Busy Wife This Weekend

[mike69440]

1,000 gallon 16’ long propane tank is installed and pipe to stub ends, main line, heat for barn & generator. Two anode bags are used for corrosion Also just a bit of work on the scenic overlook. I've been hurting for seat time. (Time in general also!) Pond Level control was delivered, along with piping, but I've little time to work on pond much.

 

[EddieWalker]

Is there anything that your excavator can't do? LOL

That really does come across as the perfect machine for working the land. It's amazing how versatile it is. I've been looking at a couple of Cat 312's in my area. Prices are very good, but I'd still have to finance them, and that's my excuse not to do it. But darn, seeing your pics adds to my desire to get one!!!

Will you be moved in by Christmas?

The fall colors are amazing. We're still not getting much here, so I'm hopeful that it will get better. Some years it's good, other years it just doesn't happen, and the trees go from gree, to dull to empty branches in a few weeks.

Thanks for the pics,
Eddie

 

[mike69440]

Eddie

See my comments

"Is there anything that your excavator can't do? LOL

That really does come across as the perfect machine for working the land. It's amazing how versatile it is. I've been looking at a couple of Cat 312's in my area. Prices are very good, but I'd still have to finance them, and that's my excuse not to do it. But darn, seeing your pics adds to my desire to get one!!!"

As I don't have a dozer, I make due with the limits of the PC75 tractive power and small fixed blade, but I've pushed a lot of dirt.

Having an excavator is great. All I use my Kubota L39 hoe anymore is for is garden stuff, and trenching. My L39 has 900 hard hours and is holding up ok. Moving dirt pile really works the loader.
My Komatsu PC75 just rolled 5005 hrs. I'm so broke right now, if the excavator develops a serious problem, I could not afford to fix it. That, and the maintenance is the downside of owning equipment.

A CAT 312 is a real nice machine. The 8 tonne machines have to work at tree stumps a lot more than a 12-15 tonne excavator, however until you get over 20 tons, many trees will give an excavator pause. If there is any way you could use the CAT to generate income, jump on it. Even my wife admits getting it was a smart move, but still it is risky. You should have heard the "I told you so's" the first year when it was giving me some trouble and had not proved itself.

"Will you be moved in by Christmas?"

It is doubtfull to be fully moved in, but parts should be liveable by Christmas. Driving 100 plus miles each day is getting tiresome. I take care of my elerly father also, so if we can winter camp up there, the house should be near complete early 2010.

I need to get some interior shots posted. This house/ farm/ project is a lot bigger than it looked on paper.

"The fall colors are amazing. We're still not getting much here, so I'm hopeful that it will get better. Some years it's good, other years it just doesn't happen, and the trees go from green, to dull to empty branches in a few weeks."

I took 4 days this year to take off on motorcycle rides, not enough time in the saddle.

Thanks for the pics,
Eddie

 

[EddieWalker]

All work and no play....

Looks like a fun time. It's really a beautiful area that you live in. Defeniately on my list of places that I have to see !!

Eddie

 

[mike69440]

Between the rain and the other running around I've been doing, I finally got the chance to finish the rough digging of the ponds. I still have the level control structures and overflows to build so the ponds only have 1-2 ft. of water in them at the moment. Also I have plenty of landscapaing stil to do.

The deep pond will be about 7-8 Ft deep and the shallow one is about 4' deep.

I've been spreading the spoils and also using the material to backfill behind the stone wall the scenic overlook I am creating. I will make a 3' tall stone incircled mound on top of the overllok for a gazebo next year.

I spent only 90 minutes finishing digging out the shallow pond, but +3 hrs. bailing the muck to high ground.
Note: 30-40% of the pond spoils have yet to be spread, so I still have plenty material left over, even after filling some low spots over the neighbors and grading my slopes. Cleaning out the packed muddy tracks of my digger was not fun.

 

[jenkinsph]

Mike, thanks for the pictures and your place is really lookin good.


Steve

 

[mike69440]

It's been a year since I last posted.

Building a farm on a pile of ledge on a ridge usually is a generations long project. I'm glad I was blind to this and very optimistic when I stared, because like George W. Bush said, "This is a lot of work" Duh!

I'm still out of work, but have used the time to settle into Breezy Ridge Farm and have sold our old home finally. I moved my mom and dad from the nursing home in March to their new basement apartment here at the farm and am caring for them.

Moving was WORK. I am a pack rat. However it was not just our household we moved. I moved the equipment and hardware from by dad's business, their home possessions, and my wife's belongings from her home which included her parents belonging also. Basically we moved 4 households and a business to one location.

