Busy Wife This Weekend

[muddstopper]

I can tell you if you want the apple moonshine, core the apples before putting them in the press. This gets rid of the seeds and the bitter taste that goes with them. Donot cook the apples as it will set the pectin and prevent maximum alcohol content. For max flavor, dont ferment to over 10% alcohol before distilling. Higher alcohol content kill the apple flavor. Then chooses a good champagne yeast to ferment the mash. Also, never use a thumpkeg for brandies. Run straight from the pot to the worm. And there are other tricks to the trade

 

[mike69440]

Re: Busy Wife This Weekend, I got to stay Busy too!

Just what's up.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...44-upsized-hydraulic-clyinders-loaders-3.html
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...387-weak-loader-curl-possible-solution-2.html

Happy Spring everyone!

 

[drajj5]

Read your trials and tribulations. Good read - I am tired from seeing all the work you have accomplished; well done!

You posted that you had some, "run in with coyote's"; seems I am having the same issues this year here in GA. Woke up to some kind of gawd awful yapping somewhere in the back behind my home early in the morning 3-4am. Flipped the light on and the noise continued, grabbed the .22 and a flashlight to check on the livestock in the pasture. Walked out my door in my underwear armed with an unloaded 30-30 and the flashlight. Making my way to the pasture with the flashlight lit, quickly the barking/yapping stopped and the livestock began staring at me half naked; I gave up and headed back home. It wasn't until I set the rifle back in it's case that I realized I had grabbed the unloaded/wrong gun....

The next morning my dogs and I proceeded to "mark" the edge of the pasture. This all took place on the 29th. Spoke with a few folks about how to solve the issue and they said I would have to follow them to their den. Have you had any further issues?

 

[mike69440]

Read your trials and tribulations. Good read - I am tired from seeing all the work you have accomplished; well done!

You posted that you had some, "run in with coyote's"; seems I am having the same issues this year here in GA. Woke up to some kind of gawd awful yapping somewhere in the back behind my home early in the morning 3-4am. Flipped the light on and the noise continued, grabbed the .22 and a flashlight to check on the livestock in the pasture. Walked out my door in my underwear armed with an unloaded 30-30 and the flashlight. Making my way to the pasture with the flashlight lit, quickly the barking/yapping stopped and the livestock began staring at me half naked; I gave up and headed back home. It wasn't until I set the rifle back in it's case that I realized I had grabbed the unloaded/wrong gun....

The next morning my dogs and I proceeded to "mark" the edge of the pasture. This all took place on the 29th. Spoke with a few folks about how to solve the issue and they said I would have to follow them to their den. Have you had any further issues?

No
Coyotes seem to leave the place alone with our dogs and some tough cows. I f I were a coyote, I think I'd think twice about taking on a somewhat feral cow(s), unless I was in a very large pack.

We have a Scottish Highlander in the mix and she has no problem tossing me aside if I'm in the way of her grain. I would not want to get her mad.

Given the flock of Geese, Turkeys, Chickens an Ginny hens I surprised we have lost only a few, probably not to coyotes.

We have fisher cats, they are tough. I think the local foxes rather go for chickens, hens or a turkey vs. the geese.

 

[mike69440]

Re: Busy Wife This Weekend 4 Dump trailer loads go fast.

Four 22 wheeler Peterbuilt dump tractor trailer loads, 135 tons of aggregate don't last long, this is my last dump load for a while.

Since I installed larger cylinders on the bucket on the loader of the Max28, it pound for pound has better break out force than my L39.

Both have no problem taking a heaping scoop.

 

[mike69440]

Choosing a tractor size, Chores vs. Projects

Choosing a tractor size not by acreage, Determine projects Chores vs. Projects

Back in the day we bought this rough rocky wooded ridge which now is our homestead/farm, work around here was for the most parts projects, with few chores.
I maintain that tractor type and size best be determined by not primarily by the size and terrain of he property, but by determining if your work involves projects or chores.

Chores are upkeep work, done repeatedly, while project are projects.

