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About a month and half in, and Spectrum is still great. The bill was $75 for the month, so not too bad considering how fast it is. We're also providing internet to my mom's house with it, so now she doesn't have to pay for internet.

Goats are not really good at keep the grass down. My three horses do more to keep the grass short then my 80 goats. But in the trees and thick woods, the goats shine!! They will open up the understory and make it almost park like.

Pretty sure you have to be paying the taxes on a property for a number of years before you can take it from them. My neighbor gave me permission to mow his side of the fence. He considers it a favor, since it's one less thing he has to do. Usually he does it, but if I'm out mowing, I'll go...

My neighbor bought an old fire truck and converted it into a trailer. I think it hold 500 gallons of water and his tractor is 80 hp. He keeps it close to his burn pile when it's going, but so far, I don't think he has every had to use it. I'm not sure how it's powered, or how far away from the...

I tried something like that when I first bought my land. It worked OK, but it was never great. Most of the time, you had to get off the tractor to get it to grip the log, and even then, it would fall off and you had to do it all over again. Eventually I just wrapped the logs with a chain and...

I've been buying parts from Messick's for my 1998 New Holland 555E Backhoe for over a decade. My local dealer rarely has what I need in stock, and their prices are always high. I can go online and order it from Messick's and have it here faster than my dealer can have it shipped to their Parts...

We're getting a lot of people here, that's for sure. I think that I read that the places people are moving to are the ones with no State Income Tax. Texas, Florida and Tennessee are the top three. Before Covid, there was a steady increase in the cost of houses and land, but it was slow and...

I get it now. It used to be called Tyler Pipe, but I just looked it up and they were bought by AB&I in 2006. I knew somebody bought them out, but everyone still calls it Tyler Pipe. It's were you go to get a job when you get out of jail. They hire anybody, and most people only last a year or...

Who is SDF?

I didn't hear about that in the local news. Seems like Tyler just keeps growing and growing!!!

A buddy of mine has a crane repair business and his first shop was in Oakland. It was too close to a residential area, but he thought he could make it safe with fencing. They just cut the fencing, and when he had dogs in there to keep them out, they killed the dogs. He moved to another part...

How much are parking lot lights? Could you just put up a pole and attach a dawn to dusk LED light? I have several around my place and they work great. Cost of the light at Lowes is $70

A for effort on that set up, but if I was to have a business drilling post holes, it would be with an excavator.

I have a client that owns one of the big old mansions in Tyler. Their cabinets are a combination of green paint and wood stain. I forget the exact colors, but to get the new stuff I made for them to match, I did a dry brush of the green paint first, then put the stain over that. Once sealed...

I don't have any first hand experience with any of the brands you listed, or need for that much HP. When I was looking, I went with Massey because it was so much heavier then anything else in it's class, and built for AG instead of home owners doing chores around their places. My neighbor has...

I'll have to ask her if there is anything written down. She does most things from taste and memory. I should also say that I'm just the helper. I do the building, lifting, the carrying and the stacking. I don't get involved in anything actually involved in cooking or creating food. Last...

We haven't looked into it. Between working full time, adding on to our house, projects on the land, the dogs, the animals, and keeping the garden going, it's a struggle just to get everything canned. But I have to admit, her salsa and spaghetti sauce is really good, and worth the effort!!!

In 2018 my wife had Colon Cancer. Since her recovery, she has become very sensitive to the stuff that's added to the food that we buy at the stores. Frozen meals are the worse, but a lot of canned stuff is also really bad. We try to buy what we know is safe for her to eat, but the only thing...

I'm a Contractor and when I need a lift, I usually rent one from Home Depot. They are all about the same price to rent, but Home Depot is open 7 days a week, and their hours are a lot later then the Rental Yards. I can usually rent it in the morning, get the job done, and return it at the end...

Have you started any plants in the greenhouse yet? Here in East Texas, we put onions in the ground last week.

I'm struggling with understanding how your soil is "sand" and why it doesn't wash away when it rains. That slope next to your retaining wall is very steep. How does it remain there with your soil being sand?

When I bought my land in 2003, I bought a 37hp tractor and a Landpride 1872 rotary cutter. My land had been abandoned for years and everything was very overgrown. Being very enthusiastic about my land, I pushed the tractor and rotary cutter pretty hard. I broke blades, I destroyed gear...

The purpose of the pipe is to provide a path for water to drain. Water will go to the bottom of the gravel and then into the pipe through the holes. If the holes are at the top of the pipe, the water will sit there with no way to get into the pipe. Putting the holes at the top creates a...

The lady ahead of me at the cash register left her phone under the debit machine thingy the other day. I chased her down in the parking lot to give it to her and she was in a panic as I approached her, but then she thanked me. My wife convinced me to switch from Android to Apple last year...

