Good morning!!!!

[kenmbz]

Morning, 55 going up to 80, and sunny.
So dry...
Spent a few hours with the brushcutter to take out some autumn olive, multiflora rose and berry brambles in the back area.
Cleaned out the last of the leaves an buds from the trampoline.
Water, water water plants.

BEF - we have one stop sign on the way to town that has a high number of accidents with people just flying through and not stopping at sign. They put in blinking light, so now drivers have a new thing to ignore.
I see people blow right through there every week, and I only pass by that intersection 1-3 times/week. Seem like sometimes you just have to keep an eye out for the id10ts .. Glad you didn't get hit.

PopGadget - feel better soon

Be well,

 

[daugen]

impressive fence work

RNG, what engine does that van have in it?
The Pentastar V6 or the Italian one?
5 percent below msrp sounds fair if equipped as you are willing to pay for it.

I'd order one exactly the way you want it. But usually the best deals are low mileage CPO where someone else has
taken the initial depreciation hit. My 60k Volvo became affordable at 40k CPO. And was kept in really nice condition.
many vans aren't shown much tlc though.

time to head downtown. Shortest way is down Solebury hill, which is posted at 35mph, so you have to hit your brakes twice, if not three times going down
the long hill to not go ten over. So no surprise Volvo dealer told me this Fall when oil is changed the car needs new front pads.
I try downshifting the car several gears to get the rpm up to 3000 but engine doesn't help much.
I need a little Jake brake...

local PD has asked for exception to PA law in order to install radar guns, which currently only State Police can use. Strange, I know.
And they will sit down at the bottom of that big hill and get the guys in the BMWs doing 50 at the bottom. Ka ching.
but the cost to obeying the law on that hill is a lot of wear and tear on the brakes. 50k miles, not bad, not great.

So I often go the long way around to avoid the hill, high road and low road.

water water water plants, you got that right Ken.
yesterday mine got a bonus, put a little miracle grow in the water.

 

[Rich B1]

Good morning! 67° now, predicted high of 86° today. Repeat of yesterday. Some warm days coming up. We need some rain.

Been busy, had company all weekend. Ate too much, but the smoked brisket was really good.

We took a long bike ride yesterday, had lunch at a burger place south of here. They claim fresh, local ingredients. Sure tastes good. We Dina lot of back roads, wife thought I was lost several times. She was surprised when we ended up on a familiar road not far from home. She has decided she needs a better helmet. So we started looking for a helmet for her.

Trying to trap an annoying critter. It keeps gigging up plants and bulbs. So far, 0-2 with the live trap.

Not sure what today will bring.

Everyone stay safe out there.

 

[Buppies]

Drew Ram has 70000 miles on it brakes 65 percent Lucy has 34000 mile on second set first wore out at 18000 guess just depends

 

[RedNeckGeek]

RNG, what engine does that van have in it?
The Pentastar V6 or the Italian one?
5 percent below msrp sounds fair if equipped as you are willing to pay for it.

I'd order one exactly the way you want it. But usually the best deals are low mileage CPO where someone else has
taken the initial depreciation hit. My 60k Volvo became affordable at 40k CPO. And was kept in really nice condition.
many vans aren't shown much tlc though.

Yes, all the '23 ProMasters have the V6 Pentastar engine.

I hope to hear from the local dealer this week with a quote on a custom factory order. But one of the dealers I talked to yesterday said RAM had cancelled all their orders for '23s, maybe a sign that they're soon switching to '24s.

Pricing on used vans is crazy. Even new examples of last year's models are selling for more than MSRP. And instead of falling in price by 1%/month as they did prior to the pandemic, depreciation is less than half that. So the savings aren't great on a used vehicle, and who knows how well they've been maintained. So I'll keep looking for something new with the right options, and hope the local dealer can come up with something sooner rather than later.

 

[Buppies]

31 Dodge in Kernersville NC might have what you are looking for logistics might be a problem

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

Good morning! Low of 52°, slowly hitting 76°. Only 56° at 08:00. We were awakened this morning around 05:45 to a loud bang and rumble.... yep, a passing t-storm. 50% chance of more of 'em this morning. Just brief light sprinkles.

