Planned obsolescence

[Percival P. Cassidy]

We have a couple of 20-year-old recliners, one of which needs new plastic bushings and drive shaft. But we have been told by the retailer that no parts are available for anything more than 7 years old. The only parts I can find on line are a different size. I may be able to ream out the holes to accept the larger bushings and replace the original square tube by a round one with flats ground in the appropriate places, but that is a pain.

Perhaps, when buying anything these days, one needs to ask, "Which parts of this thing are most likely to wear out?" and buy replacements at the time.

Perce

[ChairMan]

20 years for a recliner is pretty damn good. You'd be lucky to get much more than 5-7 yrs out of one now unless you bought a Hancock and Moore or a Bradington and Young. Take the mechanism to a welder and see if he can fix any of it

[notbob]

Whichever one hadda "drive shaft". I'm stumped. ;)

nb

[DerbyDad03]

I'm hoping that I just foiled some "planned obsolescence".

I just replaced a hose reel that is attached to SWMBO's garden shed with the same style that was broken & repaired a few years ago. Yes, it's a cheap plastic hose reel, but we need narrow "sidewinder" in that location and it's hidden from view anyway.

Anyway, here's the deal:

The hose reel slips over a plastic "cone" on the mounting bracket. The weight of the hose eventually cracked the top of the cone so that the reel sagged. I bridged the crack with some steel strapping inside the cone to carry the weight, but it was never perfect. It lasted 2 years but last weekend the crack extended itself and the sagging began again.

When I bought the new one, I added the strapping *before* I even mounted it, i.e. before any cracking had started. I am hoping that by bridging the weak area right from the start, it won't ever crack.

If there is no cracking 3 years from now, I will laugh in the face of the manufacturers.

[Percival P. Cassidy]

On further thought, I realized that replacing the hollow square tube by a solid round rod would not work, because it has to go through some square openings. 1/2" square tube won't work either, because it is a little too big, so I ended up reversing the worn square tube, drilled new holes where needed, and reinforced the damaged part (which was no longer in contact with the frame) with a splint consisting of two 1/2" pieces of angle stock, secured by hose clamps.

Perce