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My 2007 F150 was having faults on 5 different sensors and it turned out to be a wire issue within the main harness. Vibration, age, corrosion, heat, poor routing or something else affected common wiring those sensors shared. Ended up just sistering new wires along side the harness and...

My dad was not the one that any of us wanted to do the cooking. He was born into the depression and WW2 highlighted his early teens. Then Uncle Sam sent him overseas for a couple years of culinary desensitization during the Korean War. He could eat anything at room temperature out of a can or...

One of these will help develop the shoulders, back, core and forearms too. Splitting with one was my favorite part of growing up with wood heat.

I think I'd want a camera with a pretty powerful flash.....and capable of taking multiple pictures before requiring reload.

Seeing these photos in April brings back memories of 1996 for me. I was living near the south end of Lake Huron at that time and bought a new boat at a boat show. When I made the deal in February I scheduled pick-up for noon on Good Friday, which was April 8th, thinking that would be past the...

It's been 15+ years since I've been further west than Marquette or Escanaba in the UP, but that smelter site looks in better condition than I remember.

Wow, a lifetime license, that would be great. Michigan has a lot of enforcement on the waters of inland lakes in the southern lower peninsula and the popular trout and salmon streams. They’ll be very visible during spawns. I was even checked once last summer while fishing crappie with two of my...

This is sad commentary and hard to imagine. I would hope there would be some engagement and discussion. I know that i’d be pissed off if I went to a class to just watch something that I could have streamed at home.

That’s an interesting option and I’ll throw that one at him too. That job could be good in the popular fisheries and some of the better areas of the state. Certain areas of the state are a bit of a joke on DNR enforcement though. The area of the UP I’ve hunted for years will have only one CO...

My son and I found an interesting alternative to possible college debt. One of the careers he had interest in (besides the NFL, NBA, coaching, or marines) is law enforcement. While talking with the chief of police for a nearby city, he indicated they may be willing to fully sponsor my son...

I’ve noticed many government job postings that still have the “degree in any subject” line-item in the list of qualifications, at both state and federal level. I’ve always wondered why they don’t list “degree in a relevant subject”? Does that requirement really mean that a degree in musical...

Agreed, just had similar experience with a private college that wants my son to play football. They said the right things and offered 40k of first year scholarship, but the total cost is 65k per year. It seems like artificially high numbers to me. It’s hard to fathom anyone willing to pay...

It’s amazing what they can do. I’m feeling fortunate for now that my visitor was only here a couple of mornings and seems to have moved on to better feeding. I can still hear him or one of his buddies working back in the neighboring woods to the south of us while the morning suns coming up. But...

Two things I like most about these little tractors is how handy they are and the amount of stuff that’s available to make them better. I scored this upgrade on Amazon for $60 with all the nuts, bolts, washers, and hitch pin included. Drill 6 holes and bam! I’m moving and parking trailers...

I have bolt-on teeth on one of my tractor’s buckets. Adding them made a significant difference in the effort needed from the tractor. Smooth back dragging can still be accomplished with the bucket leveled. I also have a smooth edge bucket on my smaller tractor. It still digs well in the grassy...

Hey, Good News!!! They’re fixing that for us right now. Every loan that gets paid or defaulted on without a new loan being created destroys some of the money they printed. Once enough people lose jobs, and default on enough loans, the inflation/devaluation will be back to the normal pace we...

I had a 2002 version of the heavy duty half ton that I probably should not have traded in, and i have a 2012 3500 with the 6.0L. IMHO that 6.0 setup from 2003 is as good of powertrain as a person can find for a truck. Knowing what I know now about their durability and longevity I'd keep it. I'd...

My initial thought is that the 2038r on galaxy turfs would sit a bit lower to the ground, which would be a plus for stability. And the 2038r would also have a slightly higher power to weight ratio, which should be benefit on every climb back up the hill. None of this was fact checked with...

I had a cam phaser noise issues in the first c years and got them changed under warranty. The engine has stayed quiet since using the recommended 5w-20 and 5000 mile oil change intervals. I've replaced springs and shocks at all 4 corners, the rack and pinion steering, both front hubs, and a...

https://www.fsa.usda.gov/Assets/USDA-FSA-Public/usdafiles/EPAS/PDF/2022_afida_annual_report_12_14_23.pdf Here’s another aspect of this conversation to consider….."Foreign persons held an interest in over 43.4 million acres of U.S. agricultural land as of December31, 2022. This is 3.4 percent of...

A 2007 F150 super cab 4x4 with the infamous 5.4L 3-valve motor. I’ve had it since it was new, it has holes now from the annual Michigan salt baths, but it keeps going with a little bit of tlc every so often. It tows the boat and other trailers, hauls most everything I need to, and gets me to...

For working with pallet forks it’s hard to imagine anything better than the hydrostatic. Deere does make a 75 hp version of the 4 series now. The extra oomph might make that chassis feel more pleasing to you...

