Above 1200 Sq/FT Out on Quaker Road

[madison069]

Lol. I was on a dairy last winter and the hispanic milker was grumbling about not being used to the cold up here and I asked him how long he'd lived in MN. He said "15 years but you never quite get used to it ya know?" I laughed. I figured it was his first winter up here and he laughed when I told him that

9.5 years here in PA now. I still haven't gotten used to it.

As for your egg carton for water idea, what about if you use those gopher grabber sticks? they were sold for seniors to reach stuff on high shelves and on the floor. I used a modified style for snake hunting but ended up just using a proper stick with a modified hook on the end. But the grabber did work to pick stuff up with!

Sometime kids just need to rest as they are growing and it can be tiring on their body. Currently my youngest is going through growth spouts and she gets tired with pain in her shins at night.

Are you sure you had to fill that hole back up and not let the little people play in that giant sandbox? lol

 

[drivesitfar]

JBL: some serious dirt moving again at the farm and thanks for all the pics. kids look like they are doing great in the chicken coop. looks like the chicks run for cover when the kids show up or do they let your kids pick them up?

your racking looks great and OMG I'd love to have that much space for my STUFF.

i'm guessing with snow storms hitting hard in Montana that cold weather is coming your way soon so hope you get all your crops in before it does.

good luck!!

 

[jblnut]

beans yellowed up good yet?

Yup. All are yellowed with most dropping a lot of leaves. They will be dried down long before the ground below them is ready for harvest !!

9.5 years here in PA now. I still haven't gotten used to it.

As for your egg carton for water idea, what about if you use those gopher grabber sticks? they were sold for seniors to reach stuff on high shelves and on the floor. I used a modified style for snake hunting but ended up just using a proper stick with a modified hook on the end. But the grabber did work to pick stuff up with!

Sometime kids just need to rest as they are growing and it can be tiring on their body. Currently my youngest is going through growth spouts and she gets tired with pain in her shins at night.

Are you sure you had to fill that hole back up and not let the little people play in that giant sandbox? lol

I was born here and I don't care for -30F but it could always be worse I guess. I don't know which I dislike more, -30F or 90F+ temps. Things are no fun either way but I can dress warmer in the cold and can only take so much off before people get grumpy when it's hot out

We use the grabber sticks for some things but I still need a way to carry the trays once I grab them. That is what we've done in the past and I wanted to try the stick idea. It'll work better I think with a few modifications to the barb at the end. It'll get used for an hour every 8 weeks but will be well worth the time spent to get it right !!

Yeah Lily is usually a little ball of energy, well all our kids are bonkers most of the time I guess, so when she slows down we know something is going on. I enjoyed spending time with just her. One on one time with any of the kids seems to be hard to come by as it's almost all or nothing when they're all home or the others get grumpy and feel left out.

I built them a sandbox to play in .... this was mine to play in

JBL: some serious dirt moving again at the farm and thanks for all the pics. kids look like they are doing great in the chicken coop. looks like the chicks run for cover when the kids show up or do they let your kids pick them up?

your racking looks great and OMG I'd love to have that much space for my STUFF.

i'm guessing with snow storms hitting hard in Montana that cold weather is coming your way soon so hope you get all your crops in before it does.

good luck!!

Dirtwork will be over soon if it ever stops raining !! We got another 1.25" this morning. I'm gonna be posting some stuck tractor/combine pics this fall I'm afraid

The chickens usually scatter when we walk around in the barn. It's a good thing I guess as you can see who is healthy and who isn't right away. Pretty rare that they don't get out of the way. The kiddos like catching them and "softing" them. I tell them to hold/pet them softly and the term "softing" came about from it

Not sure how I feel about you oogling at my rack .... maybe I should have kept that photo to myself

Snow storms in Montana ?!?!?!?! Gross. They can have it. We're hoping to start on beans later this week if all goes well. It's suppose to hit 80F here today. That should keep the snow away !! It'll surely bring the rain again but no snow yet !!

 

[drivesitfar]

JBL: I know you don't have any issues with lack of dry storage space, but having things were you need and use them could be an issue. that said if you have high ceilings in your shop and don't have a lift in there you can turn these huge racks sideways and have storage above cars and tractors that normally is dead space if you understand what i'm saying.

SOFTING sounds like a great sniglet or a new word for the URBAN or FARMER'S dictionary!!

I know you guys back there can go up and down 50 or so degrees in a day and i seem to recall one member going from -50 to 50 degrees in a day or two not too long ago which would really play havoc on my system.

funny you mention the heat getting you bothered cause the people in the south say something similar only it's not 90 and more like 120's when it bothers them.

cheers and enjoy your day on the farm!!

