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And that may be the right choice for your situation. Hedging isn't right for every business. But if you are buying $250K of a commodity each month and it represents a substantial input to your cost of goods and services, and want any kind of pricing stability, it's an appropriate tool. That's...

Sorry, but no. First of all, commodity steel contracts are close to 2/lb right now. Will cost more in finished sheet, bar stock, or round stock form that a manufacturer like EA would buy from a wholesale supplier. Which means the steel in the implement you described is going to be at least...

A hedge contract can be as simple as a futures option on commodity steel. It's a simple calculation to figure out how much of a future option to buy at a given price in order to provide protection against a substantial rising commodity price. If the commodity price goes up sharply, you execute...

It's not a bad model. It's just missing a key leg: The standard approach to make that model work is commodities hedge contracts. The airlines do it with fuel, to make the cost predictable, since they are selling tickets well in advance of providing service, and fuel costs are the biggest...

That's why I wrote "Walmart in that era". Walmart is headed in the same direction, but at a slower pace than Sears. In fairness, Sears was founded much earlier, and Sam Walton has only been gone for a little more than 20 years. Walmart is trying to adapt, but the challenges are many. You can...

Haven't been on the site much lately, was surprised to catch up to this thread. I've never done business with EA. Looked at them a few times before choosing something else. Watched many of their videos over the years. Came away with the strong impression that they cared enough to build...

That's an easy one. I used to write software for the retail trade. Went to Sears HQ to pitch it to one of their category managers. Mind you, that's a low-to-mid level managerial position. Was told by his secretary (in a day and age where few people had secretaries any more) to address him as...

The inserts I'm looking at claim 75% efficiency. IIRC, my propane furnaces are in the 80 to 85% range.

Well said.

1 cord of firewood BTUs = 215 gallons LP BTUs. I'm probably using about 600 gallons of LP to heat my house. $3 per gallon, roughly. I'm already burning a bunch of the wood in a very inefficient fireplace that, while great for ambiance, sucks at actually heating the house. The same firewood...

The "how you value your time" analogy is often a bit too soft for my liking. Those are rabbit holes I prefer not to go down. This is easy: I'm processing a cord or two of firewood per year. Another couple of cords will take me another couple of days of something I enjoy doing. In the...

Insulation: We foamed the roof. Most of the house sq. ft. is the great room, with high ceiling and no attic. The existing fireplace isn't an insert. It's just a manufactured fireplace: A Heatilator I80.

I usually save all documentation. Finding it is another matter...but I found the fireplace manual. Quote from the install maual: B. Wood Burning Inserts WARNING! Risk of Fire! Improper installation of wood inserts may cause fireplace or chimney system to overheat.If a wood burning insert is...

House seals up fairly well, and the fireplace does have an outside intake. No on the water based heat, but I have open an truss floor system in the main residence, and it's a a short, straight shot to the mechanical room, thru the trusses, right past the hot water lines. The inside plumbing...

We run through about $1800 worth of propane a year in our 5 year old home: 2200 sq ft ranch, 75% finished basement, 2 propane furnaces, on demand propane hot water heater, propane stove/oven, propane starter fireplace. We also use the fireplace a fair amount. We keep the thermostat at 68...

Bought a used Leinbach dirt scoop about twelve years ago. Served me well until I added a tractor with an FEL. I decided to use the upper part of the scoop for a log arch, and that worked out really well. Still have the bucket kicking around, waiting for a project. Thought I might build a...

Appreciate the comments. Good news: I don't have to worry about. We found the owner. She'll be here in the AM to pick up her stray. Apparently, they lost one (of four) to a coyote during the day yesterday, it spooked the others, and this one got out. She's about 2.5 miles from us.

We have three female goats. Kept in a pen, with some free range privilege. Healthy and happy-go-lucky goofballs. Today, a young female goat showed up out of nowhere, standing outside of our animal pen. Looks like a nubian breed. She's a bit lame, with an injury of some sort to one of her...

$2.79 here in N.Georgia for our fall delivery, about 400 gallons. Haven't re-filled a cylinder at TSC since the summer, but last when I did, it was $3.29, IIRC.

I'm wiring and finishing a shed. I'm going to install a mini split HVAC unit. The HVAC compressor unit will be about 7', direct line of sight, from the exterior mounted meter/breaker box, with an accessible breaker for the HVAC unit. Given that, do I still need a disconnect box for the HVAC...

Cool video. Very instructive. Thanks for posting. I just timed my pump's "on" cycle. 1:26 to refill the pressure tank with all fixtures off. Under normal use patterns, it takes a fair amount of time to cycle through the full tank. However, I can see how the CSV would lengthen system life...

