...and so it begins

[fourbyford]

Just had an email from the bike company.

I know this is not a life or death issue but I think it's only fair to acknowledge their reply. They apparently don't stock bearings for the rear axle but will sell me a new wheel assembly (no thanks...) But, they will send replacement crank bearings at no charge.

Wow, they must be really busy...
Better late than never??

They're beginning to help restore my faith in our current situation.

...D

 

[Pressingonward]

A Hupmobile project? Very cool. I bet there aren't too many people who can say they have a Hupmobile project. Don't know much about them, but pretty sure I've seen one in the Lemay collection

 

[fourbyford]

I'm not sure how many people would want a Hupmobile project... lol...

A while back, I looked on the interweb and found a couple that were already "restored" (although nothing special)... $10k - $15k would buy one that will run and drive. But, what fun would that be?

I ended up with this one pretty much by accident. When I bought my '32 International truck, it came with a matching "parts truck"... and a free Hupmobile. Such a deal...

I've read a bit about the Hupp Motor Company. Apparently, in the early 1900's, Bobby Hupp wanted to build cars. He assembled a group of investors and started his company. For the first several years, they built very high quality cars at an affordable price. They innovated many manufacturing processes still in use today. Apparently, Henry Ford once commented that he wasn't sure Ford Motor Company could make a car of the same quality at the same price point.

Hupmobiles were produced well into the 30's. The original cars were fairly small 4 cylinder versions aimed more at people looking for value-for- money. Looks as if the company got into trouble when they turned their attention to more of the "upscale" and luxury market... bigger, more luxurious cars with bigger, more powerful engines. My car has a straight 8.

I've seen some 1920's advertising... Hupmobiles carried a lifetime warranty. I'm thinking most of the damage to my car could be buffed out... Hmmm... if I could only find a Hupmobile dealership... lol

Thanks for the visit!!

I'm back at the farm. Drove back Wednesday in a grueling, but mostly uneventful, 16 hour drive. Pulling a trailer, 100+ miles in a headwind, and 20 miles of two way traffic at 35mph in a construction zone tend to kill both ETA and fuel "economy"... lol. Glad that drive is behind me. My hat is off to all the truckers out there... those who have driven... and those currently driving... I have no idea how they drive hours on end... day after day... I certainly couldn't do it.

Of course, I didn't feel too bad at the 8 hour point. After 10 hours, I was still pretty good. By 12 hours, I was ready to be done...

My problem is, Bozeman Montana is at the approximate half-way point. That's about 6 1/2 - 7 hours. Even though I didn't get as early a start as I hoped, I was in Bozeman by early afternoon. It's just never made much sense to me to check into a motel in the afternoon... to sit and watch TV until I'm tired enough to sleep...

So, I keep going. A few hours later and I'm in Missoula Montana. By that time, I'm getting tired... but I'm 4 hours from home. 150 bucks to sleep a few hours and then drive home? (I won't be repeating the "bargain" priced **** hole thing again)

I'm not sure what the answer is... a 16 hour drive seems to kick my ****... staying over somewhere doesn't seem to make a lot of sense... dunno... guess at some point I'll either figure it out or... even better... not have to make this drive anymore... lol

Yesterday, I had to drop the dog at the groomer in Lewiston. Plan was to drop her (about a 3 hour ordeal) and then go to a big car show held annually by a local dealership. The plan was working flawlessly until I got to the dealership... no cars. Apparently, they canceled it 2 weeks ago. Unfortunately, the website didn't really indicate that minor fact. Oh well, the dog looks and smells great!

And, there is a smaller show this afternoon... and a cruise through downtown this evening. My misses and I are headed to check all that out... including lunch with friends. The Show and Shine is tomorrow morning/afternoon. They close off the entire downtown area and fill it with custom/classic cars. It's absolutely awesome!

Anyways, need to get going on something. I'll be here for 10 or so days... then back to Wyoming for more work on the barn.

Can't wait to do another drive!!!

...D

 

[fourbyford]

I found an image on the interwebs...




I think this is a '29... looks very similar to mine...

Well, it would... if mine was put together... and had wheels and tires... and paint... and upholstery... and an engine that ran...

But, anyways, you can at least get an idea of where I'm heading...


...D

Sent from my SM-N960U using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Grizz1963]

Evening.....

Thats a nice looking car.

Hot rod?

 

[fourbyford]

Just a pic I found on the 'web...

A Hupmobile. Most folks have never heard of them... thought I'd post a pic just for info...

...and to inspire me... lol

 

[Grizz1963]

Just a pic I found on the 'web...

A Hupmobile. Most folks have never heard of them... thought I'd post a pic just for info...