 

[jblnut]

JBL: I know you don't have any issues with lack of dry storage space, but having things were you need and use them could be an issue. that said if you have high ceilings in your shop and don't have a lift in there you can turn these huge racks sideways and have storage above cars and tractors that normally is dead space if you understand what i'm saying.

SOFTING sounds like a great sniglet or a new word for the URBAN or FARMER'S dictionary!!

I know you guys back there can go up and down 50 or so degrees in a day and i seem to recall one member going from -50 to 50 degrees in a day or two not too long ago which would really play havoc on my system.

funny you mention the heat getting you bothered cause the people in the south say something similar only it's not 90 and more like 120's when it bothers them.

cheers and enjoy your day on the farm!!

Using the pallet racking in that way is a neat idea. I'm planning on putting racking above my work benches and other stationary tools where possible to extend that floor space above so nothing is lost.

I wouldn't even begin to know where to start on counting days where the temp has swung 70F+ in less than 48hrs up here. In the spring it's already been -5F and snowing and 75 in a few days. Not incredibly common but nothing out of the ordinary here

When it's 90F here it is almost always 90%+ humidity as well. It is miserable. I've been in some 105F heat with low humidity and that isn't crazy bad. You sweat a bit but you don't get soaked walking 100' outside. It was 65F and crazy humid up here a few weeks back and I'd be soaked by the time I got from the barn to the house. Just miserable !!

 

[jblnut]

When the electricians were out running wire in the barn addition I had them run a circuit with outlets every 24' outside for some lighting in the outdoor run yard. When it's dark out and the steers go out there when we give them fresh bedding they get all kinds of wild and squirrly and end up wrecking stuff. Hopefully more light will help prevent that.

I ordered two that looked decent from the deep dark abyss that is the internet to see what would work best.

This one seemed better suited to be out in the open for some reason so up it goes.

Well I'm impressed .... that's an 80w LED light .... I have 8 outlets I can use if needed for a total of 640w of light. Almost seems to be overkill now that it's up !! I think I'll start with 4 and see how it looks. 8 would be a lot for essentially a 16'x168' area

 

[Farmall450]

Nice to see the farm get a few more kittens! Lol

 

[drivesitfar]

JBL: with all those critters and all those buildings light is a good thing especially now that winter darkness comes earlier every day. looks great from my chair. also now your new hungry cats can see the rodents and keep those out of your rigs and barns.

I know you are a tough guy, but 50-100 degree temp changes in 24 or 48 hours would be a bit much for this old guy. i'm not a fan of below 40 degrees (8 degrees above freezing) and rain and look where i live. it's that temp about 6 months a year, but when it's nice here it's room temps with no bugs or humidity which is pretty sweet.

keep up the great work and I let us know if the steers like the light or not.

 

[madison069]

Bright Light!

 

[Sifan]

Arranged my schedule wed, thur, & fri so I could head to central Illinois, channel my inner farm boy and help wife's 82 y/o BIL with heart problems. Small world, we're shelling corn and wife's niece pulls up her Ford Explorer, pops the tailgate, and wala ... dinner! So I'm standing in the middle of the cornfield, eating chicken and look down to see the box said Gold n' Plump! Good, Good, good!!!

 

[jblnut]

Nice to see the farm get a few more kittens! Lol

Hopefully they turn out to be good mousers !!

JBL: with all those critters and all those buildings light is a good thing especially now that winter darkness comes earlier every day. looks great from my chair. also now your new hungry cats can see the rodents and keep those out of your rigs and barns.

I know you are a tough guy, but 50-100 degree temp changes in 24 or 48 hours would be a bit much for this old guy. i'm not a fan of below 40 degrees (8 degrees above freezing) and rain and look where i live. it's that temp about 6 months a year, but when it's nice here it's room temps with no bugs or humidity which is pretty sweet.

keep up the great work and I let us know if the steers like the light or not.

Looks great from 100' away as well

50F swings are not uncommon, 100F swings are but do happen. You get used to it. This morning when I went to do chores I put on a jacket and hat because yesterday morning it was 41F. Today it was a touch over 60F and I tossed the jacket and hat back in before I went out. It is how it is in good ol' Minnesnowta.

Bright Light!

There will be more where that came from soon enough

Arranged my schedule wed, thur, & fri so I could head to central Illinois, channel my inner farm boy and help wife's 82 y/o BIL with heart problems. Small world, we're shelling corn and wife's niece pulls up her Ford Explorer, pops the tailgate, and wala ... dinner! So I'm standing in the middle of the cornfield, eating chicken and look down to see the box said Gold n' Plump! Good, Good, good!!!

