What have you done to your Branson today?

[Zork]

Lol, sorry for the dilemma. I'm going to ask, lol, you to repost that information in a completely new thread titled 'What has your Branson done to you today'. Lol, I'm just kidding and that humor was probably funnier in my head and best left there. I was in the data mining/information gathering business for the last 27 years and sometimes the labor involved did not seem worth the results. I often found myself asking myself 'what have you been doing all day?' until everything was placed into one big report. Thank you for your efforts and the transparency to post it here because I've often wondered about my wheel placement. Now, when someone on this forum asks/posts that question, I hope you will be our new expert on that data/matter. Thanks again.

 

[ning]

Well today was a day of big NO accomplishment for me. Several years ago I had moved the rims on my Branson 8050 to get more clearance for tire chains and ended up with the valve stems being on the inside of the rims. Kind of pain in the butt to check pressure or add air to them. I had some new tires on order for the rear (just changed the fronts a while ago) and I thought to my self I just go ahead and move the mounted tires so as to get the valve stems on the outside, so what if the tires are on backwards for a few days. Well after trying the first one without unbolting the wheel weights (two 300# weights on each side, I don't like fluid filled) and quickly realized that, that would not be a workable plan got it bolted back on the tractor and started removing the weights. I use the pallet forks on the other tractor to slide up under the inner edge of the weight and unbolt them and slide them on to the fork. Got all 4 weights removed, then started on the tire/wheels. Got them both unbolted from the tractor and rolled out of the way, brought the left one over to the right side and said well hell that's not going to work, so unbolted the centers from the outer rim and trying the various spacing only to come to the conclusion that I couldn't get the desired spacing with the valve stem on the outside. So bolted the centers back on the axle flange on both sides then rolled and levered the outer rims and tires to line up those bolts and secure every thing back the way it was. Damn!!!. And I've still got to mount the weights yet. So several hours of working with good sized tires and rolling them around the tractor to accomplish nothing. 18.4 -30's get to be a bit heavy.

Are there any gaps in the wheel centers that you could feed an extension to the valve stem, like some do for duallies?

(random pic from the web, from this site, i repeat random, no recommendation should be associated with this)

 

[ning]

For a while I hoped "ok it was a wet year this is just seepage from the hill coming up here" but get into dry summer and it didn't change and I knew the truth - pipe leak.

Last year I replaced our irrigation pump. Previous one was noisy and had experienced at least one too many frosts without being drained; I'd rebuilt it twice over the years but clearly a rebuild wasn't going to help the basic issue, it only built a bit over 40psi and that just didn't cut it at our upper garden which is up the hill. I have the new pressure tank for 70/50 now and the new pump is a submersible, sitting in the holding tank, so it's almost entirely silent - a slight humm audible from a couple feet away, probably from the vibrations on the pipe.

Anyways, pretty sure that that psi upgrade popped a joint, and after a bunch of probing with rebar and then hand digging to verify, I used the backhoe and found the culprit:
View attachment 1851001
on the right is the 2" PVC coupling, and to the left you can see the 2" PVC pipe that someone 35 years ago read the glue instructions which said "primer not necessary with new pipe" and believed it. My guess is that this has always leaked just a bit but that the new pressure popped it further loose.
View attachment 1851000

The ground there has an ugly clay layer and I didn't want to make a mess all over the surface - not to mention rocks for the mower to hit, so I dropped the loader bucket and every scoop coming out of the ground was dropped into it; when it filled up I went over, grabbed the bucket, and dumped it on a nearby grassless hill which shouldn't be too much effort to get the dirt back for filling afterwards.

I was very tempted to take the teeth off of the bucket as I was concerned I'd hook the pipe with them, and thought I could get a closer dig without them (they aren't exactly needed in this glop).

Very tempted to get a 6" trenching bucket -- anyone with a Branson BH have one? - if so, where did you get it? - I see bxpanded.com has one but I'm not sure I'm $417 ($379+shipping) tempted.

