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It took about 3-5hrs to put the makeup on one character for planet of the apes if that's any indication.

Ragamuffins.

One of the neighbors used to say, "that guy over there, he likes to buy old crates and fix them up". This would come from someone born in 1900, who witnessed true old crates like broken down buggies, then not much better model T's, then "old flibbers with fins". Any car eventually became just...

Always a day late and a dollar short. Quit your whining, straighten up and die right.

There would be a not at all small homecoming bonfire in the school parking lot after the game. Always had an abandoned outhouse at the top.

Two years ago we had a couple nests of yellow jackets, and of course they each had to be right next to an entrance. I tried spraying raid type insecticides. That lasted a little while, but of course didn't get the queen or whatever else was going on inside the nest. In desperation, I looked...

We used to have pheasants, but most were stocked by a few nearby neighbors who would introduce them. Grains like wheat oats and grasses were also raised for feed. In the 80s that all changed. The neighbors no longer stock, grains are now corn and beans, fencerows have been removed, pastures...

Every deck seems to require a different type of blade. I worked for a blade manufacturer. There were a couple of tests we did that simulated running across a stake, like a surveyor stake, or a fence post in the case of a forage harvester, yet the blades afterward needed to still function, and...

How did you go about doing that? Looks like a fun project.

ISO standards were developed around 1980 and later for PTO shafts. Going through the machine shed here a few years ago I found 4 tractor guards from the 40s-60s that had been removed because some older equipment pto's were so annoying to use. Square symetrical shafts were common. Shaft guards...

I had a fimco farm&fleet 25gal sprayer, with a hiflo pump and broadcast spray boom. In the middle of the 4th tank, the pump came apart, and the valve assembly broke off of the pump. The highflo pump has plastic engaging screws holding two plastic housings together. They would not hold. Also...

I find that it is brittle, and tends to split midway up, dropping a large branch with the end still hung up. Many hickories here just left that way, as they are too dangerous to touch. Also hickory tends to rot fast - there are many live split trees here, but no standing dead ones. They fall...

Readers and a hood. I struggled trying to learn stick on my own. Did ok, but very inconsistent. Until I put on a pair of readers and something to eliminate glare. All the learning, trial and error over and over and over, different rods, settings, positions and rates and weaves - bingo, all...

Lots of skunks here. I opened the barn door with a couple boards in my hands, and promptly threw the boards and did my best high pitched scream. You can see it did no good, they pretty much did what they wanted. The little ones just kept on coming, and burrowed into the slightest crevice with...

I wonder if the depression and no limits had something to do with it, that and pesticides. Shoot it, eat it, shoot some more. Saw the first deer prints here in the 70s, turkeys 80s, bald eagles now are common, black bears just last year. Gypsy moths have been coming from Pennsylvania for...

My dad had an old saw. Yours brings back memories. Worn gray metal, big chain. I came across the reciept for his, and an envelope of parts when going through the estate 2yrs ago. Mall 1MG. $350 in 1959 was a lot of money. It had replacement chain link parts - did they rivet their own chains...

No shortage of bunnies.

I wouldn't go longer than 18" on a 261. I've had one since 09, cut 5-10cord/yr, mostly white and red oak. File the rakers so the engine draws the chain nicely without bogging down. If so, 18" in white oak takes time and patience. Perfectly fine, just takes time. And patience. A few years...

One option is to have it shipped to the nearest transfer/storage facility used by trucking companies, and have them hold it until they can fork it onto yours or a friends pickup or trailer. It's easy enough to unload it at home somehow, usually for me now with the tractor loader, or in the past...

I was parked at a boat launch once, waiting out a storm, with lightning crashing all around. The tree just a ways from the pier was hit. Bark flew off from top to bottom, and all of the roots around the drip line sent up clouds of steam. The guy that came in a few minutes after me though...

That is what I did. I was also able to find their opening to the house and exclude them, but openings on a barn are a little different. For a time the gable window to the barn was removed for repair. Since I figured they were going to get in anyway I thought, great a place for the bats to come...

Last year here spring was warm and humid, with the humidity staying consistently high all summer, and lack of late spring frosts. Tick population was 10 times anything I've seen in the past (60yrs). This year they are back to normal, see maybe a couple, all season. Two years ago was a boom year...

This is the last circular saw, router, hand tools project I did. It was fun seeing what could be accomplished. But in 08 building the house changed all that. Once I got power tools all that hand work experience really helped.

The first 30yrs here I used a circular saw, jointer, router and a bunch of hand tools. What was it - spent so long doing so much with so little eventually you'll be able to do anything with nothing. Very nice project you have there. And locally sourced, nice job.

Morning walk on the marsh.