From the picture with the two guys bent over, it looks like that wall is going to be over 6 feet tall. How far up are you going to go?

What do you do with the material that you remove?

I have a 12 foot batwing that I pull behind my 4707 Massey that has 70 hp. In really thick stuff, it cuts great, but I wouldn't want to try to do that with a bigger batwing. On ground that I've cut before, I have way more power then I need for a 12 foot batwing and I feel that I could handle a...

I met Bird a few times and enjoyed talking to him. I'm sorry to learn of his passing.

Smart to not be in a rush and wait for the right one to come along.

After thinking about this a little more and remembering some of my issues with trees over the years, I think that for this to work, you need to remove the trees. It's probably the hardest thing to do, but there is no such thing as a good tree next to a house. If the trees are gone, the...

My biggest hesitation on buying a F450 over the F350 is the cost for the license every year. I'm not sure, but I thought that they charge a lot more for it based on its commercial rating. The other reason is that even with my Farm Exemption that allows me to pull a trailer with a GVWR of...

I use my backhoe to pull my tractors and lawn mower out of the mud all the time. It's almost become a joke how often I get my zero turn stuck when mowing next to my pond. The walk of shame to get the backhoe is the worse part, but once I'm on my backhoe, it's pretty easy to pull anything I...

My first tractor was 37 hp and I used it to drill 12 inch holes with my 3 point auger. It worked pretty good, but not great. The biggest challenge was getting the auger out of the hole when it started digging too fast. The lift arms just where not strong enough to pull it out. I now have...

Do you use something like this on your own place? Looks like it might be useful for planting a garden.

Your geotextile looks impressive!!! The main reason for retaining walls to fail is water building up behind them. The water creates pressure, adds weight and loosens the soil. Another issue is when there is water behind the wall and the ground freezes. The ground expands and moves the wall...

The trick to using the new style fuel cans is to get a good funnel. Then unscrew the contraption on the container and pour the fuel into the funnel. I cut the length of the funnel so it's just going into my fuel tank a couple of inches. This makes the exit hole as big as possible. I also...

I probably should, but I think the problem is that when I first put them in, I didn't realize that it could get that cold here in Texas. Now I'm relying on PEX to deal with those days when it gets that cold, and hoping it never happens again. :)

I understand the original thinking behind tax money to support higher education with Junior Colleges, but it's gotten out of control. High School kids in there Senior Year are given the forms to get student loans. Once they do this, they become slaves to debt and a path that probably isn't in...

When I first got my backhoe and a cylinder started leaking, I went to my local dealer and bought a rebuild kit for it. The kit had all the parts in it for at least a dozen different models and cost over $100. Then they decided that I had to buy a replacement piston for their rebuild kits...

I'm sure your correct for the construction world. An excavator has a huge advantage over a backhoe for digging and tree removal. But it's probably the very worse machine for moving material. If you buy an excavator, you have to buy a loader or a dump truck, or some combination of machines...

Pretty fancy and specialized tool. What are you making?

Here in Smith County, and Tyler Texas, they worse tax is for the Junior College. It's a massive money-making machine that has complete control over our local government. When they wanted a new tennis court, they took the local houses by Eminent Domain. I think ten houses were taken to create...

My first tractor was 37hp and really too small for anything. If you already have everything done on your land, and all you are doing in maintaining it, then smaller is fine. But for new land, and larger properties like your lease, I think you should consider something with more HP. My Deere...

What year is it? I have a 2011 Transmule this has become difficult to start, but otherwise, still runs fine. I think that they used lawn mower engines in them, and that led to a lot of issues in the Mule's because people drive different then they mow.

Those tires look cool. Probably worthless in most cases, but there is something that I like about the way they look.

When I bought my land back in 2003, I bought a used 1998 New Holland 555E open station 2 Wheel Drive backhoe. It had 1,900 hours on it and I paid $19,000 for it. I have over 8,000 hours on it now and it hasn't had a major break down. Lots of little things have broken on it, and I've...

Do you have some fields that you work on every year?

I guess the treads from the tractor tires disappear after it's all compacted. Do you ever use slick tires?

I'm repeating myself. If the Ford Lightning ever becomes a serious option, I might buy one. Not having an engine under the hood, but using that space for a lockable truck is a game changer for me. As a contractor, an 8 foot bed isn't enough storage for me. Especially when doing demo!!! I have...

The biggest problem with letting the fire burn is that it hasn't happened in decades. I believe that was the idea when Yellowstone burned in the 90's. They decided to let nature take its natural course, but didn't realize that since humans had been putting out fires there for decades, the land...