Seems your wife's niece has good taste !!

Since Pilgrams Pride purchased Gold'N'Plump a few years back the brand has been getting spread around like wildfire. It's good chicken to eat and I'm glad to be a part of your fieldside lunch

 

[jblnut]

For a while now there has been a sasquatch making his way up and down Country Road 9 North of Avon and south of St. Anna MN. A local farmer made them out of treated plywood and painted them black. It took quite a while for the passerby's to figure out where they came from. They've been everywhere from a hay field to on top of a grain bin and in a boat in a lake near the road. It's a pretty neat deal and makes you smile when you drive by. They showed up in this corn field the day after it was harvested.

Dad and I got the auger into the first feed bin in the feed room in the barn on Saturday. Good grief this has been a long time coming ....

Miss Lily helped supervise as we built the wall to hold the corn in. The bottom two holes are where we'll take the corn out and the center hole is an access hole to climb in when needed. We plan to run cables from one wall to another all over to brace it internally so it doesn't blow out when the corn goes in. Each side will have 15,000-16,000lbs of corn in when full.

 

[drivesitfar]

JBL: if you want to see the REAL SASQUATCH or BIG FOOT as we call him and his brides you need to take that bus up here to the PNW if you ever get time to.

funny stuff though whoever is moving them around!!

raining here so hope it's dry for you today.

 

[Farmall450]

You'll need the mousers for all that free corn!

 

[jblnut]

JBL: if you want to see the REAL SASQUATCH or BIG FOOT as we call him and his brides you need to take that bus up here to the PNW if you ever get time to.

funny stuff though whoever is moving them around!!

raining here so hope it's dry for you today.

BIG FOOT "as you call him" lol. Is he a buddy of yours ?? I'd love an introduction

It was dry for a few days and we got A LOT of stuff done but it's raining again now. I'll update with way too many pics as usual in a little while.

You'll need the mousers for all that free corn!

It's unreal how much mouse poison we go through in that barn. You'd think after a while they'd all be dead but nope.

 

[drivesitfar]

JBL: yep before I met my dream girl and got married at 32 years old I think I dated Big Foot's daughter.

seriously you need more CATS. I had a rental house on 10 acres when before I was married and everytime I opened the 2 car garage the mice would run in. putting poison in the basement only had them dying in the walls of insulation so my tenants would complain.

THEN a feral cat showed up and OMG the mouse population dropped quick. I remember moving around construction debris to make a fire with the cat nearby and when a mouse would come running out she'd eat it head first and I bet she ate 6 or more in an hour.

the sad thing about putting out poison is the other pets if you have them can usually find it or the birds and stray cats will eat a dead mouse and maybe get poisoned too. let MOTHER NATURE do it's thing and let our cat population grow and don't get them spoiled on cat food and maybe leave out some dry food if they need some. AND after a few years of savings from not buying poison you can put up another building.

always love looking at pictures of the farm so post up when you can. how are the cows liking the lights? I know you probably like them a lot?

 

[jblnut]

Tuesday morning started off with a neighbor calling to ask for a tug out of the mud. Good grief he's in there !!


We were determined to combine soybeans so we got the combine fueled up and ready to go.


I put the big ******** the combine. If it wasn't there we'd need it, that's how it works. I'd imagine this combine with duals and 4wd will go through more mud than the other one but that just means it'll be in that much farther if it does get stuck !!


This is one of my favorite bearings on the farm to grease. You can't reach it from the ground so we grease it on top the bin.


Annnnnd we're off !! Of course Dad has to make the first few passes with the new combine to make sure "it all works good and whatnot" Ya okay


First few passes getting unloaded. We checked moisture and the combine is almost spot on with it's real time sensors. The beans are in that 11.1-11.9% moisture range. Perfect !!


Good grief you know it's wet when there are mushrooms growing in the field


Once Dad was rolling along I went home to play with the dozer. This thing has earned the name "Anne" after Anne Robinson (host of the show "The Weakest Link") It seems just as I get one thing fixed another blows apart and causes issues.


And here is Anne sitting after she tried to start herself on fire. A piece of the return line worked free and shot raw fuel at the turbo. Didn't take long to cause a smoke show. Luckily I had the fire extinguisher on board and nothing really happened other than I made a nasty dusty mess on the engine. I replaced all the return lines between the injectors and off I went !!


My Mom send me this picture last night. She said I must have been listening to something pretty good as I was dancing away up there. Lol. It was Thunderstruck by AC/DC so yeah. Pretty good indeed !!


Dad finished with one field and moved onto another. This one was a little wetter but still okay. 12.5% or so.


