What did I learn last week - July 4 - 11, 2026

 

2026 001.  Importation of equipment from China Alibaba:  

     1. Usually the price quoted at Ali Express is the deposit (misleading)

    2.  One of the best way to import is via I wish bag.  You send them URL of the product desired;

         1. You pay them and they pay (using your payment) to Ali express and they handle 

             the customs, forwarding, DTD

        2.  There is still risk about Iwishbag.  You lessen though the hassle of Phil custom and the DTD

     That takes the mystery and guesswork about importation from China of cheap equipment 

2026 002   Flail lawn mower

                  vs Hog mower or the slasher.

                  1. Flail is more expensive and is usually borne by a tractor for effectiveness

                 2.  Flail has a rolling cylinder that either has hammer cutter or the y cutters.   about 30

                      to 40 cutters arranged in a helix

                 3. Can be used for both lawn and brush cutting

                 4. Can be 3x more expensive

                 5. Y blades can be set at 3.5 mm and can do golf course like cut.  Slasher leaves a line 

                    and has coarser cut

                 I was offered a flail mower.  RC, or tractor attachment?   

             2026 -003   DIY trailer with hydraulic dumper

                 1.  The making has been shown using 3 box frame 3 x 3;

                2.  The only addition is battery 12 volt operated hydraulic pump probably  only good for 500                       kg.  The other variants are:

                   1. using a conveyor system;

                   2. semi conveyor using a winch  (the motor is a windshield wiper motor

                 The other better alternatives are mini dumper run by 7.5 Briggs Engine.  But we need                                probably    1- 3 tons variant

       2026 - 004  Repairing a failing rd.  It wont align with the cogs  and chains jump the jockeys

                It was raining and the failure showed about 2 km from home.  When I examined the 

                problem, the goat link was loose.  I tried adjusting the high screw but the problem wont

                go away.  But when I tighened the bolt, the  rd sprung back to funcionality

    2026-   005   AGREEMENTS AND CONTRACTS CREATE VALUE

              There was a post about credit.  And credit means trust.    And trust exists when you keep

              your word.   Value exists because of covenant, because people have agreements and they are 

              kept.

              There is a story about money the size of 1 meter diameter donuts and people who know who

              own them.  A certain credit is given to the person who owns these money signs.  Even if the

              donuts were to sink to ocean floor

            THUS, with Fiat (trust money) which does not have gold backing, trustworthiness of the govt 

              and the leaders matter most than anything else