I'm not too excited.....nothing showing in the gauge so far aside from being damp..... But, the 'smell' of the rain is nice.

Don, I have a 12v clamp on fan that I use on the tractor.

Robot or human?

Works good. I have considered putting one of the thin automotive radiator electric fans up on the canopy. That little cheap fan does the trick!

RNG, good choice to just set your parameters and let the dealer know. Patience is a virtue. Let them make "your" deal. --- especially when there are numbers like you posted.

Paul, hope you get to feeling better quickly. Seems that 'summer colds' are worse....

I was impressed by the fence staplers. When my neighbor got an air powered one, I was skeptical that it would shoot those big arse staples. Shot them in like a tiny thumbtack. It's worth getting one if you're doing a bunch of fencing.

Didn't get the planter filled. We decided that the willows really needed to get planted. So, hooked up the PHD and punched 4-12" holes in a tight cluster at the 2 planting locations. Got them planted and watered.

Then took the PHD back off and put away. By then, I was worn out, so the tractor got put away too. --- With the intention of starting early on the planter this morning---- There was no mention of the possibility of showers in the forecast......

Going to take the down time to formulate a materials list and pricing for some upcoming projects. Time to grease the tractor again, so will also take the opportunity to get that done. If no more showers develop, I might try to get out to fill the planter.

We have been enjoying the sounds of a couple hatchlings in a nest on the front porch. They were able to sneak in and build the nest covertly. Unfortunately for them, as soon as they fledge, the nest will be removed.

I hope everyone has an enjoyable day!

 

[pennwalk]

The Farmer at the farm stand told me that it isn't going to be a great strawberry year. Too much sun and not enough rain. I can understand the rain but I thought strawberries liked sun. Farming is rough. The guy who farms our place hasn't admitted to a good year in my memory. I just figured he didn't want us to raise the rent.

Car dealers are so close to crooks it is hard to tell the difference.

Chris

 

[Popgadget]

Paul, hope you get to feeling better quickly. Seems that 'summer colds' are worse....

I was impressed by the fence staplers. When my neighbor got an air powered one, I was skeptical that it would shoot those big arse staples. Shot them in like a tiny thumbtack. It's worth getting one if you're doing a bunch of fencing.

I’m definitely feeling a lot better, but have yet to go outside or be productive.

The Milwaukee stapler is battery powered, when I tried to find a parts breakdown to see what the driver mechanism is, Milwaukee doesn’t share it, they just say it has to go back for service for anything in that area. They do acknowledge that it has a high pressure gas cylinder in it, some how it is charged or compressed and cocked by the electric motor. I’m curious as to the exact mechanism, but it seems they are keeping it close to the vest.
Whatever it is, it works great though.

Here is what they say on the parts list-
“Due to the combination of the compressed air system and electronics in this tool, service can only be performed at Milwaukee Authorized Repair Centers”

 

[jbrumberg]

The smoke haze today was was somewhat less than yesterday's and I could still smell smoke this morning. Today's low temperature was 43ºF. The current 78ºF is today's high temperature so far, and I expect today's high temperature to reach into the low 80ºF's. I will be getting some seat time on the rider this afternoon.

 

[KilroyJC]

Good morning! 67° now, predicted high of 86° today. Repeat of yesterday. Some warm days coming up. We need some rain.

Been busy, had company all weekend. Ate too much, but the smoked brisket was really good.

We took a long bike ride yesterday, had lunch at a burger place south of here. They claim fresh, local ingredients. Sure tastes good. We Dina lot of back roads, wife thought I was lost several times. She was surprised when we ended up on a familiar road not far from home. She has decided she needs a better helmet. So we started looking for a helmet for her.

Trying to trap an annoying critter. It keeps gigging up plants and bulbs. So far, 0-2 with the live trap.

Not sure what today will bring.

Everyone stay safe out there.

Sounds like you need a “dead trap” instead…

 

[sodamo]

67°F and 1.5 inches rain.

With the exterior sections flailed can transition to mowing the interior more lawn like areas with the BX and Scag. Of course I’ve used flail on these areas many times but the BX is a bit quicker. The Scag, 36 in, is best fit inside the pool fence.