They are almost waist high in this field !!


I was in a hurry unloading the loads from the first field so here is load #4 going in the bin.


Mmmmmm. Nothing like the dust off a load of beans to make you smile


Wednesday morning I had some repairs to do on the gravity box that rolled over a few years back.


Both front and rear support beams had large cracks in them. I welded them up after it rolled over but they're getting pretty bad.


Smoke em' if ya got em' !!! A guy I work with said Super Lube is a great cutting tool aid so I thought I'd give it a shot. Well it works good but makes a stinky mess so back to using used engine oil it is for us.


We decided to go all out and plate the entire area. Hopefully this will hold !!


I need to get some nice Brent red but for the time being I primed them grey and moved on. And I didn't take a picture of that so maybe I did, maybe I didn't. You'll never know .....


Random picture that doesn't really fit in anywhere so here it is. Those damn spill proof cans cause more hassle and spills than they prevent so I found a nice easy solution. Take the whole nozzle off. If anyone knows of a conventional nozzle conversion kit I'd be all over a couple of them !!


Time to bale soybean straw !!


Oh yeah, the new combine goes through more mud. The other one would have not made it out of there !!


It never fails. The baler drops a bale in a mud hole.


Crazy dry bales make for amazing bedding !!!


This one was about to come out so before hitting the road I kicked it out the rest of the way. Be a shame to have it fall out on the road in front of someone and have my bale get all beat up by a vehicle running into it


I baled 70ish bales before I had an issue. Not bad. A knotter gott all gummed up for some reason. Cleaned it out and restrung the twine top and bottom and it was good to go. <- if you've ever done that you know it's a fair bit of dusty mess on a square baler. Not bad, but not a ton of fun either !!


Back up and running again !! Just flying along at 6.2mph


111 bales total. Not bad for a few hours of baling.


Last load of 36 to unload. The front 18 are a "tad" wet but it's raining as I'm typing this so I'm glad I baled them up !!

 

[Farmall450]

I can only imagine the yummy bean dust from baling. You're the only person I know of who bales bean stubble!

I'm a big fan of the new combine. Nice boxcar magnum of the neighbor's, too.

 

[jblnut]

JBL: yep before I met my dream girl and got married at 32 years old I think I dated Big Foot's daughter.

seriously you need more CATS. I had a rental house on 10 acres when before I was married and everytime I opened the 2 car garage the mice would run in. putting poison in the basement only had them dying in the walls of insulation so my tenants would complain.

THEN a feral cat showed up and OMG the mouse population dropped quick. I remember moving around construction debris to make a fire with the cat nearby and when a mouse would come running out she'd eat it head first and I bet she ate 6 or more in an hour.

the sad thing about putting out poison is the other pets if you have them can usually find it or the birds and stray cats will eat a dead mouse and maybe get poisoned too. let MOTHER NATURE do it's thing and let our cat population grow and don't get them spoiled on cat food and maybe leave out some dry food if they need some. AND after a few years of savings from not buying poison you can put up another building.

always love looking at pictures of the farm so post up when you can. how are the cows liking the lights? I know you probably like them a lot?

The mouse poison deal is a hot topic around here and I echo your concerns. I usually drop the poison down the little holes or in areas I find them hiding so noone can get to them other than the mice. I make T shaped bait stations out of PVC pipe that the mice run through and the bait falls from above. The bait is out of the way of the kiddos and other critters. Being able to accrue enough cats around here to keep the mice at bay would require me to let the mice overrun the place until the cats come. Either way, there are tons of food sources in the woods nearby that I doubt the cats will do much in the barns.

The cats do not get fed around here. Last winter when it was crazy cold I fed them in the hayshed so they'd at least have something. Heck I even got a heated dog dish for them to drink out of.

I can only imagine the yummy bean dust from baling. You're the only person I know of who bales bean stubble!

I'm a big fan of the new combine. Nice boxcar magnum of the neighbor's, too.

It makes for nice bedding. It should be even better now because this combine has a straw chopper that really beats the straw up. We also have someone else come roll up some round bales but the soybean straw is something we can do with equipment we own so that saves some $$$$.

A round baler is on the list to buy sometime soon as I'll send probably $4,000 hiring someone to bale cornstalks for bedding this year. Doesn't take too long to cash flow a round baler that way ....

That neighbor is a HUGE Oliver guy and that is their only not Oliver tractor they own. They have a couple Oliver 2255's, 1955, 1750, 1850, 880 and a couple older Row Crop 88's, 77's, 60's. They like them I guess. The Magnum fills the roll of larger MFWD tractor for tillage and stuff for them. The one 2255 has a 10.4l Cat 3208 and is quite the screamer out in the field !!