The actual repair in case you're interested, I used a compression coupling. I suspect that they introduce a significant amount of turbulence but that's not a huge concern in this application; the fact that no glue is used and you don't even need to dry the pipe - cleaning it is needed still of course - but you can go full pressure as soon as it's put together instead of waiting for the glue to fully cure (usually give glue an hour actually but...); it's much easier than digging up enough of the pipe to be able to flex a regular coupling into place, and cheaper than using a union - and requires much less accuracy as well. Just need to cut out no more than the center part of the coupling can span, and lift one end of the pipe up just enough to slip it over... see the pics you get the jist. Hand-tight was plenty - immediately turned the water back on and no leaks!
View attachment 1851004View attachment 1851005View attachment 1851006

I went out to the gravel/cement plant in town, got a few 5-gallon buckets of pea gravel ($1 each - I think it actually works out to be cheaper than the by-the-ton price right now probably because it's the same price as 10 years ago), and worked the gravel under the pipe and all around it.

Then got some of the glop that I'd previously dug out and filled the hole, worked it in the best I could with the bucket ... got some straw/chicken****/woodchip mixture from near the chicken coop to cover it, and drove over it a few times.

I don't doubt it'll settle over winter and require a top-off but at least it's not a gaping chasm of gunk. Definitely don't step on it for a while though...

 

[ning]

A couple years ago I made this quonset-style coop for my ducks & geese:

It's got wheels at one end mounted on an "L" type of setup - you pull down on the arm and the end lifts up, pin the arm and you can more easily move the coop:

Well I did say more easily - you still have to lift the other end and move it, and that crappy little wheel gets stuck in every little divot and the end you pick up is close to a hundred pounds... I have a pair of much larger wheel/tires to replace them with but that requires the axle be cut off and replaced with a larger one so I haven't gotten around to it. I'm thinking of moving the wheel attachment point a little further away from that end as well to make the other end lighter.

and given that we're supposed to get 6-8" rain the next number of days I wanted to put the coop on the hill so that the water wouldn't pool where they sleep

The first place I tried to move the coop, basically right uphill from the flat where it had been, the hill isn't straight so there were big gaps under the long tubes of the coop. It nearly killed me moving it up onto the hill that little distance, and I knew that I'd be in sad shape even trying to get it about 100y distant to a place I knew was a good straight hill (it's tilted, but the hill isn't curved, if you get the drift) so

I lifted the one end with the tractor forks and slowly backed it to where it needed to go. The forks aren't an ideal attachment, but it works.

(Coop is constructed from 1" EMT, 10'x20', with cattle panels arched from one side to the other; the closed end is also made from cattle panel, somewhat chopped into shaped, as is the opening end which also has an emt-framed emt door. Entire thing is then also covered in chicken wire, which is attached with baling wire. Overall I'd make it again but I think this one is a little too long, and I'd like to find a better way to attach the chicken wire because it was a pain to do and the edges fray especially with geese messing with anything and everything)

 

[LouNY]

Are there any gaps in the wheel centers that you could feed an extension to the valve stem, like some do for duallies?

View attachment 1868081

(random pic from the web, from this site, i repeat random, no recommendation should be associated with this)

Possibly, not a lot of room with the weights on.

 

[LouNY]

Well about 45 minutes to an hour getting the rear chains mounted today then about an hour with the york rake breaking up ice from Thursdays snow fall.

ready to go, ------------------------------------------- almost around,

One done, one to go, -------------------------------------- done ready to go,

Before the york rake, after using the bucket on the Kioti the day before, the windrow of ice

the final result,

 

[ptsg]

Worked on my stripes today.

 

[ning]

I pulled invasive blackberries today for a while using my backhoe's new ripper tooth to loosen the ground first

usually I'm happy to occasionally get part of the root nodule when using my pulaski but the ripper pulled way more than normal up without making a WW1 battlefield out of the ground; I sunk the tooth in and pulled it through the ground a couple times around a plant and then pulled by hand

got some massive root nodules which is great because the plants don't come back this way

 

[ptsg]

I pulled invasive blackberries today for a while using my backhoe's new ripper tooth to loosen the ground firstView attachment 1966204

usually I'm happy to occasionally get part of the root nodule when using my pulaski but the ripper pulled way more than normal up without making a WW1 battlefield out of the ground; I sunk the tooth in and pulled it through the ground a couple times around a plant and then pulled by hand

got some massive root nodules which is great because the plants don't come back this wayView attachment 1966202View attachment 1966203

Nice job. Those blackberries will spread everywhere if not kept under control.