...and to inspire me... lol

I am wondering what your intent is.

PS. You are the first to be told, even before my own thread......

Seems I have bought a Plastic Pig.

More info later

 

[fourbyford]

... a project that will hopefully move to the front burner this winter.

Info on loading car parts into my trailer earlier this week in Wyoming... now in Idaho... on the previous page...

Can't wait to see what you're up to as well!

...D

 

[Pressingonward]

Been a while since I've checked up on GJ - I was off chasing various squirrels (first dirt bikes and then started in on my first AR build...)

You'll have to post some pictures of your Hupmobile when you get around to it

I can't drive 16 hours. Maybe 10, but I usually stop at 8. I can't stay focused that long and would rather spend the money on a hotel than risk it. Hoping to get a truck camper or a small travel trailer early next year so we can go road tripping and just park somewhere when we want to stop for the night or stop and rest for a few hours. Hotel quality has gone way down and prices are just stupid.

 

[fourbyford]

Hey Justin,

Thanks for stopping by! Dirt bikes... sounds like fun! Are there many trails to ride near your place... or do you need to load up and travel a bit? Years ago, I had a dirt bike. There were a few places to ride around my parent's place. And, I'd throw the bike in the p'up and drive for a bit... some good places in Wyoming. I rode a motocross in Hells Half Acre one time. Pretty cool! I couldn't believe they actually let us ride in there. Anyways...

AR build sounds cool I keep thinking I want to do that... so many other things going on I'm not sure when it'll happen...

I've been at the farm much longer than I planned. I really need to be in Wyoming working on that project but... have been finishing up several things that I wanted done before I left in July. Misses is happy and winter will be a bit easier...

One (somewhat major) thing I did was unload the cowboy moving van. Wasn't all that hard to unload... the problem was finding a place for everything. Most of what I brought back was tools. I really don't want them in unconditioned space over the winter so, the majority ended up in the garage... which is now an absolute disaster.

I forgot to post a pic before... this is a grinder I scored when I bought the Pexto shear...
She's a bit rough... but i think will clean up just fine. Damn thing must weigh 75 pounds...




Somewhere in this grinder's life, someone decided they needed light... the bracket holding this desk lamp is strong enough to lift a tractor... lol

I think I recently saw a thread where someone restored one of these. Came out really nice. This one is bigger than it looks in the pic... IIRC, I think it takes 8" wheels? Anyways, can't have enough grinders... right?




The last time I had to run to the big city, I actually took 20 minutes to run through my favorite antique store. Found this cool little vise for 15 bucks. Jet... made in Japan... I'm guessing early '60's. Very well made... i think it'll be pretty handy on my drill press.




...D

Sent from my SM-N960U using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[fourbyford]

As far as other work...

I spent about 2 1/2 days mowing with the walk-behind and shoulder-fired weed eaters. The areas along the driveway and at the bottom of the driveway had gotten completely out of hand. My misses mows everything she can with the rider but, a lot of this ground is either rough or steep... so, it's on me. I always like it when it looks like someone actually lives here! ...lol

Another project was to finally finish up the rock harvest...

There were several areas... mostly around the big, old barn, where we (my misses, mostly) kept mowing rocks... and they'd grow right back. That's pretty hard on mower decks so, last fall, I borrowed my neighbors tractor/back hoe and attempted to dig them out. In a few places, it worked. Several areas around the barn... not so much. It was about like trying to dig through solid concrete. Sort of sounded like that too... as the teeth were scraping over the rock. Everything was packed together so tightly, i just couldn't get the bucket to bite. This was a small to medium sized tractor and, because it wasn't mine, I didn't want to get too carried away and end up breaking something. So, there were a couple of small holes and a couple of piles of dirt sitting there. Not that big of a deal... didn't really affect anything but... my misses... well, you know...

Anyways, about 3 days with the digging bar, shovel and rake... and life is good.




At this point, I was about 30% complete. I was determined to get all the rock down deep enough that we won't be mowing rocks in the forseeable future. Most of these were very deceiving. You'd see a small rock sticking up out of the ground an inch or two... by the time it was out of the ground, it had grown to the size of a bowling ball... or larger. I pulled one rock out that had to have been pushing 200#. A lot in the 50 - 75 pound range. And (literally) a ton of what i call "gravel" rocks 4" and smaller. I hauled 6 (or 7?) loads (the trailer in the pic... ) of that material to the drainages at the bottom of our place to stop the erosion around our culverts. The big rocks ended up as borders around trees and planting beds.

When I finally got everything pried/raked/dug out, the area looked like it had been used as a practice range for a field artillery unit... craters and all... lol

Then, I had to bring loads of dirt in to level everything out. A bit of work but, looks great now. Grass should fill in over the winter and my misses will be happily mowing come spring. I plan to rebuild the mower deck over the winter... the new blades should last a while now!