Investment in REITs like the one below may be contributing to the continually rising prices. Money going in equals more land purchased. Our Portfolio | Farmland Partners We are headed back towards a feudal system where the individual needs permission from the government for any land use, and...

It’s a similar story in Michigan. We stayed completely below freezing over the weekend and we’re going back up to 47 tomorrow.

Exactly what I was thinking. The tractors forward momentum would be a frontwards force acting on the bottom of the loader masts. The stopping force would be an opposing backwards force applied through the loader arms to the top of the masts. The tops are not anchored and the masts become levers...

Even if one grandkid was interested in keeping it, paying market price to fairly buy out the non-interested grandkids and keep peace in the family may have been too pricey to make economic sense.

I realize that Microsoft manages the OS of business and government, and they host more government, corporate, and personal data on their servers than any other organization. And, I know Bill has a large nonprofit with global reach and goals. I honestly have no idea how to classify them...

Not having to borrow purchase money at market rates would make a huge difference in the previous math I posted, a different location could also. If paying cash, my guess is that something around 400 acres could be viable even when commodity prices are low. And larger tracts typically sell for...

Property value increases can have a dramatic affect on property taxes after title transfers too, especially in development heavy areas. Here's how I think the math would look for a person purchasing a small farm near me. Buying a $1,000,000 farm with a mortgage at current rates in my township...

PRODUCTS | MULTI SEAL® HYDRO 1500 PRO HD 2500 ARMOR 3500 I've had success with this company's products. I took a chance about 18 months ago with a leaky tractor tire because I don't like tubes, and my needing the air compressor to use the tractor problem was solved in under 10 minutes.

The persistent pecking really did get under my skin after a while and it took restraint, which I was able to muster because I know he wasn't pulling up to eat at a buffet with no food. It is really sad that it is the tree my wife uses for pictures, my kids swing on, and I use for shade in the...

I considered taking this approach on Friday morning. We have a very large silver maple in our yard. It has great character and has to be one of the oldest around. My wife has been lining kids up in front of that tree for pictures since we moved here 18 years ago. And we have a swing on one of...

My experience is that those lines are not very deep. We had public water go through and I rented a backhoe and trenched 500’ of waterline to the road. I had miss dig come out prior. I stopped about 5 feet from where any marks were and left extra pipe and all the necessary compression fittings in...

Booster seat?

It’s been warm here in Michigan recently since our hard freeze in January, and the ground is soft instead of frozen like normal. Winters like this one are tricky because the top few inches of soil will thaw and really hold the water if there is still frost underneath. When you get a wet snow...

This poor fellow is having a bad month…..

This is pretty much where I'm at now. We did the form at the end of last week and the system said it would be a couple of days before we could submit because of an update. I haven't got back to it yet because of work, basketball games for my sons, and another college visit. My son should be...

+1 that Tilt decks are the best for loading and unloading a tractor. I rent one for the one or two weekends a year that I need to haul my larger tractor or mini-ex. The closest rental place charges less than $100 a day, and they let me pick up Saturday morning and drop off on Monday morning for...

That’s awesome! I can’t think of a way that story could be going better.

The one thing I learned in college was that I’m a terrible predictor of the future. The job and career that I thought I wanted turned out to not hold my interest. Because of the limited exposure I had to different industries while growing up in a rural area, I had no concept of some of the...

My son is not an academic. He varies by week in what he wants to do, and I would not be surprised to see him ultimately become a high school Phys Ed teacher and varsity basketball or football coach, or possibly joining the military after football and college are done. Or, maybe doing all 3 of...

I appreciate your input on this. It’s completely new for me. My wife played basketball for a small NAIA school on partial scholarship. She had an easy decision because other members of her family went there and it was her first choice in schools. Myself, I was a two-way starter on a mediocre...

The 2024 Michigan in-state tuition figures for schools that are interested in having my son on the roster are all higher than the published out-of-state tuition at the D1 school in Kentucky that is recruiting him. Housing and meal plans there are also less expensive, and they have a beautiful...

I live in Michigan, which is a high tax state that provides no benefit like that. I’ve learned that if we lived one state south in Indiana we could have free tuition, and lower taxes also. And Tennessee is where my wife and thought we’d like to retire to. With more kids currently in high school...

During our visit this weekend the university informed us that a government mistake was making early April the likely best-case scenario for aid determination. And, of course the schools are looking for roster commitments by then too. Any delay in our decision making could cost him opportunity...

I didn't know anything about recruiting either until last summer. But, there's a nationwide recruiting database that coaches use to search for players to fill roster spots. I bought the base service offering for both my sons for about $500 each. They build a profile, post their own highlight...

With a graduating senior, I'm also in the position of filling out a FAFSA after doing taxes. My son also has an offer for what seemed to be a large football scholarship by a private university. That was exciting at first, but it's over 800 miles from home, it's not a school that has all the...

