family and the clearing machine

[Highbeam]

Since I'm fairly new here and think I may hang around, I figured I would show you who I am and what I play on.

It's an international 500c from 1972. 6-way blade and 45 HP diesel engine. Once the bigger tree flipping and grading work is done then I plan to resell it to purchase a more expensive tractor for maintenance and finish work.

The little girl driving is my 2 year old daughter. Mama's cooking another one as we speak.

We are clearing the 15 acres of young forest on the weekends a little at a time. It is about 45 miles away and I don't think we can live there so long as I do the 9-5 without some major lifestyle compromises, mainly a loss of free time due to the commute.

 

[Highbeam]

Here's my cougar's tracks. I have large hands.

 

[Highbeam]

And the rake I am building to attach to the blade. The rake should allow me to pile brush for burning with less dirt included.

 

[JazzDad]

Please forgive my ignorance, Joe. How will the rake be attached to your blade?
/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[bczoom]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Since I'm fairly new here and think I may hang around, I figured I would show you who I am and what I play on.

The little girl driving is my 2 year old daughter. Mama's cooking another one as we speak.)</font>

Glad you qualified. I opened the pic after reading the first line and thought "wow. so small but can read, type and drive". I see now, you're on left side of the picture.

Welcome to TBN (although I'm a bit late but it's the first time our paths have crossed).

Congrats on the 2nd being "in the oven".

Brian

 

[Highbeam]

The rake is not complete in that picture. The ends are now capped, there are also holes blown through the main beam for the vertical pieces that will go up to the top of the blade. This picture is what I was going for. Materials were well over 1000 bucks with steel prices how they are so I went scavenging at my employer's shop. The beam is 1/4" thick well casing (a bit thin, the weakness) and the tines are 1-1/4" solid grade 8 bolts. The bolts were 42" long and used to hold lights to the foundations. I have the rest of the parts cut but not welded yet. It will be a clean up rake since I fear I will ruin it if I try to use it as a root rake. I will use it to push the material towards and into piles for burning.

See the attached photo for my inspiration.

 

[Taylortractornut]

THats a good looking 500C theres not too many around these parts, I found one with a bad final drive for 2400 bucks with a new undercarriage and factory sweeps with a 300 hour engine in it. I need to find the final drive before I buy it though. One thing on a 500 if its lkke most and has the scarifier on the back find an old cheap 3 point toolbar chisel plow and make a reciever to mount it onto the ripper. Makes a great pull behindbrush and root rake. I did this to a friends 350 Deere and it wont make a bigh pile but it rolls the brush up into a long windrow. You do this till you have a good long windrow then pussh it up into 3 or 4 sections then pile up together.

 

[HuckBB62]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">(
We are clearing the 15 acres of young forest on the weekends a little at a time. It is about 45 miles away and I don't think we can live there so long as I do the 9-5 without some major lifestyle compromises, mainly a loss of free time due to the commute.
)</font>

I wouldn't let that stop you. We bought our land up in the mountains, exactly 45 miles from where I work. The biggest hurdle was the mindset of the commute. I talked to other people living up there and they said it's "not that bad". Well, I considered the millions of poeple in LA that commute 1.5 hours each way and other people I know that drive 50 or so miles to work, and they live in the suburbs! I relish every moment at home. It's surrealistic to stand out on my porch and talk to the turkeys with a call, watch the hawks cruise the currents up the valley, watch the fat little quail run around in our brush, breath the clean air. One other benefit is that by having 14 acres, we don't have to deal with neighbors. No smog, it's cooler, we're only minutes away from the national forest.

My point is that we figured the living was way better up there, so we sold our "city" house and moved using all that money for our new place. I am a shift worker and only work four day work weeks so that extra 53 days off a year is certainly a consideration.

You know, I don't HATE people, it's just that besides my wife, there's not many that I want to LIVE with (neighbors)!

 

[Highbeam]

Thanks Huck. We had a good weekend this last weekend where I cleared a good bit of land in a hurry. It was under the canopy so the brush wasn't real dense. The sun was out all day and the freshly exposed earth had that great smell. These are the days that I think I would be crazy not to move out there and set up a home and hobby farm. Actually most days it is that way except when it is dark and rainy or when the work is slow and unrewarding. The commute is 1.25 hours on during the rush hour from my 5 days a week job. On one hand, I want to get home to enjoy the time with my 2 year old daughter and with the new kid to be born this fall. On the other hand, their childhoods will be greatly enhanced by chasing around goats and pigs, and bucking hay in the barn. Tough call and a major life change.

I will be out there today after work to drop off the repaired brush rake. Turns out it isn't quite up to the task of flipping stumps. I knew this was the case but didn't notice the planted stump hiding in the pile.

 

[DannyD]

Welcome.

I dont live in the country by any shot, but it is a small community. We have one place that traffic is bad, but I found a secret, leave 5 minutes early and I beat the "rush" to go nowhere. I am an early bird, and I hate being late for anything so not a bother to me. I also work "out" of the office in service, so most of my days are on the road anyway. Just thought of the 5 minute thing, helped me out alot.

As for the thoughts on the family and kids.........go for the country, they will be better off. I know lots of city slickers that if they had to collect eggs would starve, but I dont know many "farmers" that would miss the "office" environment if it were gone. Common sense always out does book sense.

As for the cougar, please if it must go, find someone to trap it and make sure it gets placed where it will find a new life. Yes, I am a big cat fan, and cougars are my favorite of all. If you and it can live in harmony, let it be, please.