Just for comparison: Width x mph x .12 = ac/hr I have a zero turn, 6ft deck, 1.5hrs at 3.5mph, yields about 3.5 acres. A small part of it is heavy clay, clumps of grass hummocks divots heavy shade, basically grass just barely hanging on. Even with the tires at 5psi its an annoying time to go...

We had an older (50s) grain truck that to lift and lower the bed required engaging the hydraulic pto using the clutch, and pulling a cable to operate the hydraulic valve. Wouldn't you know the cable siezed. So rather than fix it, engaging the valve meant crawling under the truck to extend the...

About 20yrs ago I was in the house attic, grabbed ahold of one of these wires to remove them and was shocked to find out it was still live. After finding the unmarked breaker downstairs I also realized that it fed power to all of the barns and outbuildings. Maybe the whitewash acted as an...

The bituminous friction tape used to join wires then is all but impossible to get apart now short of just cutting the wires off. Any remodel work, like adding circuits, two way switches, new lighting means taking out the whole works and replacing. It's not a bad idea to replace existing cotton...

In the 1840s farm house I stripped one room to the studs and refinished. It had been my old bedroom, and in the coldest winters if I didn't leave the door open it could easily be in the 20s at night(-40outside), with frost on the walls, even with forced air heat. It had balloon framing, horse...

When contractors come into a place to do a job, say replace a furnace or add a kitchen hood/fan, they generally do the job they are called on to do, and all previous work is ignored. I'm currently renovating an 1846, 180yr old farm house. The things piled one atop another is kind of funny...

Morning walk in the marsh. Sandhill crane at sunrise. Same nest and I believe the same pair for many years. Takes a bit of concentration to pick it out, they are absolutely motionless and blend so perfectly.

1) I haul logs to the splitting area, buck them to length, and roll to the lift and up on the splitter. The first time I touch any of it is to split and toss on a pile. 10cord pile. 2) Loader fills the trailer. Stack to air dry. 3,4) In august I bring in 5 trailer loads to fill the garage and...

I managed to produce a little heat on this one. 5 holes, annular cutter, no coolant oil only, heavy enough drill press. $12 for the cutter I could think of as the cost of doing business. $58 material, $12 cutter, way ahead vs dealer cost of $280.

Update, I went ahead and got the bevel edge, PalSteel in Palmyra Wi, $58 for 1/2x4x5-1/2ft. It's 1045 steel, with an induction hardened edge. Drilled 5 holes, plug welded grade 5 bolts and bolted it on. Just an FYI, the existing edge as new was mild steel. Anticipate getting some sort of...

Actually I try to stay out of 4wd as much as possible. Only if the back wheels start to slip. A whole lot of wear can occur though if working on concrete, even if only a small percentage of the time (maybe 5% of hrs), and on only briefly at that. The R14s (fronts) just seem to be a little...

CK4010. I went with R14 front and back. At 600hrs the fronts show considerable wear, back tires almost none. They seem to function ok, but the tread pattern (on the front) just doesn't have much surface area. Mostly loader work, some of it on concrete, almost no road time and no snow. When they...

I went about looking at back pack sprayers also, as well as ATV broadcast sprayers. Just an FYI, if looking at Fimco 25gallon tank sprayers, they make consumer grade models under the Fimco name, and agricultural/commercial models under the Agspray name. The Fimco's are cheaply made. "pretty...

Those countyline splitters and clones are meant to withstand cylinder force, and one fg round on the end (fat guy), and thats about it. A 200lb round tipping off the loader from 6" up was enough twist its members.

That was when I had the splitter but no tractor with a loader. Once I did get the loader, I decided to use it - and promply dropped a large round on the splitter and made a nice mess of things. Luckily the steel was soft and easily bent back from pretzle to straight again. Another idea I had was...

If getting rounds up on the splitter is an issue, I used a block and tackle, log rafting dog, and a couple 10ft 2x4s for several years. About 40cord. Knock the rafting dog a couple times with a 2lb hammer to either drive it in or remove it. Setup was fast, cheap and easy. I tied off the poles...

For a while the neighborhood here was newly populated with "it's my property I'll do what I want" types. Mostly millennials expecting what they grew up with, wherever that was, except now with 7 neighbors instead of none. That was 12yrs ago. Time catches up. Now after getting their butt...

I use a post hole digger - small 6" hole 2ft deep, perfect size, drop them in. Can put a lot of holes in a small area.

There is a commonly used route that the coyotes use near the yard here. Every morning there are fresh tracks where they go from marsh, along a ridge, through a woodlot and on to another marsh. It's near the buildings, so said racoons go there, and are added to the food chain. They usually are...

Here there are woodlots, den trees, cornfields and berries like black cherry and raspberry. Lots of raccoons. Not until we started keeping chickens, sweet corn gardens, putting out bird seed did they start coming around the buildings. One night I heard scratching on the bedroom patio door and...