Very much appreciate the detailed comment. I'm trying to understand the implications of this for my setup. We have an 85 gallon pressure tank, which yields about 25 gallons at 40 to 60psi. For normal, household use, cycling is very infrequent. When it cycles on at 40 psi, the pump runs for...

My well setup: Well head is about 600 feet from pressure tank, which is housed in basement of home. I need a spigot about 125' in the other direction. The trenching to bring a water line from the house supply side of the pressure tank would be a big job. The distance, out through the the...

And that's where the NEC gets confusing. There are a variety of exceptions to NEC 225.30, and I'm trying to understand if they apply. Ultimately, I'll put a sub-panel in if I have to. Just want to make sure that's what is required.

IIRC, 17 amps on 120v, and 9 amps on 240v.

I think that discussion you linked focuses on a different issue: Whether or not the sub-panel needs a main breaker to protect the feed and circuits in the subpanel. Pretty sure, with only two circuits, I wouldn't need a main breaker in a sub-panel. The breaker in the source panel (on the post...

Getting ready to do a shed project that has the following parameters: 1) Power to shed will be from an exterior, post-mounted meter and breaker panel. 2) Distance from panel to shed anticipated to be approximately 50'. 3) Shed needs two circuits: a) 20A dedicated to an HVAC split...

I've got a situation where I need to run a water line from an existing well pressure tank (40 to 60psi) to a use point between 400 and 800 feet from the tank. Max usage will be 3 to 4 gpm (a couple of household fixtures). The reason for the potential distance variation: The shorter run will be...

Eddie, I'm very sorry about your brother. Regarding the laptop: If the password continues to allude you, you can take out the hard drive (hdd or nvme) and use an appropriate USB adapter to connect it to another computer. Unless the files are encrypted, you'll be able to access them that way...

Appreciate the suggestion. I've read the regulations. There are some exceptions (cell tower sub-lease, agritourism, some non-profit events, medical disability, farm weddings...yes, farm weddings, among other things). Changing the boundaries of the property by subdividing and gifting/selling...

Surprised they bothered with a warrant. Less trouble to just send an inflated tax assessment with a picture of "unnamed/unpermitted" structure, and then wait for the property owner to show up and dispute the assessment.

Couple of things in response: 1) Satellites and drones aren't detered by gates and signs. Most tax municipalities have access to high quality aerial imagery for reviewing property conditions and appearance of new structures. 2) I prefer to sleep with an easy conscience. We pay property taxes...

Yes and no. Basic safety, sanitation and noise? Sure. But I have lived in places where the local municipality lives in your back pocket and tries to control everything short of thought. That's a miserable experience. Maybe that's needed when you have a million people in a few square miles...

New wrinkle: I was surprised to learn the county we live in has a "no tiny homes" permitting policy in effect as of earlier this year. Traditional / permanent construction or HUD certified manufactured only. I've read the county ordinances, and can't find where they have the authority to...

I agree that renting is not wasting money. IF you have no alternative. Scenario 1: He finds a place to rent for $1200/mo. Over 24 months, he spends $28.8K on rent. A straight net cost, no return. Scenario 2: He buys a used travel trailer for $20K, makes $5k in improvements to some of our...

Regarding a travel trailer solution: How's winter life in one of those? We're in a relatively mild climate, but we still get 20 to 30 degree weather here a couple of months of the year.

Not out of the realm of possibility. My wife is an artist and a gardener, and the appearance of the property is one of her passions. Whatever we do, it has to meet some minimal approval standards from her. Tougher than any zoning board (or HOA). :)

The relationship stuff does work. Eight years ago, he was a miserable-to-be-around teenager. But he outgrew that and learned how to lean into responsibility. He earned his professional skills by apprenticing for me while in college. He participated in running the business, working with...

Appreciate all the comments, both about the physical building and the relationship component. I'm about 70% through a 36x36 barn build. Don't anticipate needing another barn/man cave/toy storage structure. And that barn will be relatively full with equipment/off-season boat storage, and NOT...

Sorry for the long backstory; just think it's necessary to get accurate feedback. My son, currently living at home, just recently graduated from college and landed a very solid job with a stable company, working remotely. We're extremely proud of him. He earned it with hard work. He and his...

Thanks for the educational responses, all!

The wife and I were in the truck yesterday. We passed by a couple of large (by N.Georgia standards) cornfields, where the corn stalks looked mature from a height perspective, but the plants themselves were badly browned, as if they should have already been harvested. We know nothing about...

The new-to-me Snapper works great. Thanks for all of the input here, gents.

Was very surprised to find this locally via Facebook marketplace... Doesn't have some of the fancy features of the new DR stuff, but it was a less than 1/3rd the price of a new machine. USA made, too. Seller was an older gentleman not far from me. Motor has a new carb, fresh filters and...

