Above 1200 Sq/FT Cleaning Up My Shop

[Vieux]

Andy must restore all connections. Not in vain they made on the PCB.

 

[jbmatth]

Andy,
It is my pleasure to get you the Dakota, it is the least I can do for what you've helped me out with. I also have two small gifts I planned for your get together. See you Monday,
JB

 

[cdsloop]

That sprayer is very similar to the one we used before we bought our little Spra-coupe. But ours had the original 200 gallon tank, and I had fitted it with 50' homemade booms. It had a set of slicks on it just like the one you put back on! It worked well, but we had outgrown it. How do you like the boomless nozzles, what brand are they, and how many feet coverage do you get out of it? I've been toying with building a small 3 point sprayer with boomless nozzles to spray the areas of pasture that I can't get the coupe into. Maybe a 50 gallon tank to go on the back of a smaller utility tractor that I could maneuver in the wooded areas of our pastures. I have a pto pump ready for the task under the workbench, and a 3 point carry-all that could be retrofitted to be the frame...
We've been taken over with cockleburs in the last few years, and I need to get a handle on them this year.

 

[jimreed2160]

Andy vs The Kid

Kid--Hey Granddaddy, thems some pretty tires on your sprayer.

Andy--Thanks.

Kid--What's that wavy pattern on the back one?

Andy--That's called "tread".

Kid--Oh. What's it for?

Andy--It's where rich people keep their mud.

 

[drivesitfar]

Jim: OMG!!

Andy: i think Jim's version of the truth is pretty damn close from the stories you've talked about and shown with your tires. i bet you've paid for at least one or maybe all your hot rods with the money you've saved just on tires over the years. from changing your own to using them until they don't have rubber on them anymore.

speaking of which have you found a use for the STEEL BELTS??

i was over on the WTF thread and saw something i was going to copy and past to your thread cause i think with your scraps you acquire and your natural ability to re purpose you could make something like it. Go to the WTF thread and check it out or just Google HOLY CALF and you'll see what i'm talking about.

i know you might not NEED another BULL for a while, but did you find a good substitute for the one you sold yet?

cheers and keep on keeping us and you entertained while you do your chores and projects.

 

[Terrick down Under]

Thats a good one Jim, going to use it myself.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Andy must restore all connections. Not in vain they made on the PCB.

I understand completely. I could not see that the connections were severed but it is clear to me now. Thanks for your advice. No post visible on one conductor. It disappears under the black cube. I have tried to remove it but will not come off easily. Do you think I have any chance to solder to the ribbon?

Andy,
It is my pleasure to get you the Dakota, it is the least I can do for what you've helped me out with. I also have two small gifts I planned for your get together. See you Monday,
JB

Thank you very much! And my son is happy about it too!

That sprayer is very similar to the one we used before we bought our little Spra-coupe. But ours had the original 200 gallon tank, and I had fitted it with 50' homemade booms. It had a set of slicks on it just like the one you put back on! It worked well, but we had outgrown it. How do you like the boomless nozzles, what brand are they, and how many feet coverage do you get out of it? I've been toying with building a small 3 point sprayer with boomless nozzles to spray the areas of pasture that I can't get the coupe into. Maybe a 50 gallon tank to go on the back of a smaller utility tractor that I could maneuver in the wooded areas of our pastures. I have a pto pump ready for the task under the workbench, and a 3 point carry-all that could be retrofitted to be the frame...
We've been taken over with cockleburs in the last few years, and I need to get a handle on them this year.

I won't say anything positive about boomless sprayers, I'll just give you the negative:

1 I do not regret going to boomless nozzles
2 I have had no more broken booms
3 Nozzles have never plugged, even one time
4 I have never hit a tree with my boomless sprayer
5 I don't have to unfold booms upon entering a field
6 I don't have to fold booms before leaving the field

I know it's a lot of negatives, but I'm keeping mine. I have no idea of the maker, I've had them at least fifteen years. Here is my nozzle setup. I just removed the booms and added two nozzles. They cover about 30 feet (15 feet per nozzle).

Thanks for the comment!

