3R Home and Barn Project

[3RRL]

You guys are probably getting tired of this old thread?
But out of the goodness in my heart, I thought I'd share a few things to let you know what we've been up to.
It's been a rainy and cold winter so far with a few warmer Sun shine days in between. This week it's quite pleasant. I think it's finally starting to warm up. Nevertheless, Loretta and I have been working hard around the ranch. There were enough nice days to cut and split more firewood. We have burned a little over a cord so far, so a lot of this will be for the remaining cool days and for next Winter.
Here is Loretta working around the wood pile.
She's got me sawing up the rest of that old stump.



Actually, she's got me working my tail off.
She loves to run the log splitter (off her tractor hydraulics) while I load the darn thing.
She says she has the tough job of pulling the handles.
Rob-

 

[3RRL]

Our log splitter really does a good job of splitting even the larger logs.
We managed to get all those logs split an stacked. Looks like we have about 2 cords now.
Even Coco was there to watch the progress. That was a good day's work.
When we were done, we covered up the stacks with a tarp.
Rob-

 

[3RRL]

We have several piles of old shrubs and bushes from when we cleared off the homesite and the surrounding area. This year we got a burn permit and waited for a break in the weather to burn our first pile of our career. It's always scared me to death just to think about it getting out of hand.

Well, this day was perfect. It was drizzling so we got up the nerve to move some of the brush to a clearing. We ran a couple garden hoses out to the area and started piling up the brush. Once we got it going, we took turns tending to it.



Loretta used her 284 Jinma and grapple to add brush to the burn pile.
She let me drag some so I wouldn't feel left out ... shees.
Rob-

 

[3RRL]

During the afternoon, it poured a couple of times and Loretta had to take shelter under one of the nearby Oak trees. The rain didn't even bother the burn pile one bit. It was still blazing away while we were getting soaked.



At the end of the day, the pile was all ashes.
But there were hot coals still there in the morning when I checked it.
These last 2 photos gives you an idea of where we made the burn pile so we could manage it properly. You can see in the back ground there is still a lot of shrub and wood to get rid of.
Rob-

 

[bindian]

During the afternoon, it poured a couple of times and Loretta had to take shelter under one of the nearby Oak trees. The rain didn't even bother the burn pile one bit. It was still blazing away while we were getting soaked.



At the end of the day, the pile was all ashes.
But there were hot coals still there in the morning when I checked it.
These last 2 photos gives you an idea of where we made the burn pile so we could manage it properly. You can see in the back ground there is still a lot of shrub and wood to get rid of.
Rob-

Rob,
I have had brush pile fires so big and had so much pushing up dirt and condenseing with my loader bucket, I came back a month later and uncovered coals that started smoking again when fresh air hit them.
hugs, Brandi

 

[PAGUY]

Rob - I never get tired of reading your posts. I actually check everytime I come to the site to see if any new posts have been made. Keep up the updates as some of us are living vicariously through your antics around the new place.

 

[Ductape]

Just two quick questions................

Who is that young guy you hired to hoist the big rounds up onto the splitter?

How the heck do you get your wife to help with the firewood??

The place looks great !

 

[EddieWalker]

Hey Rob & Loretta!!!

Looks like you guys are working WAAYYYY too hard!!!!!

Nice to see how pretty and green it is there. We're just the oposite right now, but it looks like our temps are the same. I'm wearing shorts and a T-shirt the last two days. With it being so nice out, how much firewood to you cut up and store?

Eddie

 

[3RRL]

Hi guys, thanks for the compliments and questions.
So nice your vision is going fast Ductape as mine has done. Now I think 50 year olds are sexy!
Loretta and I ARE working hard. Shees, retirement is WAAY harder than a regular job. But it sure is fun and we have a great time with it all. We are so glad you guys like the updates. You know Loretta not only helps or does everything around the place, but she is still working full time too. Otherwise I'd be back on the bench cutting steel again! I don't know how she does it?

Today we started separating another pile of trees and shrubs.
We cut branches off all the Oak leaving just trunks and will saw that up and split it later. The rest of the stuff will go into the burn pile for next week. So far we have cut and split about 2-1/2 cords of Oak altogether. We've used about one cord from October to now and plan on burning maybe another half cord before Spring and warmer weather hits. Don't know that for sure though. What we are doing is just gathering all the downed Oaks and getting them ready to cut and split. I figure we got enough today to make another (maybe) 2 cords of wood for future use. We also have several freshly downed Oaks which are still lying on the ground. When we get done with what we're doing now, we'll get those sawed and split so they can season for over a couple years before burning it.

It's been a little warmer the since the rains last week and next week it's supposed to get into the 70's. I didn't wear shorts, but I did have my shirt off the last 2 days. Today while separating the brush piles and yesterday when I replaced 2 front tires by myself. I was sweating and hot. Talk about a workout ... next time I'm bring them to the tire place!!! Lucky for me they were only 8.3 x 20's.

 

[charlz]

It's been a little warmer the since the rains last week and next week it's supposed to get into the 70's.

So at what time of year/temperature do you have to start worrying about snakes around the brush piles? Seems to me all that work is best done in the winter months when the snakes are somewhere else