Slice from a 20" white oak round. I don't think I've ever seen one shrink like this into a bowl shape before. Very dry but no cracks.

Near here we have the Kettle Moraine recreational area. It's basically highly erodable glacial till sand and gravel with forest roads and trails in and around all the hills. 30yrs ago they experimented with all sorts of erosion control. Dozens of kinds of buried plastic wood and metal mesh...

I have a ms261 and ms462. The 261 I've just used the 2in1, 10yrs or so now. When the teeth dull, the very tip tends to round over a bit depending on what I got into, dirt, normal wear etc. Get some good overhead light, readers, and file till the tip is sharp and clean, the chrome plate is...

A lot of chain sharpening info here too: Carlton Maintenance and Safety Manual - English https://www.carltonproducts.com/customer-support/maintenance-safety/

I've replaced just the rubber insert for around $6 each. Trico 47-600, 700, 800 fit 6, 7, 8mm wide metal carrier. Cut them to length with a wire cutter. Used them for 25yrs now. They last as long as oem...

Inside. My son had a wheel barrow, stored outside for 10yrs. The handles broke off when he went to use it - ha ha funny stuff. Next time I see him we're moving dirt and mulch, I'm wondering where that wheel barrow went - ends up he took it to the landfill, thing was only 10yrs old. Visited...

In northern Wi in the 90s I would camp at secluded lakes, some of which had been former ccc camps. All of the trees were regrowth of cutover areas from the 30s, making them all 50yrs old or so. I would go around, cut down a few dead ones and put together a star fire (log lengths that all meet at...

My orthopedic surgeon brother inlaw needs the trifecta spouts to keep from dumping gas all over everywhere. Anyone smart enough to think of another way probably does not.

Thanks for the inspiration. I will be bon firing and maybe some roast beast in the near future. -5f here, businesses and schools closed, Wisconsin, sacrilege.

I got lazy once and skipped the sawdust. Found out they work just as well. Just wax and paper cartons.

Another name for a garbage can - "refuse bin".

My son likes to buy things. Usually they're blingy and usless. So he buys another, sometimes equally useless, sometimes better. Then another, etc. I got to go through his inventory and form my own reviews, then buy once cry once things for my own. The braun puck light was tops on the list.

I use mine whenever the grapple is used. If I tilt just right the grapple neither digs into the ground nor rides above branches. Every time I go to grab hold of something I'm also glancing at that indicator. There really is no spot on the attachment itself to gauge levelness. Otherwise, the...

I just came across my old 2xD cell incandescent flashlight I used 30yrs ago in the trades, along with the 2xAA pocket light. State of the art then, but now so obsolete. I recently ordered a 20pack of AAA led penlights for $28. They put out almost the same amount of light as that big old DD. Hand...

All that is designed as a system, blades spindles, etc. Hit a stake and the blade will bend. Or beef up the blade and the spindle bends. Or beef up the spindle and the whole deck twists, cracks and bends - - -. Proprietary center hole patterns have been a thing for a long time. If it gets...

Needed something like this:

I have a 50ft heavy duty hose hooked to the pressure tank and rolled up down stairs, that in less than a minute can be run out to deliver water outside to the roof, inside to the attic, and two other floors inside.

Wood contains free water (within cells) and bound water (within the cell walls). It only takes a few weeks or months for free water to escape, but months to years for bound water to escape. Wood will rapidly dry to around 30%, then very slowly dry to the equilibrium moisture content. Rain...

Mostly we have the same situation here, previous slow land line internet, recent cables run out front, got the card(s) in the mail. My observations: We went with the 500mb earlier this year. There were a couple different prices, due to whether their router was included or not. Their router is...

A refillable butane chefs torch. I was tired of using bic lighters to start the stove so went for a fancy torch, one that lights easy, and throws a wicked flame. Then I realized menards had some cheap ones in their bargan bin for a few bucks, so we stocked up. Now they are everywhere - toolbox...

I'm in the woods and marsh almost every day. Over time animals seem to get used to human presence. I've seen does nursing 50ft away, calmly watching me as I walk on by. Bucks have done the speed crawl nose in the air doe chase thing right past me, knowing full well I was standing in full...

Huh, your right, if there's a load in there, how dey do dat. Ok, skip that.

Or there is a heavy load in the front half. At work we would need a jack under the 5th wheel if trailers were parked at the loading dock. A heavy load (like a pallet of steel) and forklift in the front could tip the trailer.

For a few years this method worked well enough. 10 cord that year. Block and tackle and a rafting dog did the heavy lifting.

If you get a chance, look closely at those stones. The markings on stones taken off virgin prairie would show a line of iron stain where it lay at the soil level, with lighter color above ground, and darker parts that were below ground. The tea colors are similar to desert varnish, and last...