Considering adding one to the equipment shed. We have 60+ acres, mostly wooded. We enjoy creating more usable space in the woods, walking trails, sitting areas. Where possible, I brush hog with my Yanmar and an Andy 400 clipper, but there are a lot of places I simply can't go or maneuver the...

We've had more power outages this year than in years past, and I have been remiss in not being better prepped. We have two homes on the property, each with their own breaker panel. But the homes share a well system with pump and pressure tank. If we lose power, we only have the water in the...

I can't say I've been great about greasing them often, but the biggest issue: Our pounding terrain. I've replaced one axle bolt in the past (sheared), and the front tires have been knocked off the rim more than once. Our lawn and property in general is a bumpy ride.

Follow up question: Was greasing the front wheel bearings. They're pretty worn and loose. Think it might be time for new bearings, or even new front wheel assemblies. Anybody running the "no flat" version of the typical zero turn front wheels (11x4)? If so, how are they holding up?

The bottom skid plate from the Kohler muffler setup provided the needed materials for the Briggs muffler heat guard. Won't put up much of a fight if it backs into something, but will work fine to keep hands and knees away from the muffler when hot.

Sound is a nice improvement over the Kohler. Both lower tone and quieter.

Yeah, came out of the box with the shroud missing. I'll call the vendor on Monday to see if that's an extra cost part. :) I also had to go digging through my spare hardware drawer to find four nuts that fit the exhaust bolts. And happily, had a 1/2" deep socket to put them on. Impossible...

Mower is up and running again. Finished a few hours after UPS dropped off the B&S and muffler. Had to thread the bolt holes on the new motor, but the Ariens frame already had a second set of mounting holes that matched the motor. That was the only serious work. Main electrical plug mated...

Sans motor:

That small hole turned out to be a place to tap on the key in the keyway. After some WD40 this morning, a few taps with a punch in that hole and the spacer and pulley fell right off the crank. Thanks again!

Your comment is ignorant. I'm in the process of taking this thing down for the motor swap. It's extremely well made. Everything about the machine is heavy duty. The paint is damn near perfect after seven years. None of the hardware is rusted. Haven't found any rust on the frame, either...

Yes, thanks for pointing it out. Just realized it's probably just stuck on the shaft. Will hit it with some penetrating lube in the AM, and then try to tap it off.

Have all plugs and cables detached from the motor, the PTO clutch removed from the crankshaft, and the motor unbolted from the frame. Only thing keeping me from taking the bad motor off the frame is getting the pulley that drives the transmissions belt off. Not quite sure how to do it. The...

No apology necessary. I have a 24hp B&S with matching muffler on the way. Expecting some minor wiring challenges. Will be eliminating the choke cable (new motor is single cable integrated throttle/choke), and I'll probably have to modify the rear frame to make clearance for the exhaust pipes...

Recall this started with my wife hitting something, mostly likely a large rock. She probably hit the crankshaft itself. We had fiber installed on our street early this year, and discovered the trenchwork unearthed a lot of rocks, which can be hidden in the grass. We've already agreed the bush...

Small engine guy came by yesterday AM, diagnosed the damage as a bent crankshaft and unknown amounts of internal damage. He had a very dim view of rebuilding (or repowering) with the same Kohler, says he's not a fan of their motors. Apprarently, leaking head gaskets is fairly common among...

We got three goats early this year. Adopted from a neighbor who wanted to reduce her herd. We built a pen and a house for them, and enjoy them as pets. Everybody who visits enjoys them. They've been a good addition to the family. That's the good news. The bad news is, they don't like...

Our lawn cutter is an Ariens Zoom 54XL zero turn, purchase in 2015. The motor is a Kohler KT735. Been a reliable machine, except for a persistant oil leak from the head gaskets that I have never quite fully tamed. During the last mowing session, the wife hit something, most likely a rock...

That is pretty close to what I did. I JB Welded and clamped the two pies together at the fracture. After it set, I trimmed a piece of angle iron as a reinforcement and JB Welded that to the fixture. I drilled and tapped the piece for bolts, one on each side of the break. Put bolts in the...

This hinge is from the folding rear seat of my golf cart. Thought it was steel and I would weld it, but once I took it off, realized it's some sort of pot metal, probably zinc. As a hinge, it does have to handle a bit of stress. Not huge, but enough that I want to figure out a repair that...

I did all of my log skidding with a compact 2wd Yanmar until I got a 4wd LS. I still do some skidding with the Yanmar, because it gets into tighter spaces. For me, skidding doesn't present a lot of 2wd vs. 4wd problems. Our ground is fairly hilly. I do have to stomp on the diff lock in...

In for your review...

Founded in 1983.

I remember it being 25 years back in the 1990s.

I'm not fussy about pillows. The wife is. She loves the My Pillow. It goes where we go.