A few days ago, I actually coerced my misses to go on a walk with me and the dog. We walked past the neighbor's place to the end of our road... at least to where it intersects with 2 other roads. Although it is actually a county road, the south half of it is what I would call a trail. For about a mile, it goes through a fairly heavily wooded area and is "somewhat" developed. That portion of the road is closed to travel in the "wet" season because it would be pretty treacherous.




This is at the far end of the road... headed back toward our place...




Apparently, some folks aren't too happy with the road closure...

When we first moved here, people would try to navigate the road in the winter... usually getting stuck. Now, the road is barricaded... problem solved.

The barricades also help with the wannabe hunter/adventurer problem. For years, there were two of us living on this road... (now 3) but, come hunting season, it was like the start of the Indy 500... cars and trucks up and down the road all day, pretty much every day.

All the land around here is private. Farms everywhere. Houses, barns, livestock in every direction. Most of the land is posted... but, they'd still show up. If people had any common sense, it wouldn't be so bad but...
One guy stopped by to try to convince me to allow him to hunt on our place. As i looked in his truck, I saw he was drinking a Bud Lite... 3 empty cans on the floor, a full one and another six pack on the seat... and a 7mm Remington magnum ready to blast away. I invited him to leave. Since they've started putting up the barricades... and most of the surrounding places posting... its a lot quieter around here.

Anyways, it was a nice walk. A 4 mile round trip. We're thinking we'll get the X country skis out this winter... should be fun!

...D

Sent from my SM-N960U using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Pressingonward]

The nearest trails are about 50 minutes from my house. There's a ton of riding down in Oregon 2-4 hours away, ranging from sandy open stuff near Bend to gnarly rocky single track in the Tillamook forest. I've heard there's a bunch of trails up near Mt. Saint Helens, but I haven't ridden up there yet. I plan to put a training track on our property once I have my bike rideable (I have to borrow bikes from friends or from work to go riding now)

Nice rock harvest. The real question is how many will sprout next year?

 

[fourbyford]

The rocky gnarly trails sound like fun! These days, I prefer horse back though...

I'm hoping we don't have major rock growth come spring. I'm sure I missed a few but hopefully, it won't turn into another excavation project!

Thanks for stopping by...

...D

 

[Jayman17]

Hi, it's been awhile any updates to report? You had a lot on your plate last time you checked in, how's it going?

Jay

 

[fourbyford]

Hey Jay,

You must've read my mind. I've been thinking I need to resurrect my thread and now, I think I'm ready to do that.

In the last post where I was talking about the work I had been doing, I was making an effort to get a few things finished up so I could get back to my place in Wyoming and continue my work there. That post was on 9/21. I spent the next day loading my tools into my truck, planning to get up early and head back on 9/23.

The Friday prior, 9/18, my sister called and mentioned she was taking our 93 year old mom to the ER... a bit of a problem breathing. For the last several years, she's been in and out of the hospital 4 - 5 times per year for a variety of issues. Usually after a brief stay, the doc's are able to put her right and she returns home. So, on the 18th, mom got up and told my sis she thought she needed to go to the hospital. My sis jumped up and said... "Let's Go"! Mom's reply was that she wasn't going anywhere until she finished her coffee. When my sis told me that... I wasn't overly concerned. So, she was admitted that day. Things seemed to be going as they usually did, so I figured my plan to drive back on the 23rd would work. Everything was going to plan... truck loaded, I set my alarm for 3:30am and actually got to bed at a reasonable hour. I got the call at 3:15... mom had just passed.

I just sat in the back room watching the fire in the woodstove for a couple of hours... pretty much in shock.