I really want need a ripper for my backhoe so I can pull out those nasty wild-cane roots that spread everywhere.

 

[ning]

Nice job. Those blackberries will spread everywhere if not kept under control.

I really want need a ripper for my backhoe so I can pull out those nasty wild-cane roots that spread everywhere.

I've heard somewhere that you're handy with metal - would love to see your take on a ripper!

 

[LouNY]

Well a nice bit of work done to the Branson 8050 today she has her new rear shoes on to match the fronts from a few weeks ago. BKT Ridemax IT 696's all around now. Then the old Branson rears got put on the old IH 574 as they were much better then what was on her.

Old tires still on at 10:30 this morning, ----------------------new ones by about 11:30

side view of the new tires,----------------------------------a comparious of the fronts before they were mounted

Then it was time to start on the old IH574 breaking down one tire and puting a takeoff from the Branson on the old rim ended up fighting it for a while then ended up using a tube on that one. Fortunately I had a spare new tube. Then we mounted the other Branson rear on the new wheel outer section I had bought a year ago as I knew the old ones were in rough shape. I spent most of a day a few years ago welding up and repairing the one outer section that we used. Then started picking up about 1 PM just as the rain decided to start.

 

[ptsg]

I've heard somewhere that you're handy with metal - would love to see your take on a ripper!

I need to go over my stock and see what I have for that project. It's running pretty low, specially the thick stuff.

 

[LouNY]

Chains are back on the Branson for the winter;

Got lazier/smarter this year, I usually mount the chains on a flat section of my driveway. This year I did it on a sloped section. After I tied the rope to the latchs of the chains and hooked them to the tire treads. I could reach in and release the parking brake and let her roll 3-4 feet, stop go around back and spread the chains out on the tires, and repeat till the ends were up about lower chest height. Then pulled the center chains up and fastened them, then fastened the out chains. I did have to adjust them just a bit for the new tires.

 

[ning]

I re-fenced my land a couple years back, with the new fence more closely matching the borders of the property. Previous owner had put up chain link closer to the house, primarily to keep his dog in.

I had some chain link fence still to remove; today I removed a 105' section and can now access the area previously behind it with my tractor - there wasn't access previously because of a short steep hill in one part, and a bunch of trees in another blocking access.
View attachment 1988091

There's a lot of brush and smaller trees to deal with there but now I can do it the easy way - here with the A-frame to yank an oak out and avoid dealing with regrowth in the future:

There was also an old planter bed made with toxic creosote railroad ties (predates my tenure). I plucked them out with tongs hanging from the backhoe:

I'll use the still-decent ones in a non-planter spot for a small retaining wall.

Also grabbed this mini tree that didn't want to come out easily; apparently I've cut it down more than a few times...View attachment 1988092

 

[ning]

Ordered recently (11/24) - delivered yesterday.
6" bucket for my backhoe.
Much of my backhoe work involves either digging a trench for a water pipe, or fixing a water pipe already in the ground, and there's less mess to make with a narrower bucket.

Realized as I opened it though, with the new quick attach I've got for the backhoe, ideally I need a new pin that stays with the new bucket. (Yes I can swap a pin between the two buckets or the ripper but that's an easy step to skip with a new pin.)

Can I just use some 1" rod, cut to length? Or, where to order a fancy one? These pins are fixed with a bolt and not lubricated.

 

[ptsg]

Ordered recently (11/24) - delivered yesterday.
6" bucket for my backhoe.
Much of my backhoe work involves either digging a trench for a water pipe, or fixing a water pipe already in the ground, and there's less mess to make with a narrower bucket.

Realized as I opened it though, with the new quick attach I've got for the backhoe, ideally I need a new pin that stays with the new bucket. (Yes I can swap a pin between the two buckets or the ripper but that's an easy step to skip with a new pin.)

Can I just use some 1" rod, cut to length? Or, where to order a fancy one? These pins are fixed with a bolt and not lubricated.View attachment 2087530

Are you burying the pipes for the irrigation on your orchards?

 

[ning]

Are you burying the pipes for the irrigation on your orchards?

