OP
MotorSeven
Elite Member
This multi-tasking is hard on this ADD guy:confused2:. I have the slate in he bathroom that needs grouting, I'm helping the electrician, hanging boxes and drilling holes, working on the basement shower pan & getting ready for tile there. Then as those get done, new ones are popping up that need to be addressed.
For instance I have been searching Craigslist for a used 1,000 gal propane tank for a few months. All that have been available have been a state or two away. Yesterday, I found a 600 gal just 40 min away. The owner was a sweet 80 year old lady who had just switched from gas heat to all electric. She said the tank is in the yard, but you have to move/load it yourself. Hmmmm, TRACTOR time, so I hooked up the trailer & Kioti and headed over there.
Well, the tank was in really good shape, but it was sitting in her little manicured yard with a 5' chain link fence around it with only walk through gates. If that was not bad enough, there were low(8') overhead telephone lines draped all over the place like wet spagetti. Her yard was a obstacle course of various plants, flower beds, concrete deer(those dang things are heavy), stone borders, flag pole......you get the idea. The only way in was through the adjoining neighbors field, a narrow gate, then I had to take apart 60' of nice tight chain link fence. The tank was on level ground, but at the fence line, the property dropped off sloping down into a field at two converging angles and another fence w/gate at perpendicular to her fence. Did I mention it was hovering around 100 yesterday....{sigh}
I off loaded the Kioti and tools, took apart the fence and drove through the first narrow gate to do a almost zero clearance 47 point turn into her yard. Then another 114 point turn around in the yard, which led me to a third one to line up with the tank. I looked the tank up and empty it weighs over 1,000 lbs ...but it still had about 20% in it which means 120 gallons @ 4.23 lbs adding at least another 500 lbs. I attached chains to the forks and extracted the tank from it's bushy flowerbed and stone animal friends. I drove it lenghwise through the fence poles and set it down next to the other fence. I then had to lift the tank over the 5' fence while doing another 47 point turn backed up to the edge of the slope which was also running down to my right
I backed down the slope while turning into the center of the bowl shaped pasture to keep me level as possible. Then out up and onto the back of the truck(the tank fit on my 8' flatbed leaving a few inches to spare. Then I had to button up her fence, carry the deer back to the flower bed, re-secure the two gates, tie down the Big Bertha bomb on the back of my truck and load the tractor. It took me almost 4 hours, but I got it done without mishap. The owner (Miss Ruby) brought out water and soda for me, stayed out there the whole time pulling weeds in the flower beds, and at one point came over picked up the ratchet and started removing the nuts on the corner fence clamps...told me she was a mechanic for 32 years(WOW). Usually I am prepared to negotiate on my "used item" purchases....but what do you do when a little 80 year old woman say's, "I know it will take some work for you to get this out, so how about I take $50 off my asking price of $550? I just smiled and said, "Yes ma'am, that will be fine".
No pictures of the "extraction", but here are the results:
Big Bertha:
Oh, and of course I blew a trailer tire too!!!!:
For instance I have been searching Craigslist for a used 1,000 gal propane tank for a few months. All that have been available have been a state or two away. Yesterday, I found a 600 gal just 40 min away. The owner was a sweet 80 year old lady who had just switched from gas heat to all electric. She said the tank is in the yard, but you have to move/load it yourself. Hmmmm, TRACTOR time, so I hooked up the trailer & Kioti and headed over there.
Well, the tank was in really good shape, but it was sitting in her little manicured yard with a 5' chain link fence around it with only walk through gates. If that was not bad enough, there were low(8') overhead telephone lines draped all over the place like wet spagetti. Her yard was a obstacle course of various plants, flower beds, concrete deer(those dang things are heavy), stone borders, flag pole......you get the idea. The only way in was through the adjoining neighbors field, a narrow gate, then I had to take apart 60' of nice tight chain link fence. The tank was on level ground, but at the fence line, the property dropped off sloping down into a field at two converging angles and another fence w/gate at perpendicular to her fence. Did I mention it was hovering around 100 yesterday....{sigh}
I off loaded the Kioti and tools, took apart the fence and drove through the first narrow gate to do a almost zero clearance 47 point turn into her yard. Then another 114 point turn around in the yard, which led me to a third one to line up with the tank. I looked the tank up and empty it weighs over 1,000 lbs ...but it still had about 20% in it which means 120 gallons @ 4.23 lbs adding at least another 500 lbs. I attached chains to the forks and extracted the tank from it's bushy flowerbed and stone animal friends. I drove it lenghwise through the fence poles and set it down next to the other fence. I then had to lift the tank over the 5' fence while doing another 47 point turn backed up to the edge of the slope which was also running down to my right
I backed down the slope while turning into the center of the bowl shaped pasture to keep me level as possible. Then out up and onto the back of the truck(the tank fit on my 8' flatbed leaving a few inches to spare. Then I had to button up her fence, carry the deer back to the flower bed, re-secure the two gates, tie down the Big Bertha bomb on the back of my truck and load the tractor. It took me almost 4 hours, but I got it done without mishap. The owner (Miss Ruby) brought out water and soda for me, stayed out there the whole time pulling weeds in the flower beds, and at one point came over picked up the ratchet and started removing the nuts on the corner fence clamps...told me she was a mechanic for 32 years(WOW). Usually I am prepared to negotiate on my "used item" purchases....but what do you do when a little 80 year old woman say's, "I know it will take some work for you to get this out, so how about I take $50 off my asking price of $550? I just smiled and said, "Yes ma'am, that will be fine".
No pictures of the "extraction", but here are the results:
Big Bertha:
Oh, and of course I blew a trailer tire too!!!!:
