USA going metric?

[Frank46]

My wifes chevette was inch and metric. Replaced the starter once when it died. Good thing I had both inch and metric wrenches and sockets. My kubota tractor is metric and the craftsman riding lawn mower is inch. And as another poster remarked a crescent wrench is both. Comes in handy when adjusting the links on the lift arms. Frank

 

[coltle6920]

There would definitely be some areas where the metric system wouldn't be welcome... such as sports.

Try announcing an NFL game with the metric system.

 

[GatorFarmer]

One of the things Big Brother did in "1984" was to force the adoption of the metric system.

And then there's the dollar coin thing. The canadians had figured that printing one and two dollar bills was a money losing proposition around the same time as the US. Coins lasted longer and therefore were cheaper.

We've tried it how many times? And we're still using paper ones and coins? The solution to making it work as effected by Canada was to simply stop printing one and two dollar bills. And the banks werr instructed to remove the paper denominations as they came in

And do you know what happens? When there are no more dollar bills you end up having to stuff a five dollar bill in a dancers gstring. Coins do not work out well.

Also in the United States, paper money is ...complicated.. by the status of being Federal Reserve Notes, hence making the bankers money, whereas coins come from the U.S. Mint.

 

[loknload]

GatorFarmer
Also in the United States, paper money is ...complicated.. by the status of being Federal Reserve Notes, hence making the bankers money, whereas coins come from the U.S. Mint.

It should not be the "Bankers Money", The Federal Reserve needs to go and we need go back on the gold standard!

 

[CajunBass]

SAE? Metric? My Crescent wrench really doesn't care which.

I sent a young supervisor off one time to fine some metric Channelock pliars...the only tool us "operators" were allowed to use.

Kept her busy long enough for us to finish the job without her "helping" us.

She wasn't happy when she got back..."I suppose you, and everyone else thought that was funny?"

She did too...Later.

 

[Skeet 028]

Interstate 19 which runs south out of Tucson, AZ is marked with metric signs. It is creeping in...

Edmo

The reason for that is so the Illegals from Me-He-Co know how far they've gotten across the border

 

[m1gunner]

I was introduced to the metric system in my college engineering and math courses. In due course I became a construction engineer and had no real problem with metrics. Then I became a gunsmith and had no real problem there either. I became a pilot of private aircraft and flew in the USA, Canada and Mexico. I had no problem in either place. I can only say that I am ambidextrous in feet/inches/eights of an inch/hundredths of a foot, pounds/kilos, gallons/liters and a smattering of knowledge in whitworths. I am still a little shaky when it comes to fahrenheit/celsius. In Australia/New Zealand I never knew whether to put on a long sleeve shirt or just go outside in my T-Shirt.

The Gimley Glider pilot once felt just like you, till the engines got real quiet.

Sometimes it is just frustrating, other times downright life threatening.

 

[BigBill]

Where ya been my company has gone metric with fasteners for over 25 years. Machined parts are in metric. We had the metric system shoved down our throats for 25 years.

25.4 =1"

Our cars had metric threads for decades back to the 40 / 50?

Steering wheel bolt, metric threads
Generator pulley nut, metric threads
Front spindle threads, metric threads

Our cars /trucks are metric.

The metric system is more accurate.

The metric system is easier to work with. When a metric thread strips out just go up one size.

 

[m1gunner]

Where ya been my company has gone metric with fasteners for over 25 years. Machined parts are in metric. We had the metric system shoved down our throats for 25 years.

25.4 =1"

Our cars had metric threads for decades back to the 40 / 50?

Steering wheel bolt, metric threads
Generator pulley nut, metric threads
Front spindle threads, metric threads

Our cars /trucks are metric.

The metric system is more accurate.

The metric system is easier to work with. When a metric thread strips out just go up one size.

My cars and trucks are definitely not metric. An odd nut or bolt here and there, but all the rest non-metric. Even the wheels are in Inch measured sizes. Pull the valve cover or oil pan and you find no metric sized parts, same in the tranny, and rear end.

 

[rwsmith]

The problem here is....

Yeah, and didn't something go SPLAT on Mars a few years back?
Miscommunication between depts. whether metric or not?

The problem here is trying to use BOTH.

 

[rwsmith]

OMG Do you know what it would take to RETOOL..

We'll have to retool. That was the excuse back in the 60s. How many times could the US have retooled in 50 years?