Andy vs The Kid

Kid--Hey Granddaddy, thems some pretty tires on your sprayer.

Andy--Thanks.

Kid--What's that wavy pattern on the back one?

Andy--That's called "tread".

Kid--Oh. What's it for?

Andy--It's where rich people keep their mud.

Very nice! I figure off road trucks are for people who don't have a tractor. And those who drive around with mud all over their trucks did not have to go through the mud. They just wanted to.

Jim: OMG!!

Andy: i think Jim's version of the truth is pretty damn close from the stories you've talked about and shown with your tires. i bet you've paid for at least one or maybe all your hot rods with the money you've saved just on tires over the years. from changing your own to using them until they don't have rubber on them anymore.

speaking of which have you found a use for the STEEL BELTS??

i was over on the WTF thread and saw something i was going to copy and past to your thread cause i think with your scraps you acquire and your natural ability to re purpose you could make something like it. Go to the WTF thread and check it out or just Google HOLY CALF and you'll see what i'm talking about.

i know you might not NEED another BULL for a while, but did you find a good substitute for the one you sold yet?

cheers and keep on keeping us and you entertained while you do your chores and projects.

Jim is good, isn't he? Somewhat perceptive, I'm afraid.

I'm not sure whether one saves money being cheap, but it sure feels like you do. Maybe enough to buy a picture of an old car

Never found a use for steel in tires. I had a design for a tire burning furnace with an afterburner to insure it was smokeless but the steel was going to be an issue.

Don't know what WTF thread is.

The guy I've bought from before has some bulls and as luck would have it my son in law and I are going bull shopping tomorrow. I do need a bull...

Thanks for your visit!

Thats a good one Jim, going to use it myself.

Rich folks, they can afford mud.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Good weather to spray for weeds today. And it is getting late, I like to spray mid to late April but we have had a run of wet weather. And it has been unseasonably cool, so the weeds are still small. It's a gorgeous morning, 15C (60F) and a light breeze.

I always load the sprayer in the same spot. It sets level so the gallon marks are accurate, and I have both well water and rural water close by.

Five gallons (two jugs) of 2, 4D in 280 gallons of water will cover 20 acres in 4th gear. That's two pints per acre. Tank is loaded

Cows are in the first field to be sprayed. The chemical won't hurt the cows.

The Corps of Engineers bought flood rights to the lowest 30 acres of the farm when the Keystone Lake project was installed. The rain for the last several weeks has resulted in the dam being closed to limit downstream flooding. The lake is filling fast. It is already two feet deep at the water outlet.

Water a bit higher than this begins eroding the fill area just to the left of the picture.

We go several years without seeing water back up onto the farm but this is not one of them. I need to keep a close watch on erosion around the old stone structure.

To spray a field with a 30 ft wide sprayer you have to drive 30 feet away from your last tracks. Sometimes it's hard to see the tracks. They are easily visible here.

Judging 30 ft takes practice, and when you miss you double spray (ok) or skip some strips. Actually I like skipping some areas. Later in the summer it proves to you how much good the spray did to keep weeds down. After you have been around a field a few times you also learn how the unsprayed or uncut portions look as the work progresses. Just like the little triangle pieces in your yard. That helps you to know where to spray. In 31 summers I've been over this field approaching 100 times.

Oklahoma is a "stand your ground" state. The cows know this. If you stop they won't move. And you interrupt the spray uniformity. If you don't stop you might hit them. If you hit one you can likely break a leg and have to destroy them. So you play chicken with cows. Shouting helps. Today I had lots of close calls but no accidents

One breakdown today. My PTO pump fell off. I don't use the set screws, they work loose. I tie the chain from the pump to the tractor which prevents the pump from rotating and holds it on. After several years the wire I had been using broke.

Fortunately this is my baler tractor so it always has wire from broken bales tied on the back. So I made a new tie piece for the chain. I had forgotten to put my tool box on the tractor so my Leatherman tool was all I had (and a small Crescent for the sprayer valve with no handle). Quick fix.