My former neighbor does septic work. I've heard the words "smells like money" come out of his mouth several times over the years. When he moved about 10 years ago it was into a brand new home on 53 acres. He did a new tank and field for my barn last fall and he says the work never slows down.

Two of the three tractors I’ve sold in my lifetime netted more than I paid for them. The only one that sold for less was a two wheel drive model with a manual transmission. It still returned about 80% of the purchase price after 9 years of ownership and use. The real value in a tractor is what...

Saw some data earlier this week that says the rebound is in the $750k+ housing market. On the lower end of the market 9.6% of FHA mortgage loans are currently in delinquency according to the same source. Annual sales volume is trending about %25 below projections, and some metropolitan markets...

My senior son has played varsity football and basketball the last two years, plus AAU basketball in the spring. Plus he works enough to keep himself supplied with the expensive shoes and snacks that I won’t buy, and gas for the car. He has a 3.2 gpa and has been contacted by 5 different colleges...

CDs have been attractive last few months with yields over 5%. I have taken advantage of this spike and locked in a three year spread of CDs that will mature around my ideal retirement year. I figure that will give me a guaranteed amount of funds that I can either draw from or reinvest. I’ll have...

We used to have ISD (Intermediate School Districts) in Michigan. They are now called RESA (Regional Education Services Association). It’s a county level program that provides trade school and occupational training for all the member school districts in the county. My 11th grade daughter attends...

This thread brings up some memories from my youth. We had an old neighbor down the road that was a WWII combat vet. He had his share of driving problems with a truck, and ultimately lost the right to drive one. He could still drive a tractor though, and I'd routinely see his small one parked at...

5.5 miles is the furthest I've roaded in any direction. It's typical for me to road the 3 miles between the property with our house and our other parcel. That is a good warmup time, and it's enjoyable for me.

I was thinking the optimum ramp time may vary. I was curious if a $20 controller would have a configurable input that could maybe be used for a proportional signal.

Great find. Love those Wago connectors too. I’m never going without them on hand again. Do the PWM controllers have an input available that could be used to adjust the delay? Just thinking it would be sweet to mount a “sensitivity” adjustment knob on your dash to adjust the shifting delay based...

I’ve been noticing more used 2021-2023 tractors for sale lately with less than 100 hours on them. Several have had price reductions too. It seems like things may finally be tilting in the buyers direction. Even with a zero percent loan a person is more invested in an overpriced tractor with...

While you're hoping and praying the back end will grab a little something and not just keep pulling you down.....

Advertised pricing appears like TYM is the current price leader too. Plus, they seem to offer engines without common rail and dpf in the 30-50 hp range. That’s two plus factors in their favor.

There are processes happening inside the earth and other celestial bodies that science does not yet understand. The deepest man-made bore hole has only penetrated about 7 miles into the crust. The mantle remains completely unexplored. Based simply on the abundance of ancient dinosaur and...

I used to plow gardens with a Ford 2000 tractor and a Ford 2x14 plow. It would have probably struggled some with 16" bottoms. A Ford 3000 or 4000 would be a great match for almost any two bottom plow. Ford also made some of the best two bottom plows. Another important consideration should be...

That's great. To me there's nothing better in life than having happy kids around.

As I stated in a previous post: I have looked at the online health insurance marketplace that our government promotes to see what what other insurance policies and cost may be available. A soon as I indicate my employer offers an insurance plan it says that I am not eligible. There are no...

The reality of our healthcare is anything but a free market. If I need to see a doctor there is only one choice, my primary care physician. I recently went through my doctor retiring and it’s pretty hard to find a local doctor that is accepting of new patients. When I need something more done...

I’ve always wondered why health insurance is so tied to employment here in the US. It’s stupid that employers have to negotiate and manage healthcare care plans. That costs every employer money and time. Switching jobs or attracting employees would also be so much simpler if all that had to be...

That’s looking good. Getting some new treads and straightening the hood made a big difference. Did the rims straighten out enough to not need the tubes? That’s a nice shop too. I’m in my 50s now and have finally come to the realization that I don’t like crawling around on the ground anymore. I...

Thats an excellent way to set a timetable on this. Does he know that you have started working on it? Or will it be a surprise?

Looks stronger than the original. Have you considered hitting it with a touch of ford blue?

I went through the same process a few years ago with a tractor that belonged to my wife’s grandfather. It was gas powered and needed a carb tear down along with a tank cleaning and replacement of the fuel lines. It was a fun little project for a couple of my boys and I. I ultimately ended up...

There are usually other brands that use the same wheels. Having the width and diameter from the stamping will help. If you take some measurements and figure out the size of the bolt circle, you may be able to find rims from a different tractor that fit. They may be a different color but they’re...

Yep, I've found that I have the best luck mounting tires when I throw them into the truck and take them to the tire shop. Hopefully there are some used rims and tires for sale in your area that could work.

The shoe is starting to drop for that “soft landing”…..