Various places around the land.

The orchard had pipes buried when I moved here, and somewhat regrettably when I redid the plumbing (old guy used thin walled pvc which unsurprisingly didn't hold up well over time) I did similar (with sched 40) though better routed; U think in further retrospect I would have many fewer stub-ups and run more surface water via poly pipe. Currently every tree has a ½" stub-up which a circle of poly with emitters attached; it works nicely but can also be a pain sometimes (mowing...).

My most immediate need for the trencher bracket is to run a gas line from where I'm going to have a propane tank to where I'll install a backup generator (which will be used to recharge solar batteries in the case of an extended power failure in the winter, when the solar doesn't function).

@ptsg any suggestions for what I should use for a bucket pin? Is a basic 1" solid rod sufficient?

 

[ptsg]

Various places around the land.

The orchard had pipes buried when I moved here, and somewhat regrettably when I redid the plumbing (old guy used thin walled pvc which unsurprisingly didn't hold up well over time) I did similar (with sched 40) though better routed; U think in further retrospect I would have many fewer stub-ups and run more surface water via poly pipe. Currently every tree has a ½" stub-up which a circle of poly with emitters attached; it works nicely but can also be a pain sometimes (mowing...).

My most immediate need for the trencher bracket is to run a gas line from where I'm going to have a propane tank to where I'll install a backup generator (which will be used to recharge solar batteries in the case of an extended power failure in the winter, when the solar doesn't function).

@ptsg any suggestions for what I should use for a bucket pin? Is a basic 1" solid rod sufficient?

All my orchards have 16 mm poly pipe buried, then a Tee fitting on each tree with a short piece of hose and the emitter right by the base of the tree. Best thing I ever did. Burying this pipe was the original intent of my backhoe, of course, it evolved into a lot more useful machine.

I can now till the orchards without having to worry about any pipes. The only thing I would change, was to move the short hose and emitter further away from the roots of the trees because I believe as the tree and roots grow, it might wrap around the hose and pinch it.

1" solid rod will be perfectly fine. Specially with the quick attach, since it a static application as the pin doesn't have to be a pivot point as well. By the way, a quick attach for the backhoe is awesome!! I built mine recently and it's a much pleasant experience to swap buckets. Heck, it even makes me want to make more attachments. A ripper is definitely in order.

This was the beginning of the olive tree orchard we did about about 2 years ago. A trench more or less straight about 60 cm deep, deep enough to not have an issues with the subsoiler, then we put those bamboo canes where the tree is going. We then placed the pipe with the T fittings and emitters. Put a layer of dirt on top of that so the trees wouldn't sit so deep and finally we put the trees in and covered everything.

I do have plans to extend this orchard out by 2 more rows, make it about 40 olive trees in total. Then I another section of the land, I'm planning on a new olive tree orchard with about 70 trees.

Hopefully I can make my own olive oil sometime in the future. Right now, olive oil is like liquid gold, crazy expensive.

 

[LouNY]

Ordered recently (11/24) - delivered yesterday.
6" bucket for my backhoe.
Much of my backhoe work involves either digging a trench for a water pipe, or fixing a water pipe already in the ground, and there's less mess to make with a narrower bucket.

Realized as I opened it though, with the new quick attach I've got for the backhoe, ideally I need a new pin that stays with the new bucket. (Yes I can swap a pin between the two buckets or the ripper but that's an easy step to skip with a new pin.)

Can I just use some 1" rod, cut to length? Or, where to order a fancy one? These pins are fixed with a bolt and not lubricated.View attachment 2087530

Good luck with that narrow bucket, in our sticky ground the narrow buckets don't clean out. They have to have enough width for the soil weight to buckle in the center and pull the edges in and out.

 

[ning]

Good luck with that narrow bucket, in our sticky ground the narrow buckets don't clean out. They have to have enough width for the soil weight to buckle in the center and pull the edges in and out.

This bucket isn't very deep even at the top, so I think it'll be better than most for that. Still, in winter-wet glop it could be iffy, but the primary purpose should still work - cut the ground, and 8+ months out of the year here the ground is dry enough that I doubt there will be sticking issues.

I'll update here with more experience.