I expect to pay somewhere around $3.25/gallon on the next fill of our 500 gallon tank. Last fill, late last fall, was about $3.00.

I carry a Leatherman sidekick, clipped to my pocket, every day. Use the knife, saw, pliers, file, and wirecutters regularly. Occasionally use the screwdrivers. Wish the knife was a bit more robust, but it's such a compact and light tool, I accept the tradeoff. Been carrying it since this...

How about solar + electric windmill? Should be able to generate power with sunshine, at night, and during inclement weather. Having a small battery bank would be helpful, but the water tank is, in effect, a battery.

It really depends on the joinery you intend. If the shelves will be fitted into tight joints, it's best to have them at the finished dimensions and close to the approximate moisture content they will be when inside. If they are just resting on supports, far less critical to do so. The wife...

OSB dropped another 15%. Now at $20.75/ea at our Home Depot.

A few my own suggestions, along the lines of what has already been suggested: The Keter worktable is good if portability is key. So are the new-ish sawhorses that allow you to join them with 2x lumber and throw a sheet of plywood on top. Harbor Freight has a couple of good alternatives...

Follow up on this topic. About a month after I started this thread, lightning hit our garage. Fortunately, nothing caught fire. But there was a lot of damage (garage, house, office, vehicles, power co transformer, electronics) . Took a couple of months to repair everything. One of the...

Easier to install because of weight? Ease of drilling/screwing?

Hoping to get some feedback on metal roofing for my barn project. Visited a local metal roofing manufacturer. They seemed surprised that I would be interested in putting 26ga on a barn, said they typically sold 26ga for commercial buildings, and 29ga for barns and residential. Had a neighbor...

OSB pricing at our local Home Depot dropped about 3.5% this week.

That is some good, redneck ingenuity.

Thanks for the kudos. "Reaching for perfection" --> muscle cramps, bruises, bumps on the head, etc. :)

Two issues: Was working in poor lighting, and didn't have ideal tools at end (screwdriver blade was a bit too small). But, I do have the impression the carbon on the terminals made turning the screws harder, in either direction. When I turned off the power to put the new replacement breaker...

Doesn't seem so to me. I don't even want to think about the dollar value of how much labor we've invested, and have yet to invest. Just a matter of preference, priorities, and in some cases, necessity.

Got it. Thanks for clarifying on the 30A.

Comment / question: This is a 30A circuit, 240v, for direct wire appliance (HVAC compressor). And the aluminum wire is stranded, which I believe is standard for these types of instances. So, I assume the 30A you are referring to would be direct wire to an outlet like a dryer. Is a drier...

Good tips, everyone. Going to make a list of any circuits in the panel that have aluminum wire, and make checking the terminals an annual maintenance item. The A/C may be the only circuit with aluminum, but I'll have to look closely to be sure. The dryer 30A is copper. I know the septic pump...

It's one of a handful of non-arc fault breakers in the panel (along with the dryer, septic pump, furnace blowers). All of the living areas have the code-required arc fault breakers. Don't know if the code has changed, but when built in 2018, circuits serving non-living spaces could still be...

Very kind of you. Thanks!

Hoping to get a little feedback on what I experienced on Saturday. Noticed the A/C wasn't cooling the house. Checked outside, the fan on the outside compressor unit wasn't spinning. The 30 amp breaker for the outside unit was tripped. I reset it and the fan came on a moment later. Didn't...

I was quoted $126K for a modular / prebuilt, raised center aisle from a local company, with about 15 months of lead time. The metal buildings I had quoted were $40K to $60K, without site prep or concrete. Some of that was simply timing: Absolute peak of the building marketplace, with high...

I should be at about $16K to $18K when done, including grading, concrete pad, and roofing. Some variability based on cost of concrete and roofing when I place those orders. And some variability for windows, as well. May be able to get those second hand, as we have a great local retailer who...

Loft joists and blocking complete. Joist blocking is one of those slow, repetitive, nearly invisible tasks. But it sure stiffens a floor.

Hang in there a bit longer, if you can. I think you will be rewarded. The recent, precipitous drop of lumber futures is not fully factored into the price yet.

Side shed purlins finally done. Starting to work on the loft joists and framing the opening for a stairwell.

Appreciate you sharing that!

When I was 25, I built a rabbit hutch on the living room floor of my tiny Boston apartment. Hand saw, hammer, screw drivers, glue, tape measure, and I think I had one clamp. I got the wood to the apartment in my Honda Civic, so good chance I had someone at the store cut it for me, although I...

Lumber futures dropped another 10% in the last 7 days.

I'm glad Taurus fixed your pistol, presumably quickly and hopefully at no cost to you. But that would mean you are the original owner and it was during the first year of ownership. If you were the second owner, it would have been costly. If the parts weren't available in the U.S., as...

