At Home In The Woods

[CurlyDave]

....I like this house; I would be plenty happy living in it. It's almost too nice for a rental...

Obed

DW and I have had rentals for many years. We have some rules which prevent bad investments.

1. We never buy anything we would not live in if we suffered a reversal of any kind.

2. Never buy anything where it might be necessary to carry a weapon to collect rent or make repairs.

3. Never fall in love with a rental house. Don't make it nicer than necessary.

4. Renters are not your friends. They are more like customers. Once they are behind in rent, they will almost never make it up.

* * * * * * *

We have both stocks and real estate. I think they are about equally trustworthy.

 

[Coyote machine]

I have investments in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, annuities, life insurance, real estate in various states, etc. There are no sure things, but being spread out across a wide net can ease one's mind. I let my broker do the worrying, while I get on with my life. If things tank badly enough for me to go broke, there are going to be a lot of other bigger issues we all will be facing in this country that being broke may not top the list. YMMV (Your Money May Vary).

 

[Brimfield]

My log pile got overgrown this summer. It didn't take long to clean it out with my Stihl.

View attachment 337675 View attachment 337676 View attachment 337677

I was extremely fortunate. While cleaning out the briars and saplings, I got a little careless while moving around in the mess with my chainsaw. After I had cut a sapling, I started walking while the chain was still moving. The moving chain caught the top of my pants just above the knee. Instantly the pants were ruined and I had the slightest scratch on my skin. I was a fraction of an inch away from having a serious injury.

Chaps all the time now. I came home on day from a 12 hour overnight to a tree in the driveway. I got the saw and while I was Walking up a berm to make another cut the saw slipped and like you got my pants but not me. I was lucky. I normaly had chaps on but I was rushing so I could get some sleep, bad news all around that one time. Guy at church cut his foot really good by not having steel toe, he had sneakers on in the yard just putting around. Saws are trouble waiting to happen if you are not carefull.

 

[Obed]

concrete hump at the edge or somewhere to divert the water whereever it comes from.

clemsonfor,
I suspect that's what I will do. Mix up some quickcrete and make a little hump in front of the carport to divert the water off to the side.
Obed

 

[Obed]

The replacement shower pan is a little taller than the original. I had to shorten the shower walls to compensate. The Dremel worked great as a cutting tool.

 

[tony Cecil]

Obed---Greetings

I think I would measure the length, and purchase a angle iron bar about two and a half inches ---the correct length----then turn it on it`s upside down side and drill a few holes lengthwise , get some anchors , and bolts, and install....It will look professional, and have some sort of caulk to bed it in....Make sure to paint it with the proper type of paint....My experience with cement is that it will break apart when rolled on unless it is sufficiently thick whith reinforcement......Hope this is a help Tony

 

[Dr Dave]

They make a rubber garage door threshold, this is glued down to the concrete and is designed to be driven over.

Dave

 

[Obed]

3 1/2 years ago, I replaced the tractor battery. You can see the pictures and hear me complain here.

Yesterday, the battery was dead again. I put a battery charger on it last night overnight but the battery would not charge. So today I tried to loosen the bolts that hold down the battery.



The new bolts and nuts I bought 3 1/2 years ago are already in bad shape. The heads on the bolts and nuts just felt apart when I put a wrench on them. Sound familiar? Somehow it seems to me that steel bolts and nuts should last longer than that, even in the elements.



This time I was in a pickle regarding how to loosen the bolts in order to remove the battery. Finally, without loosening the bolts, I got a crow bar and forced the old battery out of its place.



I think that with the battery out, I might have room to cut out the old bolts with the angle grinder.



I don't want to go through this routine every 3 years when I have to replace the battery. Replacing a battery should be a simple task. I may replace the bolts with stainless steel and see if that helps any.

 

[Obed]

They make a rubber garage door threshold, this is glued down to the concrete and is designed to be driven over.

Dave

Dave,
I didn't know about those. Thanks for the idea. It's a little pricey but sounds like it would do the trick.



Installation sounds easier than my quickcrete idea.

 

[dave1949]

Probably not as often as I should, I take my battery cables off the battery, clean up everything with a battery terminal tool and then mix baking soda with water and give the battery, cables and everything around it a good cleaning. This neutralizes the acid build-up.

Reassemble with a battery post sealant and new bolts & nuts. Take preemptive action so to speak.