Working in the research lab we went to pure SI units back in the late 80's. But I still had to use 3/4" pipes, 3/16" plate and 6" beams.

The REAL reason people won't go metric is because we are too lazy to learn anything new.

Contrarily, music is produced in halves, thirds, fourths, fifths etc. not by choice, but nature produces harmonics this way. I'm sure there are other examples in the natural world.

 

[Big Cholla]

The Silence is Deafening!

The Gimley Glider pilot once felt just like you, till the engines got real quiet.

Sometimes it is just frustrating, other times downright life threatening.

I read the Gimley Glider story in an Aviation magazine and knew instantly what the pilots of that transport jet felt. I flew all sorts of A/C in Alaska. All had their little design problems in the cockpit that could kill you if not paid close attention. I came back to the lower '48 and later bought a two year old Cessna 180 in upstate NY. I flew it back to my home at the time of Salt Lake City. My final airport of choice was one that I knew very well, Salt Lake City, No. 2. On turning Downwind I went thru the landing checklist and complied with, "Move Fuel Selector to Both Tanks". I had reached down without looking and felt a 'pointy' end of the fuel selector lever and turned it to the 'Both' tank position. I turned Base and knew I was in great position for a full stall landing right on the numbers. My engine went silent. I quickly reduced the flaps from full to half to reduce drag. I also quickly figured out that without power I was not going to make the runway. I was afraid to duck my head and look down at the fuel selector lever so I just moved over to the left side of the runway which was fairly level grassy ground. I now did a wheel landing and came to a complete stop. I then looked down and realized that I had felt the wrong end of the fuel selector lever and had turned off my fuel completely. I turned the fuel back on and gave myself a couple of minutes to quit shaking and then started the engine. An USAF C-7A was sitting at the hold line waiting for me to land. One of the Pilots came up on Unicom and asked me if I was OK. I replied that I sure was, I was just headed for Alaska from here and was practicing 'off field landing'. I don't know if they believed me or not. A silent A/C engine is one of the loudest sounds that I ever heard. ...........

 

[BigBoy99]

And then there's the dollar coin thing. The Canadians had figured that printing one and two dollar bills was a money losing proposition around the same time as the US. Coins lasted longer and therefore were cheaper.

We've tried it how many times? And we're still using paper ones and coins? The solution to making it work as effected by Canada was to simply stop printing one and two dollar bills. And the banks were instructed to remove the paper denominations as they came in. Duh!

The reason the dollar coin failed in the US was the manufacturers of the coin vending machines. They said the dollar coin could be no larger in diameter than a current quarter coin. That way they wouldn't have to refurbish all of their coin vending machines to take the new dollar coin. Since the dollar coin and quarter were so very similar in size, they were constantly getting mixed up by consumers. The consumers complained to Congress and the quarter size dollar coin has become history.

 

[steelslaver]

It should not be the "Bankers Money", The Federal Reserve needs to go and we need go back on the gold standard!

It would really be interesting going back to the gold standard. There has been total of about 160,000 tons of gold extracted world wide (give or take 10%) , that is 3,840,000,000 oz at $1500 an oz, its worth about $5,760,000,000,000. Yup, 5.76 trillion, it would cover about 1/3 the national debt if we had it all.

 

[m1gunner]

I read the Gimley Glider story in an Aviation magazine and knew instantly what the pilots of that transport jet felt. I flew all sorts of A/C in Alaska. All had their little design problems in the cockpit that could kill you if not paid close attention. I came back to the lower '48 and later bought a two year old Cessna 180 in upstate NY. I flew it back to my home at the time of Salt Lake City. My final airport of choice was one that I knew very well, Salt Lake City, No. 2. On turning Downwind I went thru the landing checklist and complied with, "Move Fuel Selector to Fullest Tank". I had reached down without looking and felt a 'pointy' end of the fuel selector lever and turned it to the fullest tank. I turned Base and knew I was in great position for a full stall landing right on the numbers. My engine went silent. I quickly reduced the flaps from full to half to reduce drag. I also quickly figured out that without power I was not going to make the runway. I was afraid to duck my head and look down at the fuel selector lever so I just moved over to the left side of the runway which was fairly level grassy ground. I now did a wheel landing and came to a complete stop. I then looked down and realized that I had felt the wrong end of the fuel selector lever and had turned off my fuel completely. I turned the fuel back on and gave myself a couple of minutes to quit shaking and then started the engine. An USAF C-17 was sitting at the hold line waiting for me to land. One of the Pilots came up on Unicom and asked me if I was OK. I replied that I sure was, I was just headed for Alaska from here and was practicing 'off field landing'. I don't know if they believed me or not. A silent A/C engine is one of the loudest sounds that I ever heard. ...........