Next field we had horses. Not my horses. The neighbor's horses have decided they like my grass better than his weeds. Horses do not understand "stand your ground" so they ran.

Last field is my favorite. It is completely surrounded by big trees so you cannot see off the farm when you are in this field. And nobody off the farm can see it. I like that.

Here is my milepost picture. This milkweed is too big to kill, but there are lots of other weeds and I know where this is. I'll look at it over the next few weeks to monitor progress of the spray.

If you want to kill weeds economically you use the published dosage rates and get a good kill, but it takes a few weeks. Homeowners apparently want to see results within 24 hours. I don't, as long as the weeds die.

Managed a bit of shed time and got the pattern painted.

Weekend to do list:

1 No bull
2 Ceiling insulation
3 Stack brush east of house
4 Load Bob to go to JB's
5 Take handyman to CPA/Zumba teacher's house to look at mowing
6 No shed time

Thanks for visiting!!

 

[tinker rick]

Andy, what's up with the canning jar on the air intake ?

 

[drivesitfar]

Andy: that field where the horses were in looked nicer than my lawn and not a weed in site and that was before you put on the weed killer.

speaking of dodging the cows can't you control what pasture they are in when you need to work? wouldn't it be easier if it was maybe feeding time so you had them all in one place or don't you need to feed them at all once the grass starts showing up after winter?

hope you find a nice Bull to make more calves and that won't kill you.

cheers and have a great weekend

 

[jimreed2160]

Engineer--The specification calls for "universal chain fastening hardware."

Andy--That sounds like bailing wire to me. I have some right here.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Andy, what's up with the canning jar on the air intake ?

That's a Donaldson precleaner which many Farmalls came with, Donaldson oil bath air cleaner below. There were several styles, including just a cap with an insect screen. This one is a centrifugal precleaner with vanes to spin the flow under the big part of the cap where the air enters. Heavier particles are supposed to end up in the jar. It's clear so you can see when it needs to be dumped. They must be for very dusty conditions and mine never collect much. I think the factory ones were unmarked so purists go crazy trying to find the "right" one. A Ball wide mouth Mason fits and that is what most farmers used whe they broke the original. Good enough for me.

Andy: that field where the horses were in looked nicer than my lawn and not a weed in site and that was before you put on the weed killer.

speaking of dodging the cows can't you control what pasture they are in when you need to work? wouldn't it be easier if it was maybe feeding time so you had them all in one place or don't you need to feed them at all once the grass starts showing up after winter?

hope you find a nice Bull to make more calves and that won't kill you.

cheers and have a great weekend

Looks are deceiving. It is a very productive river bottom field and has thick bermudagrass. That does help choke out many weeds but plenty will grow if I don't spray it. They are there, small and growing. This is the right time to spray.

I quit feeding about April 10. And the creek is up so I don't want to call them to the barn. They will swim the creek seemingly with no regard to the little calves which will try to follow them. I've seen the calves swim but it scares me. And it's not really an issue to spray with them there, you just have to be on your toes.

We did go and buy a bull today. A better one ($$$) than I had planned but he is a very nice one. He'll make some premium calves. I failed to take any photographs. Old cattlemen aren't much for having their picture taken anyway. But I forgot. They had 35 very nice bulls in a small pen (about 16 ft by 50 ft). I studied the data sheet showing birth date, scrotal diameter (yes, size does matter) and price. My son in law doesn't do paperwork he just wants to look. I told him to pick out six and we'd turn the others out and pick from the six. He stood on top of a six foot fence holding a light pole and took twenty minutes to pick his six. He picked out the highest priced one and some other dandies. None were bad, it's not that kind of place, but the best of the best. I told him his favorite was the highest priced and he just grinned. Then he asked whether I wanted good calves. I'm a sucker.

I hope he doesn't kill me Thanks for the "positive" thought!

Engineer--The specification calls for "universal chain fastening hardware."

Andy--That sounds like bailing wire to me. I have some right here.

You do know you can twist baling wire together and forge weld it into a bar or rod. You can make about anything out of baling wire.

It will last several years, and is universal fit

I don't know how people get along without it.