Maybe it depends on the model. We have a 1987 deere 935f, mow 3 to 7 acres that varies from flat to 20% slope. It does it all, with little to no trimming, raking etc. 1-1/2hrs for the 3ac. The rest gets trimmed a couple times a year with the deck at 5", 1-1/2hrs there too. Hills don't seem to...

Near Stevens Point Wi is "standing rock county park". What could that mean? On the way there, all fence rows as far as you could see were lined with rocks mostly 3-6ft dia. A mystery how 1000s were moved off the fields. The 50s was a time of transition here, so a lot of the equipment used was...

I like the rubber tube idea. Add some salt to the sand to keep it thawed. Recently changed the tire and tube on the manure spreader. It takes 9x20 military tires - that should make some nice sand socks.

70mph

I believe they would daily douse the ruts to make them icier:

Sharpening matters a lot. The ms462 here at first cut fantastic new, well balanced power to the chain. I sharpened it once and rendered the saw useless. Too much was taken off the rakers, to the point where I removed that chain and put on new. And of course the saw cut like new again. Watch...

So that's why the two metric wrench/socket sets I have are missing 12mm, the size Kioti seems to use a whole lot of.

Oh I don't know. I have many pictures of dad and grampa cutting old oaks with a wip saw. In 1959 they got a Mall 12a. $325. That was a lot of money at the time, but apperently thought well worth it, and a huge labor saver. For me the worst was that old Mall, heavy oily thing, next a Husky 55...

And I can still remember seeing deer prints for the first time in the 70s on the farm. Now there are several "herds" of 15-20. One doe, completely docile, wanders around with triplets behind her. Where there was two, there's now 5.

And the moral of the story is:

A couple months ago price was almost $6. I checked today and thought if it's under $4 time to move on it. $2.57 even better so picked up 40 bags. I just read the fine print - Menards will knock off an additional $.03 for volume pricing. Huh.

This is the log splitter that I built last year. The tractor moves the logs, the splitter lifts and separates. No more sore back. I used the 1907 stanchions I took out of the barn for the outfeed table, wheels and spindles from a 1965 hay rake, and an I-beam my dad scarfed from the feed mill...

$2.57/60lb here. Comes out to $150/yd

Looking at satellite maps, each building is a few degrees plus or minus of each other. It probably didn't seem to matter at the time, but they were built and added on to in stages, and when it came time to connect them it produced quite the cobble job.

Equinox is a few days away. But whoever laid out the farm buildings was a few degrees off.

What about shellac based primers. There is a synthetic version out (zinser bin synthetic) that we're trying at the moment, with latex over. This is for an older cabinet (1928) with oil on part of it, unsealed stain on the rest.

Our cat bit the Christmas tree cord. Oh how fun. Consumed one of her lives that morning. Christmas dinner guests to arrive in one hr. Scared the p from her and ended up everywhere. Finally just threw everything tree gifts and all out the back door, cleaned up, then answered the door, dinners...

First time in the woods took one off. The remaining one I then moved from up on the roll bar to the fender. There already was a hole for mounting. It's been safe, 3yrs now.

Earlier this year in June. Came up over a hill and spied a hen turkey and 17 little ones. Momma clicked, and they took off for the edge of the field into some grass and within 10 seconds, all was quiet. Hmm, where did they ALL go, not a peep. This week in the back yard. All young from...

The box on top carries the saw fuel and oil, and other tools like files hammer and wedges. The box underneath carries the chains with just the tops hooked above. It's nice having the grapple on the front for moving logs, just enough counterweight in back with the box blade, tools in the wood...

If you go the new axle route, I did something similar by special ordering a Dexter axle and picking up locally: https://www.dexteraxle.com/Distributors/ https://www.pioneerwheel.com/PDFs/TORFLEX_ORDER_FORM_5_1_2018.pdf The price wasn't much different from getting an existing commonly available...

I do, but everything just looks like chaos. In the past I was concerned about looks, straight rows, sections of this or that. After failures of all kinds, this year I just stuck stuff in any old where there was an open spot, brought dirt in, made several 4x8 boxes from 2x10s, reduced the half...

Tried a couple new things this year. Some raised beds, and planting corn in hills vs rows. For the first time in many years the gophers, deer and coons were all confused and left everything alone. 100% crop vs no none at all. Gophers don't climb, so the beds were immune to them pulling seedlings...

I used to have honey bee hives along a lane out back, and always thought it was interesting that when I would take the tractor or lawn mower by, the bees would never become hostile. I always thought maybe the engine vibrations kept them disoriented. Until I drove by once, and forgot how much the...

So what. Folks don't want to see the riff raff making a nuisance of themselves, yet following through finding ways to knocking themselves out is a bad thing? I love ripping up a hill and doing backflips with my UTV. Oops, bonk. Last words "I'm not the hero everyone thinks I am", Eulogy, "he...