All this talk about adding weight for a better ride reminds me of my first impression after building a 1,200-pound counterweight for the back of my tractor. The ride became smoother, and the tractor felt like it was sticking to the ground. HUGE IMPROVEMENT!!!!

Does that rental include the skid steer and the trailer to haul the skid steer? Here, I have to rent both, the trailer and the skid steer. As a contractor, I do this a few times a year for different jobs. When that happens, my clients are paying for my time to rent the equipment, get it to...

I posted already about having a 12 inch auger, and how often I use it. But when I have to put a post in a spot that I cannot get my tractor to, or if I have the auger off of the tractor, I'll just dig the post by hand if it's just one or two holes. Connecting the auger to the tractor is a pain...

This time of the year, when it's really cold, is when batteries die. Make sure you have a good battery.

Back in the 80's a buddy of mine bought a wrecked 4x4 Suburban and removed the body. He shortened the frame so the axles where wear wanted them and then mounted a 56 GMC truck body to the frame. His reasoning was that he could always find parts for a Chevy 350 engine, along with everything...

If you can get the blocks straight and level, it should be easy to drill into them with a SDS Rotary hammer and install anchor bolts to hold it in place.

Flat Slab Lumber jumped to my mind when reading your post.

When I bought my land, I financed it for 15 years and paid it off in five. I built my house for cash so I wouldn't have a mortgage. It's been almost 20 years, and I'm still building on it, but that's because we keep changing our minds and adding on to it. In 2010 my parents sold their house...

I don't know him very well, but I know the guy who runs the ranch pretty good. He's who I'm dealing with, and he's gone above and beyond in helping me out with the land and the cows. I don't really care what he does with the land for the $600 a year. It's a one year lease, and if I sell...

I’ve built a few spec homes and might do so again, but when I run the numbers, I’m probably better off splitting it up and selling it in lots. But I can wait and randomly mention to realtors that I know, that it could be bought for the right price. I just don’t know what that is right now...

I brought that up in another thread about investing under the new President. I’m wondering if land prices will shoot up because the housing will take off, or will the Market take off due to an Administration that is pro business? So far it’s just a lot of guessing. And in this case, doing...

I forgot to mention drainage. A lot of driveways that fail were never built up properly before the gravel was installed. To cut corners, or speed things up, some people rely on fabric to hold the rock in place, but this isn't a good, long-term solution. The only way to make sure the gravel...

$8,000 an acre and more is the listed price for land in the area. I'm sure that the neighbor would want to pay a lot less than that, but I'm also sure that he knows what land is going for there too. My guess is that if he wants it, he knows that it's a long-term investment that will continue...

I consider my 3 point auger to be one of the most useful attachments that I have. I couldn't imagine having a farm and not having an auger. When I bought mine, I knew nothing about them. My dealer sold it to me for a good price when I bought my 37 hp tractor from him. I think it was $400...

I went from a F250 4x4 diesel that had tons of power, but road really rough, to a F250 4x4 gas that didn't have as much power, but had a better ride, but it was still rough, to a F150 2 wheel drive with a gas engine with plenty of power and a super smooth, comfortable ride. As a Contractor that...

That's what I'm thinking. Of course, it could change at any time, so I'm not really set on one thing over another. For the right price, I could see selling this place too. My lifelong dream has always been to live in the Rocky Mountains, but prices there have gotten so out of control, I...

The most common reason for a gravel driveway to fail is that it's not thick enough. Road base rock has to be a mixture of rock in different sized with jagged edges to include fines. When packed together, it becomes solid. At a bare minimum, it needs to be 4 inches thick. In a lot of areas...

Thank you. I had ear plugs in, and safety glasses on. I'm all about safety!!! :)

This video shows what I'm dealing with. I'm always clearing trees. My land was so thick when I bought it that it took me years just to see most of it. 20 years later, I'm still clearing trees!!!! My grapple is great at what it does, but as you can see in the end of my video, I have to use a...

The battery is working great. When I got my tractor in June of 2022, it started just fine, except when it was super cold out. Every winter, since getting it, I had to jump it to get it to start when temps where below freezing. I assumed it didn't have a cold starting system, or something like...

Thanks. What's sort of interesting to me is that these lines survived the big freeze that we had a few years ago when temps got down to -8 and never got into the 20's for a full week. I had other lines break on me, but not these two. The one with Ice has been there for at least a dozen...

This is what my parents put on my bedroom door when I was a toddler. The reason I know the story of my wondering off is that they kept the house and rented it out. While cleaning up the house after the latest tenants had moved out, I asked them about the gate latch on the door, and they told...

When I got my horse, I underestimated how hungry they were, and how quickly they would eat everything in the pasture that I had fenced in for them. My solution was to build a "quick" electric fence around an open area with a lot more grass for them to eat. Half of the fence was attached to...