 

[oldironfarmer]

After bringing home the bull we put him in the barn, fed and watered, and left him to rest overnight to begin thinking this is home. He has spent his entire life in a bull pen with other fellows. He probably misses them but will not miss the missus he's getting ready to meet!

The spray is working. Here's the same weed from yesterday. It's looking tired.

The smaller weeds in the picture are wilting too!

Dietz's farm east of me, where the old cars parts are lurking, has lots of cedars we cut down several years ago scattered all over, including in the hay field. Last year Mark mowed around them. An aggravation, you miss some hay, and it looks like **** when mowing is done instead of nice and clean.

So I had Bob put on his steel fingers (grapple), loaded him up and drove him 1/4 mile to the Dietz Place. His steel tracks will tear up asphalt so he doesn't get to walk down the road. He picked up all the dead trees in the field and stacked them to burn.

Most everything in the foreground is poison ivy

Stacking brush on it will kill it when we burn.

And we found some quick sand. He sunk right down, I was backing and he tried to stand on his nose as he sank. I put the grapple down and it sank, so I closed it, rolled it down and pushed the ground and got him back a foot. About five times and we were on solid ground.

That's my hay barn in the distance.

I found a pile of old solid brick. They might make a nice floor for the foundry

Getting ready to load back up I see all this yellow hop clover. That's what we call it. Small clover (grows to maybe a foot) but it makes great hay, the cows like it better than alfalfa. Glad to see it proliferating in this field.

The insulators had more truck trouble so they couldn't come today. So I fired up the furnace and made a casting.

First I laid half the pattern down, with two runners and the sprue base, packed sand and turned it over

Put on the other pattern parts and the gates and sprue

Started packing sand

Finished the sand a split the flask

Pulled the patterns and have a cavity ready to pour

Fired up the furnace and made some muffins, then poured the flask.

Let it cool and cracked it open. Always exciting! And I meant to put riser on top of the two ears to make sure they fill, so I was nervous

But it came out pretty good.

A bit of shrinkage cracking at the base of the ears. I should have had a large radius there. But I think it will machine away, I have 1/8" to remove.

Got a vent right alongside one ear, but it will machine away

Man how I love making patterns and then casting from the patterns!

I guess Monday I'll go see JB and cast in his foundry.

He doesn't have a foundry?

What?

What will we do? Dig in the dirt I guess.

Thanks for the visits guys!! Looking forward to more casting

 

[1/2 Cup]

Andy, those bricks will make an awesome foundry floor.

I must say I do love your foundry work, I have learnt a whole new language ( google has been my friend )

Thanks for sharing..

 

[oldironfarmer]

Andy, those bricks will make an awesome foundry floor.

I must say I do love your foundry work, I have learnt a whole new language ( google has been my friend )

Thanks for sharing..

Thanks! Don't know how many whole brick are there, but I've got a few as well, so I'll have to investigate.

The foundry terminology is a bit new to me too. I find it best to learn by just using it instead of calling things by an incorrect name. I guess if you're checking Google you'll correct me where I stray

Thanks for looking in!

 

[dlcwent]

Always here reading AA even if I'm not commenting. It's hard for me to compete with Jim.(he's good)

I had to laugh at your novice mechanic statement. Yeah right!!!

I'm no farmer but that looked like a bull to me that was standing in the field challenging the tractor. So how many do you have now?

The pour looks good. I'm thinking you may have this foundry thing figured out.

Bailing wire and duct tape are the only two things needed to make most repairs. Much like a hammer and a pair of vice grips will suffice when doing most mechanical repairs.

Enjoy your Sunday.

 

[BBChevro]

Nice casting Andy, although I've never tried casting, I can understand the feeling of accomplishment that you are getting from it.

I liked the mini-tour of the farm too.