I guess it depends what you want. Is this a 1911 we're talking about? If so, it seems the basic 1911 design, when implemented by just about anybody using decent metalurgy and QA, flat out works. A tribute to the design. Tisas (Turkey) has a great rep in entry level 1911s. Armscor...

Can you share what the insecticide is?

If you're going to sum up your post with blasphemy, there's no helping you. :)

$18.98 at the Home Depot near me.

That's almost pre-COVID pricing. It's truly a mixed bag. I have a bunch of young people in my life (my son, nieces, nephews, their friends, my friends kids), all trying to get started in adult lives, and they're facing sky high costs for everything, particularly housing, and the job market is...

Lumber futures briefly dipped below $600 per 1000 b.f. last week. Up a little today, but trending in the direction we like.

Thank you.

Had to take a few weeks off for family obligations and spring cleaning chores around the property. Just not enough hours in the day, particularly Saturday and Sunday! Anyway, got started again, putting up the purlins for left shed roof. Going smoothly, one more 38' run and that will be done...

Supply and demand. Housing market has been so overheated that softwood lumber prices increased in price ahead of many other goods. I was buying SYP 2x8s cheaper than I could buy 2x6s, and the 2x8s were roughly the same price as 2x4s of the same length. My presumption is 2x4s and 2x6s were...

Yay on Predator. If you're in Toccoa, you've got HF right there. With the warranty, you're pretty well covered in case of problems.

ZT = Zero turn. A mower that has a motor or transmission mounted to each rear wheel, so it can pivot in place. Dramatically more maneuverable than a traditional riding mower. Cuts lawns fast. Doesn't do much of anything else. Tractor - This covers a large range of equipment. A lawn...

Sorry if you've posted this, but I didn't see it: How many total acres is the property?

Got an email today from Home Depot about a price drop on 2x8s. Noticed that 2x12s prices are down about 20% vs. one month ago.

That was me. Didn't occur to me it was over the line, since lumber prices (and all commodities) are impacted by political decisions. Will try to avoid discussing it.

For a zero turn, the three critical areas of cost/durability: Engine (Kawasaki over Kohler, but both work) Deck (welded more durable than stamped) Transmissions (HydroGear EZT is entry level, EZ2800 is a step up, and EZ3100 and above are commercial grade) Obviously, bigger motor and larger...

A belated Happy New Tractor Day! Hope you have many happy, safe, productive hours aboard.

I did about 70 bags in my 54" bucket. Four 80lb bags at a time. Four one gallon milk bottles for the water. Used a shovel and a hoe to mix. It's a workout, but very doable.

Ariens Zoom 54XL, bought from Home Depot six years ago. About 175 hours on it. Has ZT3100 transmissions, Kohler 26hp motor, and a welded deck. Overall, the machine has been solid. No question, you give up service with the big box purchase. I happened to have about $500 worth of Home Depot...

Yeah, it ain't refined, but they do work. I have a Metabo also. Far superior grinder. But, keeping a HF cheapie around with a cut off wheel or flap disk, so you don't have to change disks on the Metabo, can save some time.

Update: Lumber futures have crashed hard in the last 30 days. From $970 per 1000 b.f, to $667 as of market close yesterday. Will take a while for that to show up in retail products, but we should see some price relief soon.

Bought it last year, limbed a lot of trees. Agree with you: Works really well.

Strongly disagree with the last statement. Craigslist, for all of its flaws, could have cashed in and morphed into something like FB. Craig Newmark purposely avoided pretty much every negative thing about social media, foregoing billions. He kept it simple. It remains what it always has...

My day job is web sites. Many of my clients spend ad $$$ on FB, so I can't avoid it entirely due to work/technical demands. I don't use the social aspects of FB. FB marketplace is a relatively new use for me, only because my preferred Craigslist, has been losing traffic to FB marketplace...

Wanted to add this perspective: I've used Craigslist, and more recently Facebook marketplace, for some very good deals. FB marketplace in particular, is now chock-a-block full of scam posts. Ruining it. Search on "tractor" and dozens of ads show up, many with low, four figure price tags on...

Congrats. That's a solid choice for your chores, and a very good value. You can get a lot of work done with a machine like that. Hope it serves you well for many years. Be sure to post some pics and let us know how you are doing with it.

I use the same in the front tires of my Yanmar, to help keep the front planted when I have a heavy load on the rear (no FEL). Also have suitcase weights up front.

Definitely a lot of tractor for the money.

The "freight company" web site has an extensive page on their escrow process. It screams scam (our process = "you send money, we then send goods"). The US DOT number they show on the site belongs to a freight broker with a different LLC name, in Gary, IN, rather than the Laurel, MD address...