I finally got in the truck and started driving. I was making pretty good time... had my German Shepherd co-pilot with me... I stopped at a truck stop in Billings Montana (as I've done for many years) got fuel and then figured I should let the girl out to take care of business. There is a 5 (or so) acre grassy area behind the truck complex where travelers usually exercise their pets. It was dark out but the area was partially lit by lighting from the truck parking area. There were a half-dozen head of deer on the far edge of the field and my dog hadn't noticed them. I was focused on making sure she didn't chase them. We were in the area for maybe 3 or 4 minutes when it was obvious she didn't need to go so we headed back for the truck. She was about half way to the truck when I saw a blur coming from my left. I was 20 or 30 feet from my dog. The 90+ pound Pit Bull was on my dog like sharks on a feeding frenzy. I worked police dogs for much of my time in the military. Of the many things I learned... you just don't get in the middle of a dog fight. It didn't take me long to get to the dogs. I kicked the Pit as hard as I could directly in the ribs... with no effect whatsoever. I was getting ready to keep kicking him when it occurred to me... what if I kick him to the point he turns loose of my dog... will he then come for me?? While I was on active duty, I was attacked by one of our police dogs (a story for another time?) and I'll just say that's something I don't want to repeat. Anyways, about that time, the drug addled (literally) homeless loser that apparently owned the dog finally got there. I was trying to tell him to try to get his dog to release the bite... before I could get his attention, he just ripped his p.o.s. dog off my dog's face. I won't go into detail about the discussion that ensued... it would have gotten really ugly but, I looked down and saw my boot was covered with blood. Fortunately, a "Good Samaritan" stopped by and helped me clean up my dog and stop the bleeding. While we were working on my dog, the guy mentioned that the homeless situation in Billings had become a significant problem. Apparently, this guy and his "woman" had been living in their car (with the dog) in the parking lot of the truck stop. After Mr. Loser got his dog off mine, I told him he was lucky I hadn't had my pistol in my pocket... I would have shot his dog. After thinking about that later, I realized it was probably a good thing I didn't have it on me. I could just see me being arrested for discharging a firearm in city limits. So, I've decided to keep my tire thumper with me when I'm out in those situations. I'm sure a 1 1/4" solid steel bar would've stopped that Pit in his tracks. Next time, things will be different...

Anyways, I pulled into my place about 2:30am on the 24th. Later that day, my niece and her tribe arrived... a bit later, my nephew and his wife arrived. I don't have room for guests in my house, my sister's house is fairly small... but there were about 10 people that were determined that they would stay at her house. To say that she was stressed is an understatement. I finally convinced her that we should pay for motel rooms for the out-of-towners. That helped a bit but things were still pretty stressful.

My niece and nephew were very helpful in arranging the services. I didn't think it would be possible but, services were held the following Monday. Things slowly started getting back to "normal"... but my sis still struggles. In the weeks since, my sister and I have diligently been working on resolving issues regarding my folk's estate. When my dad passed in '13, my mom consulted with her estate planner and thought she had everything in order. Thank God she did as much as she did.
That said, there's been no shortage of issues to deal with. I think we're about to get things resolved... we'll still have to get mom's house cleaned out and on the market come spring... 1 rental to deal with as well.

I've been back in Idaho for a bit over a month now. We had some unseasonal weather in late October (before I was back) ...early season snow and ice... a lot of tree damage to clean up. That was followed by several more snow storms... shoveling the deck... plowing the driveway... all waaaay too early. Fortunately, the weather has gotten back to "normal" for the past couple of weeks... we've had bright, sunny days in the mid 40's... down in the low 30's overnight.

My misses' sister and brother-in-law came for Thanksgiving week. Of course, we were preparing for their arrival days before... and cleaning for a couple days after. It was a great visit though!

So, finally, after all this... I'm getting back to the things I need to be working on. I should be posting some progress soon!

Have you heard from Drives? I miss seeing his posts... guess I should PM...

Thanks for checking in!

...D

 

[mfg0772]

Sorry to hear about the dog attack and more importantly, sorry for the loss of your mom. I can see how all of that will knock you off your routine and, like me, I suspect this forum is the first thing to go. I'm trying to get back to regular posting, if for no other reason than to keep me motivate.

 

[Bob Heine]

FourbyFord, your mother passing and the dog attack would have been stressful in a normal year but this year that's a deck stacked against you. You and your sister should do whatever you can to reduce your stress level. There's a list somewhere of all the things that create dangerous levels of stress and you've added a couple. Take it easy and take care of yourself because I for one enjoy hearing what you are doing. Don't make doctor or hospital visits be among those doings.

 

[fourbyford]

Mike,
You're right about my lack of posting... I've had a difficult time trying to convince myself to get going again. One thing is that I haven't really had time to work on any projects... other than legal matters. And, apparently, I just wasn't ready to talk about things. I hope you continue to post... I'll be checking your thread. You're right about the motivation factor!

Bob,
You're absolutely right... this has been a "year". But, I know I'm not the only person saying that. Across our country, many are struggling to just survive. I actually feel blessed to be where I am.
Things get better for me as we're able to "check things off the list". We've been able to resolve some things in a day... or two, others take longer. For the most part, people (primarily in financial institutions) have been very considerate and helpful. We did run into one bank where it took more than three weeks to close one, relatively small, savings account. I ended up having to use my best "powers of persuasion" to move things along. And, they didn't even call the police... although I wasn't so sure there for a minute... lol. A couple of times, my blood pressure must've been somewhere around 9,000 over 8,000... fortunately, there haven't been a lot of experiences like that one.
Anyways, I'm doing my best to stay away from the doctors and hospitals... I have way too many projects and can't afford the down time...
In catching up with your thread, I read that Liane is going in for surgery... thoughts and prayers your (and her) way for a successful outcome and recovery.