 

[BUGTHUG]

Hey Andy,
What is the second car over from the picture of the propane tank? I was wondering if you have a hood from a late 30's or 40's car? I have a friend that wants to build a speedster out of his 1930. Not sure what flavor it is, might be a Ford? He says the old timer hot rodders used the hoods that the nose of them are really round, and they adapt them to rear of body. You probably know more about this than I do?
On those bricks, they don't look like street bricks. I think the floor of the foundry might need the street bricks, I take they are processed different and it makes them stronger for cars to drive on?
You think it will only take one day to do the dirt work at JB's? He shold have some good dirt to fill some holes in his yard

 

[oldironfarmer]

Always here reading AA even if I'm not commenting. It's hard for me to compete with Jim.(he's good)

I had to laugh at your novice mechanic statement. Yeah right!!!

I'm no farmer but that looked like a bull to me that was standing in the field challenging the tractor. So how many do you have now?

The pour looks good. I'm thinking you may have this foundry thing figured out.

Bailing wire and duct tape are the only two things needed to make most repairs. Much like a hammer and a pair of vice grips will suffice when doing most mechanical repairs.

Enjoy your Sunday.

Jim is good. However I value your comments highly. You don't seem to be afraid to tell it like it is...

I wish I'd taken auto mechanics in school

What makes you think that is a bull?

And not a steer? It could be a bull, we missed banding one and will sell him as a bull. But he's just a little guy, and he's related to a lot of the folks in the herd. We need to avoid the British Royalty thing. That's how you get two headed calves. They don't do well, can't seem to focus.

I'm not much on duct tape, but I like the foil HVAC tape. It's been holding my undersink drain for several years now. I really should post a picture. Baling wire, however, that is a must have. It even makes a good filler metal for oxyacetylene welding.

thanks for stopping in, when have you scheduled your trip?

Nice casting Andy, although I've never tried casting, I can understand the feeling of accomplishment that you are getting from it.

I liked the mini-tour of the farm too.

Thank you! At some point I expect to be able to make parts I can't find. So far I'm just practicing casting. If I get good at casting, the sky's the limit: I'll be able to make things, get my hook to the middle of the stream, and have just the right mix of personnel for a theatrical production

I might even be able to learn to cast a sunder.

Thanks for the lead in!

Hey Andy,
What is the second car over from the picture of the propane tank? I was wondering if you have a hood from a late 30's or 40's car? I have a friend that wants to build a speedster out of his 1930. Not sure what flavor it is, might be a Ford? He says the old timer hot rodders used the hoods that the nose of them are really round, and they adapt them to rear of body. You probably know more about this than I do?
On those bricks, they don't look like street bricks. I think the floor of the foundry might need the street bricks, I take they are processed different and it makes them stronger for cars to drive on?
You think it will only take one day to do the dirt work at JB's? He shold have some good dirt to fill some holes in his yard

It's the same as the first car, 1953 2D Chevy. They both came with 54 tail lights. Figure that one out. I could have an extra hood. One car is damaged left front and the other right door. I always figured I could make one from them. Also thought about making one with two front ends or two back ends. I think those are cool.

They are building brick, but they are fired. Concrete will spall when you drop hot metal on it. Bricks won't. I only walk on my foundry floor, so I think they would hold up well. Street brick are much thicker than building brick and may be fired to a higher temperature.

I'm sure it will only take one day at JB's to get started. Rain forecast Wednesday and Thursday so we'll do what we can. If we hit rock it may not be much. I doubt he'll have much extra dirt. The plan is to build a berm to the west to turn some of the water coming off the slope and hopefully catch the rest in a wide shallow ditch. there is plenty of fall to the north. South of his shop we can carry the dirt to the west. He's going to need to regravel his driveway as we need to cut across it to move the water eastward.

Thanks for the comments, guys.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Bob is loaded on the trailer ready to go see JB.

4 way bucket with some teeth on it

Big day tomorrow!

 

[BUGTHUG]

Be careful with BOB and his ride. They have a lot of weight in a short area. I always had to rent bobcat from rental stores, but I remember just leaving a place and the rental guy just didn't have it loaded just right on the shorter trailer than they should of used. Anyway got out on the open road and just starting to pickup speed. Doin around 40mph, and that bad boy started to do the twist of whipping back and forth with on coming traffic. Got it under control, and luckily just a few miles from home
I sure you know all of this, but just trying to lookout for ya brother.
Should be a good day for BOB, JB, and you!

