Ratchets and wrenches

Don’t tell me it’s metric!

We are reminded of the time an old boy in Nevada County, Ark., got rushed on his farm, and, while getting ready for the day by fueling up the tractor, confused himself. And put water in the fuel tank. Filled that sucker to the rim.

He started up the tractor. And it ran. For five minutes.

Oh, that was an unpleasant day. Thankfully, the shade tree mechanic down the road was able to drain the whole mess before our friend ruined a major piece of farm equipment. He really should be more careful in the mornings.

Imagine if the shade tree mechanic wasn’t allowed to do the work.

There is a growing movement around the nation called “Right to Repair.” The Business section the other day noted that Colorado lawmakers are debating it now. Nearly a dozen legislatures have tossed this around. The feds, too.

The problem, or one of the problems, is this: Companies — such as makers of tractors, cellphones and hospital ventilators — keep certain things secret. Whether it’s coding in the computers of their products, software updates, or tools needed in repair shops. The companies say they are protecting trade secrets and intellectual property. They have a case.

Consumers and their advocates have this case: If we can’t repair it, do we really own it? Or is this just an expensive way to rent something?

Imagine a farmer buying a halfmillion-dollar combine, then having its computer conk out at the worst time. Does he have a week to wait on a tech to come from Kansas City?

And this isn’t just affecting farmers. A couple of years ago, we remember an NPR report that said Americans throw away more than 400,000 cellphones every year. Because when they break, they can’t find a phone person to repair them.

From an AP report in 2021: Government “regulators maintain that restrictions have steered consumers into manufacturers’ and sellers’ repair networks or led them to replace products before the end of their useful lives.” One side says guiding (or forcing) Americans to the manufacturer’s plant can significantly raise costs, close off business opportunity for independent repairmen, and put more electronic gadgets in the landfill before their time.

It’s unusual to find bipartisanship in statehouses or Washington these days, but there is remarkably some on this issue. Mainly because many politicians represent farmers.

But the opposition isn’t to be sneezed at. Many politicians represent tractor businesses, too. And manufacturers say intellectual property isn’t their only concern. What if the local repair shop repairs something wrong? The manufacturers could face liability or harm to their reputation if shade tree mechanics . . . add water to the fuel tank.

In the story out of Colorado the other day, there was another concern: These local mechanics might figure out a way to get around the horsepower rules and rig the machines to put out more carbon than allowed by law. Yes, that’s certainly a concern. But that’s why the law is there. Just like the law keeping farm diesel on the farm and not the road. The law is broken often enough, but when somebody is caught, they pay.

We’re not certain if this should be a state-to-state matter, or if Congress needs to make rules for the whole country. Considering this is a commerce issue, we’d be inclined to think the second option. (Imagine if Texas had easier rules on repair, and Arkansas didn’t. That would come in handy for somebody in Texarkana, not so much for somebody in Jonesboro.)

But if these right-to-repair rules are going to be changed, the government should make certain that manufacturers can still protect their intellectual property. It’d be un-American to do otherwise. And there should be a blanket rule (if there isn’t already) to protect manufacturers if their products are repaired improperly.

If other issues must be addressed in the matter, then let’s have the debate, and maybe have it out. Political sparring is as American as shade tree mechanics.