Out of the blue, the transmission in our 2000 Chevy Van started slipping when accelerating from a dead stop. Very strange feeling; one that I’ve had before but couldn’t put my finger on. Two choices: take the van to a shop or remove the pan on the 4L60E to see if there were any indicators. Pull the pan was the option I chose.

Before doing so, I played captain obvious and checked the dipstick where I found not so clean fluid but full to capacity. So, off comes the exhaust followed by the pan. Pretty easy job actually and what I found made perfect sense… The filter had fallen into the pan! That’s right, the filter was not inserted into the transmission like it should be which explains everything. This had happened to me once before in a classic car but it was something I never would have expected. So, if your car, truck or van slips on initial acceleration, but seems to recover, this may be your problem.

What it all boiled down to was the fact that I paid someone to replace the tranny filter and fluid a few years back and he didn’t replace the little bushing that slides into the transmission holding the shaft of the filter snugly. I see why too! That thing is pressed in and pretty much a pain to extract. But, there would be no repeat of this one, so I removed it with a very sharp screwdriver and a small hammer by prying under the lip- without damaging the machined area that it slides into.

Clean fluid, new filter and off we went! No more slipping. Going to wait a few days, then siphon out the fluid and replace which will give the old fluid a chance to run through the filter and remove any sediments or particles.

Learned the hard way recently that it’s not necessary to even touch a ball while playing soccer to destroy your ACL otherwise know as your anterior cruciate ligament. The sad part is there is no preparation as this ligament does not stretch or heal. It is, or it isn’t. Here’s a diagram of the knee:

So, a beautiful pass comes across, I wind up and BAM! It was as though time stood still for a second like in The Matrix as I felt a twist that was so unnatural, I fully expected to see my leg out to the side at a right angle. When the leg planted, you hear “pop, pop, pop” so loud that people 15 feet away said “Don’t Move!”.

Thankfully, I was surrounded by nice people who grabbed ice and helped me to the car. Quick trip to the emergency room yields the following: meniscus tear, piece of the patella broken off, possible LCL damaged and possible ACL damage. DAMN IT! One more problem- I cannot extend the leg fully.. for months. Finally broke down and requested an MRI after three months of working hard to rehab something that should not be rehabbed. MRI reveals the meniscus tear actually flipped and was acting as a door stop. Well, that explains the inability to extend the leg. It also shows a frayed ACL, fluid everywhere along with the separated piece of meniscus which is quite fascinating to look at.

Fast forward two weeks. The big day arrives and doc is going in to fix the meniscus by shaving the rough edges and removing the bad piece. While there, he finds that my ACL is like tissue paper and replaces it with a cadaver’s adding later that it had snapped off the femur. So, I had been walking around for months without an ACL. I wake up dizzy but am surrounded by very friendly nurses and my wife. Doc is onto the next case but has briefed the Mrs. on the situation. Says it went well, the nerve block worked and not to play superhero by not taking the meds prescribed. Problem is they make me dizzy, but after that passes, I pass out. Good thing. They say it’s weight bearing from the beginning as long as I’m wearing the immobilizing brace. A quick check of my leg shows bandages covered by some contraption that circulates ice water around the knee and should work very well, an ace bandage and the aforementioned immobilizing brace. No showers for 48 hours, stay off the damn leg but move about somewhat to keep from clotting, meds, meds and more meds, ice water, compression stockings to ward off clots, elevate leg, and watch for increased pain on second day. It’s 3am right now, so I am expecting to wake in pain. We’ll see and update this account, I shall! You’re going to need a good deal of physical assistance unless you are exceptionally strong. Simple things like using the toilet require time to undo your brace, prop your leg up on a stool, etc. Having someone with you for the first few days will be a blessing as you cannot carry items easily while using crutches. Keep a supply of water nearby, your pills, tissues, a garbage can, remotes and your phone.