Our home was built in Michigan in 1964 with an oil fired hydronic boiler for heating. Some time in the mid-80s the home was added onto and a gas boiler was installed. In 2012 I pulled the gas boiler and installed a smaller, direct vent unit on an exterior basement wall. The old oil line was...

I'd be willing to bet that in a straight-line pull type of situation that the 3 point can take as much load as the machine generates. Any off-center or jerking type of pull would be better attempted with either the receiver or another reinforced piece of structure.

Yes, the fill tube is located next to the top link connection for the 3 point hitch and has the funny cap on it.

It shows the two filters and what they do. The big filter behind the right floorboard would be the main hydraulic filter in the suction line to the hydraulic pump. The hydraulic pump is a dual pump that has two discharge lines. One line goes to the hydraulic valves and lift in the rear. The...

Behind each rear tire is a reduction gear housing for the rear end. Each side housing has a drain. There are also 2 drain plugs in the central rear axle housing that sits between the two reduction gear housings. In addition to the filter you mention on the left side, there is also a hydraulic...

https://www.perfectvanwamel.com/en/product/flail-mower-kp/ It may be an older model from this company?

The other thing about EVs that I learned in the past year is that Tesla has basically been profitable primarily because of carbon credits that the government issues. The current regs have been forcing other automakers to purchase carbon credits from Tesla that they get for free from the...

This is an informative thread. It’s remarkable that there are groups of people voluntarily banning together collectively for the benefit of every member. It’s almost like a modern day history lesson. It reminds me of reading Ben Franklin’s account of funding the first fire department in the...

I've have flexibility in my schedule for a day off most weeks, and Wednesdays are my favorite days to take off too. I'm up to around 2/3 of Wednesdays off this year and I've started referring to Tuesday as "first Friday" on the weeks I have it off. It's a great feeling to not go to work more...

I have to add that if someone is expert enough to smell something is wrong with diesel fuel, they should be prepared to specify exactly what is wrong and prove it. I would take that as them pre-warning me that they are not going to push Kioti to help in any way. My concern may even be that...

If you feel something is not as reliable as it should be, and you’re not getting the support you feel that you should, it’s time to sell it and try something else. It doesn’t really matter whose fault any of it was. It didn’t work out. Time to recover what you can out of the deal and try some...

It's interesting to read these stories and think about my local Ford dealer. I've been dealing with them regularly for 17 years now. They earned my business when I had trouble with an out of warrantee truck. I had already addressed the first two sensors that popped up on my own and went to them...

While the hospitals and insurance carriers may be non-profits, the vast majority of the individuals involved are for profit. What also should not be overlooked is that non-profits can hold tax-free endowment funds to absorb excesses in funding. That’s the vehicle many of them have used to...

I’m fortunate to have grown up with multiple tractors around. But modern tractors are leaps ahead of the 1930s Case C and Viking walk behind that my grandfather had. I’ll go a step further and credit advancement in hydraulics for the improvement in what tractors can do: The hydraulic three...

That’s good to hear that it has worked for you. What I I relayed was not specifically mediahare.com. I have not personally researched this and did not even know that was a website. My limited understanding comes from some longtime friends of my wife. The husband is a 1099 type guy that travels...

No personal experience, I've just heard anecdotal stories about how they work. It sounds basically like a collective of people that agree to share each others medical expenses. The one I specifically heard of only covers bigger ticket items, not the small stuff. The members go and get treatment...

That's a broad question. Are we talking about combustion, hydraulic, pneumatic, rifled ones that go bang, hollow ones with sharp tips and fletching, extra pipe on the rack, bottled gas, etc,,,,,??? When it comes to the question of winner or looser, I'm honestly more on the loose side.

That’s a good place to be starting from. If you don’t already have some, it may be worth searching around a bit for service and parts manuals for that model. They can be a real help in understanding the path of the oil flow and where any hidden screens or restrictions might be. Ford was good at...

I just read an article stating that there is something like $4 trillion sitting in combined cash on the sidelines right now with investors and companies waiting to redeploy. A significant part of that was held by just 13 companies. It makes me wonder if there won’t really be a financial...

I agree. That was just a 3 month sample from their pool of accounts. I think it’s indicative of a larger trend that will persist, and one that probably involves significantly more dollars than the guesstimate I threw at it.

That’s part of my thesis why the stock market will continue to decline. If each one of these withdrawals was only 10,000 that would still be over $180 million in underlying assets that were sold irrespective of price or fundamentals. After these withdrawals are exhausted there likely will be a...

Will it start and run?

Working condition is the best condition there is for an old tractor. Doing useful things with something old and discarded is very satisfying. It looks complete, so hopefully this one is not too far away from that goal. Did your dad fill you in on anything that you might be up against?

11k x 4.33 weeks per month = $47630 per month plus fuel……all the way until June……. I’d be speaking up and saying a few things too. I’m curious by nature and would really want someone to explain why that is the most desirable approach.