Prayers for All
Be safe
Have a great day

 

[KilroyJC]

Yes, all the '23 ProMasters have the V6 Pentastar engine.

I hope to hear from the local dealer this week with a quote on a custom factory order. But one of the dealers I talked to yesterday said RAM had cancelled all their orders for '23s, maybe a sign that they're soon switching to '24s.

Pricing on used vans is crazy. Even new examples of last year's models are selling for more than MSRP. And instead of falling in price by 1%/month as they did prior to the pandemic, depreciation is less than half that. So the savings aren't great on a used vehicle, and who knows how well they've been maintained. So I'll keep looking for something new with the right options, and hope the local dealer can come up with something sooner rather than later.

When my 93 Caprice Wagon died, and I was outvoted and had to buy a new vehicle at a dealership, I asked about the 4WD Econolines. Unfortunately, this was in ‘16, and they had stopped Econolone production except for commercial cab-only production and nothing was available new. Which is why I got an F150.

I still hate most of my dashboard - I can only imagine that it has gotten worse!

 

[KilroyJC]

I’m definitely feeling a lot better, but have yet to go outside or be productive.

The Milwaukee stapler is battery powered, when I tried to find a parts breakdown to see what the driver mechanism is, Milwaukee doesn’t share it, they just say it has to go back for service for anything in that area. They do acknowledge that it has a high pressure gas cylinder in it, some how it is charged or compressed and cocked by the electric motor. I’m curious as to the exact mechanism, but it seems they are keeping it close to the vest.
Whatever it is, it works great though.

Here is what they say on the parts list-
“Due to the combination of the compressed air system and electronics in this tool, service can only be performed at Milwaukee Authorized Repair Centers”

Well, they also have the battery-powered M12 tire inflator, so there is probably some commonality…

 

[Popgadget]

Well, they also have the battery-powered M12 tire inflator, so there is probably some commonality…

From what I can make out in their parts lists, there isn’t any. The stapler can fire 2 staples per second, so they aren’t driven by air, nor does it exhaust any. I’m guessing that they are mechanically loading a piston in a captive gas cylinder and using that stored energy to drive the staple like a spring.
It’s also very frugal with power consumption. May Frits will put his analytical engineering abilities to work and give us his thoughts.
Bu regardless HOW it does it, it really does it well.

 

[Buppies]

PopG glad you are feeling better. Really enjoy pictures of Zoe but I think I already said that before and you have done so, thanks

 

[Buppies]

Chris if you talk to fleet manager in auto/truck sales generally are better to deal with or so my luck has been

 

[Popgadget]

Wrapping the wire at the posts was the most time consuming part of the job, er, I mean fun.

Nah, you correctly called it out as the worst, or least favorite part.
But I do think it’s better than stapling them, and was what the fence manufacturer recommended.

 

[KilroyJC]

Good MorniAfternoon!

(I forgot to hit send, so I might as well start from scratch)

God has given us another chance to get it right — or at least not screw up too badly…

Currently a comfortable 72.9F, might her a little higher, rain may start a bit later, might not…

Harry got his talons trimmes yesterday, he desperately needed it. Picked up some chichen pellets and a bark collar at Tractor Supply,so that he will stay in his crate QUIETLY at night. We don’t care during the day, he is. Hound! But sleep is nice…. Speaking of TS, our small town is steadily being affected by the ongoing breakdaown of society:

it’s not like there is all that much brass left in the float valves! Unimaginable craziness, no?

This morning was some more Harry training, working on stay a bit, about 60% success.

gathered up some saved mechanic-in-a-bottle containers and primed and painted them, to make smaller pre-mix containers for the chainsaws, currently balong in the sun atop the pickup bed cover:

Heard from BigBoxOrange on missing scaffold items. Had to cancel that part of order and receive credit, then reorder missing items fresh. ETA 7-10 days. So the carpenter bees got another month of house munching in… yay…

Druggies had a car problem, so at 2:10 AM they were pulling a brake caliper and beating on it to free the piston. Finished about 2:45 AM. Yay…

Looks like the rest of the day will be devoted to energy conservation and YouTube University.

I hope everyone has a happy healthy safe blessed day!

 

[Popgadget]

Here is Zoe on a good day with no distractions.