 

[drivesitfar]

ANDY: i was thinking maybe we'd get a few pictures of your new BULL or is he busy getting acquainted with your cows?

is quicksand something normal in your part of the world? do things really disappear in it like they do in the movies?

the WTF thread can be ok at times and some of the members just post and post until they get a comment so i wouldn't say it's a thread to visit often, but here's the link in case you might want to see a few pictures like this.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56771

since you have the skills here's a few things to maybe do with some of that scrap you can't melt or make a new tool out of in your spare time.

have a great day at JB's and hope Bob likes hanging out there with you.

 

[realvc]

Hello again Andy
A friend of mine drove his 32 Olds streetrod to the senior center in town this morning.
Thought you might like see it too.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Be careful with BOB and his ride. They have a lot of weight in a short area. I always had to rent bobcat from rental stores, but I remember just leaving a place and the rental guy just didn't have it loaded just right on the shorter trailer than they should of used. Anyway got out on the open road and just starting to pickup speed. Doin around 40mph, and that bad boy started to do the twist of whipping back and forth with on coming traffic. Got it under control, and luckily just a few miles from home
I sure you know all of this, but just trying to lookout for ya brother.
Should be a good day for BOB, JB, and you!

Oh yeah! Bob gets to ride right up front. I've got a little too much tongue load the way I load him but he toes the line and follows straight as an arrow.

If you steer into the fishtailing trailer you can stop one in it's tracks while you slow down. But you've got to wiggle the steering wheel in sync and the right way. It's a pleasure to do, but it is always better to make sure tongue load is 10% or more of the trailer gross. And if you wiggle the wrong way you accelerate the fishtailing. It's best learned on one that barely fishtails.

For those who don't know.

ANDY: i was thinking maybe we'd get a few pictures of your new BULL or is he busy getting acquainted with your cows?

is quicksand something normal in your part of the world? do things really disappear in it like they do in the movies?

the WTF thread can be ok at times and some of the members just post and post until they get a comment so i wouldn't say it's a thread to visit often, but here's the link in case you might want to see a few pictures like this.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56771

since you have the skills here's a few things to maybe do with some of that scrap you can't melt or make a new tool out of in your spare time.

have a great day at JB's and hope Bob likes hanging out there with you.

The new bull is in the barn and it's hard to get a picture of him. The cows are stuck on the other side of the creek due to high water behind the Keystone Dam. It's going down but slowly so he has to be celibate for another week. But he has no clue.

I think that technically quicksand is saturated and usually in stream beds. I have some you can walk across quickly but if you stop you will soon have your shoes covered. I'm sure it's only a foot or two deep but I've never tested it. The area where Bob got stuck is saturated and begins to get soft when you drive or walk on it. More trips - softer. Bob sank a foot here on his third crossing. Field has fine sand with clay underneath so periods of rain can saturate the sand. Years ago I got my pickup stuck after a wet period in the field where the horses were. The Dodge, 2WD with a ship anchor of an engine up front. Front wheels sank right in and rears started going down. I walked back the 1/2 mile to the house and left it for a week. Walked back a week later and drove it out. Patience is golden.

I understand WTF now, it's for identifying things people are not familiar with, like mushrooms, helps everyone be safe, hence the acronym for What's This Fungus?

Hello again Andy
A friend of mine drove his 32 Olds streetrod to the senior center in town this morning.
Thought you might like see it too.

Cool ride! Fords are common, Chevy's are rare, and all the others are just about nonexistent.

Thanks for stopping in guys and for commenting!!

 

[oldironfarmer]

BobnI made it to JB's safely about 8:45 (almost two hour drive) and we set right to work staking grade.

After I inspected a gorgeous floating Cobra, that is.

By noon we had a ditch four to six feet wide and from 9" to zero deep

With a berm about 6" high to turn water coming off a slope.

Also cut across JB's entrance so the ditch drains two ways.

He needs a small whistle here and a gravel cover to let gully washers overflow the drive without flooding the shop.

