[AT] OT was runaway cars/now "electronic steering"

[charliehill]

Yep and for those of us that can no longer stay in the race for the newest 
and best, we'll have to try to piece together the very old stuff that can be 
fixed with bailing wire, pliers and files.   That is until the gov't comes 
along with another cash for clunkers scheme to get the old stuff off the 
market and force us to buy the new stuff.

Charlie
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ralph Goff" <alfg at sasktel.net>
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 2010 12:59 PM
Subject: Re: [AT] OT was runaway cars/now "electronic steering"


>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "charliehill" <charliehill at embarqmail.com>
> To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" 
> <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 2010 10:59 AM
> Subject: Re: [AT] OT was runaway cars/now "electronic steering"
>
>
>> John, a brand new Vette with a 366 engine and 400 HP will get real close
>> to
>> 30 mpg highway.  I'm fond of the cars we had back then but we only 
>> thought
>> they were fast.  The new cars out now, and not just the high performance
>> stuff, will leave a lot of them in the dust.  Same basic engine designs
>> but
>> improved by computers and managed by computers.  The only problem is
>> fixing
>> them in the future when the computer fails and the parts aren't available
>> or
>> affordable.
>
> Charlie, that is exactly the complaint I have on the complex newer 
> machinery
> and vehicles. They are truly superior when new but a few years down the 
> road
> when wear and tear, deterioration due to weather and heat set in, how well
> are the computers going to work? And how possible or costly will the 
> repairs
> be?
> I look at the new combines and tractors where everything is controlled by
> wires instead of direct mechanical connections and wonder the same thing.
> I had a friend with an air drill problem a couple of years ago. Numerous
> service technician trips, computer replacements and several valuable days
> lost at planting time. The problem............ a pinched wire in one of 
> the
> harnesses that would intermittently lose contact when turning the tractor.
> Easy to fix but an absolute nightmare to find. Its fine as long as you are
> replacing that vehicle or machinery every few years before it gets old and
> needing service but I can't justify that expense for my operation. I'd say
> we are more than ever approaching the "throw away society" where it 
> doesn't
> pay to fix anything, just throw it away (or recycle) and replace it with a
> new one.
>
> Ralph in Sask.
>
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