I hear ya.

It has been way too many trips around the sun, but IIRC, there was an AD on some fuel selectors to modify them to prevent that very mixup. Tactile recognition of flight and engine controls has long been the norm in aviation.

 

[kantuck]

In High School they said we would change to the metric system in the U.S.
soon. I graduated in 1960.

I graduated in 1961 and did a paper on Metrification considerations when I was 30 years old in 1973 as I'd returned to college to finish-13 years to get a bachelors? not bad huh?
It's comical but costly the stupid resistance of USA avoidance of metric system-no telling how many jobs it coast us over the years. If your a defender of non metrics your flat out wrong IMO.
Far too little space here(plus too lazy too type that much!) to make the point plus it's an old subject in a new thread?
I also did a paper on "Rails to Trails" back then-turned out the local rails got pulled and the local politicos were so enamored with certain people to gain some real estate that they missed a golden opportunity to gain millions in bike tourism that will now never happen! This in a rural scenic area with large Cave Run lake nearby & so on-too bad folks cannot see beyond their nose sometimes...

 

[m1gunner]

I graduated in 1961 and did a paper on Metrification considerations when I was 30 years old in 1973 as I'd returned to college to finish-13 years to get a bachelors? not bad huh?
It's comical but costly the stupid resistance of USA avoidance of metric system-no telling how many jobs it coast us over the years. If your a defender of non metrics your flat out wrong IMO.
Far too little space here(plus too lazy too type that much!) to make the point plus it's an old subject in a new thread?
I also did a paper on "Rails to Trails" back then-turned out the local rails got pulled and the local politicos were so enamored with certain people to gain some real estate that they missed a golden opportunity to gain millions in bike tourism that will now never happen! This in a rural scenic area with large Cave Run lake nearby & so on-too bad folks cannot see beyond their nose sometimes...

"Wrong" I think not. Try working 40+ years in industry in a hands on capacity and then tell us how to do it. It is no different than the "solution" to keep hijackers out of airplane cockpits, the death toll from that brilliant solution has recently surpassed the 9/11 death toll.

Short of confiscating and destroying ALL equipment from scissors up to and including military equipment and national grid infrastructure, this inane push to be "just like the Europeans" is nothing but a liberal power trip.

It is called making it work in the real world.

 

[m1gunner]

Tour rails to bikers deal was nothing but an attempt to steal private land and give it to a special interest group. The law that allowed eminent domain to acquire much of that land states the land reverts to the original owner should it be abandoned by the RR. My family was involved in just such a situation, and had to go to court to keep OUR land.

 

[Skeet 028]

. I replied that I sure was, I was just headed for Alaska from here and was practicing 'off field landing'. I don't know if they believed me or not. A silent A/C engine is one of the loudest sounds that I ever heard. ...........

z

Nothing like a silent engine. I was delivering a Cessna 170 many years ago to a fellow in Healy Alaska(from Maryland) and had my engine just up and quit while landing on the paved road at Clear Alaska. Almost had as much pucker as when you could hear bullets hitting the plane(S E Asia). After landing it just started right up again..so it musta just hiccupped. I landed on the Alaska highway twice in the Yukon(check the road for traffic before). But that was years ago and much different than now. Some neat stories to tell though.. As far as metrics. the engineer types here probably like 'em....but I'm old enough to NOT need 'em. Let the liberal Europeans use 'em...and the Euro. Think that one is bound to fail eventually

 

[eveled]

I don't understand people who think the decimal system is metric. 1/2=.5 whether talking about a yard or a meter.

I told somebody 1/4 inch, they said it will be easier if we use metric inches. They said you know, .25inch.

 

[Cooter Brown]

I've used both in work situations and frankly prefer standard.

In cabinetmaking I try to work within a 1/32" tolerance. A millimeter is larger than 1/32"--1/32" is about .8mm. It's more accurate when working with rules etc. you can actually see.

The standard system is also more intuitive. Draw a line. Divide it in half. Divide each of those segments in half. Now divide each of those sections in half, and so on. You have quarters, eighths, sixteenths, thirty-seconds, etc.