Gentlemen, thanks for the kind words and the visit!

...D

 

[Jayman17]

Fourby, I wanted to offer my condolences for the loss of your mom. My mom is 92 and I am not looking forward to the day she will no longer be here.
Sorry to hear about the dog attack as well. I hope your dog has healed up ok.

I think I can speak for a lot of people when I say the year 2020 cannot go fast enough! Thanks for the update, and I have not heard from Drives either and have been wondering if he is ok. I will email him to check up.

Jay

 

[fourbyford]

Hey Jay,
My pup has healed... it only cost me $150 for the trip to the vet the day I got home. She had a pretty nasty laceration in her right "armpit". Vet cleaned it and prescribed antibiotics. She was limping a bit for the first couple of days but all is well now.
Of course, the deadbeat (in Billings) loaded everybody into his car and drove away while I was tending to my dog. Oh well, its not like he would've had the money to contribute to the vet bill anyway.
Thanks for the condolences. My mom seemed to be in fairly good health for the last few years. She was able to get around pretty well... last winter, she met her great, great grand son. That made her happy...
Wishing the best for your mom!

Thanks for stopping by!

...D

 

[fourbyford]

When I started my thread about this time last year, my intent was to add a bay to the east end of my garage. You know what they say about good intentions paving the road to somewhere or another...

For the first week or two, things were moving along pretty well... til my misses and I came down with something awful that lasted for a number of weeks. As I began to feel better, it was colder so I took the time to install heat in my shop. After that, I remember something about building the duck house. Then, some work on my truck... followed by a lot of outdoor work around the farm. I'm pretty sure summer was well underway when I finally got back to Wyoming. Although I made a bit of progress on my barn, I had a couple of (pretty much) unplanned interruptions, so progress there was a bit slow. And, I was back here in Idaho from late August until my mom passed toward the end of September. Back to Wyoming... where my time was spent on family matters. All in all, a tough year to get much of anything done.

While I was in Wyoming it occurred to me that, at one point, I owned two properties there... now I own 50% interest in two more. It seems like, for the past several years, something has come up resulting in me not being able to devote time to finishing my places there. This situation has gotten serious... something must change!

I really need the extra bay on my garage... now more than ever. My original plan was to build it as a post frame structure to match the existing building. Several years ago, I had the idea to build an addition on the back of my garage for a wood shop. Because of the slope of the yard in that area, I would need to create a pretty substantial retaining wall to direct water away from my building. In fact, it would be a good thing if I had that wall now. But, the way the snow comes off the roof, water would be trapped between the wall and the building. So, I had the idea to build the outer walls of the addition with ICF's which would also serve as the retaining wall portion of the build... thereby eliminating the trapped water.

This project won't happen for at least a couple of years but, it's always in the back of my mind. So, as I've been thinking about the bay addition, it occurred to me that I could build the new bay with ICF's... the bay could benefit from a retaining wall as well. But, again, it's not gonna happen any time soon.

So, one day I was standing in Menards and started thinking about the bay project. There's absolutely no way I'll stay here in Idaho long enough this coming summer to even get a good start on an ICF build. But, I really need a roof over my truck/tractor. There had to be a solution...

 

[fourbyford]

So, I walked over to the contractor area and checked out the VersaTube structures...




I'll have to admit, on my list of preferred building methods, this would be toward the bottom. But, in theory, they should go up relatively quickly and I'll have to admit that I see a surprising number of them in use out here in Idaho. Another advantage is that I could set it up as a somewhat temporary shelter for my truck/tractor, use it for as long as needed, then move it to another location to use as a hay shed... or whatever the need would be. In their literature, I was able to find a frame for a structure roughly the size of my bay addition. I could set up the structure and use it while I finish my Wyoming projects and while I go through the permitting process for the ICF build here. Seemed like a good plan. Frame ordered in early October.

I got a call two days before Thanksgiving that the frame was in. I chose to pick it up at the terminal. Since we had family for Thanksgiving, I picked up the frame the Tuesday after. Two days later, (last Thursday late afternoon) my neighbor brought me another load of gravel. I spent Friday getting the gravel spread and leveled out. Finally, on Saturday, I broke into the skid from VersaTube. Wouldn't ya know... a LOT of parts are missing! I essentially have enough parts to build about half of the structure I paid for. Go figure.

