What have you done to your Branson today?

[ptsg]

Finally was able to take the tractor out and something with it.

For the past two and half months, it's been constantly raining, which is nice is a way. We've been under a drought for the past 8 to 10 years. With this much water, all the rivers, ponds and dams, manage to get to the proper water levels again, some actually went way up. On the other way, can't do much outside with all this rain. No big deal though.

Anyway, with finally a sunny day insight, I took the opportunity to cut and split wood as the stock was way down. So I took the tractor out, had to cross one of the orchards in order to get the log splitter. Being so wet, halfway through the orchard, the tractor sink all the way to the front axle. It was just a muddy and watery mess of dirt sloshing all over the place. Engaged the 4wd and it plowed right through that wet stuff. Good thing they make these tractors to work on rice paddies because that's pretty much how it looked. :laughing:

Still managed to split a decent amount of wood that should last till the winter is over and also did quick wash to take all the mud off the tractor.

 

[fried1765]

Finally was able to take the tractor out and something with it.

For the past two and half months, it's been constantly raining, which is nice is a way. We've been under a drought for the past 8 to 10 years. With this much water, all the rivers, ponds and dams, manage to get to the proper water levels again, some actually went way up. On the other way, can't do much outside with all this rain. No big deal though.

Anyway, with finally a sunny day insight, I took the opportunity to cut and split wood as the stock was way down. So I took the tractor out, had to cross one of the orchards in order to get the log splitter. Being so wet, halfway through the orchard, the tractor sink all the way to the front axle. It was just a muddy and watery mess of dirt sloshing all over the place. Engaged the 4wd and it plowed right through that wet stuff. Good thing they make these tractors to work on rice paddies because that's pretty much how it looked. :laughing:

Still managed to split a decent amount of wood that should last till the winter is over and also did quick wash to take all the mud off the tractor.

Unless that wood has been down for a year already, it should have been split a year ago, to burn this year.

 

[K5lwq]

We never seasoned fire wood back when we had a fire place. Always burnt wood the same year we cut it. Sometimes the same day. Lol

 

[LouNY]

Didn't do much with mine today, unhooked from the sander, hooked up the back blade and went over by the shop door with it had to replace the plow bolts that hold the cutting edges on.
Fourteen 5/8" bolts, removed the one that hadn't fallen out with the cutting torch and a punch,
put the new ones on and used the cordless impact to tighten them will have to retighten after it gets used a bit.
Then had to magnet fishing to get the cut offs out of the ice they had melted into, warm enough that were the sun is hitting exposed ground it had thawed about an inch,
so an inch of cold sloppy slippery mud.

 

[ptsg]

Unless that wood has been down for a year already, it should have been split a year ago, to burn this year.

No need for that where I live.

We usually cut and split wood sometime around September, as it's pretty much still peak summer time around here.

This year, however, we bought a pellet stove for those cold days, so we actually use less wood and didn't bother to cut and split much early on. We do still enjoy the fire place though, for those less cold but still cold days and will cut and split as needed pretty much.

 

[Branson Bob]

I went to an auction Saturday morning. I got there right when they opened at 8 for the preview so I could assign prices to any lots I might want to bid on. This Howse rotary cutter was out in a corner of the property and I never saw it.

The auction gallery was setup with a big video screen so that each lot was photographed and displayed on the screen. After the bidding started I was just daydreaming and waiting for my first lot to come up when the auctioneer said "Lot number 86, who'll give me $50 for this brush cutter?" I said to myself "Brush cutter, what brush cutter???" and looked up at the screen. There was silence, and then he said "Okay, no sale then." At that point I yelled "I"ll give you 50 bucks!" He said "We have 50 dollars, who'll give me 75?" No one else bid and he closed it down really quickly thank goodness. After the hammer fell there was a lot of hubbub amongst the "tractor guys" like a delayed reaction and I came to find out that none of them had seen the cutter either. They were all as surprised as I was but I was the only one to act.

Loading it was a huge challenge as you can see. The cutter is wider than my pickup box so it was definitely gonna stick out a lot. Once the auction was over I ran home and grabbed a skid I had made to attach to my pallet forks to lift a sofa to the second floor of the house earlier this year. Just last week I had thought about disassembling it to use the lumber for something but never got around to it. Glad I didn't. Also I stopped by my neighbor's and he was up for the challenge. Besides the skid we used a ***-along, several binder straps, some lumber blocking and a big pry bar. I also brought a floor jack but didn't have to use it. The cutter weighs a bit over 550 pounds. I told my buddy it was like landing a bluefin tuna with a bunch of 4 lb test line.

Anyways it was in a far corner of the property and both getting to it and hauling it out put my trailcar skills to the test... my pickup is 2 wheel drive and the ground was fairly damp. I cut the wheels as little as possible and only slowed down when necessary. The way out was uphill and I was trying to maintain my momentum without losing the load because most of the cutter was hanging out past the tailgate. The drive home was 35 mph on the straightaways and 30 mph around curves. My neighbor followed me in his Econoline 250. Anyways it ended up home safe and sound.

There was also a 1949 Ford Jubilee that went for $2700. There was a flail mower (for years I've been debating between a rotary cutter and a flail mower... I could have gotten both) that went for $350, and a box blade in good condition but with no ripper shanks that went for $250.

 

[ptsg]

That's a nice score Bob! I'm sure it needs a little bit of TLC but sure looks in a very decent shape.

I wish they would do auctions like that over here. I've seen such great deals on those auctions.

 

[K5lwq]

Great Job Bob! I bet you will have it serviced up and ready to roll in no time!

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Wow Bob,

That's really cool. What a score. Hope you stopped on the way home and bought a lottery ticket because your luck was running good. I think I would just check the gear oil, make sure the hub and spindle are good, see if it still has semi-straight blades and go cut some brush. If the seal leaks on the gear box, just put in corn head grease and go mowing. Hopefully the pto shaft fits.

That probably would have gone over $1K here. Which is why I don't go to auctions.

 

[ericm979]

Great score Bob! How did you load the cutter into your truck? Looks like a 6' model.

I'd have wanted the flail mower and the Ford too.