 

[quadrcr87]

Here you go. Well worth the money for a good spout and vent kit. https://www.amazon.com/EZ-Pour-Gas-Can-Replacement-Spout/dp/B06WRRXG1X/ref=sr_1_8?gclid=Cj0KCQjwrfvsBRD7ARIsAKuDvMPWqq3Tond0D7IHYDzFyoNqedg20ZadPrN8DSGCdAzx822IA_N-VkIaAlGzEALw_wcB&hvadid=174268284922&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9016216&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=b&hvrand=11533658322913326279&hvtargid=aud-647006051489%3Akwd-48994999508&hydadcr=24633_9648909&keywords=ez+pour+gas+can+spout&qid=1570724804&sr=8-8

 

[jblnut]

Here you go. Well worth the money for a good spout and vent kit. https://www.amazon.com/EZ-Pour-Gas-Can-Replacement-Spout/dp/B06WRRXG1X/ref=sr_1_8?gclid=Cj0KCQjwrfvsBRD7ARIsAKuDvMPWqq3Tond0D7IHYDzFyoNqedg20ZadPrN8DSGCdAzx822IA_N-VkIaAlGzEALw_wcB&hvadid=174268284922&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9016216&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=b&hvrand=11533658322913326279&hvtargid=aud-647006051489%3Akwd-48994999508&hydadcr=24633_9648909&keywords=ez+pour+gas+can+spout&qid=1570724804&sr=8-8

Annnnnd now that's on it's way here !! Thanks for the link

 

[jblnut]

Two things to note in this picture. That is an amazingly organized Vise-Grip drawer for the middle of October and someone put the slide hammer in there. Oh, and it would seem Mama Bear has hidden a rubber snake in here. Lol. She hates snakes and I've been moving this one around the basement for a while now. Seems she wants in on the action. I think I'll put it under her pillow and see what she does


We sell waterbeds for dairy barns and these are the cutoff scraps from the ends of the rolls. They make amazing weed suppressants. I'd hate to meet the weed that can get through 1/2" of rubber !!


With all the moisture around this fall we decided it would be a good idea to put a cable kit on the combine to help us out of the mud if needed. Hopefully this is something we'll never use and we'll talk about what a waste of money it was but unfortunately I think it'll get used ....


Front brackets are installed. There are a pair of 1" thick plate pieces that wrap around the front drive axle that we installed first. Most of the weight of the combine is over the front axle and it is the right spot to pull from when stuck.


A 7/8" steel cable on each side should be strong enough to take the force put on it when we're pulling it out of the mud !!!


Once we had the front brackets installed, which we thought would be the hard part, we started on the rear brackets.


Before they got hung I had to drill the holes out a tad. The holes were 1/2" and we needed 3/4" so I drilled them 55/64" to give them a little wiggle room. Super Lube again as a cutting aid. Still not too sure about this.


Once the rear brackets were installed it was discovered that the cables were different lengths. WTF. Not sure who was holding the tape measure when they were cut but it doesn't seem that hard to get them the same length


We ended up cutting off 10" of cable to get it to the right spot. This appears to be a cable for a high wear application as there is a piece of nylon rope in the center to prevent the other wires from rubbing into each other. Or at least that's what I think it's in there for .....


7/8" cable is not the easiest to work with. It took a bit to get the loop worked into the new spot.


We hooked the 7400 on to them to tension them to make sure they were the same length. Much better now !!!


We simply tied them up with some twine to keep them from dragging when not in use. Easy peasy.


Gotta figure out how to hold the ends up when not in use. Hopefully never in use but they need to be easy to get to. When they'll be needed I'll likely be grumpy because we're stuck and the combine is buried in the mud, the last thing I want is for them to be tough to get out to use.


The last thing we did was to adjust the full hopper sensor in the grain tank. We also centered the GPS receiver to make the mapping more accurate.

 

[drivesitfar]

JBL: i've been following your thread from the beginning and this is the first I've heard of waterbeds for dairy farms. is this yet another business you own? I helped a lot of guys and gals set up gyms either at home or at a business setting and usually if money was an issue HORSE MATS were the go to item. these were/are 3/4 inch thick rubber and 4x6 foot. I used to cut with an utility knife and a new blade and gave my wrists and arms a hecuva workout when I put these rubber mats down on the floor in my 2 car garage.

then I found some rubber mats that are 1.5 inch thick and thought I could use my Fein tool with a scraping blade on it to cut and it works great if you pay attention to cutting straight down.

the thicker rubber mats are a lot nicer if i have to stand long in one place like next to my workbench.

yet another good use for them besides putting down in barns for horses seems to be WEED CONTROL.

that is one good looking building and i'm assuming it's the chicken coop?