Thought I'd share this evening's experience: I'm setting up for milling a fairly sizable red oak log in the morning. Log weight calculator estimated it at 1362 lbs. I had to take my bucket off, but I was able to comfortably lift the log as much as 3 to 4 ft off the ground (to get around a...

Yep. Strap a helmet on them, arm them to the beak, and you're good to go. :)

We've been keeping chickens for a few years now. The wife loves it as a hobby. Started with a rooster and a dozen hens. I converted a shed we previously used to keep outdoor sports gear into a coop. Added nesting boxes, roosting bars, created a couple of partitions inside, and added a doggy...

Had my first opportunity to visit a Rural King today. What a fun store! Like many retailers these days, the shelves were a bit on the bare side, but still love that there's a store that sells lawn and garden, tractors, guns, fishing gear, baby chicks, tools, and pretty much anything one could...

That extra 500lbs of capacity would come in handy. If I'm really in a pinch to lift a log, I can take off the bucket and just use short straps on the lift arms. My saw is ground level, which means I only need a log about 1 foot off the ground to get in on the mill. I could probably do 1200 to...

Too simplistic an answer. The specifics of a particular task are important. If he's got good ballast, and he's only lifting well balanced loads, not high off the ground, to move at low speeds, he would be fine. That's typical for moving logs around a sawmill, assuming the sawmill is not on a...

Dalton, I do many of the same tasks you have listed, with an LS MT225e. The only place I feel my tractor comes up short is on big logs, where I run out of lift capacity. For those, I have a log arch, and constructed my sawmill setup in such a way that I can back logs onto the sawmill with the...

It's too pretty to put to work!

Best machine I've seen for that type of work is a Deere 455 crawler/loader with a 4 way bucket. Trees get bulldozed. Chainsaw to cut the log from the root ball and buck the limbs. Usable logs get stacked, everything else picked up and put into a burn pile. Large dumpster for the really...

Side shed rafters done and starting on the purlins. Once the concrete gets poured and cured enough (at least a couple of weeks out), we'll start on the center loft joists, and from there, the rafters for the center aisle. A neighbor who is building a house cleared a bunch of hardwoods from his...

A little diesel or camp stove fuel to get it started, and a Harbor Freight Atlas 40v leaf blower pointed to the center of the pile. Unless it's raining, it will burn.

Auto Owners for the last 20 years or so. Have had three claims: 2012, basement flood for burst water main. Covered everything including mold mitigation services. Approx. 2014, dishwasher failure damaged wood floor in kitchen. Adjuster came and looked, said it would be impossible to match...

Congrats on the new ride. Sounds like you are in for a lot of fun learning and worthwhile chores. Hope you enjoy it!

Have two concrete quotes so far, awaiting one more. Meantime, continuing the framing that won't obstruct a concrete truck. Beautiful weekend for hammering nails. And I wasn't alone...carpenter bees out in droves, saying thanks for the buffet.

8 20' posts and 8 18' posts. Dug a 4' deep hole with my tractor backhoe, set the post atop 6" of compacted, dry poured concrete, then wet set them with 5 80lb bags of mixed Sakrete. Vibrated the concrete for uniformity. Backfilled after concrete set (usually next day) with crush-n-run. As...

Bulls (banded...soon to be steers) arrived this morning. Settled right in to the neighbor's pasture with minimal fuss. Think they were just happy to be out of the trailer. Thanks again for all of the helpful responses!

Thank you. Haven't done flat work on this scale. Largest I've done was a 10x20 pad. My plan is to call in all of my neighborhood labor I.O.U.s :) That should net me 2 or 3 strong bodies, along with 3 family members.

Regarding stability: I've watched two pours with fiber mesh on this property, by two different, experienced concrete companies, that were done directly on dirt. A 6' wide walkway, about 150 feet long, poured in 2011. Foot traffic, golf cart traffic, and maybe a couple of times a year, 2000...

Now have concrete questions, but figured, instead of creating new topics for each question, I should just post them in the build thread for our barn. Thanks for all of the generous answers on this thread, and for whatever you care to chip in on the project thread...

Next questions: The concrete. Based on an online calculator, a 5" slab for this 36x36 structure is going to be right at 20 cubic yards. My plan is to reinforce the skirts with hammered-in rebar around the perimeter, and then have the mixer truck access the bays from the front, where there is...

2x8s everywhere I turned...

Project is progressing. Skirts, girts, some side roof plates are up, and and getting started on side shed rafters. The wife and I are having a lot of fun doing this, despite our middle-aged aches and pains. Some random thoughts about the build and process: Structural screws rock. So much...

I have a 2014 EZGO 48V RXV with a flip-style rear seat that converts into a flat platform, bought used via craigslist a few years ago. Previously had a 2007 Yamaha 48v. The EZGO is a DC to AC setup, much faster than the Yamaha. Biggest problem for me has been keeping expensive batteries well...