Day 2: woke several times last night due to movements while sleeping causing sharp pains. The meds were a blessing as only one pill allowed me to sleep for a few hours at a clip. As the nerve block began to wear off, two pills were necessary. Needless to say, I was out cold rather quickly. Thank goodness for this fine, yet simple piece of machinery called a DonJoy Iceman.

The ice really does become your friend. Onto the experience. You’d swear your leg has a 100lb weight strapped to it, but it doesn’t.. The pain varies from mildly uncomfortable to intense. Again, take the meds as instructed. Slept more earlier in the day and the time seemed to pass a little easier with the leg elevated. The rule of thumb seems to be that your leg is roughly a foot higher than your chest. Lying on your back, all this requires is a few pillows. Finally spoke to the doc today. He says that the ACL was ripped off the Femur, so I was running around without one for months. Unreal! No wonder I couldn’t fix the damn thing!

Day 3: had trouble sleeping last night early on as a weird phenomenon occurred. It was as though someone was prodding my leg with an electrode with the speed of a lightning storm. It was unbearable at a few points and even extended to the other leg. I’m guessing the tissues may be reconnecting and/or referred pain is the culprit. The result was spasming that shook my whole body out of sleep and that was after taking two percocets. Loosened the brace, massaged the leg and eventually slept soundly for a good 7 hours. Best sleep since surgery. While I tried to do some rehab work on days one and two, it was largely unsuccessful. Leg lift attempts felt like some foreign exercise I had never done as the sensation and feedback from your knee are in another language… and unless you’ve already had ACL replacement, feel unimaginable. Today was the first day that some of that feedback subsided but new experiences were there to confound me further. Having been unable to extend my leg fully for four months meant there was a kind of dead spot when attempting to activate muscles that couldn’t be fully utilized prior. What I’m saying here is be patient. The first steps are the most difficult and I had to reiterate this a few times today. The brace that was provided limits mobility laterally, so it’s very unnatural. It makes me feel like if the brace were off, I would not be able to support my leg. Not sure if this is true, but just three days ago, it was very strong, so I doubt it. Will advise on this in a few days. Standing today without meds produces a sensation that is nearly indescribable but I’ll try. Since your leg has been elevated most of the time, just the act of bringing it down to the floor produces a rush of blood that is tremendous. All of the surgery access points will immediately become apparent as they scream for a few seconds. Then, it goes away in a flash until you put some weight on the foot. It returns slightly and what you’ll find is that bearing weight is a lot more pleasant that switching positions. I dread getting up after resting, but have no problem hobbling about the house on crutches. In fact, it feels good. Until this point, cleaning with a wash cloth in front of the sink is advisable as you don’t want to get the bandages wet. If you’re like me, going two days without a shower is a real problem. Plus, the pain makes you sweat uncontrollably at times. Time to pull out a garbage bag, the medical tape and have a nice warm shower. Get something to sit on that is very sturdy and not slippery. One fall in the shower could put you back in the operating room. In fact, if you have a tub, not a shower stall, I’d skip it. Too much risk and a wash cloth will get you just as clean!!

Days 4 and 5 were a blur.

Day 6, we removed the bandages and did some cleaning. Regardless of my pain level, I did as many leg lifts as possible though there wasn’t much flexion in the knee yet, full extension was excellent. Flexion is essentially the bend in your knee in degrees. The knee was so swollen that upon trying to bend it, the feeling of intense pressure internally was evident and really held me back. So, continually massaging the area, it eventually allowed for near 60 degree flexion. One thing I have noticed is that upon bending the knee, on the LCL side, it seems to get stuck when bending at about 20 degree angle. When I pass this point, I hear a click that is audible.

Day 8: Met with the doc for my first follow-up. Feels like it’s been inflated to 80psi like a truck tire. Doc says it looks great, asks a few questions, then pulls out this incredible set of pictures of the actual inside of my knee. Amazing! Here we can see how the ACL had been snapped off the femur, the damage to the LCL and the back of my kneecap which needed some cleaning. The meniscus also needed repair. For the life of me, I still cannot figure out how this much damage can happen from one wrong move. Here, the doc provides me with tips and gives the rehabilitation orders for physical therapy.

