An Old Goat Ranch in Texas

[terry.dinerman]

Happy New Year, Gentle Readers!

(I'm a little late and back at sea as usual, but you have to remember that even at the speed of light, it takes a long time for things to get posted from here on The Galactic Rim)

As a reward for your patience, here's an UPDATE for those of you following the Ultimate DIY Project...

The December rains let up just enough to let me and Charles my Right Hand do some outdoor work... so let me introduce you to The Water Works... rather than clutter the Mud Room up with the water heater, water conditioner and such, we now have a spiffy extension and gained some valuable real-estate in the Mud Room...

...the ground was soft and the digging easy... the water line is now completed, the service is on to the house and the system is now ready for the installation of the fixtures...

Santa brought me (on sale at Harbor Freight of course) a set of solar-electric panels and am studying up on how to build a solar water heater so a storage hot water booster tank is in the works as well... solar-electrics will drive the circulating pump, solar will heat the water...

My Israeli friends homes all had a simple 40 gal black-painted steel water tank on the roof... when I was over there in mid-winter, there was snow on the ground but the water coming out of the tap without running the boiler was just right for a shower, and they said the water coming out of that thing in summer was hot enough to make tea out of... and the black water storage tanks we relied on in Iraq got so hot in summer you could get scalded if you dared turn the tap more than just a trickle... so maybe I'll go with a simpler setup and save the solar panels for other uses. That August sun is no problem but I have my doubts about February... so lets see how much all this "free" solar energy winds up costing me...

 

[terry.dinerman]

The mild cool weather was also perfect for that most hated task... FENCING...

Charles and I got the main run across the back section of the property running from my Good Neighbor Joe to the driveway installed and were headed up to the main gate when time ran out...

A total of 3 corners, 5 gates and about 1,000 feet of wire... next I am going to aim for completing the main run up the driveway to the main gate...

...JUST another 4 gates and 1,000 feet to go....

 

[terry.dinerman]

Of the entire trip, the BEST part was making a new friend...

Charles, my Right Hand, and "Sombra" a 7 month-old Chihuahua adopted each other...

...and this little charmer is well on her way to being the baddest 7 pound farm dog in Texas...

 

[Jim Shooz]

Good to see progress

 

[weldingisfun]

Just curious Terry, why did you put five gates on a 1000' run of fence?

 

[EddieWalker]

Nice progress Terry

How are you unrolling your fence? I'm planning on fencing in about 20 acres for goats and cattle and was thinking of making a trailer of sorts to pull the fence around, but since I've never actually done this before, I don't know if it's needed or worthwhile.

Eddie

 

[terry.dinerman]

Just curious Terry, why did you put five gates on a 1000' run of fence?

Well, that's an Excellent Question... So starting a Good Neighbor Joe's fence, we have a 12 foot gate for vehicle access around the perimeter, then we have another 12 footer for access to the corral containing the proposed combination Goat Shed, Poulete Chalete and Rabbitat, then we have a point where all three pastures join up at a corner, so there is a 3 way sorting gate of 5-footers... I have a pile of second hand gates from a Craigslist deal so I will have plenty to choose from...

 

[terry.dinerman]

Nice progress Terry How are you unrolling your fence? I'm planning on fencing in about 20 acres for goats and cattle and was thinking of making a trailer of sorts to pull the fence around, but since I've never actually done this before, I don't know if it's needed or worthwhile. Eddie

I built a widget... it's a tee bar made of treated 2x4, a heavy galvanized anchor swivel, a large shackle and a bit of chain. Cut your 2x4 to fit the size rolls you are using, taper the top so you can shove it thru the hole in the roll. The shackle and swivel at the top let me hoist up the roll with the boom pole on my tractor, then I run a small length of chain to a couple of links loosely attached to the bottom by a lag screw and shackle at the bottom of the tee bar, and terminate the chain at the base of the boom. This way the whole shebang can swivel and stay vertical. I can put my tractor in low low low gear and chug along while the fence unrolls and Charles my Right Hand clips the top wire to the posts... the swivel is 'sticky' enough to keep tension on the wire and prevent a backlash. It made the job almost pleasant... almost...

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Thanks for the update. Progress is good. So is my coffee this morning.

 

[EddieWalker]

Thanks Terry. That's kind of what I was imagining. I'm probably going to weld something together using pipe and channel with wheels at the ends that I can tow behind the Mule or tractor. Hopefully if all goes well, I can even start on this project something this year!!!

Congratulations on all your progress. Hope to see some pictures of goats pretty soon.

Eddie