I agree about the hills. We have some slopes on our property that are not particuarly comfortable on a zero turn or a tractor. Both require care to navigate safely. But I'd rather spin out on a zero turn than tip over a tractor.

If you have a place to park it, consider a zero turn mower for the mowable acres, instead of using the tractor with a deck. Particularly if going to be used for fence lines, around gardens, buildings, etc. I was mowing a couple of acres of lawn and roadside with a 4' rotary cutter for several...

Our local Home Depot has 2x8 lumber signficantly cheaper than 2x6 lumber. As nonsensical as that seems, I'm assuming it's based on a supply-and-demand issue, since 2x6 is such a common rafter size and more in demand for house-building. Examples: 2x8x12 is currently $14.82. 2x6x12 is...

Yep, aware of the blocks.

This is the plan: http://web.utk.edu/~ggrandle/Programs/Plans/T4161.pdf Only mod from that plan is we are building 36x36, instead of 36x48. I'm using their terminology. "Plate" is how they describe the split member rafter support beams on the plan.

Appreciate all of the replies. Thought I'd add another question here, since I have the attention of experienced builders. Is there a practical consideration for number of girts? The plan I am working from doesn't have details for girts. I've looked at a lot of images of unskinned pole barns...

Put about 20 hours on my M225e over the last few weeks, starting a pole barn build. Most of the time was on the backhoe, digging post holes, but also moved about 15 tons of gravel, similar amount of clay spoils from the holes, positioned a bunch of 18' and 20' posts, used the bucket to mix...

Flush it is. Thanks.

Is it acceptable to flush-sink the heads of a washer head structural screw for skirts, girts and plates on a pole barn? I was thinking, for those exterior surfaces, I would use 16D galvanized, ring shank nails, with perhaps a couple of flush sunk deck screws added for additional pullout...

Weather happens. Unfortunately, modern marketing has caught up with that time honored proverb. So weather has to happen more frequently now, whether it actually does or not.

Got the remaining eight posts in the ground this weekend. Tired and sore, but in a good way. Beautiful weather. 39 degrees when I got started, and mid-seventies by late morning.

Lumber pricing is starting to soften a bit. Futures have been coming down. Picked up some 2x8x12 #2 prime from Home Depot for $16/each today. Lowest price I've seen on those in a while. Was quoted $28/each for similar item from a local building supplies place a couple of weeks ago.

Love the mods. The WD-40...genius!

The economics are different. Two engineers' salaries relative to the tonnage value of cargo on a freight train is very small. If a truck full of small kitchen appliances, sneakers, and dogfood takes an extra couple of days to make a distribution journey, at lower per mile transport cost, it's...

Thanks for all of the great information, all!

Another sunny Saturday, another four posts set. It's heavy work, but quite enjoyable when doing it without the pressure of a schedule. Getting better at digging tighter holes with the backhoe, so less cement and less fill needed per hole. No substitute for time on the sticks. Also hit...

Couple of years ago, I welded HF hooks on the top of my FEL bucket with the older, 120v Chicago Electric 90 amp AC flux welder. Dramatically inferior to your Titanium 125 model. I've picked up stuff weighing 1000lbs with those hooks. Pulled all kinds of logs, vehicles, you name it, with those...

We're teaming up with a neighbor who has some empty pasture, to buy four bulls. The bulls are from a local farmer, and are between 6 and 9 months old. Three are red angus/charolais, and one is a long horn. Our only goal is raising them for meat/food security. We've purchased half cows...

When they moved away from the coupon model a couple of years ago, I thought it was marketing mistep. Some people don't like coupons, but it's really part of the HF brand and a durable marketing mechanism.

In the "doesn't suck" vein: The $120 concrete vibrator. Bought it for my pole barn build. Does a great job. The motor housing feels a bit cheap, but the rest of the tool is very solid, and it works great. Very happy with it.

I understand where you are coming from. Was in the same place until I did a lot more reading. With the UC4B standard, the posts are designed to be used in immersed fresh water applications (think dock piers). Also, our clay does drain. Slower than sand, for sure, but it does drain. Let's...

It's hard to calculate the value of the convenience of having a tractor mounted backhoe always available, even with it's lighter capability than a dedicated machine. I put a lot of value on it.

Eddie, that would be a lot of concrete. Way too much to mix a bag at a time. Could certainly be done with a mixer truck, but since we're on a go slow plan and not digging and setting all posts at the same time, we'd have to have multiple, short load deliveries, and that would be silly...