So... today, I spent a couple of quality hours on the phone and email with customer service from VersaTube. I will say that the CS rep was very pleasant and helpful. She told me that, once approved, needed parts are shipped out within 24 hours. So, I'm probably at least a week away from getting them but, I have plenty to do while waiting.





This is sort of an overview of the area I'll build the structure and the (lack of) parts I have on hand.




Two of the vertical tubes on the end frame are too long... but, at least I have them. It will be easy enough to cut them to fit.

One of the projects I'll be working on while I'm waiting for parts is to build some sort of "temporary" anchoring system. I have an idea of how I want to approach it. I have appointments tomorrow and Wednesday... guess it'll be toward the end of the week before much happens on that.

...D

Sent from my SM-N960U using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[SRU1436]

Sorry to hear about your mother passing away.

 

[fourbyford]

Thanks for your kind words and the visit...

...D

 

[drivesitfar]

Merry Christmas

I’ll make time to read your last 3 months posts soon but I’m sure you’ve been busy so take a few days and relax and smell the frozen roses

 

[fourbyford]

Hey Drives,

Good to see you posting again... Thanks for the visit!

Its been a very busy couple of weeks! Still working on resolving some family matters... I think the end is in sight.

When I last spoke about my carport project, I was waiting to receive the rest of my shipment from Versa Tube. It goes without saying that we had a couple of days of snow as I waited for the shipment to arrive.

Our driveway is long and steep and the county road has lots of sharp curves and a fairly steep climb just before reaching the highway. I'll add that the county road crew has been short a driver so our roads haven't been getting cleaned as they normally do. My neighbor attempted to take his empty dump trailer out one day. As he reached the final grade, he lost traction and started sliding backwards. Fortunately, the trailer ended up in a shallow ditch on the left side of the road... instead of going over the edge on the right side. Another neighbor saw what happened and was able to get the truck and trailer up the hill with his tractor.

Anyways, I needed to make several stops when I went to pick up my remaining carport parts so I really wanted to take my flatbed trailer. Not wanting to repeat the excitement my neighbors experienced, I thought it best to take my tractor and clear some snow from the county road.




It was actually a nice day to be out...




Even though my tractor is Open Operator Station, it wasn't really cold...




I never get tired of looking at the scenery here...




Its a bit hard to tell from the pics but, I'm on a fairly steep grade going down, with a sharp drop-off just to the left of the tractor...




This is where the neighbors trailer would've ended up had it slid the other way... that would've been rather inconvenient, to say the least!

I think I worked a couple of hours and finally got the bad spots scraped down... with the predicted warmer weather, the road melted off after a couple of days.



Sent from my SM-N960U using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[fourbyford]

A couple days after clearing the county road, I hitched the trailer and headed for Lewiston. Several stops later, I was headed home. The trip was uneventful, and that's a good thing...




A few bales of straw for my misses, some lumber, and the missing parts...




Took me a bit to get everything unloaded... and, apparently, the second time is charm... looks like all parts are here.




Since I now had all the parts needed, I was finally able to locate and lay out the holes required to anchor the structure.




And, I got started with the Armstrong Turbo 2000 Post Hole Digger...





Fortunately, the ground was not frozen... but it was a bit "damp"...




...which made for an interesting dig...

Sent from my SM-N960U using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Jayman17]

Fourby, very scenic photos. Looks very peaceful with the snow. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Jay

 

[fourbyford]

And the same to you, Jay! Thanks for stopping by!!

After a bit of digging, post holes were finished.

Fast forward to yesterday... a quick trip to the Home Depot...




You know things are nuts when the $19 price from a couple weeks ago looks like a bargain. Not sure what I'll do come summer... I'll be needing a few sheets... if I can afford it! ...lol

Anyways, I picked up 40x 60# bags of post mix. I loaded 30 bags on my cart while 2 guys sent to "help" loaded 10. Story was, they were going to come help load my truck. They never did show up. Just as well... the way they "worked" they'd have just been in the way.




Made it home by noon. Got one side of the structure ready and started mixing mud. Previously, I mentioned coming up with another, less permanent, way to anchor the carport... and, I did... but it would've taken a lot of time. And, since I'm on "borrowed time" weather-wise, I decided I just needed to git 'r done.




I got all 8 holes filled on the one side. It was a bit dark before I finished... and really dark as I was cleaning up and putting away tools.

Today is another beautiful, sunny day. I need to take a couple things over to the new neighbors across the road, then I'll get started mudding in the remaining side. Not necessarily what I want to be doing on Christmas but, its just me and my misses and, snow is predicted overnight. Will be cool to have this part in the rear view mirror!


Merry Christmas to all!!

...D

Sent from my SM-N960U using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[fourbyford]

Well... I got it done... frame structure is standing and all anchor holes filled with concrete.

