Loose bail on sediment bowl...

[Dale Finch]

I was getting ready to do some work with one of my Cubs, so checked the oil, radiator, then turned on the gas, hopped up and cranked her up! Backed out of the shed, and was about to hop down to hook up a trailer when I saw gas pouring out of the sediment bowl area. I immediately shut down the tractor and shut off the fuel.

Turns out it is one of the aftermarket sediment bowls which I haven't had any trouble with, but the nut at the bottom of the bail was extremely loose. I tightened it up and no leaking, but that was definitely a wake up call. Something new to add to my start-up routine will be to check the snugness of that nut.

[RonT]

Wow - that could have been much worse. Good hint to add to our mental pre-flight checklist.

Ron

[Dale Finch]

Yep!

Of course, I was quite happy it was only loose and I didn't have to mess with it. All my replacement gaskets are at home.

[Bob McCarty]

So, do I check the bail before or after I forget to turn on the gas ????

[BigBill]

Did you replace the sediment bowl a while back and forget to check the bowl for tightness.

Yup I forget to turn on the gas after I climb up on the tractor. It’s old age and forgetfulness.

[Gary Dotson]

Dale, my guess is that the last time the bowl was installed, the bail was not properly seated on one of the top legs, where it hooks. It finally slipped into place, making for a loose bail nut. You shouldn't have any further issue with it. I've had that happen before!

[Stanton]

...You shouldn't have any further issue with it...

If I know Dale, she'll reach under there and put a finger and thumb on it every time she turns the gas valve on/off, just to make sure...at least for a few weeks.

[Dale Finch]

So, do I check the bail before or after I forget to turn on the gas ????

Did you replace the sediment bowl a while back and forget to check the bowl for tightness.

Yup I forget to turn on the gas after I climb up on the tractor. It’s old age and forgetfulness.

It's been quite a while since I have worked on this sediment bowl, and have used it recently for hours of mowing. I generally only tighten things down enough to do the job, but may not have snugged it enough on this one.

Dale, my guess is that the last time the bowl was installed, the bail was not properly seated on one of the top legs, where it hooks. It finally slipped into place, making for a loose bail nut. You shouldn't have any further issue with it. I've had that happen before!

Gary, this makes a LOT of sense! Those notches are hard to see when you are replacing the bowl after cleaning, and would be easy to get the bail on top of the notch rather than snuggly into the notch. And that is probably how loose the bowl was.

[Dale Finch]

If I know Dale, she'll reach under there and put a finger and thumb on it every time she turns the gas valve on/off, just to make sure...at least for a few weeks.

I resemble that remark!!! Do I hear OCD?!

[NJ Farmer]

In the aviation world there would be a #40 drill hole through the thumb knob and safetied with .32 safety wire to prevent rotation due to vibration.....food for thought.

NJ Farmer

[Dale Finch]

You got that right!!
For those of you familiar with safety wiring items, you probably remember there are safety wire pliers, that allow you to grab the two ends of the wire and pull, causing the pliers to rotate and secure the item.

Well, one of the most difficult tasks I had when safety wiring something, was when I was working UNDER something, looking up, and then could only get at it with my left hand...almost impossible to figure out which way to secure it to keep the item from working loose!

[tldec50]

You must have been working on a DC-8 Dale

[Dale Finch]

I'm not THAT old!!!!

No, an ex-boyfriend and I had a worse habit of restoring old WWII airplanes...lots of safety wired hardware because of the vibrations from those old radial engines! Another thing was that, in general, all bolts pointed toward the tail, if possible, so that if/when the nut vibrated off, the bolt MIGHT stay in place!!