As a parent of multiple teenagers, I can appreciate how she regrets creating her own rule. But I have to believe her rule will apply to the next few months. We have to be near peak debt in the debt-cycle. The further we drift the harder the correction will be.

so, about 9 more weeks have passed @ $4000 per week in rental fees, plus fuel that is being delivered at over $12 a gallon? That's expensive indecision. It doesn't seem that adding another 30ish weeks of rental and fuel until potentially closing would result in savings either. The big...

I was involved in a planning meeting for a new building this week. One of the topics was EV charging spaces in the parking lot. The lower budget figure was $18,000 per spot to provide level two charging. That’s not the physical spot itself, just the installed level 2 charging infrastructure...

We’re 2 months farther down the road from the last update. Was the decision made for a permanent fix yet? Or are things still undecided?

Universal Basic Income is already being tried in places. Everyone gets a little money for breathing.

The rising wages are a symptom of inflation, not the cause. If inflation wasn’t eating away at real wages these guys wouldn’t be willing to walk off the job for more. The real cause of inflation is federal monetary policy and the federal reserve system. Look up the time frames for the Fed...

My understanding is that above a certain management level they get provided a ford vehicle every 3-6 months depending on rank. They are also required to personally purchase one every so often too, at a deep discount. I would think that executives would even have a better deal on ford products...

The majority of UAW members that work in the vehicle assembly plants drive products from the company that employ them. Some of them do have genuine pride and loyalty. I have friends that are second and third generation at the same company, and they're strict about staying in the fold. One of my...

I remember reading about a similar tactic in Ben Franklin's autobiography. When he lacked work as a young printer, he would periodically push a wheel barrow full of paper through town just to appear busy and prosperous. It's funny to think of modern businesses still doing that nearly 300 years...

You’re doing very well, time-wise. I commend you. Myself, I’m 52 with an 8 year horizon until retirement. Everything has been paid for since 2020 and my wife just returned to the workforce this fall after a 17 year absence for the most important job of her life. We have a large family and our...

I share your sentiment on the future, based on the past. My family history that I know firsthand starts with my grandfather fleeing WW1 Europe as young man and landing in America with a case of tuberculosis that took 3 years to recover from. His mom was already dead before he left and his dad...

It looks better in person, and without the banner crap on the front.

The previous answers seem on the right track. When the control lever is not all the way up while in draft control mode, the arms will lower until they get a compression load, or forward push, on the top link. When the draft load increases and pushes harder on the top link, the arms will raise...

The mind does funny things. I heard this in Mr. Miyagi's voice.

Probably go up briefly today, and then decline back down by the close on Friday…… I’m waiting for a reentry point myself, but I don’t think this is really it unless you’re day trading.

Last week I was contacted by 4 different dealerships that still had a truck on the lot they originally quoted me in September. At the time each one indicated that prices would be going up during the strike as inventory got lower. Well, the opposite has happened. All 4 were offered to me anywhere...

Unloading trucks for the neighborhood store owner taught me something: You have to buy products before your customer wants them in order to make money. The time to buy gold is when everyone else wants stocks and options. The time to start advertising and selling gold is when everyone else wants...

In my dad's situation it was a rather large company and both Asher Edelman and Merrill Lynch were involved. Some of the subsidiaries became stand alone companies, and some were absorbed into other companies. Proceeds from the sales went to the parent company, but Merrill Lynch was first in line...

Exactly. setting up multiple 5%+ cds maturing at regular intervals over the next few years is basically safeguarding a future income stream than can periodically be drawn on or reinvested at a future time. Having cds might save a person from selling other assets to raise cash when the markets...

My dad had the unfortunate experience of his former employer going bankrupt after retirement. Basically, he lost all of his benefits and probably about 2/3 of his monthly check. I don’t remember exact figures, but the guaranteed portion of his pension was relatively small. His former employer...

The guy has been demonized by many, but he definitely broke the established pattern bargaining cycle that I've heard about my entire adult life. It appears to be a strategy that has a galvanizing effect on worker's at all manufacturers. Maybe solidarity isn't just a word from union history after...

I just had this conversation with my current high school senior. He's 6'2", very active and athletic, always compliant with my instructions, and kept his GPA above 3.2 even though he doesn't like any of the core class subjects in school. It's not an idea that he's had, but being a cop is one of...

I shifted a fair share into CD ladders over the last 3 months. The FDIC guarantee with returns of mid-5s on the short term CDs seem pretty good at the moment. Laddering gives flexibility to scale back out if things are reversing.

Targeted retirement funds don’t make sense to me. Investments within the fund move and shift based on the targeted timeline that you buy into, the likelihood of that timeline matching up with actual market and economic cycles in a beneficial way seems pretty slim.

A cruise through history paints a bleak picture in any country where the majority of people begin to struggle for basics and have little to lose. Our economy and prices are not driven by the lowest 51% of wage earners, but our government and our laws could be. Be careful what you wish for...