JB graciously gave me a Dakota pickup for a new chassis under the Studebaker for my granddaughter. I brought it home because Bob wanted a sleepover. I told him he had to come home tomorrow.

All in all a great day. Surprised we got "done" (lots of raking needed) the first day

Thanks for stopping in!

 

[don long]

sounds like a good trade to me

 

[oldironfarmer]

sounds like a good trade to me

I came out ahead because I was going to do the dirt work anyway.

JB's a nice guy, I like working with him.

 

[BUGTHUG]

I bet the lift is happy to have that little Cobra on it. Looks like you messed up his beautiful landscaped yard? I'm sure the new landscape will be tested soon.

 

[1/2 Cup]

Andy, now that is a great deal for both of you..

 

[oldironfarmer]

I bet the lift is happy to have that little Cobra on it. Looks like you messed up his beautiful landscaped yard? I'm sure the new landscape will be tested soon.

It is one cool car for sure. I can't figure out why I've never owned a Cobra nor a Corvette.

I messed with his yard. He was looking a little strained at the mess but I think I got it smoothed out enough for him to get used to it. Fortunately there are bermuda sprigs throughout so it should cover in a few weeks. And maybe get some rain this week to highlight the low spots. His soil is heavy and black, almost gumbo. It was tough to cut and with the sod mixed in, though to smooth. I really need to go back in a couple of weeks after it has settled a bit and dried and re-smooth.

In other news I saw VW is intending to compete with Tesla and the image looked like a very cool version of a VW bus. Guess I need to look further.

Andy, now that is a great deal for both of you..

Well, I did have to complain that the Dakota does not have new tires

 

[BUGTHUG]

Should of dug out around the barn deeper, then he could of had a motte. He could engineer a draw bridge to get in and out.

 

[RickP]

Should of dug out around the barn deeper, then he could of had a motte. He could engineer a draw bridge to get in and out.

^^^+1 You guys could even call it a "lazy river" to dress it up a bit.

 

[Terrick down Under]

RP, what about Cobra Springs, Muscle Waters or Roundabout Creek?

 

[krcoomer]

Be careful with BOB and his ride. They have a lot of weight in a short area. I always had to rent bobcat from rental stores, but I remember just leaving a place and the rental guy just didn't have it loaded just right on the shorter trailer than they should of used. Anyway got out on the open road and just starting to pickup speed. Doin around 40mph, and that bad boy started to do the twist of whipping back and forth with on coming traffic. Got it under control, and luckily just a few miles from home
I sure you know all of this, but just trying to lookout for ya brother.
Should be a good day for BOB, JB, and you!

Herb: I would imagine Bob is a much better backseat driver than JB's wannabe runaway Duramax!

Andy, Thanks for the description of how to stop a fishtailing trailer. About 25 years ago I had an S-10 that I was pulling a trailer built off a '64 Chevy shortbed full of gravel. When I signaled, the operator dumped rather than pulled back on the bucket so I ended up with over 2 tons of trailer and gravel behind me for about 12 miles. Everything was fine until the road split to 4 lanes and a semi went around me. Nothing else can quite make you clinch up like that feeling. I finally got to an uphill climb and pushed the clutch pedal in to let the truck catch up to the trailer's speed. Not sure I could have gotten my steering swing in time with the trailer that day.

 

[-Brent-]

Andy, how close is that Dakota frame wheelbase-wise to fitting under the Stude? That should make for a lot less expensive maintenance.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

Andy, I just spent some time catching up. You have been busy!

I always seem to get behind during "spraying season". I used to be a TM for Bestway, a manufacturer of pull-type Ag sprayers. You setup looks to be quite useful in the terrain. I need to make up a boomless setup for my 15gal sprayer for the yard.

Dirt work looks good, we have heavy black soil up here and it doesn't "work" too well. Great for growing crops, but likes to stick together and roll instead of spreading out nice. I need to pick up an old transit, my current method involves eye balling.

 

[oldironfarmer]

Should of dug out around the barn deeper, then he could of had a motte. He could engineer a draw bridge to get in and out.