Back in the 90's, I was doing something in my garage, and a small child walked in front of my house all by himself. He was only a couple years old, and it was the middle of the day. I looked up and down the street, and there was nobody out. I didn't recognize him, so I just walked up to him...

I think it's odd, and maybe a bit funny, that here in Tyler Texas, we are too far North to get any snow!!!! Unfortunately, we did get the cold and some of my older water lines in my yard failed from the 14 degree temps that we woke up to. I'm replacing the PVC and the Copper with PEX. That...

Nothing has happened yet. We are still talking about what we want to do with the land, and what our expectations are. Something that's come up is that he is interested in buying the land, but he hasn't made an offer, and I'm not really interested in selling right now. But my long-term goal...

I'm making around 10% in the Market and I'm going to let them decide what to do with it. I know nothing about the Market and I figure they are charging me for their knowledge, so I'll listen to what they say. I also have some land, and I'm wondering if it will continue to increase in value...

When I was around that age, 3 or 4 years old, I snuck out of the house in the middle of the night and was found walking down the street by the police. I don't know the details on how they found me, but it was pretty traumatic for my parents. To make sure that I didn't do that again, they...

I paid $8,000 for my Scag back in 2011. It doesn't feel that long ago, but 14 years has passed pretty quickly!!!! I'm in total shock that the prices have gone up that much since then.

My 60 inch zero turn is a Skag. Some of the reasons I bought it was the super comfortable seat. They downgraded that in the newer models, which is a shame. But it's still uncomfortable after an hour of bouncing around. I really like Kawasaki engines over Kohler and Briggs. Mine is water...

I have a 60 inch zero turn with a 26hp engine. I like it for small areas, around the house, along the driveway, and in the dog yards. It's advantage is it's maneuverability. Not how quickly it cuts the grass. While in theory it should cut a lot of grass really quickly, the limiting factor is...

If I ever buy another grapple, it will have a solid bottom. Like other have stated, I thought it was important to have tines on the bottom so debri would fall out. So far, in over decade of using it, that has never really been an issue. I don't scoop up any dirt when picking up trees or...

This is the first that I've ever heard of NPT threads on hydraulic lines. My oldest tractor is a 1988 Case Dozer, and my next oldest is a 1998 New Holland Backhoe. Neither of them use NPT threads on their hydraulics. Is it an age thing, or is it for lines that do not have a lot of pressure?

Are you sure? I'm no expert, but I've never seen a NPT pipe fitting on a hydraulic line. From what I understand, hydraulic lines do not use sealant or tape. The reason is that those products are VERY BAD for hydraulic pumps if they get into the system. On all my tractors the hoses are...

That's for a full year. Basically $600 a year to let his cows eat the grass on my 40 acres. He has over a thousand acres, so I'm not sure how much will use my 40, but with the fence in such bad shape, our cows have been going back and for for a few years now already. The house is an unlivable...

I have 40 acres that's 65 miles from where I live. It's mixed land with open pasture, 3 ponds, and a lot of mesquite trees. The fencing is in poor condition. It has an old house that isn't livable, a shed that's pretty new, and a 30x40 shop that is full of junk that I haven't gotten around...

My shop is only 24x30, so I can reach everything in it with a 50 foot hose. What has been really handy for me is having a T on my air compressor, and a 100 foot hose that goes through the wall, and hangs on a garden hose holder on my outside wall. I use that air line ten times more then the...

In my experience, the cheapest and easiest financing is through the dealer. Usually they have something every year that is worth waiting for. If they did it last year, they will do it again. With my Massey, I bought when they had zero percent for 7 years.

We hit 55 degrees today, so I took apart my little tower. It went faster than I thought it would.

My 84 year old Mom is my favorite fire starter. The woman has a passion for getting a burn pile going, and staying with it all day while it burns. Once it burns down enough to get close to it, she will walk around it and pick up anything that can burn, and add it to the fire. This was...

2011 Kawasaki Trans Mule that I bought brand new. Mostly it's used to get the mail and haul boxes to the burn pile, but sometimes it's used for doing chores.

I have a 1998 New Holland 555E Loader Backhoe. I have no idea how many hoses it has, but it's safe to say there are a lot of them!!!! In my case, I've been running this backhoe for over 20 years, and I've replaced a lot of hoses. But I haven't replaced all of them. A few are still...

I just skimmed through the video. Why did he build that scaffolding around the top of that tower?

Temps where in the low 20's the last two days. I haven't started it since Sunday, so I was just a big nervous when I went to start it today. No worries, it fired right up!!!!!

