Robert, I love your display idea of the lic. plates with the speed limit sign! I sure hope you get a lot more plates from the gang here. Luna, there is a site you can have a street sign made. I had one done years ago using my show dogs "kennelname'. Sangaree Road. I'll try to find the site for you, think they sold on eBay and probably still do. hugs, Karen

Equipment using rigid gear drives 'may' use shear pins to protect the transmission or engine from shock traveling back when 'something' happens that immobilizes the gear train, however briefly. Years ago, all outboard engines used shear pins to protect the powerhead if the prop hit a submerged obstacle. Brush hogs use a flail blade to protect the gearbox of the mower. Belt driven equipment has a built in 'give', or resiliency that might keep damage to a minimum. I suspect it was the forward speed of the mower that caused the damage to the spindle. The blade also probably flexed and bent as it contacted and rose over the 'tree trunk cut close to ground level', which tried to twist the spindle horizontally. Did you ease over it with caution or just cutting at normal speed? I've done that many times (thankfully no broken mandrels or spindles, though). At the lake we have lots of cypress and are forever nicking the tops of knees trying to 'rise up above the rest' when forgetting they're there. Lots of spindles and mandrels on today's tractors are made of aluminum, which doesn't give us a lot of leeway. Wanna buy a stump grinder? 8^) Which reminds me. I've often thought about putting a gator blade upside down on an old push mower to dress down areas like that. They are twice as thick as a normal blade and maybe sharpen up the 'fingers' normally on top. Whatcha think deerslayer? Anybody else?

**That has got to be the most confusing answer to a question that I've ever seen . Should they go back to the Body Shop and DEMAND a box of Liscense Plate HOLES ?** Not so confusing. The car was wrecked. The body shop didn't finish the job. The body shop should have provided and installed all the parts in the first place. Do you go to a shop so you can do it yourself, plus provide your own parts anyway? If you do, come to my house so you can pay me while you do your own work...and pay me for parts I didn't provide.

Thanks for all the comments and advice. The plumbers, who installed the washing machine, refuse to file for final inspection until they get paid in full. Since we are in New York City, and *need* the sign off from the Department of Buildings, we are over a barrel. Apparently in NYC, the plumber (and electrician) OWN the permit on your job, and if they don't file for inspection/completion, there is no way to get it. This is what our architect is telling us. To davidro1, I am TOTALLY in agreement with you. I did not "let it go" - my contractor and architect did. I texted and called both of them the very first time I used it. They didn't seem concerned. A few days later, I called again. It is clear they thought I was "overemotional" as we had a couple weeks old baby, and dismissed my concern. I called again. And again. After a few weeks, they came over (while I was not home - we took the baby to the dr.) and put the empty machine on a spin cycle only. It did vibrate, but they said, "not too bad". I had to pitch a screaming fit to get them back a few weeks later (so that is one month already!) I put in a full load of baby clothes and started it before they got there as the cycle takes about an hour. When they saw what *I* had been seeing, they said, Uh, ok, well, we never put the isolation mat (?) down, let's do that. Another week goes by. No show. Then another week goes by - they did something else. No help. Then another week goes by - they put in some wood around the bottom - you see how this was going. Meanwhile, they are "gaslighting" me - trying to make me thing I am overreacting because I never had a front loader before. My position was that consumer product companies don't make products that "scare" consumers, and this was actually pretty scary to watch it vibrate and walk. My architect (who is supposed to be on my side, right?) actually told me he googled Bosch washers and found some reports of excessive vibration. Yeah, ok. This was way past excessive. When I called Bosch, they were very busy and it took about 10 days for someone to come. Probably I should have begged for someone sooner, but I told them the issue and that it was serious and they gave me the date. January 10 is the day the plumber installed it. April 15 is the day that Bosch came. So that is how 3 months went by. It was unbelievable to me at the time that it was taking so long to do something about it. If we are forced to pay, there is no question I will be filing complaints about the plumbers with every agency and consumer company possible. NYC is supposed to have a good Consumer Affairs Department - no question I will be contacting them.