Re: (ET) Life after Bill.

[Lee Richardson <lrichard jbc edu>]

From Lee:

Since it seems like everybody else is 'mourning the loss' I'll kick in my 
bit.

I think there are a couple of things that should be considered before 
anybody takes on Bill's job.  I would love to do it, but I'm in my 
seventies so you know it couldn't be a long term commitment.  Which leads 
me to ask:
Just how old are most elec-trak owners?  Is investing a lot of time and 
effort going to 'pay off' in the long term?
Second - Just how many functioning elec-traks are out there?   And how long 
will they remain 'functioning''?  I've had my E-15 for over 25 years(bought 
it used), and have used it for everything (still do).  But like me,  it's 
taking more fixing up each year to keep it running.  And like me, there's 
pretty much a limit  as to how much fixing up you can do.  Mine definitely 
needs to be rewired.  When I look at the wiring I marvel that the thing 
still runs.  The circuit board looks like it's been buried in a trash heap 
for 20 years.  Sometimes I have to hit the black panel with a wrench to 
make it run.  Bearings are loose.  The brakes are no good (although the 
Bill Gunn modification helped that a lot).  The wheel hubs keep coming 
loose, etc. etc.
So am I going to do all that stuff?  So I can take it to some nursing home 
or condo with me?  Not likely!  I don't think it's going to be 
'functioning' much longer!
I see the situation sort of like the passing of the old 'Johnny Poppers" 
(John Deere's two cylinder tractors). I thought the world was coming to an 
end when they quit making those things.  But the fact is the new tractors 
were much more efficient, powerful, etc.
There's lots of poppers still around but I don't think anybody actually 
uses them except for tractor pulls at state fairs.
It seems to me that if an electric tractor is going to have 'mass market 
appeal' today, it's going to have to be re-enginerred from the ground up.