyday car, they are quite good at it. Hopefully its behaving

I don’t want to tempt fate but it’s sort of ok at the moment. The thermostat needs doing, I’m terrified to think about the cam belt, and the ABS has stopped working again which gets pretty exciting* pretty quickly given the current weather. But more than anything, I’m just glad to have a useable car!

[Stinkwheel]

1 minute ago, Rust Collector said:

I don’t want to tempt fate but it’s sort of ok at the moment. The thermostat needs doing, I’m terrified to think about the cam belt, and the ABS has stopped working again which gets pretty exciting* pretty quickly given the current weather. But more than anything, I’m just glad to have a useable car!

Thermostat shouldnt be too bad a job (hoping i havent cursed you by saying that) but by crikey man, I know youve got a spare engine, but the cambelt isnt that hard compared to swapping the lump 🤣

[Rust Collector]

2 minutes ago, Stinkwheel said:

Thermostat shouldnt be too bad a job (hoping i havent cursed you by saying that) but by crikey man, I know youve got a spare engine, but the cambelt isnt that hard compared to swapping the lump 🤣

To clarify, the terror I’m experiencing in relation to the cam belt is brought on by the section of my commute which includes climbing a 12% gradient at 3,500rpm whilst nervously waiting to hear the engine go bang 🤣 I’m not too worried about the work itself, so should really crack on and do it.

[horriblemercedes]

Why that section of commute in particular?

[Bren]

New whip purchased. I will put something on the modern shite thread.

[Split_Pin]

Just now, Bren said:

New whip purchased. I will put something on the modern shite thread.

I'm watching your Insignia on Ebay 😬

[Jenson Velcro]

I’ve had the day off work yet ended up helping out a mate at his garage by stripping down the engine in a 68 plate Transit. Only 60 odd thousand miles under its wheels but the owner was always too busy to get it serviced. Now the cam belt has stripped its teeth and smashed the valve rockers. Owner now not able to work and looking for a new van…..

[IronStar]

Wtf happened here?! It’s been sitting here for at least two hours now. 

[Marshall2810]

Doing a bit on the old cit and getting the pipes traced, disconnected and made up. Somehow the garage has remained dry so far 🎉

[reb]

50 minutes ago, IronStar said:

Wtf happened here?! It’s been sitting here for at least two hours now. 

I've done that in ETS2, pressed the hitch key instead of the turn signal and not noticed the trailer's gone for a hundred km

[3VOM]

Can't see it on their website but I just picked up 5 x combination ratcheting spanners for £9.99 in my local Aldi. Usual WorkZone make.

[JJ0063]

Mrs JJ wants Xmas lights outside, I only own a stepladder. 
 

Stupid question but what sort of size ladder am I going to need to be able to reach the point of this gable end to drill a hook in and hook some lights up? 
 

Never bought a ladder before.

[Marshall2810]

3 minutes ago, JJ0063 said:

Mrs JJ wants Xmas lights outside, I only own a stepladder. 
 

Stupid question but what sort of size ladder am I going to need to be able to reach the point of this gable end to drill a hook in and hook some lights up? 
 

Never bought a ladder before.

A big one......🫣😉 and be careful if your putting it into gravel.

Seriously tho I'd just pay someone to do it tbf if she's got her heart set on it. 

[chadders]

Do they need to go to the very top?

You can get a lot done by learning out of the first floor windows, having string attached to the lights and a long pole with a net or a hook as you work around the house.

[Snake Charmer]

Most of today spent defrosting our "Frost Free" freezer. 🤣

[stuboy]

Drove in wind and rain as I stupidly said I'd take the missus and girls too primani to buy clothes... God it was windy traveling on the m20..

[adw1977]

2 hours ago, JJ0063 said:

Mrs JJ wants Xmas lights outside, I only own a stepladder. 
 

Stupid question but what sort of size ladder am I going to need to be able to reach the point of this gable end to drill a hook in and hook some lights up? 
 

Never bought a ladder before.

I think you need more than a ladder to safely get up there!  A job for a professional really. 

Once you've got some suitable hooks installed up there, a long pole with a hook on the end might work for getting a string of lights up there and back down, perhaps in conjunction with your stepladder for extra reach.

[richardmorris]

47 minutes ago, adw1977 said:

I think you need more than a ladder to safely get up there!  A job for a professional really. 

Once you've got some suitable hooks installed up there, a long pole with a hook on the end might work for getting a string of lights up there and back down, perhaps in conjunction with your stepladder for extra reach.