The amount of water running through the ditch doesn't really matter. What creates ditches, and makes them hard to fill is the speed that the water is going. Slow it down and the erosion will slow down. Eventually you should be able to get it to the point that it's all flat and grass will...

The issue with a gully is that if you fill it, the soil will be softer then the surrounding soil, so it will wash away when you get a heavy rain. In order to stop this, you need something in there to hold the soil in place. Busted up concrete works great for this. It slows down the water and...

Why didn't you move that doghouse type shelter to the buck pen that the goat is standing on in your picture?

I just saw your video on YouTube about your barn being destroyed. Now I'm thinking that you're dealing with the fuel tank because you need to drill some holes to build a new goat barn. Hopefully it's a quick fix and you're able to get to work on that barn!!!!

Now that I've learned that the battery is bad, I've lost interest in buying a better battery charger. The old 10/50 Schumacher was able to get it started so I could get my last mowing in for the season. And there just wasn't any way to charge that battery. You could see the volts dropping...

Back in the 80's when I was in High School, I bought some sort of two part putty from the Auto Parts Store that seals cracks in gas tanks. In my case, it was rust on a 1973 CJ5. It worked great.

We have several solar powered LED lights. If you look at the picture of the lights on, there are some solar powered lights along the bottom of the fence. They are OK, but nothing great. In my experience, they last a year or two, and then you throw them away. I've replaced batteries in them...

The first battery was boxed really well. Totally enclosed in Styrofoam, and inside a heavy-duty cardboard box that didn't appear to be damaged. It took several days to get here, so anything is possible. The second battery just had a label stuck to the top of it. No box, no protection at...

The only connection that I haven't checked is the breaker. Today it started out at 22 degrees outside and the high should be 36 degrees. Then it's going to get worse this week, and maybe even worse next week, so I'm not messing with anything out there for a while. I've bypassed what I think...

Buying a bad battery was a first for me. I guess it happens all the time, but it never really occurred to me that it was happening when I was dealing with it.

I like the idea of the crane, but I'm nervous about how it's mounted.

I took the battery to Walmart on Friday, and they said the only option available to them for my return was to a credit on their website. I wasn't happy, but didn't see any other options. I went home and logged into their website, which showed the return. It also gave me the option to move...

I dug the trench for the wire from my house to the first fence post with my trencher. Depth is around a foot. That' run is about 100 feet. I have a junction box at that fence post. From there I ran the line to the light post that I'm dealing with. There is another line in there that will...

I've always wanted a sawmill, but doubt it will ever happen. Just too many other things to do. But it's still a dream fueled by watching video's on YouTube of people turning trees into lumber.

YouTube is super easy to post videos to. Once there, you just copy and paste from the address bar to here. A little over a year ago, we decided to try doing videos. It's overwhelming at first, but eventually it becomes doable.

I'm thinking about the wire being damaged, I'm remembering that my wife dug up the area where the line was to save some of her plants from the dogs. After installing the line, we decided that we needed another dog run, so I fenced in an area of the yard that went through her shade garden...

I don't understand the comments about connecting in a series to measure amps, so I'm going to abandon that for now. With the light attached to the wire, my voltage dropped in half. It's bouncing between 60 and 63 volts. I need to get some things done before a big winter storm hits...

I'll do that right now too!!!

This is how I have my meter connected.

What does that mean?

Thanks. OL Makes more sense. I'll test it again at the 2 setting and be right back.

The power comes from a breaker in my house and goes to a box on a fence post about halfway through my yard. There, I have another line that goes to another light, but I haven't installed the light yet, so the wire is coiled up on the fence post, with a wire nut on the black wire. From the...

A few years ago I put a 20 foot post in the ground with a LED yard light. It's at the far end of our fenced in area for our dogs, and my wife really liked having it. After about two years, it sort of died, but not all the way. Some days it would barely glow, other days it would sort of...

Before going to raised beds for our gardens, I really wanted a tiller. They sure seem like the best tool possible for working the dirt before planting. Please post pictures of it when you start using it. Video would be great too!!!

From what I understand, this is exactly what happened in Houston when they had their bad flood. Subdivisions replaced fields without any way to move the water when it rained really hard. When the worse storm since the 1950's happened, they blamed Global Warming and refused to consider that...

As a contractor, I've worked for a few churches in my area. All different. I think the people there are fantastic, both the ones that attend, and the ones running the church. But I've also learned that nobody spends money wisely at a church. It's all based on a committee that is comprised...

Fun seeing your place and all your equipment out working!!!! Did you make a video too?

We're always nervous about Mom falling for a scam. She came close once when she got a call from a friend from church that told her about some money the government was giving to Seniors. She thought she recognized her voice, so when she said that she needed Mom's bank info so she could get the...