Day 10: I walk for the first time without crutches. This was like the first time you were able to ride a bike and were wobbly but were pedaling away without falling. It was truly like a new experience. The leg feels weak from all that immobilization but I am determined to get it back into shape. Each day, several times at the very least, I have been doing all of the exercises specified. Despite this, the leg still looks atrophied and I fear it will be some time before it looks or moves like it once did.

Between day 10 and today, the progress has been steady and marked by less pain, easier movement and regaining that sense of independence. Counting on others for every thing is really difficult if you are an independent person. Hopefully, you have someone patient and caring that will be providing a hand for it’s essential.

You’ve no doubt heard all about the drought in Texas this year and seen the pictures of land so parched it looks ready to spontaneously combust! Well, there has been an unintended side-effect that has resulted in a great example of the double-edged sword: a hay shortage. This allowed hay producers to charge record amounts for hay that was trucked to Texas while creating a problem for locals around those hay producers who found signs saying “SOLD OUT” when they went to pick up hay for the winter. I experienced this first-hand as follows:

On August 15th or so, I called the guy I normally deal with for hay and he had a story to tell. Back in July, his entire crop received 7 rains effectively ruining the hay for horses. He continued stating “all the local hay is going to Texas, so you better stock up!” How right he was. Call after call resulted in the same story “we’re sold out and have sold off the next cutting to Texas”. Thanks very much Mr. Hayman! What are your regular clients supposed to do now that you’ve become a sellout like the rest? The answer happened to be truck in your own semi-load! I did just that! Screw these guys who took an extra buck a bale rather than passing that cost onto his normal clients who wound up paying much more as a result of their greed.

The above picture is of the semi-load I shipped in at a ridiculous cost to cover our needs. There are many folks who are paying $300-$350 a ton for hay that cost 1/4 of that in 2010! It’s a travesty and yet, when you check craigslist in Nebraska for example, there is still hay available for $50 a ton! Doesn’t say much for our integrity now does it?

An even bigger issue is one I heard from farmers in Wyoming and Montana- much of their hay being shipped to be Japan. With so much local hay being shipped rather than consumed by locals, a shortage is quickly exacerbating the situation and we’re seeing crazy prices like $150 for a 700lb bale of grass hay. That’s insanity. Who can afford to feed animals at that cost. My prediction on what another unintended effect might be is the sale of beautiful horses at meat auctions which is an absolute travesty.

As a result of the above situations, I attended the hay auction on October 29th, 2011 and the lowest priced decent hay recorded was roughly $240 per ton. That doesn’t include shipping mind you, so you’d have to add on the cost. Many of the lots exceeded $350 per ton for excellent quality hay. The problem? This hay was 1/3 of that amount last year. Paying a little more is one thing, tripling the expense of feeding your animals is another. Not everyone has a few extra grand laying around to bring in a truckload and I saw it as having no choice. Take the risk or pay three times what we did last season.

The answer to all of this for those unlucky enough to live in an area like Northern Colorado? Locate a trailer-load of hay and have it shipped in. Search craigslist in Nebraska, hop in the truck and take a ride. Make the deal, hire a trucker and put this nightmare behind you.

As one who had limited knowledge about Caterpillar products, I always felt that it would be the ultimate machine to own if I could ever afford one. Anyone who spoke of CAT, spoke highly of the reliability and endurance. Plus, the all raved about the company itself. About two years ago, an opportunity arose to obtain a 2007 CAT 242B skid steer. It was more powerful than I needed, had a cabin, heat and a/c. Sadly, the prior owner was behind on his payments and was about to get hit with a serious mark on his credit for a repo. Long story short, I took over the payments and the burden was no longer his. The machine had about 230 hours on it, so it was virtually brand new. If you’ve ever driven one, you understand just how handy and powerful these machines are.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago. To-date, the machine had been flawless. It was always checked, lubed and maintained prior to use, so when the oil light began to flicker, my first thoughts were that it must be a faulty switch. Having seen a few engine failures due to ignoring the so-called “idiot-light”, I shut it down immediately and began looking for the root of the problem. Oil was full and only had 50 hours on it. Filter was new, but replacing it just in case was a good measure. No good. Pulled the oil pressure sending switch, tested with an ohm-meter and it was fine. Not looking too good at this moment. Then I plumbed in a mechanical oil pressure gauge. 0psi. Uh, oh…