I hope your weather (rain and cold) hold off until you get everything ready for winter.

sounds like Mama is a KEEPER and maybe letting you know the next one will be a real snake.

cheers

 

[XJSuperman]

Annnnnd now that's on it's way here !! Thanks for the link

Im late to the party, sorry, but that spout is available at my local Menards (probably yours too, and maybe even Fleet Farm). BUT, i you want a real replacement can, with a stupid-simple spout and in any color you want, check out VP Racing cans. My dad bought a couple for tractors and such. They're square and easy to strap in place, nice lids, and no frills. I get them locally here at KMJ Performance in Ames, if you talk to Terry tell them Donovan sent you. They can be ordered online as well.

 

[jeepxj]

i'm sure it'll be fine but with this being on the internet it must be said: your crosby clips are too close because not enough loop back on the dead end.

https://www.fehr.com/img/product/description/Wire Rope Clip Installation .pdf
https://www.thecrosbygroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/56.pdf

you want 19" of rope on the dead end per two random internet sources.

 

[STClurker]

Also late to the party but this mod to a gas can is almost free

 

[jblnut]

Im late to the party, sorry, but that spout is available at my local Menards (probably yours too, and maybe even Fleet Farm). BUT, i you want a real replacement can, with a stupid-simple spout and in any color you want, check out VP Racing cans. My dad bought a couple for tractors and such. They're square and easy to strap in place, nice lids, and no frills. I get them locally here at KMJ Performance in Ames, if you talk to Terry tell them Donovan sent you. They can be ordered online as well.

Yowser they don't give those cans away !! They seem like the way to go if one is going order new cans though ....

i'm sure it'll be fine but with this being on the internet it must be said: your crosby clips are too close because not enough loop back on the dead end.

https://www.fehr.com/img/product/description/Wire Rope Clip Installation .pdf
https://www.thecrosbygroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/56.pdf

you want 19" of rope on the dead end per two random internet sources.

I'm sure it'll be fine as well. I made sure the clips are on the right way (you never want to saddle a dead horse) and that they were good and tight and it'll work for what we're doing. We talked about getting some thimbles, and still may, but for now we just wanted to get it all installed in case it was needed ASAP. They put this same kit on brand new Case 9250 combines on tracks and drag them out of the mud with QuadTrac's without issues so I think we'll be okay.

I appreciate the concern and we'll probably end up putting some thimbles in at least. There is more dead end than it looks, damn near 18" but I'll measure it sometime.

Also late to the party but this mod to a gas can is almost free

Well that is a great mod for sure !! They guy was entertaining to watch

 

[jblnut]

Sunday afternoon we partook in some pumpkin carving action. This was the only picture I was able to take. Immediately after this Leo started throwing pumpkin innards at his sisters. I couldn't be mad though because I could see myself doing it as well

 

[jblnut]

JBL: i've been following your thread from the beginning and this is the first I've heard of waterbeds for dairy farms. is this yet another business you own? I helped a lot of guys and gals set up gyms either at home or at a business setting and usually if money was an issue HORSE MATS were the go to item. these were/are 3/4 inch thick rubber and 4x6 foot. I used to cut with an utility knife and a new blade and gave my wrists and arms a hecuva workout when I put these rubber mats down on the floor in my 2 car garage.

then I found some rubber mats that are 1.5 inch thick and thought I could use my Fein tool with a scraping blade on it to cut and it works great if you pay attention to cutting straight down.

the thicker rubber mats are a lot nicer if i have to stand long in one place like next to my workbench.

yet another good use for them besides putting down in barns for horses seems to be WEED CONTROL.

that is one good looking building and i'm assuming it's the chicken coop?

I hope your weather (rain and cold) hold off until you get everything ready for winter.

sounds like Mama is a KEEPER and maybe letting you know the next one will be a real snake.

cheers

Yup. Those water bed scraps are laying down by the cool cell (evaporative cooler) to keep the weeds down.

The rain comes and goes. Never seems to come at the right time this year but it's been dry for a few days so I'm gonna take a few days off work and stay home to get the soybeans in.

Oh yeah, Mama Bear is a KEEPER. She's a wonderful gal

Here we go with some waterbed info !!