Where were you when we needed ideas? We're both engineers, no imagination, just trying to fix a problem. Add a little imagination and where would we be?

Oh yeah, not finished...

^^^+1 You guys could even call it a "lazy river" to dress it up a bit.

Instead it's Lazy *itch. (Lazy Ditch potty mind)

RP, what about Cobra Springs, Muscle Waters or Roundabout Creek?

Herb: I would imagine Bob is a much better backseat driver than JB's wannabe runaway Duramax!

Andy, Thanks for the description of how to stop a fishtailing trailer. About 25 years ago I had an S-10 that I was pulling a trailer built off a '64 Chevy shortbed full of gravel. When I signaled, the operator dumped rather than pulled back on the bucket so I ended up with over 2 tons of trailer and gravel behind me for about 12 miles. Everything was fine until the road split to 4 lanes and a semi went around me. Nothing else can quite make you clinch up like that feeling. I finally got to an uphill climb and pushed the clutch pedal in to let the truck catch up to the trailer's speed. Not sure I could have gotten my steering swing in time with the trailer that day.

Bob is NOT a back seat driver, he just sits there tensed up like a good wife, with his mouth shut. Like a good wife I said.

I did not explain how to recover from fishtailing. I explained how I have done it but in learning I also did it backwards and almost lost everything into a ditch. Not something I recommend trying but it works like a charm. What I do recommend is reloading the trailer or discarding the load along the highway to fix the issue, a bit like throwing cargo overboard a ship in a storm to save the ship. It is just too dangerous to drive with a fishtailing trailer. IMHO.

Andy, how close is that Dakota frame wheelbase-wise to fitting under the Stude? That should make for a lot less expensive maintenance.

Well, they're both 112". Is that good?

Andy, I just spent some time catching up. You have been busy!

I sure don't feel like I've been busy, nothing seems to be getting done. But at least I'm eager to get started

I always seem to get behind during "spraying season". I used to be a TM for Bestway, a manufacturer of pull-type Ag sprayers. You setup looks to be quite useful in the terrain. I need to make up a boomless setup for my 15gal sprayer for the yard.

Yeah the boomless nozzles are great around trees, fences, and rough ground. And experience tells me I'm getting good coverage.

Dirt work looks good, we have heavy black soil up here and it doesn't "work" too well. Great for growing crops, but likes to stick together and roll instead of spreading out nice. I need to pick up an old transom, my current method involves eye balling.

Thanks! Heavy black soil is especially not good to work when wet because then you have concrete when it dries. I went back today to retrieve Bob and the fill looked good.

A quick set level is really just as good as a transit and probably more available. But my son in law eyeballs it and is usually dead on. Not me.

For anybody interested, here's the new bull. He's having a snack.

And here's the milkweed after four days. Still pretty perky But the little weeds are curling up

Thanks for all the comments. I hope to get back to work tomorrow!

 

[jp828108]

Looks like you are busy as always. That was an awesome trade you and JB worked out. I'm sure he is excited to get his water invasion fixed. I know he and I had posted about it once or twice.

 

[drivesitfar]

ANDY: your BULL looks AWESOME.

how does he like you??

nice that you and JB had a meeting of the minds and that Bob could help out.

speaking of fishtailing a member TopPop was driving his crane truck home a few weeks ago and had a blowout and even though this looks pretty bad he and his passenger survived cause he kept it on the road long enough to have a little shoulder that wasn't there a ways back up the road he said.

cheers and good to see you making muffins and molds again too!!

 

[BBChevro]

Don't mean to hijack your thread Andy, but...

The stories of fish-tailing bring back some memories, I was a passenger in a friend's car once where I think he may have been a passenger as well - the trailer was doing all the driving that day (we stayed on the road, but used all of it)!

Back then, it was common here to hitch a flat bed trailer to the family sedan with another car of about the same weight on the trailer.

I'm pretty sure that the rules have changed a bit now.



Did you choose a Dakota as a donor truck because of the similar wheelbase to the Stude or was that just a lucky bonus?


.