Not one to take any chances, I took another gauge out of a known-working car and checked it back-to-back. Nothing. Zero psi. Panic sets in as this cannot be a cheap job, yet I’ve done nothing but take excellent care of the machine. At this point, I call a friend who is a heavy-equipment guy who has worked on CAT’s for 20 years and happens to work at large dealership in the East. He asks for the machine’s id # and before you know it, there are two potential issues that point at this very problem. One bulletin(similar to a recall notice for cars) says that the oil pump gear dowels shear off causing a loss of pressure and engine failure. The other says that the oil pump pickup can come off causing the aforementioned issues. Well, at least there is something to go on, but the machine is three years out of warranty. This is when the value of purchasing from Caterpillar became perfectly clear.

A call to the local CAT dealer starts with the usual description of symptoms but ends very differently. This time, the rep. says that CAT is very good about issues like this, so it’s best to take it apart, ascertain the real issue, then talk to the company. You’re not going to believe this, but they replaced the entire engine and the receipt says “Caterpillar Goodwill 100%”. They paid for a reman engine which is $8k, the installation and everything but the incidentals. Are you kidding me? Someone actually stands behind their product to this extent and took care of a machine that was babied but three years out of warranty. This is the kind of company I want to deal with and will literally forever. This kind of goodwill is unheard of in any industry and I am thankful for the backing of CAT and all involved in the transaction.

What will my next machine be? A Caterpillar. Without question, a Caterpillar and it will be from the dealer that helped bridge the gap and turn a bad situation into a great experience.

A word of warning folks, read the fine print when you get one of these notices. I took a few moments to read AMEX’s most recent update- which of course is meant to be better for me – but in reality only backs us into a corner further. The most poignant piece of this update in terms was the DEFAULT INTEREST RATE which says that if you have one late payment- just one – they can default my interest rate to 27.24% (prime plus 23.99%) for a MINIMUM of Six MONTHS!!!! At their sole discretion of course. The same default rate applies if you bounce a check as well. They are definitely not on your side like Nationwide…

The solution: enroll in their automated payment system which will take the minimum payment from your checking account automatically thereby avoiding the issue of late payments altogether. Be sure to add over-draft to that checking account because bouncing a check will result in the same 27% interest rate being applied for six months. I’ve dealt with AMEX on the phone and let me tell you, they are not accustomed to working with people and any company that would bang you for a minimum of six months because of one late payment might need to be avoided…. if the were the only one. Sadly, this is common.

Might sound like they are here to help in the advertisements, but trust that if you are having trouble, they’re not going to bail you out. It’s just not in the business model. During the economic crash we saw in 2008, I received what could only be called a “margin call” from AMEX. Here’s how the conversation went:

AMEX: Good afternoon. This is AMEX. We need you to make a payment today.
Me: The bill isn’t due until the 15th and I am current.
AMEX: How much of a payment can you make today?
Me: Did you hear me? The bill is not due.
AMEX: How much of a payment can you make today?

They never faltered from this same line. I was both pissed off and disgusted at the same time. Their strong-arm tactic wasn’t for the weak-willed and I’m sure they made thousands of calls that week. What I didn’t realize was that their fiscal quarter was ending and it was an attempt to shore up their cash position. Bet it worked, but it made me vary wary. A word to the wise: be ready to make a payment at any time if AMEX is your main source of credit.

Pay your bill on-time, set up auto-draft to avoid late payments and have enough to cover this payment at all times!