Blog #4

Periodic Maintenance Inspections (PMI)

So …, A little more prep work for shearing this week.  It doesn’t seem like much, but I repainted the nuts and lock washers that hold my shearing machine on the mounting stud.  Not a big deal, a bit of day-glo orange paint on the outside and some anti-seize compound on the threads.  Yes, I know the paint is going to wear off in places, but enough will be left on so I can find them when I drop them in the straw.  There’re some more PMI to do in the next few weeks, and while none take too long, they’re all important.

 

 

PMI is important for any tool you want to keep around, from your car to your refrigerator to a firearm to your coffee pot.  Believe it or not, they’re all the same.  Surface clean, disassemble moving parts to some degree, clean the inner workings, inspect the replaceable parts, lubricate as required, and re-assemble.

      

For my shearing gear, that means checking the major components.  On the handpiece I cleaned the forks and openings on my handpiece, checked for rust and misaligned parts, and looked at the gear teeth.  I also blew out accumulated wool and dust, then lubricated and reassembled it.  Working my way backwards up the machine I disassembled the downtube and arm, cleaned out any dirt and gunk, re-lubed and then reassembled that.  After that I blew out the motor and made sure the fasteners are tight that secure the machine to the mounting bracket.  That gets me back to where I started, checking the screws that secure the bracket to the mounting stud.

With ongoing PMI, my shearing setup should work for as long as I feel like shearing.

C-Ya!

*** No animals were harmed in the making of this post. Shearing is an important part of sheep farming for the wellbeing of the sheep. ***