The only light vehicles made in the 70’s and 80’s that have any value to me are the square body GM trucks and their derivatives. They still have a loyal following and a great supply of parts. The rest of the stuff was just underpowered, short lived, obsolete rust waiting to happen. Today we...

As a Michigan resident that kicks in on the incentives that the governors like to hand out, I really hope this turn into an example of a Chinese state owned company not qualifying for subsidies in the USA.

I have no first hand knowledge how it works there , but it sounds as though supervision may have gained some latitude in assigning jobs based on “operational needs” since the whole 2020 short-staffing experience happened. My friend is also a devout Christian guy, and the supervisor is not a fan...

Unfortunately there are still management abuses in the 2020s. A good friend of mine in his early 50’s just had an unfortunate experience with his supervision. He worked on a body line building Cadillac and Buick sedans at a plant 20 minutes from his house. Since he was one of the physically...

Great post. How many of us would like to set our wages based on what people in other countries are willing to do the job for? A guy living in India could do my job for 1/4 my pay and live large, and if I reduced my pay by 50% I'd still be 100% more expensive than him. That's not a position I...

I'm gonna throw some food for thought out here. You lived and worked in the heart of union country at a time that unions were strong. Your employer was also located there. Is it possible that he may have found it was necessary to pay very well if he wanted to attract good people and keep them...

My Dad's last stint of working was as a contractor with GM in the 90's when the EV1 was developing and being rolled out. He was in his mid-late 60's at the time and working on their military vehicle programs. I would go out of my way to take him back and forth to work if I was working anywhere...

Yep, we’re feeding a monster that is likely to crush us one day. It’s grown tremendously since being granted it’s most-favored-nation trade status in 1997.

This is all conjecture, but the previous owner probably took a hit trading it in after he figured out repair costs. The dealer probably knows the parts and labor costs are high enough that they would not recoup their investment in fixing it, and he can make something on it by selling it to a...

Exactly! It’s not the assembly line worker wages that we are feeling when we shop for a new vehicle. They are a relatively small component in the big picture.

It looks like Google pulls up the listing near the top of search results: "2016 BRANSON 7845R - selling as is. Runs and drives. Has transmission issue, Runs and drives when in 4WD but when taken out of 4WD it barely moves. We are selling as-is. Mechanics special." I've experienced that tire...

Wow, that sounds like gambling. I do not have the stomach to buy something broken with no idea of potential costs and lead times to make it work. I’d have to know those answers before I could decide if I was paying a fair value. I’m sorry that I do not have any ideas that can help.

Seeing this picture got me thinking about some of the YouTube videos of tractors in less developed nations pulling heavy loads with extra guys hanging off the front and sides for ballast. I’m kinda thinking watching a little YouTube might reveal the answer to the OP’s question of how much his...

Ford and GM combined sell over a million new truck a year. With Google, Apple, Facebook, government data, lender data, market analytics, feedback from dealers, etc….., I think they have figured out what we are willing to buy. On average in my area it’s a loaded up crew cab with a giant screen...

My point is that price is not derived from input costs. Input costs are engineered into a vehicle based on a forecast of how much money they can sell the vehicle for. That anticipated price gives them a target to engineer to. And they design them to extract the most dollars they can with the...

I know that NAFTA rolled through Michigan in the 1990’s and factories were closing left and right around here. Auto companies and parts suppliers were racing to mexico for labor at $2 an hour instead of $25 an hour. Plus they saved on compliance with labor laws, environmental laws, safety laws...

I’m not proposing anything other than some consideration and respect for people that assemble things here in the USA. The hourly worker and their wages have basically zero affect on our economy, yet they get blamed for higher prices because it’s easier than grappling with the real culprits...

Not everyone is suited for more complex jobs. One of my four sons has a chromosomal abnormality that limits how much skill he can master but, even though he is the youngest, he is my hardest working son. He’s at my right side for any physical job I’m doing. If jobs like these go away I’m afraid...

This is a great illustration of the core problem. He is top-tier guy with a guaranteed pension so he is comfortable. Meanwhile the new hire working next to him on the same job may have started out as a temp making $20 less per hour to do the same job at the exact same pace. That may have went on...

Don’t forget about former executives still on the payroll, like Sergio Marichone of stellantis, who died in 2018 and his estate is still getting $29,000,000 a year….. They have no problem giving truckloads of cash to dead and gone executives, it’s just the people that build the cars that...

I had a stuck clutch one time on my Ford tractor. It was stored in a barn with a dirt floor for a few months after I bought it’s replacement. Decided it would be a good to get it out and take it for a spin. It predated neutral safety switches, and having the tractor lurch towards the barn wall...

The “myers” link is entertaining…….I guess there’s a variety of ways to boost statistics on forums.

On pallets???….Definitely some pallets involved…..

I’m in a different market, but I was just guessing the generator and cooling unit run north of 20k a month in rental fees. 24 hours a day of diesel for that setup could be an additional 150-200 depending on actual loads and fuel costs, and that’s on top of the power the original condensing unit...