 

[JJ0063]

I’ll be fine up a ladder I reckon. I’ve found one on gumtree that extends to 8.4m. If I reverse the camper up to the bottom of the ladder so it can’t slip I think il be alright!

[richardmorris]

8 minutes ago, JJ0063 said:

I’ll be fine up a ladder I reckon. I’ve found one on gumtree that extends to 8.4m. If I reverse the camper up to the bottom of the ladder so it can’t slip I think il be alright!

That’s what rod hull thought.

[richardmorris]

34 minutes ago, JJ0063 said:

I’ll be fine up a ladder I reckon. I’ve found one on gumtree that extends to 8.4m. If I reverse the camper up to the bottom of the ladder so it can’t slip I think il be alright!

Be careful. I can just about manage stepladders but  even then need three points of contact.

[adw1977]

1 hour ago, JJ0063 said:

If I reverse the camper up to the bottom of the ladder so it can’t slip I think il be alright!

Sounds like that would reduce the risk.  You also need to make sure it can't tip left or right.

[Snake Charmer]

2 hours ago, JJ0063 said:

I’ll be fine up a ladder I reckon. I’ve found one on gumtree that extends to 8.4m. If I reverse the camper up to the bottom of the ladder so it can’t slip I think il be alright!

Get Mrs.JJ at the bottom of the ladder and say "One of us needs to foot this ladder while you go up it."

[Sunny Jim]

@JJ0063 ideally your ladder should be at an angle of 75 degrees or 1 in 4. (The easiest way to judge this is to have your toes touching the bottom of the stiles with your arms  outstretched your fingertips should just touch the ladder - your body is the right angle and the ladder is the hypotenuse).

With the ladder at the correct angle put a decent sized eye bolt in the wall at about chest height. Thread a ratchet strap from the bolt around one stile, under a rung then round the other stile and back to the bolt and ratchet it up. That'll hold the ladder in place far more securely than the van or someone footing it.

Be safe at height and whatever you do don't step back to admire your work until you're back on the ground!

[artdjones]

6 hours ago, JJ0063 said:

Mrs JJ wants Xmas lights outside, I only own a stepladder. 
 

Stupid question but what sort of size ladder am I going to need to be able to reach the point of this gable end to drill a hook in and hook some lights up? 
 

Never bought a ladder before.

2 x 4.5m would be ok, but you will have to pay around £300, and keep them well locked up, so you have to think, Is it worth it for a few fairy lights?

Drive two cold chisels well into the ground to stop slippage, and remember, the bottom 1 meter out from the wall for every 4m of height.

The higher you go the worse you will be injured when you fall. 30ft is the height where you have a 50% chance of dying if you come off.

I'd just tell your wife it would be better if she did it, as she's the one that wants the lights. I'm sure she's a stunning, brave and empowered (insert other clichés here) modern woman. You go girl!

What's that? Feminism doesn't really work in these situations? Strange......

[BorniteIdentity]

Me and ladders don’t get on after I fell from a roof approximately that high. 

These days, even the Sky TV man will bolt his ladders to your house. If you don’t let them drill fixings, they don’t go up. 

Make sure the ladders are sufficiently rated for your weight (and actually weigh yourself, don’t guess) and make sure the second hand ladders you buy haven’t been stored outside or have been compromised. 

I’m the least risk averse person you’ll ever meet, but there’s a lot that can go wrong - more than just a ladder slipping away. I was very lucky not to be crippled from the eyebrows down. 

[JJ0063]

You lot have made me think il just pay ‘a man’ to do it. Think that might be easier/safer!

[artdjones]

1 minute ago, BorniteIdentity said:

I was very lucky not to be crippled from the eyebrows down. 

Yes, like I said above, 30ft falls are about where you have a 50/50 chance of survival, with the odds against rapidly increasing after that.

[Mr Pastry]

Just now, JJ0063 said:

You lot have made me think il just pay ‘a man’ to do it. Think that might be easier/safer!

Yep.  Really not worth the risk.  Remember there are no brownie points to be had, domestically, by being good at DIY.  You just get told off for making a mess and taking too long.  Whereas there are quite a lot of brownie points to be had by paying for things.  Cynical, moi?   

[BorniteIdentity]

4 minutes ago, JJ0063 said:

You lot have made me think il just pay ‘a man’ to do it. Think that might be easier/safer!

It's quite a humbling feeling - being entangled in a set of ladders, the ambulance arriving and the paramedic telling you that the air ambulance will be arriving shortly.