They come in rolls that weigh around 4,000lbs. (this is less than half a roll left)

This is a relatively short run at only 30 stalls long. There are 81 stalls per roll. I do not have any pictures of the rest of the install process but we anchor them down and fill them with a VERY specific amount of water. The 48" wide beds like these are get 4-1/2 Gallons of water in the top chamber and 8-1/2 gallons in the bottom chamber. We have water meters that measure how much is going in to get it "just right"

This is a picture of one that has been installed for around a year. The waterbeds do not require any additional bedding but this dairyman has chosen to dress them up with some nice fresh wood shavings all the time.

 

[jeepxj]

I'm sure it'll be fine as well. I made sure the clips are on the right way (you never want to saddle a dead horse) and that they were good and tight and it'll work for what we're doing. We talked about getting some thimbles, and still may, but for now we just wanted to get it all installed in case it was needed ASAP. They put this same kit on brand new Case 9250 combines on tracks and drag them out of the mud with QuadTrac's without issues so I think we'll be okay.

I appreciate the concern and we'll probably end up putting some thimbles in at least. There is more dead end than it looks, damn near 18" but I'll measure it sometime.

im guessing 14"

does the factory kit use swaged ends?

 

[jblnut]

im guessing 14"

does the factory kit use swaged ends?

Well I didn't measure them but we did use them today

I do not know what the Case IH kit uses but the dealers in the area the machine shop is located offer it as a dealer installed option on brand new machines. We didn't break it today and tugged like crazy on it all ...

 

[jblnut]

Headed out to combine some beans today !!! Thought I'd save time and bring all the wagons along right away

Miss Lily is helping today as school is on MEA break. She'll be my little shadow tomorrow as well

Dad came up with a creative and simple way to hold the tow cables up. He said "No need to make them too easy to get to, we won't need them anyway."

Off and running munching down the acres !!

Until he wasn't ....

So. This was the first of three attempts to pull this boat anchor out.

I was quite sure the 6" strap was going to break but I pulled it until the tractor spun out and it didn't even flinch. I was quite surprised. Damn glad that cable kit is on there. This thing is SUNK in there

Well this is how the evening ended. With Dad fueling up the mini-hoe to dig the mud out from behind the combine tires. Seems the 4wd isn't working on the combine either which *****. Gonna have to figure that out tomorrow as well. Not pictured is the bale of soybean straw that will be sacrificed under the combine to help it float out of the holes it's sunk into. I almost got our big 4wd tractor stuck trying to pull it out so we needed a new plan. Hopefully it works.

 

[jeepxj]

Well I didn't measure them but we did use them today

I do not know what the Case IH kit uses but the dealers in the area the machine shop is located offer it as a dealer installed option on brand new machines. We didn't break it today and tugged like crazy on it all ...

so we can say plenty of inches of loop back then.

 

[madison069]

That ***** that you got stuck already and had to test your new straps, but atleast you know they are handy and able to hold up so far! Maybe the 4 wheel drive issue will be simple as a lever not engaging properly.

I also never heard of the waterbed for cattles, something I never saw at my grandpa's cattle farm. but then again he only had a hundred head of cattles at a time and not thousands so he might of been keeping it cheap.

 

[drivesitfar]

JBL: sorry to hear you got stuck and sort of ruined your Quality time with your little girl. that said I hope today is dry and you get things back up and running. here's a little luck heading your way too.

also I can't recall ever throwing pumpkin at my twin sisters that were just over a year younger than I am, but I heard I kept throwing their stuffed animals back in their play pen area cause they were animals.

cheers!!

 

[jblnut]

so we can say plenty of inches of loop back then.

Still didn't measure but I will when the thimbles come and I put them in.

That ***** that you got stuck already and had to test your new straps, but at least you know they are handy and able to hold up so far! Maybe the 4 wheel drive issue will be simple as a lever not engaging properly.

I also never heard of the waterbed for cattles, something I never saw at my grandpa's cattle farm. but then again he only had a hundred head of cattles at a time and not thousands so he might of been keeping it cheap.

Turns out that stuck was the first but just barely the worst so far. It seems the 4wd is working we just didn't know how exactly a 4wd rear axle on a combine should behave because we've never had one before.

Waterbeds for cattle are a relatively new thing. Probably only the last 15yrs or so. We've put them in on farms with 35 cows to 5,000 cows. They are a product that appeals to all that look at them and they put them in if the cost/benefit ratio looks good to them. We buy them by the 40' container load so we sell a lot of them !!

JBL: sorry to hear you got stuck and sort of ruined your Quality time with your little girl. that said I hope today is dry and you get things back up and running. here's a little luck heading your way too.

also I can't recall ever throwing pumpkin at my twin sisters that were just over a year younger than I am, but I heard I kept throwing their stuffed animals back in their play pen area cause they were animals.

cheers!!

Oh Miss Lily loves doing anything and (just about) everything with her Daddy. No QDT (quality daughter time) lost so far !!