My mom was always a letter writer. She's from Canada, and she loves hearing from everyone up there. Now that she has her Tablet, she gets to stay in touch with all her friends from school, and the family. Her favorite is seeing pictures!!!! Not being able to get online every day was really...

It arrived on Tuesday and I had it up and running in about an hour. I could of done it faster, but I was following the instructions step by step. At first, I just unrolled the Cat6 cable along the floor of my house, then mounted the A unit to my exterior window frame. I mounted the B unit to...

I went to their website and pushed the return button. They asked why, I said it was defective. I have to bring it to a Walmart Store with my Email showing the barcode for the refund. I guess I'll go to NAPA to get another battery and spend the extra money.

It looks like my brand new battery is dead. I found a Load Tester in my Dad's stuff, and it shows the battery as being bad. I've had the charger on it for 3 days. With the charger hooked up, it shows 14 volts. With the charger off, it shows 10 volts, but then it starts to drop and in a few...

I own a full sized backhoe and a riding trencher. For just about everything that I've buried around my house and out in my yard, I use a shovel. I have water lines all over the place, along with electrical lines. I might not finish digging the trench in a day, or even a week, but I keep at it...

Does your patio have walls? I'm not sure what the insulation is going to do if there isn't a way to keep the outside air from getting in there? On my patio, I put OSB down, then 30 pound tar paper, and they metal R panels on top of that. The OSB under the metal stops almost all of the noise...

Mom's internet has been really bad, and I feel that I need to do something right away. My wife is worse than my mom about informing me over and over again that it needs to be fixed!!! I've clicked on every link, read each page, and watched dozens of Youtube Videos. I still feel out of water...

I just mentioned the Mule because it's a vehicle with a battery. Oddly enough, it's a 2010 and I'm still on my second battery. It's never had a trickle charger on it, but it's started up and used just about every day. It sits under a roof, in a shed with three walls.

I have trickle chargers on the mowers. They are smaller models for lawn mowers. I used one of them on the battery for my tractor for two weeks before putting it in, but it doesn't seem to have worked.

Do the big battery chargers have load testers on them?

I've never used a Load Tester before, but I've seen them use it at NAPA when bringing a battery in. They always have something like this...

That's very similar to what I used to have, but ran over. And what I'm looking to buy now. I'm just trying to decide on what one is the best one to buy. I have 4 tractors, a Mule and two riding mowers. There is always a battery issue of some kind here!!!

The battery in the Backhoe is good. I don't know if the cables will hook up to it. They are quite a bit different in size. We're having extreme thunderstorms right now with the possibility of tornadoes and 3 inches of rain. We've already received 2 1/4 inches during the week from two other...

I have until March 12 to return the battery to Walmart if that's the problem. Now I need to think of what I need to buy next. Big battery charger? Trickly Charger? or Battery Load Tester?

I just tried to start my tractor and the battery is dead. I ran it for over four hours a few days ago, and really expected it to fire up. Volt meter read ten point six five volts on the terminals. I didn’t disconnect anything. For some reason when I use numbers, it changes to something weird

I like that idea. I'll probably need a Cat 6 cable anyway, so why not buy it now and see what happens?

This was before I widened my wheels to their maximum width. Easily the most terrifying angle that I've been at with my tractor. I got too close to the ditch that comes from my culvert and my tires slide down into it. I hit the clutch and brakes at the same time, and watched the front tire...

What side angle is when I need to start to panic?

Thank you for the links!!!!

Thank you Peter for the link and the videos!!! I do a lot better watching a video then I do reading and trying to understand what I've read. My house is in front, and Mom is right behind me. The fiber optic comes into my house closest to the front road, and the roughter is in the corner...

Thank you, that helps a lot. We tried extenders with our previous system, and we have them hooked up right now, but they never really did anything that I could tell. I'll look on Amazon for Wireless Point to Point!!

Mom's internet is back up today. It was only out for two days. The pressure is off to get her something, but then again, it could stop working again at any time, so I really need to make a decision on what to buy.

What is a Nest? How far does it go? I don't need anything fancy, Mom is just using a tablet for Facebook. All I need is reliable internet for her.

Is a Mesh a way to spread the internet around inside your house? Basically increasing the area that the router is giving you? And is a Bridge a point to point signal from one building to another building? I'm not seeing a lot of options on Amazon for Wifi Bridget Systems. Should I be using...

I normally don't like it when a person selling a product comments on their product, but in this case, I found it informative. I don't have a tilt meter, and I've gone back on forth on buying one. When I'm mowing along the edge of my pond, I'm uncomfortable by the angle, but I've done it so...