Clearing land, building roads, walls, excavation of foundations, ponds, earth moving and major landscaping are projects

Keeping and cutting fields, road maintenance, grading, and ditching, moving and cleaning out poop, haying plowing tilling, spraying fields, firewood, snow removal, etc are chores.

When I was doing projects, I had several thousands of ours of seat time in m time in m excavator and TLB, often pushing them beyond what they were designed to do.

Now the excavator is used for the occasional odd Job, yanking a big stump and firewood / logging, etc., the TLB snow plows and does the minor digging and itç—´ Loader is used for the bigger jobs.

But for most of the chores and seat time the little tractor is used.

It fights above its weight, doing the job of what would normally done with a regular sized CUT, sometimes struggling a bit, but most importantly it can do the most of the work of a SCUT.

Getting into the barn, equipment building, cow camp, garden area and behind buildings while still being able to maneuver a bit to do some work, is a huge back saver.

Being able to handle within reason a 7' rake, 6' heavy BB, and a 5' rotary cutter, as well as having a 1 ton 3 pt. hitch capacity lets you do some real work.
Should a small tractor do big projects, no it beats them up too badly, but for an established smaller farm, you do not need bigger is better, especially if you have access to larger equipment for those occasions.
So consider what you will be doing 80% if the time and chose your machine accordingly.

 

[wmonroe]

Beautiful place.

 

[mike69440]

Re: Busy Wife This Weekend # days till Spring 2017, Project List.

Spring coming again

The List.

Take Soft Cab off L39, Chains and snow Plow. Add some more lights.

Tackle deferred Maintenance on my excavator.

Chains off Mahindra Max.

Finish: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/build-yourself/372240-3pt-stuff-your-loader.html?highlight=

Start: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/374740-my-wife-wants-gazebo-help.html?highlight=

Plus set these up:
I bought both the 10 x 12' and 12 X 16' off Craig's List for a total of $1250.00, there is a lot to these kits.
Amazon.com : Sojag 5-6158274 2 Track No.77 Messina Hard Top Sun Shelter, 12' by 16', Charcoal : Patio, Lawn & Garden
Amazon.com : Sojag 5-6158267 2 Track No.77 Messina Hard Top Sun Shelter, 1' by 12', Charcoal : Patio, Lawn & Garden
Thousands of screws (Ugh)

Redo horse paddock rails and posts.

Get Cobra off blocks, Clean it up. Tune it up.

Move manure mountain.

Get Bike on road the have been sitting for 5 years (Some work here.)

I'm going for a walk.

Just the start of the list.

 

[EddieWalker]

Looks like a good list!!!!

You got a good deal on those gazebos. Hope all the parts are they are they are not too difficult to assemble.

 

[mike69440]

Re: Busy Wife This Weekend< Home alone.

Threads been dead too long so it's time to add something.
My wife was out of state for the weekend showing dogs.

I was puttering.

I finish my sister in laws Christmas present. I repaired, cleaned up, and mounted the leaf springs of the seat on a base I made for an old (Really old) carriage (wagon) seat that she just had to have. The seat actually came out nice and still has that antique patina.

I also started replacing the stringers on the steps leading out to the front kenned area. Dog pee vs. PT lumber, the dog pee wins.

The balusters are near chew through also.

Lazy me walked the excavator over to pull the stairs out without having to take down the fence.

I painted the new stringers and was looking to kill some time letting them dry, so I worked on spreading manure mountain out in the pasture, roading bucket loads of the black gold from the pile out to the pasture.

I also am taking loads of horse poop from the neighbor, as if our pile is not big enough.
So I out in the our field and look down at a stump, now all rotten. I had left in the ground five years ago rather than take it out fresh so not to damage other trees roots nearby.

Being rotten, the stump remains came out in a few pulls with my L39 hoe. Maybe five minutes tops.

Hmmm, that was so easy! I wonder if the stump left from the big tree I took down 3 years ago is ready to come out? I decide I'm not going to walk my old girl excavator all the way to the pasture as it is positioned by the house for lifting out the stairs and why further wear the undercarriage.

I know people have taken out larger stumps with a Kubota TLB, but the hydraulics got rather hot in the hour of backhoe abuse I gave my L39 getting that lump of stump out.