Lol on the "today is dry" bit. It didn't rain today but the ground is anything but solid and dry. See below for more clarity

 

[jblnut]

Today started off with Miss Lily and I taking a road trip to just South of Sedan, MN to pick up a tow rope. I've never seen someone so excited for a tow rope. Probably because she didn't pay for it. This bad boy came in just under $800


It's a 50' long 200,000lb pull rated tow rope. Miss Lily is a good reference point for it's size. It's rather unruly to move around at 125lbs total but we shouldn't break it.


We started "unstucking" the combine by unloading the soybeans to take as much weight off as possible.


While Dad was unloading the combine I got the excavator in place.


It's in there pretty good ....


And this side is worse. It kept sinking in the mud yesterday before we gave up and decided to regroup.


See that black bracket .... now look about a foot below it .... that's where the tow cable is attached. Down there in the mud. Yup, pretty glad we were proactive about getting stuck !!!


Pops manned one shovel while I manned the other. We dug out a fair bit and it was a nasty soupy mess down there. It was hard to walk in it and was just mush.


Soybean straw is laid down in the hole to give the combine some sort of solid ground to climb up on.


Yikes I never thought this would be so tight a fit !!


Here we go !!!


Whoo Hoo all the prep work paid off !!! It was a bit sketchy for a bit as the combine started to sink again but the tractor pulled it out.


It seemed that if I wrapped it up on the back of the tractor we wouldn't need it again and I'd feel silly for wasting all that time to wrap it up ....


The tractor scratched and dug down a bit pulling it out.


Annnnnd there is water in the bottom of the ruts already. Good grief !!


Dad is back at it.


Dad brought the Ryobi cordless chainsaw along in case there was a tree that had fallen in the field. Good thing he had it. This thing made short work of this tree !!


The field looks as if a drunk person was combining. A little here, some more over there, ok now back over here again. Lol.


Well WTF. Stuck again !!


Unload the wagon and hook up the big tow rope.


Annnnd here's how we know the 4wd is working. The rear wheels are dug into the mud quite a ways.


More ugly ruts.


We've left our mark on this spot. It's ours now


Meanwhile Mama Bear sent me a picture of the little people squad having fun in a pile of leaves.


Boy we're getting good at this.


Ok so after using this tow rope three times today I can honestly say it is a truly amazing piece of equipment. It stretches 7-8' under a full load and really works well. It was money very well spent !!!


This combine is smaller than the smallest combine on the market today and it still can barely dump into this older smaller gravity box. The unload auger on a new John Deere S790 is easily 4-5' higher than this one is as well. No way you'd be able to hit this little box with one of them !!


While looking things over in the field I noticed this plug is missing it's wire


Seems I had it stretched too tightly and it pulled out of the plug. T'was a simple fix but an unneeded one. Gotta be more careful next time.


Well here's an interesting tiddly bit of unneeded hassle. The box was leaking soybeans on the way home and it turns out the door was almost out of it's track. If that were to happen the whole box would unload itself on the road in a hurry. There goes around $2,000 in soybeans if that happens !!


About halfway home it was getting worse so we put some duct tape on it to hold the beans in. Duct tape fixes everything.



This thing is really messed up somehow. The worn part of the white piece of steel is suppose to be totally behind the red piece of steel. One more thing to fix !!

 

[cvairwerks]

With the conditions and the luck you've been having, maybe it would be easier to coil the rope up on the combine and not the tractor....would be less digging to make the pull .

 

[drivesitfar]

JBL: that was some adventure and a ton of pictures showing most of it. GEESH!!

happy to see you got everything out of the mud ok and the soy beans home with the aid of duct tape (Red Green would be proud).

not sure what the best was to store rope is, but a warm dry place after cleaning it off might be a good idea. I had a decent size one i used for exercise that I stuck outside in a hose box and while it was pretty dry in there without any heat I noticed mold on it. just because you might need that rope again and you don't want to spend another $800 on it when you could spend that on other things.

keep up the good work and hope you don't get any of this rain that is dumping on us.

cheers

 

[Sifan]

Played work hookey for 3 days this week to go north and help with inlaws farming. Couldn't keep running because of breakdowns which I thought was VERY frustrating. After looking at your pictures, I much prefer putting a new end on the sickle, replacing a hydraulic hose (twice … once with a bad hose then a good hose) replacing a roller chain, taking a link out of a maxed out adjusted chain. Also replaced a shank on the ripper … found concrete. ~80 acres beans and 160 acres of corn to go. Corn was planted mid June, still half green. Hope you find lots of dry days!! And NO breakdowns.