I have one metal canopy on a tractor, and a plastic one on another tractor. I also have the same plastic one on my zero turn. Both work fine. The plastic ones cover more area, and I think that makes a difference. The metal one has a few dents on the front edge from branches, but nothing...

The old one I'm using has 50 amps, and it's borderline. 200 amps would be a huge improvement, but am I going too far?

What is a WiFi Bridge?

On the battery charger. How many amps is ideal for jump starting a dead battery? The link I just posted to on Amazon is rated for 200 amps. There are others on Amazon rated for 250. Is more better?

This is what I have in my cart, but I haven't committed to buying it yet. I'll probably wait until I have all my taxes paid, and then make my final decision...

That was our original hope, but it's not showing anything. They guy who installed the fiber optic told us that it covers 1,600 square feet. So we're good for about 40 feet according to him.

Yes, both houses are on the same electrical meter. I have a 1,200 amp panel with one meter, and six 200 amp breakers inside the panel.

I'm sort of in the middle of nowhere. My house is 700 feet from the street. The closest house to me is right at a mile away. Then there are more homes after that, which are spread out along the road going farther away.

I didn't think about the cables. They were expensive, and they are pretty thick, but I don't know the details of them off the top of my head. I'll look at them too!!!

Just a hair over an inch in my rain gauge from last nights storms. Lots of thunder, and a few heavy downpours, but mostly it was just a good steady rain. I was in a bit of a panic because I haven't finished all my bush hogging and I wanted to get it done before the storm hit. Fortunately, I...

On Monday, Spectrum ran fiber optic to my house. Yesterday, they installed it. Since then, my mind has exploded in how fast it is!!! I've never been able to upload a video without waiting several minutes for it to happen, and half an hour wasn't unusual. So far, I've uploaded two videos, and...

Merry Christmas from East Texas. The Massey got some mowing in just before the storm hit.

It only goes up to 50 amps.

When I tried to start my tractor this morning, nothing happened. There was a guy here installing fiber optic for our internet, so I switched the battery charger to fast charge/start and left it. An hour or so later, he was done, and I went out to remove the cables and see it that was the...

I had a really nice battery charger that worked great. It was one of the bigger ones that rolled on wheels, and I could jump start just about anything with it. Sadly, I forgot it was there when backing up the backhoe one day and destroyed it. The one I have now was my Dad's, and he had it back...

I have two push mowers that worked great, until they didn't. I'm sure it's from dirty gas, or the gas gumming up the carburetor. I can't imagine trying to start more than just one push mower!!!!

Thank you Scotty for the detailed information. My battery charger is very old. Probably 30 years old or older. I don't trust it, but I haven't tested it to know for sure. My plan is to remove my cables, inspect them, clean the ends better then what I did when I changed the battery, and try...

Last week my wife made the call to have it installed. They said that they would be here today to install it at 9am. Yesterday, a crew showed up to run the cable. They had a walk behind cable burying machine, kind of like a trencher, but it only goes down 6 inches. and it doesn't dig up the...

I put the meter on the battery posts. I'm going to pull my cables and inspect them today.

The weather was nice today and the ground is dried out, so I decided to install the new battery and get the last of my mowing done. The new battery is identical in size and configuration. It was a simple swap. I got in my tractor and everything was dead. I tried again and the dash lights...

Merry Christmas from ELK Heart Farm in East Texas!!!

I have the option of 540E on my tractor, but I've never used it. I'm pulling a 12 foot batwing with a 70 hp tractor, and when I'm mowing, it's pretty thick, so I want all the power that I can get. My dealer suggested that it would be good for maintaining areas that are not too over grown...

I really like how you cut the siding to match the logs!!!

MCRD Sand Diego for Boot Camp in the Summer of 1983. Then Camp Pendleton until I was accepted for Embassy Duty in 1985.

I've only been to Colorado a few times. Royal Gorge is my favorite thing that I've been to there. It's just a bridge over a canyon, but it's really high up, and the bridge is very impressive. It costs too much, but it's something that I've done a few times and for some reason, really enjoy...

I always used what I buy, when I buy it. I've never had it sit around for any period of time. I would worry about moisture getting into the ends of it over time.

I've been on a few trains over seas and enjoyed most of them. Going from Calcutta to New Delhi was a mistake, but I did get to see a lot of the countryside. My favorite is in Europe and seeing old castles!!!! I've always wanted to ride the narrow gauge train in Colorado that goes through the...

I'm not an HVAC guy, but I am a Remodel and Repair Contractor. I like your plan for a flat ceiling with insulation. That will allow the roof to vent and make it more affordable to max out your R value with insulation. Are you going to blow in loose insulation? I also like the idea of...

Crazy how fast it's coming up!!!!