A replacement coil for that condensing unit should be available for less than your spending on the diesel and rental fees. Have you tried Carrier factory service? https://www.carrier.com/commercial/en/us/service/ca/san-francisco/

I would think a 50-60 hp utility tractor in the 1500-3000 hour range could be picked up pretty reasonably and still have thousands of more hours of life left in it. There’s a few common things you can assess pretty quickly. If all the joints look like they’ve seen grease and everything still...

I maintained 25 acres of fields for a decade using an early 70's Ford 2000 with a 5' Woods rotary cutter that was bought used. The tractor was cheap, easy to maintain, and purred right along puling the 5' cutter. Just set your height, pick a gear, and mow. It's smaller size was also an asset for...

Forgive me if this has already been said, but an owner's manual for the tractor should list a maximum towing and vertical weight capacity for the drawbar. My old 5000 series Deere manual had copious charts of weights, capacities, and ballasting combinations. My little 35hp tractor's manual even...

There are probably other areas that Ford could curb costs: maybe start by reducing the compensation of executives that reduce the income stream down to one product line, that is under-simplified and due for refresh, and then bet all the profits from that line on green. They will leave with...

Response from all trades is way better this year than the past two. I hired a well and septic install after the 4th of July using 2 different contractors, and both were done by early August. I need fill around the building we have going up and called a trucking company for 100 yards of...

The UAW probably has the best environment in the foreseeable future to make a stand right now. State and Federal governments have a pro labor lean right now, the auto companies have been making large profits, executives are getting compensated at 400x the assembly workers’ wages plus get...

Well, the first hurdle that comes to mind would be the city wanting you to obtain a stamped blessing from an A/E firm stating the roof structure is adequate for the additional load. They will also want stamped drawings from a mechanical engineer detailing the changes before they will even review...

Having the hot water heating loop with pnuematic actuation is probably the key to the long track record of accurate control. Pnuematic actuators are super responsive. As the DX cooling steps up and down through its stages the heating loop is able to react quickly and keep things on point. It...

LOL, I’d expect nothing less…

The linked article read like the chinese companies are figuring out how to use the courts and “restructuring” to default on some specific foreign indebtedness and court new investors with a fresh spin on their “our economy is so huge, we make you rich” sales pitch. One thing I have faith in is...

The night I met my wife I had the rare experience of meeting about 30 of her family members too. I went to a Christmas Eve church service at the church that she and her family attended. It was my first time there. It ended with a get together afterwards and, as a bachelor living on my own, I was...

I appreciate your story and dedication. How many years has it been?

Ouch! 20k is about $55 a day to the government just to maintain ownership of your own land. Yikes!

That is sad……A couple more brands to take off the shopping list.

It seems like this scenario is likely to play out with household debt at all time high and elevated interest rates. The screen shot below is from the NY Federal Reserve. They're tracking debt and delinquency rates to make sure their policy decisions have the designed effect. Student loan...

I spent about 5 hours moving dirt and leveling today, and it was the first day I actually used the rippers. After trying them out in a couple different height settings I’d say they add value. I was able to aggressively go after the high spots that were left from last time and knock them down...

A service oriented company is going to be at a pricing disadvantage on a job like this. Install focused companies have more manpower to throw at a job to get it done quicker, and they typically get better costs on the units and big ticket items like the crane. This is not a knock on service...

https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2023/02/21/how-wall-street-bought-single-family-homes-and-put-them-up-for-rent.html

That’s a good call. It probably means you’re way overdue for a regen, and you’re tail pipe needs more frequent cleaning.

That’s an all too common problem, people making decisions knowing that they will not have to deal with the consequences of those decisions. It’s kinda sounds like whoever let the originals make the decision 30 years ago has set the hospital up for a financial crossroads today. Finding new real...

Yes, I’d like a naturally aspirated, port injected gasoline powered tractor. That would be a simple, clean burning, low fuel pressure, long life, type of machine. It should last like my current gasoline powered vehicles that are between 11 and 19 years old that use the same technology. They get...

Realistically, those types of units came out of the factory with a 15-20 year anticipated life cycle. They’ve made it 10 years beyond, so maintenance deficiencies should be off the table in this discussion. There are probably some tax incentives and utility rebates available for switching to...

My experience in the market has been that listening to these types of videos always costs me money. They sway me to act in ways that I wouldn’t if I didn’t think I was smart enough to know the future.

That's sad. It's tough to hear about a guy that builds things up for years and doesn't get to see them through.

That salt corrosion looks like what careless pressure washing and coil cleaner will do. I'm surrounded by great lakes and the only salt we get is winter road salt eating at our cars, we need people for our coils to look like that. On the plus side the Carlyle 06 compressors pictured on those...

My most recent experience with Trane equipment was installing a 250 ton air-cooled screw chiller in June that was supposed to be delivered in January. Fortunately the summer weather held off here until then. In two months it’s had two software driven hard failures that required revised software...