I'm still unpacking.
My diversion is tractor work.

My L39 definitely is not new anymore with close to 1200 hours. The B7200 is still a tough little but tired tractor, I work it hard for a 28 year old machine. My PC75UU2 Komatsu excavator has worn through 3 sets of bucket teeth and needs about 1000 rolls of duct tape. I would have killed the L39 just trying to do half the digging and grading I done with the excavator. NH rock is tough on equipment.

The ponds are in. I moved a footbridge from the old house and rock lined a seasonal stream to the ponds. Digging out over 1000 yards of spoils from the ponds (Lots of ledge and rock) gave me the material to fill and grade out the pasture, build a scenic overlook with retaining wall, and build a 200 ft long road up a 30' ledge that leads from the paddock down to the pasture. I've knocked off about 2/3of a 600 yard pile of loom filled with sticks small stumps and rocks.
I pick out most of the rocks and wood, then spread the "Loam" in the field, then york rake it before seeding. I also thinned about 1/2 acre of woods along the border of my property taking trees up to 6"-8" whole with the excavator while leaving the bigger stuff for future firewood. The L39 will pull a 5" pine, but often a 3" oak will put up a heck of a fight. It is amazing how much organic material is in a thick ½ acre of woods. The bon fire when I lit the burn pile was visible from space.

If anyone needs field stone, contact me.

I have 3 acres ready for pasture and next year will grade, clean up, and seed another 1-1/2 arces to finish.
Anyways I've attached some pictures showing recent progress.

PS.
If anyone has ever serviced the swing gear and swing reduction gear on a PC75 or similar, I'd like to know the way you get access to the gear and the gear reduction box.

 

[Sackett2]

amazing work; will look real good when things fill in the brown spots. in a few years, you will tyr to remember what it looked like..
great job!!!

 

[mike69440]

Frost, winter and Burning wood.

Well there is 2"-3" of ground frost. Sure does make grading the field difficult. I may be done with that for the year.

I have 11,000 sq ft under roof, counting the horse barn, equipment building, and attached grarage/workshop/mancave.

The hose is SIP construction. The 2100 sq ft grarage/workshop/mancave is fully insulated but currently unheated stick frame at 2,100 square ft. My old house was 2,200 Square ft including the basement, so I should have plenty of storage room here.

It sure does not feel like it though with the animals and equipment. My old place had 1,800 sq ft of well organized outbuildings, so I have piles to sort out at our new place all over.

Counting the grarage/workshop/mancave & finished basement (parents live there) the "house" is 6,600 sq ft.

The heated portion of the house is 3,500 square ft, as I do not have any heat in my wife's art room, the "attic" room between the man room and the main part of the 2'nd floor of the home, nor is there heat in a 300 sq ft. storage area in the basement, the 500 square ft of storage nooks that you get in SIP construction, or the grarage/workshop/mancave.

With SIP construction the unheated parts of the main house you just need a sweater.
It is like a large Styrofoam cooler with doors and windows. So far I can keep a 40-45 degree temperature difference between the outside and inside running a large Dutchwest woodstove in the basement. The house heats easier than my old log home that was about 1/3 the size.

We have two other wood stoves, a small Fisher "Baby Bear parlor stove in the great room and Union Crawford oven in the main kitchen. As I don't plan on running these much, they are a heat loss more than anything else as warm air goes up the flues. I figure that痴 ok, as I'll save electricity not running the upstairs HRV. House was too tight, like an airlock.

The lazy man heat in the house is FHW radiant Propane. The Stoves are gas, so is the hot water heater and clothes dryers. I've used about 600 gallons of propane in one year.

I'm pretty happy with the decision to go energy efficient.

I'm sure I could have done the off grid, passive solar and geothermal, wind thing, but the house would have to be laid out and situated different, and I was unable to be convinced that I could have gotten a 15 year payback. I did run the plumbing to the roof for solar hot water, but I need a rest right now.

I think I'll toss anther log in the stove, see you in the spring!

 

[jinman]

Mike, you are proof that a man with tractors is NEVER without a job. I think if you look at ROI on what you have accomplished, you will find you're way ahead of the game for what it would have cost to pay someone else. Your homesite is a showpiece of projects all coming together. It is looking terrific, and I hope your finishing continues to be a success and you find employment soon. Seeing what you have to dig through makes me glad I only have caliche to worry about. Your ledge and rock are beautiful, but you've earned every inch of those rock walls and landscaped terraces with hard work. Good for you!