4 bucket loads of roots rocks and stump came out of the hole for the stump pile and driveway berm, and 7 heaping buckets of horse poop was mixed with the remaining spoils to fill in and re-grade the hole. I must be good or luck to have gotten that stump in the bucket without having to go put on my grapple. All told about 3 hours work.

Then another 2 hours of bring down manure mountain into a manure hill, by dumping and back dragging 20 or so bucket lads of poop in the field, just to amuse the cows.

The 90 Deg pipe thread to JIC fitting on the loader lift cylinder has developed a good steady drip. I wonder if the oil getting so hot started the leak.

What is the best thread sealant? Thinking of using Loc-tite? I hate pipe thread in hydraulic systems. If that all that broke I consider myself lucky.

Finished the day yanking the stairs out and rigged up some temporary steps, I moved the excavator away from the house, and called it a day.
Seat time is more fun than playing carpenter.

 

[EddieWalker]

Fun pics. Looks beautiful there right now!!!! As for the leak, are you sure you need a sealant on the threads? All of my hydraulic fittings are wither flange type, or O ring's. I'm not familiar with loc tite for sealing threads, just holding bolts in place, but that doesn't mean they don't have something for hydraulic lines.

How did your wife do at the dog show?

We just booked our room for the Akita Nationals in Boston for Oct 2018. It's too early to know if we'll get an invite yet, only the top 20 Akita's will get the invite, but there is an open show one day for all Akita's to compete against the top dogs in the Nation, and my wife wants to go regardless of where we end up in the rankings.

 

[mike69440]

She got one point.

Do you go to dog show with your wife often?
Amazon.com: Loctite 37482 545 Pneumatic/Hydraulic Thread Sealant Bottle, 36-milliliter: Automotive

 

[EddieWalker]

I've never been. My excuse is that I need to run the farm, and if I'm at a show, nothing is getting done at home. Shows are for the ladies. They have fun together. I wouldn't fit in.

Congrats on the point. Every one of them matter!!!

 

[mike69440]

Long time No big project. I finally had a a reason to fire up the excavator.

Getting older, I really am not enjoying rock wall building as I used to.

We bought the property with this barn, no house, just the barn.

The retaining was by the horse paddock was in need of repair 10 years ago.

I did not want to fix it as touching it would make matters worse.

I've built many a wall with all the blast rock on site, but I always was afraid to touch the existing wall.

This year most of it collapsed this summer and the aviary got damaged.

Rebuilding it was a pain as the aviary was in the way and was not an easy job to take apart, so I worked around it.

What did not fall over I had to pull apart ans all the remaining stones were unstable.

Given the circumstances, not my best work.

But the peacocks are out of the barn and are happy.

Job took about 3 8 hour days, working the weekend.

 

[mike69440]

Re: Long time No big project. I finally had a a reason to fire up the excavator.

Moving Rocks

I dug out at least 30-40 cubic yards of clay and muck from the edge of the turn around at the horse barn, in spots digging down 4 feet.

I'll fill trench in with rocks, making sort of a retaining wall.

First I need to haul in rocks, from several locations.

It was 60 F today. Got hot in the soft cab, even with the doors off.

 

[EddieWalker]

Nice looking rocks. Here, they all have to be trucked in, so we pay quite a bit for them.

 

[fried1765]

Re: Long time No big project. I finally had a a reason to fire up the excavator.

Moving Rocks

I dug out at least 30-40 cubic yards of clay and muck from the edge of the turn around at the horse barn, in spots digging down 4 feet.

I'll fill trench in with rocks, making sort of a retaining wall.

First I need to haul in rocks, from several locations.

It was 60 F today. Got hot in the soft cab, even with the doors off.

Rocks....?
Of course.
Lots of 'em around.
The "granite state" !!!

 

[mike69440]

I struck it rich! I just dug up a Meteorite full of precious metals!
Wadda mean? it's just a piece of loose ledge? I pushed the old girl for that?

Oh well, Life is rich on the farm anyways.

 

[EddieWalker]

So jealous of all that rock you have there!!!!!

 

[Barnbuilder]

Beautiful retaining wall!