Winter prep

Boondox · Sep 29, 2002

Not for the tractor; old Clementine works right through the worst winter has to throw at us. Talking about the land here. I was going to mow the field one last time, but the 2" of rain we got in the last couple of days nixed that idea -- too soggy! I need to mount the backhoe to dig the silt out of the drainage ditches one last time, but while I have the winch mounted am dragging as many hardwood logs out of the forest as possible so we have a head start on the wood supply for the winter of 03-04. Also still have to cut up and split the backup supply for this winter. I think I have plenty, but the cost of running out of heating wood in March or April is just too high! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

Must also go through the shop and garage making sure all the tools are properly put away, as searching for one wrench in the middle of a blizzard is not my idea of fun!

How do others prepare for winter?

Pete

Will_C · Sep 29, 2002

Pete, Sounds like the same drill I do around here. Move all things that that can freeze into the heated part of the garage, one last mowing, leaf removal, and making sure there are no holes in the drive that would make snow plowing a tougher job. Of course, I don't have the large piece of property you have, but with my football coaching, time is at a premium for my few acres. Oh yeah, I'd better remmber to prep the pressure washer for storage. Darn you, just responding has given me more to do!
Will

Boondox · Sep 29, 2002

Ah, the pressure washer! Thanks for reminding me! I live in dread of having that thing damaged by freezing. Also must treat all my fuel and run each internal combustion device to get treated fuel into the carburetors. Then the little things like bringing all the spray cans into heated spaces. Nothing more frustrating than having a full can of WD-40 that refuses to spray any more!

Pete

Egon · Sep 29, 2002

Pete:
Don't give use the old sob story. Think Snow and ski's. Your in prime country.

Egon

ronjhall · Sep 29, 2002

Pete
/w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif Yesterday it was 72 degrees. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Today it’s 76 degrees, /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif and tomorrow it’s going to be in the 80’s. /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif I’m not thinking about winter until next year. /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif
As soon as the trees start changing colors I’m going to clean up all the equipment and rig the KUBOTA for winter. Might get enough snow this year to make it worthwhile putting them on. /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif

Boondox · Sep 29, 2002

Think Snow and ski's. Your in prime country. 

True, but I can't ski. My left knee was redesigned by shrapnel several years ago and the knee doesn't do well with side stress. Snowshoeing is fun, but much slower. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

Pete

frank_f15 · Sep 29, 2002

Pete: i put all the summer stuff away in the other garage, put anything that might freeze down in the basement, put out my driveway markers, and put back blade on tractor, cut the fields for the last time,make sure tractor has fresh oil and filter, and just wait for the snow.

Egon · Sep 30, 2002

Pete:
My Appologies for the flipant response. It was made in ignorance of the situation.

Egon

Boondox · Sep 30, 2002

Egon -- No offense taken, old friend. Scars aren't visible on the Web! /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

Pete

looch · Sep 30, 2002

I give everything a final cut around mid-October (might be more like December this year). I give both the mower and cutter a thorough cleaning, sharpen the blades, grease them up, and check the gear box oil. I remove the wheels from the mower and put both units up on 4X4's.

The tiller comes out and goes to work on the garden and part of the flower beds. It gets cleaned, greased, etc and put back into the barn.

The snowblower comes out and gets verified. It should be ready to go as I always take care of things before putting them away. Maybe just a shot of grease here and there to make sure.

More specifically on this year's list: I cut down a couple of trees in the back of the field last fall and just stacked the rounds between two saplings. I need to go down there, collect them with the pick-up, split them and stack them.

Trev · Sep 30, 2002

How do others prepare for winter?

Tractor preps are the easy part for me. I have a front blade, so I simply remove the lock pins and put on the skid shoes, to convert it from dirt digging to snow plowing duty.

I'll mow one final time sometime soon, and then till up next years garden and plant red clover for a winter crop. We need to do something about grubs too, but we haven't decided what.

Then the little things.. gas treatment for the little push mower, run it a bit, etc. Clean up the rear finish mower and replace the blades. Check the tiller for any cracked tines, etc., and get that ready for Spring.

Do the routine maint on the snowblower.. make sure it's running right.

Wait until it gets colder, and then swap the summer wheels/tires for the winter ones on both cars.

As others said, spray cans, etc., moved into the basement from the unheated garage.

Have the annual furnace check/cleaning done in the house.

I think that's about it. But I probably left something out. /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif

Hank · Oct 1, 2002

How do others prepare for winter

This will be our first winter in our new home.

Let's see,

1. start on backlog of landscaping/tractor projects

2. fill up the swimming pool

3. get out the Bar-B-Que

/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Boondox · Oct 1, 2002

Hank -- As a refugee from California, I've gotta admit I don't miss that boring weather one bit! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif It took me almost a year in Vermont before I noticed the sky. In San Diego it was so uniformly hazy/smoggy that I never looked up.

As for the BBQ, for the first two years of my marriage it rained or snowed every single time we planned on grilling...so we gave up. Now, if it rains or snows, we fire up the grill! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Pete

frank_f15 · Oct 1, 2002

hey Pete: nice to know there is another deranged person out there, i often fire up the grill in the winter, and around here I MEAN WINTER/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif nothing like a steak and either shrimp or lobster talil done on the grill when it is snowing. oops think we might have gone off original topic.

frank_f15 · Oct 1, 2002

nice to know i am not the only one who cleans and services thier equipment BEFORE i store. much easier that way and besides it makes me happy. hate to tackle that stuff when i need it./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

LazyJ_Arabians · Oct 4, 2002

Don't forget your sprayers.. pto, electric, backpacks, hand pumps

tiltbed · Oct 5, 2002

now thats a rough one...most of my equiptment is used year round...tillage is cleaned and put up after spring,bh is cleaned after last mowing {sept}...ok the main winter projects probably are...digging out the tree stands..dusting off the bow,oiling up the shotgun and getting some fat ran off the beagle...winters are almost as fun as summers...lol..Sid

Anonymous Poster · Oct 6, 2002

I remove my belly mower, pressure wash it, scrap the junk from underneath, and spray underneath with WD40 to resist rust, unhook the mower belt to relieve tension on it, grease the zerk fittings, and check the gear oil. Original belt is 10 years old (knock on wood). I then store it in the detached garage.

I also run my push mower out of gas. Sometimes I have to help it by emptying some of the fuel by turning the mower over, otherwise it will run for quite a long time. Of course I do that before I start it up and it gets hot. I remove the spark plug, a squirt or two of oil, and put the plug back in for use in the spring. I then disconnect the spark plug wire and pull on the cord once or twice. NEVER had a problem starting in the spring with more than two pulls on the cord. Works great! It will smoke a tiny bit in the spring as the oil burns off but this only lasts a few seconds. I also do this with the weedeater and gas blower.

Since I plow snow with the pickup now I don't put my scraper blade on anymore. Just sit in a warm pickup to plow my driveway and neighbors. I can use the Kubota front end loader to get real close to things and of course use the old shovel, if needed. Yuk.