One of many that year. Could have had a face full if I hadn't been looking.

Last year we had a high population of yellow jackets, both in ground, in trees, haymow etc. They seemed to like spots right near high traffic areas, like right outside barn doors, and back door to the house. No lighting a match there, and different sprays didn't stop them. In desperation I took...

If it looks like a skunk is facing you, don't assume it needs to turn around to spray you. One little tail flick and your it. A blanket between the two parties works fairly well. Even tiny skunks have working sprayers.

Katydid that has just shed.

I had the same type situation here - maintaining 5-6mi of trails through woodlots, hills, fields, marsh, across a stream and bridges. Ended up with the same type of unit (swisher), but with the wheels front and back . Works really well in tight situations in and around trees. I put large turf...

A woodie wagon.

Wagons - automobiles obsoleted and redefined an entire industry? And the last to change would be agriculture? The current transportation industry may have current specific definitions, but it doesn't eliminate all the others. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagon...

How hot is it out?

The farm across the road has what seems like 30 horses, a zebra, mules, alpacas. They have a small riding ring, pastures, loads of hay coming in every week. I was told most are "rescues", with some that are boarded. After reading all this, it makes me wonder. Apparently they like animals...

Good time to get some barricades up.

It doesn't have a power step ladder to get up into the thing, so no it probably wasn't that much.

I have a road grader from 1890 that I tried to rebuild, then realized everything on it was hot formed, hot punched, hot riveted. Like trying to machine rebar. Or fence posts. A grinder (kind of) and plasma torch worked. Drill bits just screeched. Kind of a spectacular learn it now lesson...

I used to have a habit rolling through stop signs. Many yrs later, and 3 near death experiences is what it took for me to knock that habit. The blind spot is real, and rolls along right where the oncoming car is. That right hand window column now gets checked and rechecked sometimes annoying...

Another vote for Loctite 545. I've used teflon tape and tpfe paste for many fittings, until I encountered several high pressure leaks on NPT fittings that would not seal. Use the primer/cleaner to create a clean metal surface. It starts to congeal on contact, and will harden in minutes.

Would it be advisable to drive a tractor, with the bucket as high as it goes, at a high rate of speed, with two of your children in the bucket, 5 and 7yrs old. I'm suspecting that would be hauling something wrong, don't mean to judge, but just trying to rationalize my neighbors behavior. It's a...

Was trimming bushes last week and found a praying mantis ootheca (100-200 eggs). And then yesterday was out locating some underground water and electric lines, and ran the wand right next to of all things a praying mantis in the grass. What's up - a first for several of us involved on both...

We have oak wilt here. 15yrs ago it was in western WI. What I saw here in SE WI since 2014 were a few red oaks dying here and there, then more, then dozens in 2019 or so. Then the white oaks, here and there, then more, then dozens. Most of the older trees are now gone (150-200yrs). When I...

Pyrethrin (Bug Slayer, deltamethrin) around doors, windows and sill stopped the asian and boxelder beetles coming in the house. Removing food sources slowed the Japanese beetles to a fraction of what they were. Fruit trees and bushes seemed to be their favorite. Roses, plum bushes, cherry and...

The Jacobs chuck invention: https://evolventdesign.com/blogs/history/arthur-jacobs-and-his-super-chuck

We used this for cleaning the green stuff growing on our roofs and siding, lichens moss and algae. Used to be a recurring annual project. Once and done after using this - that was 4yrs ago, still clean, no sign of anything coming back since.

It's a grostling iron only if you've never used one or seen one. Otherwise it's something else. There's a cherry pitter in there too.

The machine used to turn the acres of chicken compost piles here looked something like this. After a short time something went wrong, service trucks had it apart working on it for over 2 weeks, then it was hauled away and replaced with a more simple payloader front attachment machine.

Could you elaborate on that a bit. My son would ask a lot of questions. He always ended up wanting the long answer.

Black locust was used here in the 20s-30s for barb wire fences. Kept the hired men busy digging post holes if there wasn't frost in the ground (uncle and grandfather). 20yrs ago many were still functional. There are a few post remaining now, but none standing.

I have records for the farm here from 1955 where corn was put in after sod (hay field). The records were for testing corn varieties, fertilizer, yields, methods. 10 varieties, 10acres, 10ton/acre manure, plowed, disced 5 times, dragged twice, drill planted ( vs checked), cultivated 3 times...

Smaller trees 2" or less will zipper out cleanly, larger 3" will break the roots and leave a mess. At least here they do. It gets to be a lot of large roots to try to tear out without breaking them off. Cutting off at ground level and grapple would be my choice, with brush hog or herbicide to...