Putting the frame together was pretty much a PIA. The frame components are intended to "slip fit" into one another... an end of one part is swaged and is supposed to fit into the open end of the mating part. On most parts, the open ends were deformed to the point that the swaged ends wouldn't fit in. And, the damage appeared to have occurred during manufacture. I'm not sure how its possible to deform a bandsawn part, but somebody apparently figured it out. Anyways, I was able to straighten them with a few whacks with a BFH. No worries... except for the extra time it cost me.

Once I got all the frame components assembled, my misses helped me get them stood up. This was the first time she's helped me with something where we weren't threatening each other with divorce before it was over. We actually had some fun. It was a good day!

Once we had everything stood up, I broke out the power cement mixer...




This one is the cordless version...





Because of the aforementioned cluster **** with assembling the frame components, my shift ran a bit long... again. And, just as it was getting dark, the snow started up. Why does the weather guy have to be right on the days when I'm trying to get something done outside???




But, it really wasn't cold and the snow wasn't all that bad... it was good to get this part finished!

I'll probably head to the big city on Monday and figure out what I'll use for tin on this thing. Looks like I might actually have a place to park my truck before winter sets in. ...Very Cool!

Meantime, over the next couple of days, I think I'll work IN my garage...

...D

Sent from my SM-N960U using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[Jayman17]

Fourby, somebody told you a lie, THIS is what a power mixer looks like...

Jay

 

[fourbyford]

Hmmm... and all these years I've been trying to figure out why using a power mixer made me so tired...

...D

 

[drivesitfar]

I'm trying to get time to catch up on my favorite threads and make a few posts so after reading your last couple I have to say you are really not letting this cold and wet and snow slow you down a bit.

my bride and I have been working outside on stuff for a while now and yes some days we were close to divorce that is for certain, but those days are a lot less common lately and we just smile more while getting stuff done. maybe it's cause we don't get interrupted with work or kids every few minutes or maybe we are just too old to get a divorce.

since you bought 60 bags of cement I have a little savings tip I do when I go to Lowe's. I pull up to the cement area and have the fork lift driver drop a pallet of 80 pounders next to my trailer. since my trailer is rated for only 3000 pounds I hand load about 30 bags in the trailer and put the rest (12 bags) in my Honda Pilot. two good reasons for this: I save a $1 per bag by getting the pallet price and I don't have to rent their pallet AND I get more than a little extra exercise.

Jay: I don't think they sell those power mixers to guys that own more than a few wheelbarrows hence me and 4by not knowing what they were/are.

 

[Grizz1963]

Progresssssssss

 

[fourbyford]

Hey Drives...
Good idea to buy the 'crete by the pallet. I'll be setting a few posts as the weather warms up and will definitely go that route. I actually do own a mixer. To use it, I would've had to get it out of one of the barns where it's stored, wrestle it to the site, run a power cord... when finished, take it out by the frost-proof hydrant to wash it out, then put everything away. And, I knew I'd be trying to clean up and put things away in the dark. I'm sure I saved myself a couple of hours by hand mixing... and, after a lot of popping and creaking, my shoulders feel better than they have in a while... lol
Thanks for stopping by!

Hey Rian...
Progress indeed... although it seems a bit slow...
Thanks for the visit!

I actually slept in yesterday morning... til 7:30... very unusual for me. For reasons unknown, I woke up at 1:00 am on Christmas morning and could not get back to sleep. Had a busy day and then was off to bed at 11:00 pm. Guess after a 22 hour day, I was tired... hahaha.

Anyways, while I was drinking a cup o' Joe, it occurred to me that the little farm lumber yard in Lewiston was probably open. A quick phone call and the counter guy informed me that they stock the galvi roof sheets I'm looking for in 2' increments from 8' to 16'... perfect. I suspected I might be in for another long day so I took the time to make and eat some breakfast. Duck eggs, ham and cheese... on toast... mmmm - mmmm!

When I got up, it was sort of rain/snowing, but nothing too serious. This squall wasn't predicted to amount to much. After eating, I went out to saddle up the trailer. By then, the flakes were much bigger and the ground was covered. No worries... all I needed was to get out to the highway... and the county road wasn't too bad at that point.