I wouldn’t be afraid of buying equipment with 410a either. Its very widely used and going to be available for a long time. With good maintenance the need for recharging is very minimal too. There’s inexpensive systems that i installed in the 1990s that are still operating on the original charge...

That coil pictured is what I would call human induced failure, exactly the kind of damage I mentioned earlier from improper coil care and cleaning.

Heat pumps are great technology, and there are better grades of coil coatings available for areas with more corrosive exposure like salt air. Another thing that degrades coils prematurely is too much chemical being used in the seasonal cleaning process. Commercial coil cleaners are dangerous in...

Crocs are legit. They have two modes: sport mode where you flip the backstrap up on the front for quick in and out wear. And they also have all-terrain mode where the strap goes behind the heel.

That story reminds me of an early morning encounter I had a couple years ago. It was around 5:45AM on a normal weekday morning and I as was walking out of a convenience store, about 1/2 mile from the job, carrying my big cup of coffee. As I get in my truck this lady in a similar state as you...

One of neighbor just left, she's a full-grown woman that stands at 4'11" and 98 lbs. Her niece was with her, and she may be 5'1" and around 10 lbs. heavier. Either one could lay down in the weeds and hide pretty well.

Politicians will not actually fix any problems that can generate voter interest and campaign fodder. Those are the issues they can argue about to pass related legislation that somehow makes the problem worse while freeing up funding for the crap buried in the back 1000 pages.

Hmmm….I’m familiar with the classic bush hog, chainsaw, tree. I’ve never played bush hog, chainsaw fire before…..

IIRC, NAPA has SKF bearings. No idea where they were made though.

Mike had a good take on this thread needing more details. If there were details I’d suggest this may be more of a question for Letsdig18 though. That dude has cleared a fair amount of land in the Carolinas.

I appreciate your posts. My grandfather was an immigrant to the US from Haarlem. So I’m partial to Dutch ingenuity and impressed with how the Netherlands evolved and the agricultural operations that exist there. I’ve also worked directly with Germans from Siemens, and some very knowledgeable and...

A friend of mine lived and worked in China for about 3 years back around Y2K. He was hired directly by the Chinese to impart his knowledge in a moderate size town of about a million people in the central interior. They paid him well and provided everything for him, including a party official...

Yep, the land plane is working liking I hoped it would. I can recommend these for dirt too.

Over the years I’ve found car batteries, tires, an automatic transmission, a manual transmission, car doors from an oldsmobile, brake drums, antique cow stanchions, a pile of asbestos siding shingles, barbed wire, cinder blocks, a pile of old red clay drain tiles, fence wire, a 14’ green colored...

To be fair, a fire will transform things.

It’s pretty rare for me to be singled out as the highest achiever, so thanks.

Been using gear oil in the front end of my 35hp tractor for over a decade now. Like your tractor the manual says use either. So far no issues. I also have hydraulic/trans fluid in the front end of my 23 hp tractor. So far I’ve had no issues with that one either. I opted to go this route on the...

My guess would be already unconscious or dead too. I couldn’t imagine being the unfortunate operator that was probably just sipping his morning coffee and rolling through some familiar tall brown weeds that he mows every year, and seeing that pop out from under the mower. That would shake a...

I mowed my yard one summer with a 6’ rear discharge finish mower behind my tractor. After shattering our full-window storm door from about 25 yards away I started shopping for a proper lawn mower again. I was circling around a big maple in our yard and I’m not even sure what threw. I heard the...

Low 80’s by day, and low 60’s at night most of this week. Humidity is running slightly higher than ideal. It’s textbook summer weather in south-central Michigan.

I used epilay under a metal roof last year over osb sheathing. My purlins run on 2’ centers between the trusses. The building is fully enclosed and has closed cell foam to keep everything dry and tight. The Epilay was my most cost effective option for synthetic membranes when I did mine last year.

I built a steel frame building on poured walls about 18 months ago. The anchor bolts specified on the engineered drawings for each column were basically 12” long pieces of 1/2” threaded rod with a plate washer sandwiched between to heavy hex nuts imbedded 8” down into the foundation wall. A...

That’s exactly how this happened. My top choices would be Woods or Land Pride based on personal history, but neither of those could be had without spending north of 2k for a simple scraper with no moving parts. I had zero idea what bad boy implements had to offer. I’ve never looked them up or...

and now it’s christened……

I adjusted the blades down to the most aggressive setting since I’m in dirt. It cuts real well and gives my tractor a good workout. I think I need to adjust them back up a smidge to keep it from digging. I had dirt spilling over the top, back bar.

In stock, and just over half the price, is definitely preferred. Things are starting to move back closer to normal again. The longest lead times quoted locally were around 2 weeks. And more than one dealer had what I was looking for in stock.

Thanks. I peeled the organic stuff off the high spots first and mixed it into the first couple layers of fill in the low spot. So I’m working with a pretty decent light-brown clay loam now, with a few rocks big enough that I don’t want to rebury and hit them again later.