Hmm, pipline pigs, what are they used for. I have no first hand knowledge of such a thing, just heard it from a friend: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigging

Pipelines routinely send multiple fuels through a pipeline at once such as gasoline of multiple grades, heating oil, aviation fuel and diesel, seperated by plugs. Gasoline is normally clear, with the amber tint coming from small amounts of mixing with diesel or oil. Just saying, gasoline is not...

Yah, and I had a car that dripped and burned a quart every 70mi, basically got a complete oil change every 300mi or 10 days which ever came first, and the engine hadn't failed yet, started every time, even at -25f. When I sold it I didn't let the guy see all of the tow straps, tool box, cases of...

On the farm here there used to be an apple orchard. A look at a 1937 ariel map showed trees just starting to get established. There were many of the sweet apple varieties, golden and red delicious, Jonathan, cortland, dutches. The dutches was up next to the house. It made fabulous pies. They...

I had some semidwarf Cortland trees for 10 yrs, never got an apple off of them. The amount of insecticides needed to make it work wasn't something I could stomach. Is there a better way? Finally planted some full size trees and am getting at least something. More apples than the worms can...

Ours head for the hay in the barn and make tunnels between the bales. They'll fluff up with fur too as it gets colder, then shed most of it come summer. In the garage I made a couple of insulated boxs. They're insulated, the nest area is elevated, with an air lock tunnel to keep out drafts. They...

Something I wonder about (guesse I'm not the only one), 200-400 hrs in a road vehicle, at 60mph, would equate to 12,000 to 24,000 miles. Is that a legit comparison? If so, who changes their oil at 24,000 mile intervals. Doesn't sound reasonable. Manuals here say 1yr or 400 hrs. I go with the 1yr...

I was walking one of the fence rows and came across this, a plow share from a walking plow, late 1800s. One bottom, that's a lot of ground to cover. Kind of glad I live when I do. There are also parts and pcs in the sheds that I had no idea what they were for. I do now. We have a hand dug...

With "center" based on the king pin geometry. Turning the wheels actually raises the vehicle, inducing the "load". The tendency then is to lower and center at the same time.

Rigging up the hay fork as a zip line in the big barn. I look at that rig now 50yrs later and wonder. I was in the emergency room 5 times that summer for stupid stuff. Block and tackles are interesting, you can pull yourself up so high. Baling twine and fence wire - every trade has it's way of...

We have two of the 55" from CTA attachments with 100s of hours use each. 350lb. Versatile. Tough units. No complaints and would recommend again. Used on 40hp tractors. https://www.ctattachments.com

I thought of burning some brush piles last week when it was 62 calm and sunny. Nice day, what could possibly go wrong. Touched the weed burner torch to some grass several feet away just as a test and it immediately went waist high and on the move. Raked like crazy and snuffed it out, and, went...

We had a cnc plasma/turret press where the slag barrels for aluminum and steel needed to be kept seperate. The machine could cut 3/4" plate with 1/4 plasma curf, so there could be quite a bit. The one mixed barrel that caught fire did no damage, but made for a change in procedures.

Saw the first Sandhill Crane here on Feb 13. Just the one flew overhead a few miles north, then back a few miles south, then west, then east, repeat, then landed in a cornfield near me, calling the whole time. Next day there were two. They may come back to the same spot every year. Sandhill...

Wonder how much of a culture thing that is. I thought it was interesting that downtown Chicago when I was there a few months ago did none of that, at all. I also got frisked before visiting a downtown park though too. 40yrs ago, downtown Madison WI, everyone plowed along.

Agricultural land values per acre: https://www.acrevalue.com/map/WI/?lat=44.830326&lng=-89.84676&zoom=4

I can tell when the wood is dry by how the piles stop shifting around as they shrink.

The last two years I was able to stack 10cord each, white oak, separated by year, all started as standing dead. Equilibrium moisture content for around here is 13-15%. Left, stacked two summers 13-15%. Right, stacked one summer 20-24%. Freshly split, no drying, 30-50%.

I've bought several attachments in the last couple years, but not from EA. Seems like they have quite a fanboy following on here, something I didn't care for at all. Where I bought was local enough where I could knock on their door if need be. 20yrs ago I remember buying some things online...

I've been kicking around parts to this thing for years, not really knowing what they belonged to. At a local thresheree I finally got a look at an assembled unit and picture. You could order one from the Montgomery Ward catalogue, 1895. Hay/grass seeder. The seed metering device clicks back and...

A step in time saves nine. 8mo old. Had to play contortionist to get up the wood pile, under the eave, around and up. White whiskers and markings on one side, black whiskers and markings on the other.

Strange creatures live in the wood cart.

To be able to cut from 30ga to 3/4 plate, click a few buttons and turn right around and stick weld is a game changer for sure. Lotos CT520D I also put on an air/water seperator, then a motor gaurd filter for plasma air filtration.