The drive to town was good. The highway was just a bit slushy up in the "high country"... once i got down the grade, the snow had turned to rain. By the time I got into town, the rain had stopped. I was the only customer in the lumber yard office... no waiting! Only a slight problem. I needed sheets 10' long and 14' long... they had the 10's... no 14's... and not enough 16's that I could've cut to length. Problem... it was Saturday and I had gotten there right at 1:00... the manager had just left for lunch. And, no "back office" types available to ask when the 14's might show up. I could've taken the 10's... would've been enough to keep me busy for a while, but I didn't really want to have to drag the trailer back in a week or so. This time of year, I never know what the weather/road situation will be, one day to the next. So, I made an executive decision. They happened to have enough panels for my job in an off-white color... paid for, loaded, and back on the road. When I turned off onto our county road, I found a couple inches of wet, heavy snow... nothing to be concerned about. Hadn't gone far when I met the neighbor... headed out. Chatted for about 20 minutes, at which time, I asked if he could come up this morning to give me a hand with a couple of things...

So... a while ago, as I unpacked the first shipment of parts for the carport package, I brought the instruction booklets into the house and skimmed through them. I've seen dozens of these structures over the years... they seem pretty straight forward so I didn't spend a lot of time digesting the material in the books... just sort of hit the highlights. C'mon... it's a guy thing... I don't need no stinkin' 'structions!! Actually, after thinking about it, I do, vaguely remember reading, but promptly forgot, one small detail...

As I was drinking my coffee yesterday, I did a bit more reading in the manual...
At the top of each "arched" frame is a bent tube that forms the peak of the roof... the "rafters" are intended to "plug in" to these pieces... of course, after reshaping the open ends with the BFH. Anyways... when these parts are formed, the machine leaves a slight dimple on one side. According to the 'structions, all the dimples are supposed to be lined up on the same side of the building. I'm guessing that means the parts aren't exactly symmetrical. Sure... now ya tell me... hahaha...

So, I went out and looked at my structure. Wouldn't ya know... out of eight frames, the dimples in five are aligned. Oh well... could've been worse. So, once my neighbor comes up this morning, 20 minutes will solve this problem. Then, I'll be able pull the frame into some sort of alignment and start installing some roof sheeting.

At least, that's the theory...
The weather today is supposed to be mostly clear and somewhat warm. Tomorrow, somewhat clear and not so warm. Guess we'll see...

...D

 

[Jayman17]

Fourby, you probably slept in until 7:30 because all that hand mixing of concrete tends to tucker you out. Your trip for roofing sounds like my trips for supplies, seems like I always come up short.
Do you notice any difference in taste with the duck eggs, probably just bigger?

Drives, you are by far the undisputed king of hand mixing concrete!

Jay

 

[fourbyford]

Jay... the hand mixing and the previous 22 hour day definitely did me in!

The duck eggs are definitely larger...




One regular duck egg is roughly equivalent to 1 1/2 (maybe two) chicken eggs. But, occasionally, we get a few extra large jumbo sized eggs from our hens. The bigger one in the above pic is nearly the size of a tennis ball and they are all double yolk. When ya crack one of those bad boys, ya better be HUNGRY!




Not so much difference in taste... other than them being "farm fresh" from free ranging birds. Duck eggs are higher in fat and protein content than chicken eggs. Definitely a "richer" taste and consistency. By comparison, chicken eggs seem "watery". That said, I have to be careful how I cook these eggs... they can get a bit rubbery if not careful. I definitely would not try to hard-boil them... lol

Yep, I would've preferred the galvi roofing but, at least, I was able to bring something home!

I have managed to stay pretty busy the last couple of days. In my last post, I mentioned my neighbor coming to give me a hand with flipping three of the arched frames. That went smoothly. He volunteered to come and help me install the tin. I had planned to do everything from ladders... he suggested using a wooden pallet on the forks on the front loader of his tractor. (*pallet used was OSHA approved*). The weather here the past two days was absolutely perfect... bright sunshine, mid 30's and not even a breeze. The humidity was a bit high so it was cool but I was moving around enough that it didn't seem cold at all.

We got started around noon each day (to let things warm up/thaw out a bit) and were able to get all the sheets up in two afternoons. I didn't get any "in progress" pics because it was pretty much "all hands on deck" trying to get as much done as possible before the sun set. This time of year, we're dark by 4:30.

Anyways, we were able to get it done! I parked my truck in it last night... too cool!










All for now... more later!


...D

Sent from my SM-N960U using The Garage Journal mobile app

 

[drivesitfar]

good to know about duck eggs cause I really hadn't considered that they were even a possibility to eat.

here's to a great 2021

 

[fourbyford]

Yeah, chicken eggs are probably "traditional" in many countries... I hadn't thought much about eating duck eggs either... but actually, there are only subtle differences. I'm glad we only have 6 hens! We give a lot of eggs away... just me and my misses can't keep up... lol

Anyways, thanks for stopping by! I'm sure we all hope for a better year in '21!

 

[Grizz1963]

I love those carports.

They seem so easy nd quick to erect.

Duck egg and bacon burger.