Have you ever had one of those relationships where, when it is good, it is great — a synchronized dance, a symphony, fireworks and flowers. But when it is bad, it is very bad — angry noises, smoke, disillusionment.
For years, I’ve been locked in such a love/hate quagmire. Not with my wife, Pam, we’re pretty boring in that regard, but with a Vermeer BC625.
Some might say that such strong feelings for a wood chipper are abnormal. (Before throwing stones, have you ever used the term “my baby” referring to a car, truck, boat, or snowmobile?) But when you’ve had a nasty windstorm, and there are 20 lodgepoles on the ground with all their branches, a woodchipper can do magic. Put a big branch in the chute, and poof, it’s gone. One after another, with a brrraaaap sound, and your pile disappears. Bliss.
But like any torrid romance, one slip-up can mean disaster. A careless move, a taking-you-for-granted oversight, and you’re in misery. My son and I had been rolling, two hours of uninterrupted chipping, when I got a medical call for our Condon Quick Response Unit. In my haste, I didn’t allow the chipper to completely digest its meal of pine. When I restarted the machine, it jammed, and an acrid smoke ensued.
I returned the machine to Seeley Rent All, and Andy Stroh, like a good internist, made the diagnosis from my history.
“Burned a belt.”
Darn.
An operation would be required. Andy then expertly disassembled the machine, replaced the belt, set the tension (1.007 times the circumference of the belt), and we were back in business.
The chipper returned to its previous efficiency, rather sulkily I thought. Hopefully we can patch things up. Maybe I should chip some roses and chocolates.
While chipper drama is unpleasant, seeing someone doing their job very well is a pleasure. I’ve seen much of that over the last couple of weeks. Helicopter pilots, paramedics, our QRU team, sheriffs, highway patrol, the electric co-op crew, the guy in the chainsaw shop, my chipper surgeon — as much as we celebrate Olympians and rock stars, there are so many folks, right in front of us, who do a really great job.
I’ll wait a couple of weeks before renting the BC625 again, to let things cool off. But I don’t think we can stay apart.
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