It's the way the mind works. The mind doesn't work in tenths. At least mine doesn't.

I'm not a super high end woodworker, but I know a few. They could all work with metric measurements if they wanted to, but I don't know any that do, including some European transplants.

Of course with metric the math is generally easier. For a lot of engineering applications metric is probably superior. That's why I have a calculator that does fractions...

As far as wrenches etc., I don't mind having both--you'll never hear me complaining about having too many tools! And since fasteners are hardly ever marked anyway, I'm still stuck with trying them til one fits!

 

[Beemerguy53]

The reason the dollar coin failed in the US was the manufacturers of the coin vending machines. They said the dollar coin could be no larger in diameter than a current quarter coin. That way they wouldn't have to refurbish all of their coin vending machines to take the new dollar coin. Since the dollar coin and quarter were so very similar in size, they were constantly getting mixed up by consumers. The consumers complained to Congress and the quarter size dollar coin has become history.

Euros, both coins and paper money, are different sizes for each denomination, and the vending machine manufacturers in Europe seem to handle it just fine...

 

[LittleCooner]

Never going to work here guys.

OK, just popped off 324 mg of Unique behind those 10173 miligrams Berrys in my 0.90678 S & W Magnum. Shot a 3.8 mm group at 23 meters, wow. great load and the gun is working.

OK, anyone here have the least bit of clue what I just posted?

Well, I loaded 5 grains of Unique behind a 157 grain bullet in my 357 Magnum and shot a 1 1/2 inch group at 25 yards. Everyone can think and relate to that. The first statement, no one has a clue what you just did. WE DO NOT THINK IN METRIC AND NEVER WILL NO MATTER WHAT SOME ONE DICTATES US TO DO OR USE.

 

[Faulkner]

In High School they said we would change to the metric system in the U.S.
soon. I graduated in 1960.

I graduated high school in 1979 and I remember the math and science teachers telling us the United States would be using mostly metric within 10 years. I never really worried about it because many of these same teachers were telling us that global warming would kill the planet in 20 years, so why bother learning a new measurment system that I'd only be using for 10 years before the end of the world anyway.

 

[finesse_r]

So I see where some fellow running for office wants the USA to go metric...well, here's what I have to say about that...

My seventh grade science teacher told me the USA was going metric back in 1958. It took a while, but there is little doubt the socialist and globalists are taking us there. Anything they can do to break down the culture and uniqueness of the USA.

 

[BC38]

The thing I've always liked about the metric system is the unity between the different systems of measure (size, weight, energy) and that it is base 10 system (vs base 12, base 16, etc).
1 calorie = energy to raise 1 cubic cm of water 1 degree Celsius,
1 gram = 1 cubic cm of water,
10 mm = 1 cm,
10 cm = 1 dm,
10 dm = 1 m
10 cm water = 1 dL
10 dL = 1 L
boiling point of water is 100 degrees and freezing is 0 degrees
etc.

It just makes more sense than the mixed units in the English system where
12 in = 1 foot
3 feet = 1 yard
1 pound = 16 oz
boiling point of water is 212 degrees and freezing is 32
and worst of all there is no direct relationship between distance, weight, temp, energy...

Heck, the English have even abandoned the English system of weights and mesures

 

[Vegetaman]

As a software developer, having to maintain conversion tables and capabilities to switch between metric and english is a pain and would be nice to see if go away. Also when I used to work in a tractor shop and we had two sets of tools -- metric and standard. Some manufacturers (like John Deere) had metric stuff. But older equipment and other suppliers were using the old US stuff.

 

[Old TexMex]

Fine measurement has always been "metric" that is if you're talking like a thirty thou' shim. For heavens sake, the odometer on my pickup shows tenths of a mile. Like Calaveras said: if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Once again, a solution for a nonexistant problem.
It's not HOW we think, it's WHAT we're thinkin'. Look at the mess the metric world is in.
Besides, the universe is 360 degrees. The Great Architect applied the rule of twelve. It's everywhere you look. The rule of ten was made up by man tryin to play God.
My head hurts.... I gotta go.......

 

[Donn]

Which metric system do we buy into? The Japanese metric is different from the British. If you've got a late model American car or truck, you know most of the fasteners are metric. On my GMC pickup, they're 10, 13 and 15mm for the most part, except the water pump. They're still 9/16th fractional.

 

[Snallygaster]

All for it. (Excluding metric time [emoji12])