When you stay "stored out of the weather" are you talking about storing it outside until you are ready to use it? Or are you asking how long I expect it to hold up once installed on your shed? Once installed and painted, you will get several decades out of it. But it's a good thing you...

I'm a big fan of Hardie, but for cost savings, Smart is a good alternative. The 4x8 sheets do not need anything under them like Hardie does. The edges are cut so they overlap. If you run a bead of caulk when installing the Smart Panels, they will be water proof. Smart Panels are made from...

Don't black bears walk with their claws in, like a cat? I thought that's how you tell the difference between a grizzly and a black bear track? Same with cats and dogs. Cat doesn't leave claw marks in their tracks, dogs do.

If your drain lines are SCH 40 PVC all the way to the septic tank, then roots are not going to be an issue unless they where not connected properly. That's pretty rare, but I've seen it done before. In that case, the pipe pulled apart at an elbow where the line from the bathroom joined the...

You are a lot more creative then I am!!! I just poured concrete to make a 1,200 pound counter weight. The difference is night and day better.

Good idea. I think I'll hook my lawn mower trickle charger up to it. I haven't bought a new trickle charger for the tractor yet. I'm kind of hoping for an After Christmas sale since I'm not in a huge rush to get one.

I put a plastic USPS squarish mail carrying box in mine. It fits perfectly and it holds my straps, spray bottles, and brushes in there. The rest of the space has tools that have storage boxes to carry them around, extension cords, tarps, and long tools that I don't have room for in my truck.

I'm surprised that a real plumber went through the drain line in the vanity and didn't remove the toilet. 30 to 40 feet sounds like he hit something outside the house. Odds are that it's a root. Especially since the snake is stuck. I had a house where something similar happened, but they...

I like how your cedar looks in your fence. I thought about doing something similar around our veggie garden, but felt overwhelmed by the time it would take, and having too many other things to get done. I read where some people use wood posts to terminate each roll of wire, but I didn't like...

Thanks. That's where I was confused. There is a seed company in Tyler that I bought some Bermuda seed from before, but I never thought about looking into rye grass. https://easttexasseedcompany.com/ According to their website, they have several options to chose from. It also says that the...

There was a regulatory fee of $15 added to the bill. I'm assuming that was the core charge. I think there was something on their website about getting that $15 back if I bring in the old battery. I'll have to look into that and decide if I want to haul it to the store, or not. I hate the...

The battery arrived Thursday morning. From the time it was ordered, to Walmart sending it out, and Fed Ex keeping me updated every day where it was at, I have to say it was a pretty good experience buying the battery from Walmart. I've never done that before. Since getting here, the box is...

Currently I have 8 cows on my other farm that's 60 miles from where I live. The neighbor has let them on his 130 acres to help keep the grass down. It's a win win for me, but my goal is to bring them here and not have to drive 60 miles to see them. My biggest reason to wait longer on...

Is the winter rye grass for grazing livestock? We buy a sack and spread it around our yard for green grass in winter, but I heard somewhere that it will cause issues with our horses if they eat it. Something about their gut turning from it and killing them, but I don't remember the details...

Mansaver has different sizes, and mine is the smallest one they sell. Originally I thought about getting a bigger one to do pipe, and using the adapters for T-Posts, but decided that I wanted wood posts. I'm glad I did that because it gets heavy after using it all day long. The only real work...

As a Remodel/Repair Home Contractor, I've learned that when the country is struggling, people focus on fixing their homes, and staying in them longer. When the country is doing good, they want me to make their houses ready to sell because they want to invest in a better house. For me, it's...

Looks like it fits perfectly in your room!!!!

I don't own a Toyota, and I have no plans to buy one. But they have proven themselves to be one of the very best automakers in the world. Their quality and support system is as good as it gets.

I had to remove a rounded off 4 sided plug from a water line that was inside a wall. Usually a six sided 5/8's socket works, but the edges of the brass where rounded off. I found this at Lowes, and it worked great...

I was next to another one at a red light yesterday on my drive home. This one was flat black. I was tried to see if it was wrapped, or not, but I couldn't tell. What struck me was that this was the first one that looked like it was made out of plywood by some kids. As for making them...

Could be wrapped. I’ve only seen them driving by and the one I followed this morning.

I followed another one today that was painted green. This one was similar in color as Zip System panels. It was the ugliest thing on the road because of the paint color!!!!

My current shop has 12 foot walls and I'm planning on them being the same height when I build my next shop. I do all my own building and I can't justify going any taller then 12 foot. My last shop had a 12 foot wide door and my current shop has 10 foot wide door. I'll never do 10 foot...

Goats do an impressive job at cleaning up the understory and converting a this area into a park. Most impressive is what they do to blackberries!!!!