One of the exhibits at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago.

One comment about salt. The barn doors here had a concrete pad poured (1907) up next to the stone and concrete foundation, with a path formed for the doors to slide. That groove would fill with snow, then water from the roof, and more snow. I always used an ice spade to free and clean it. There...

The farming community in general all around here kept their equipment in machine sheds. Some of that may have been from back in the day when machines were made of wood leather and iron, and if left exposed would turn to useless rot. All valuable equipment was shedded. The apple doesn't fall...

I remember driving home one night and thinking if there is a time for a breakdown, please not now, with it -40f outside. Sure enough, the temp needle started to climb - of all things, it's overheating. 50/50 glycol is good, more or less is not better. Who needs -40f protection. Lesson learned. I...

The nice lady on our GPS, with an english accent, is often times recalculating the root, telling us to take the slip road, and exclaims emphatically "Waypoint Reached!".

Keeps the bugs snakes and alligator population low.

Seems like there could be a better way to handle heavy totes?

We have a 12/12 pitch roof. No getting up there so I brush from the bottom up. First time everyone else was ready for a sooted mess inside, but not the case at all. Wait for a cool day outside, so fine dust travels "up" and out with no downdraft. Also use the leaf blower for gutters, just stay...

The homstead here was built in 1846 using full dimensional lumber. The construction techniques seem odd by todays standards. The sequence was to lay an 8x8 sill beam, set first floor joists into notches in the beam, tip 16' wall studs clear to the second floor. Add a stringer for the second...

The ash content of bark is 5% to 10%, and cordwood alone is .3-.6% Oak can have quite a bit of bark.

At first I used a #1000 concrete block as counterweight. It kept the rear planted, but was too much to carry around. Putting a box blade on though at #500 plus #100 of chains etc is enough to stay balanced yet limit the loader. I use the block now as a base for my shop vise.

And the steering wheel club work around. Seems like every device that can be looked up ahead of time has a way to disable it. We recently had our car broken onto, window smashed, glove box raided. I dream of laying a 440 conibear in there baited with a wallet and a $20, but probably not a good...

In our climate the lowest moisture content cordwood stored outside will reach is about 13-15%. I have a 15yr old EPA tube stove (Jotul Oslo), and 15% wood works very well with it. We did cut some apple wood about 50yrs ago, and had it stored in the shed, and a recent gauge reading indicated it...

There are external search engines that may work for FB an CL. https://www.searchtempest.com/

It's a good idea to be critical of published studies, and how they are reported. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30545967/

I live on a ridge that at one time grew 100s of butternut trees. Butternut ridge. They are all dead now from a fungus disease, the last one dying just last year.

It takes about as long here to get the stove from cold start to cruising as it does to make coffee, pet the cat, and start the truck to warm it up, all in about 20-25min. When others then get up, they really enjoy the radiant heat. It's rare to have the place too warm or cold. Dry wood helps in...

Jotul oslo500, primary heat source for winter here, 27/7. Burn dry wood, hot enough to prevent creosote build up, or hotter still to burn it back off (creosote condenses at 250f, will burn back off at 700f). The only cleaning I do is to use a damp cotton cloth to wipe gray ash buildup off the...

A chainsaw scabbord can be mounted to get them out of the way. I have two on the tractor, and a 2x3 box for everything else.

At 100hrs that pin joint on mine started to wear considerably. I drilled and tapped a grease fitting for it. Pulling it apart to grease the pin didn't seem like a long term option. I noticed the other end wearing also, but already had a fitting for it, one that I was failing to grease. As...

Hand file like Buckin Billy Ray. I do that too. I timed it once - 4min to put it in a vise and file "till it's sharp", usually only a couple strokes, and 4min to fuel and oil. A sharp saw really pulls out the chips. The 2:1 does seem to help get the hook angle right, the vertical angle of the...

I think the problem was that I was used to using a 2in1 on the the .325 chain for the ms260, and that using the 2in1 for .375 chain, and thinking it was a bigger chain, I pushed down a little too hard and took the depth gauges down an extra .04 When the 462 was new, the depth/power ratio was...

Ms260 (2009) and Ms462cm here - good combination. I used the 260 for everything until two yrs ago. It's nice to no longer be required to show : patience anymore. Actually it has all worked out well over the years. The 260 is/was a good saw. Big wood, take your time, let hp be your friend...

Grabbing something higher up, say 4-5ft, push and curl it forward to bend it over and break half the roots, then pull curl back and break the other half, seems to work better than just simply lifting.

The guard does keep trees from tipping back onto the hood. One of the neighbors doesn't have that, and one of his complaints was that the branches could tip back into the cab of his skid steer. The grill guard on the front is just treated deck boards. I later added something similar for...

