Those April Fools

Having been a bit under the weather lately, I've had some down time. As I started feeling a bit better this weekend and the weather turned warmer, it seemed time to do a little work on the Green Bus Project. It seems the breaks stick and don't release the brake drum like they should. No problem I thought and whipped out the jack to take the wheel off and look at the breaks.

As these things go this does not seem such a major piece of work. The jack provided with the Transporter buses is a nice jack and easy enough to use. So it gets put in the jack point and away you go. Everything goes pretty well but it takes the front wheel off the ground before the rear wheel comes off the ground. It is about this time that the decision to block the front wheel with a small chalk becomes a worse idea than it was a few minutes ago. Being a believer in the principle that things do work out and being close to having the rear wheel off the ground I keep going.

It is not, of course, until the whole of the back wheel does leave the ground that the precarious nature of the situation becomes very apparent. About the same time a breeze comes up and begins pushing ever so slightly on the back of Green Bus Project. With this encouragement the bus decides to slide ever so slightly forward. Though the gradual movement was only a few inches, and no more than six, the jack twists sideways wedging between the socket for the jack point and the ground below.

Most important to all such predicaments is timing. Of course it is at this time the neighbor shows up. Fortunately for the foolish this April the neighbor lends a jack and the problem is soon resolved.

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