Doing More Work with the LS

[rocknrod]

Well it's no Gary rock but it had to be moved - Made the bucket seem small.

As you see I modified my sun shade/ROPs to get max shade :thumbsup:
I couldnt get under it. It kept moving across the property. So I tied it up.

 

[timebak]

rocknrod: Dude, that's some pretty good riggin' to strap that rock onto that bucket like that. I guess now we know where the "rock" part of your user name came from... :laughing:

Did you dig this rock up, or was it laying on the surface already?

 

[Gary Fowler]

That is a nice rock. I wish I had several about that size to line my pond overflow sluice with. Would make a nice little pad to make a step down the hill series of waterfalls. I planned to put in a little back of the dam overflow with series of step downs but the underground springs got to flowing so fast that my brother in law had to cut in a upper sluice to keep from washing out the dam. Now I think I will just build up the dam more at the back and see if I can find some rocks like you are hauling to make me some step downs. Maybe make it curve around and down to the creek. All my rocks are roundish so may have to look for some at the rock market. You never have what you need.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I envy your short sleeved shirt if that is a recent photo. It has been in the 20's up in Arkansas and lots of snow this year. I think we have had 4 good snows of 4-8". Last 2 were about 4 " each.Two came while I was home Christmas for 3 weeks and 8" and about 6" and then the temps went down into the teens. I didnt even attempt to crank up the LS or get out other than to push the snow off the patio. Then I came back to Nigeria where it is over 100F everyday. Shock/Shock both coming home and going back.

 

[rocknrod]

I envy your short sleeved shirt if that is a recent photo. ...

I'm driving the tractor
I have a whole bunch of these flat rocks now, just piling them up on the side.
Maybe use them for a walkway when the house is finished.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Rocks are plentiful at my place but mostly small golf ball to basketball size when you till up a spot. I cant wait to see what turns up when I start fixing up my garden spot. I have to confess that I went outside the LS brand and bought a Kubota RTV 900 with hydraulic dump. I think is will be handy for moving these rocks that keep growing up out of the ground yearly. Many are small, but big enough to cripple a lawnmower if hit and they just keep coming and coming so it is a never ending battle to keep them at bay.

I am fantasizing about maybe building myself or maybe just buying a tree spade to put on one of the Tractors, perhaps the Yanmar FEL ,just for rooting out rocks and maybe even use it for planting shrub and such that the wife likes to set everywhere. I think that would be a handy tool

 

[timebak]

Rocks happen. And they continue to breed. We have a couple of fields on the back of our farm in Alabama that have been under continuous cultivation since the 1920's, and we STILL drag up rocks from bowling ball size to almost half-a-refrigerator size. And we've been no-tilling that ground for decades.

Right after we got our first tractors with cab and A/C (a pair of 1976 IH 966 Turbo's), I was chisel plowing one of those fields and ripping right along in the 104 degree August heat with the A/C wide open and blowing snowballs. I wasn't paying close enough attention and was enjoying all that horsepower and I let the plow get a little deep.

I snagged a large microwave oven sized rock and up it came, jammed right between two of the chisel arms. Danggit!!! I jumped out of that cab and grabbed a big prybar and started to work. I dang near passed out. Coming out of that icebox cab into that 104 degree heat (even higher in the sun out in that field) nearly killed me.

By the time I got that small boulder pried out of my plow, I was about to fall out from heat exhaustion. Never had that problem when I was sitting out in the heat already................................. But I would still never give up that cab for row crop work.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I know that feeling. I was trying to put up some fence last Oct and the weather was nice about 70F (just before the snow storm came and dropped it to 18F) . After about 5 post driven with a hand powered post driver, I was about like you described. I had to laydown and just close my eyes and relax for about 20 minutes to cool down. Of course I went off to the back side of the place without any water either. After I cooled down enough to get some strength back, I got on the tractor and went home for a cool drink and more rest. Later that afternoon, my b-i-l came over and gave me a hand and we used the FEL to push the rest of the post into the ground. Got to work smarter not harder when you are approaching Social Security age.

 

[rocknrod]

...
I am fantasizing about maybe building myself or maybe just buying a tree spade to put on one of the Tractors,...

You talking about one of these?

YouTube - Bucket Buddy Power Shovel Digging & Clearing Trees & Brush
I want one too. I like this one best, I saw another but it kept flipping up. Didnt have the turnbuckles on it.
If you find a place that sells them for a good price - let me know.:thumbsup:

 

[Gary Fowler]

Yes, something like that. There are one or two on TBN where guys built their own. On slides on under the bucket and has supports that extend to the back of the bucket then chain over the back and on the top of the bucket lip. I seemed ok and spread the force over the whole bottom of the bucket. If I get ready to build one I will have to search that one out, I think he used a piece of 12- or 18 pipe.