I ended up getting a stinger stp-34 tree puller for clearing prickly ash, buckthorn, honeysuckle, mulberry - invasive brush that had taken over the woodlots and fencerows. It does a real good job at that, and I was able to clear large swaths of 2-3" or less. I would pull an area, then come...

My daughter inlaw, who is anti-mechanically inclined even knows the 04-tc40 starting routine. Bang on the starter, rattle the shift lever, push sideways on the key and wiggle in the seat.

Been there. Farm dogs vs pets. Ours would lap up the juicy cow pies, roll in dead animals, the smellier the better, go down to the marsh and get into fights with raccoons and come back with their lips in shreds, chase cars till run over in the driveway by the neighbors pickup who had stopped...

That was the solution around here. If the owner cares they'll pay to get it out of the shelter, pay to have it vaccinated and licensed, pay to keep it contained next time, and later pay attention so it doesnt happen again. Or the animals go away. We have responsible neighbors now. It took a...

One neighbor here had a habit of shooting animals that wandered across his property. Rabbits, gophers, the neighbors cat (they made sure the entire neighborhood heard about that), another neighbors dog (spent three days in the county jail). 25yrs later and it's still talked about - that pos will...

Yah, but that's back to blowing snow and splitting wood. A heart attack for sure.

Very few job's make someone out of breath enough to make speach difficult for over 1/2 hour at a time. I used to walk for 1-1/2hrs a day, split wood, work on the farm, etc. That was good. But I didn't notice marked very noticable improvement to gout, body aches, out of breath, tiredness, overall...

Here, cutting and splitting firewood creates a little bit of a workout. A couple neighbors looked at the 10cord stacks I have (1yr each stack) and mentioned how impressive the amount of work it was. I waved over to the old farm buildings, and told how in the 60s, almost all of the work filling...

I do a 1-1/2hr walk at sunrise everyday, no matter the weather. A couple times a week bike 20miles on the road, or 10mi off road, but that's usually spring summer fall only, weights and row or treadmill in the winter. The scenery, wildlife, crops growing, the prior nights animal tracks and...

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There's an area in northern WI where there is small remnant if virgin white pine. Walking along the trail is an odd experience. Birds roosting above yet you can't see them because of the height. The trail meanders along around blowdowns and deadfalls, because a stepladder would be needed to go...

Is your bucket curl cylinder bent?

For a long time the sequence at most gas pumps was to pay, lift a lever, select grade, then pump. But on some there was an additional button located somewhere to actually turn the pump on. Most pumps had no additional button, 1 in 50 did. Each time I would encounter a button pump, I would fumble...

Student driving for the first time in the 67 impala along with the instructor and 2 others in the back. Ok now, so use your blinker, then make a left turn. I flipped the blinker lever up (automatic shift lever), launched everything in reverse, and left a nice long burnout. Everything came to a...

Just got done driving across Montana. There are vast areas that resemble a whole lot like the surface of Mars. No need for a space suit, just a varmit rifle, 4x4, and a dog in the back. And I'm not a water type, so skip that.

Those who listen to the "news". The wreck of the SS Atlantic may be far more interesting, something most have never heard of.

If I can't figure out someone's acronym in about 1sec, then MGU, (message goes unread). You're all lucky I gave a definition of my wonderful acronym, so you didn't have to waste time figuring, then asking, then going back and reading again, then realizing the message was worthless.

Pal steel Palmyra Wi may have what you need. Wouldn't hurt to call. 1/2x4 bevel edge, heat treated was $12/ft 3mo ago. They have acres of surplus steel also. Pal Steel Company 414 S 3rd St Palmyra, WI 53156. (262) 495-4453

You have your identity when you find out, not what you can keep your mind on, but what you can't keep your mind off of.

For years, the way I did things was to find a way. That was partly out of necessity (lack of money), and partly out of philosophy (being poor doesn't mean living poorly). I have a lot of things, and there are those that I wish I'd gotten (or made) sooner, but I didn't buy them. But to your point...

Here they send out a notice that they will be trimming. The electric company easement was signed in 1936 giving rights to place poles and enter properties for upkeep and maintenance. The county sheriff would be called if yayhoos started causing trouble.

Solo 454 1.5 gallon Viton seals Large capacity pump Compatable with oils and bleach I use it with a very fine tjet nozzle for basal spraying brush, then switch nozzles for foliar spray.

One mans junk is another mans treasure. Uhm, dad, you could have found a better way to tell me I was adopted.

The batteries for the tv remote went dead here in 2004. For the life of me, I could not remember to pick up new batteries when I was at the store. Something was up. I have a way of forgetting to do things or dismissing things that are unimportant (to me).

Next step is baling all that straw? Other equipment must be steep hillside compatable also.

Forks can do anything. Creativity is the key.