Will be documenting the project in this thread: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/threads/our-barn-build.448666/

Started construction this weekend. 36x36 monitor style, derived from this plan from the Univ. of Tennesse extension: http://web.utk.edu/~ggrandle/Programs/Plans/T4161.pdf My neighbor is a semi-retired grader/earth mover. He dug the foundation for our house, and has done some other land...

Running your box blade with the scarifiers down can get a lot of the buried gravel back to the top. Whenever my driveway gets out of shape, that's the first thing I do. Always amazed at how much gravel magically reappears. After that, I may fine tune with the box blade hanging at an angle a bit.

Congrats on the new toy! Enjoy!

Hoping to get some feedback on use of Spax-type structural screws vs. traditional pole barn nail + carriage bolt fastening. Application would be for 2x12 girder to 6x6 post attachment. It looks like both 1/4 and 5/16 diameter Spax (and other brand) structural screws substantially exceed 40d...

A big cost savings in this project: We are milling the lumber ourselves, from trees on our property, with the exception of the posts (6x6x20 UC4B) and skirts (2x6x12 UC4A). Looked at a bunch of truss designs and talked with a couple of companies that make them. Construction wood product costs...

Is the color a give away? I grew up in NJ. First time I saw red Georgia clay, I thought it was a strange thing. Thirty years in, I'm used to it.

It will start out as storage space. Finished living space, if it ever happens, will come later.

Have the factory backhoe on my LS M225e. There are two things I love about it: 1) being able to dig on short notice, and 2) the ballast it provides. Gives the tractor the stability of a tractor another size up. When I got the machine a few years ago, hated taking the backhoe off to switch...

Decision is in. We're gonna DIY a monitor style pole barn, 36x36. Staked it out today. Will order the posts tomorrow.

Nobody knows. Commodities prices get hit with so many factors, many of which have nothing to do with the actual commodity (tree farmers are entirely left out of this price rally). Predictions in the short term are incredibly unreliable. Early last week, oil was $120/bbl and looked like it was...

Anybody know if steel buildings are getting hit as hard with material costs as post/stick framed buildings? I know steel has shot up, but I don't know how quickly that flows through to finished product purchasers in that world.

It's not great. Lumber futures are currently trading at about $1160 per 1000 board feet. For perspective, $350 to $500 per $1000 b.f. was typical during the previous decade. In 2021, it peaked at $1500, and recovered to as low as $470 in September. Since then, it's been marching up...

Noted. That will never be the purpose of this structure, unless my family decides to lock me away in there, in my golden years. If it goes that way, they can deal with the stairs issue. :)

Eddie, I've got a basement workshop, and an oversized 2 car garage where my welding workbench is set up. This new structure is really about storage, with the potential for living space above. I know a lot of folks are allergic to having guests around for extended stays. We're generally not...

Hills, ravines, woods, existing structures, property lines. I could go to another part of my property and clear more space, but that wouldn't serve my purposes well. If I can't fit it in this space, I'm selling it. :)

Fair enough. Money matters, even if only because the money trees planted here have limited productivity. Any 2nd level would remain unfinished for the time being, as a cost savings.

We've prepped a site on our property for a storage building/barn. The pad is sized for a building up to about 45 wide x 40 deep. We've been talking about building styles for years: Traditional / clear span pole barn. Monitor style. Perhaps a metal frame/ garage style. Etc. And also, DIY...

The factory thumb desgin is awesome, but it wasn't worth nearly three times the price. To me.

Titan #122992: https://www.palletforks.com/tractors/3-point/backhoes-and-accessories/24-inch-weld-on-backhoe-thumb-attachment/122992.html

Decided to add a manual thumb to the factory backhoe on my M225E. It has the fixture for the factory thumb. Called my LS dealer. He wanted $450 for the unit. That was a bit too pricey. Called another LS dealer a bit further away, they promised to get back to me with a price. Was expecting...

I used two of them to make a rolling stand for my HF horizontal metal bandsaw. I also keep one of the larger ones handy for heavy moving tasks. I've gone so far as to build a fixture atop of the larger dollie to move a 600lb safe door. They are great to have around for all kinds of tasks.

Okay. Anchored it is. Thanks for the feedback!

I'm going to build a lean-to off the back of an existing house. The house has a concrete patio which exceeds the footprint dimensions of the lean-to, so the posts will be atop the concrete. The question: Do these posts need to be anchored?

Wanted to add: Lots of discussion and mystery about surge protectors, and whether or not they work. I can tell you, they do work, as long as the power surge is within the capability of the surge suppressor. For the main garage circuit that got hit, unlikely anything available in residential...

House is served by an underground feed, coming from a pad mounted transformer about 100' from the house. Electrician who repaired the damage was thorough in his inspection.

If it's an enclosed cab and the supports are metal, and the roof is metal (or has metal spans), it probably acted as a Faraday cage, which keeps the current on the outside of the metal structure.