Above 1200 Sq/FT Out on Quaker Road

[Sifan]

If a side had to be tore up, be glad it was the top side! I've helped replace the bottom side, what a pain working over your head and carriage bolts wouldn't hold, ended up using the hot wrench on a 95* day. Definitely happy it was only a 30' header and not larger.

 

[jblnut]

I gots me some bubble bathy stuff to clean the cool pads off with so they hopefully don't get nasty again. It make quite the foam pit at first !!


Also got my John Deere greenish Farm Sip Supreme on the chicken barn tractor !! Boy oh boy was that nice to have !!


Saturday was nice and cool so Pops and I did some wood things.


Holy game changer!! A mini with a thumb. Pops was happy running it while I cut and I was happy cutting wood off the ground !!


I even used it to load the bigger splitter logs. Twas way nicer than using the skiddy. Way more maneuverable and nimble.


Two loads of big splitters loaded up .....


Hauled home and dumped. Boy howdy I like having a hydraulic pump on Walter !!


We also got three loads of cut and ready to burn stuff hauled home. Two loads were cut that day. Having that mini to hold the wood was really a time saver !!


We filled four cages with wood for my brother in law to burn and I hauled them home on Walter with the last load. Close to 2.75 cord total between the truck and trailer. Not a bad way to haul wood !!


Mama Bear is super stoked to have a wood pile out of her patio door

 

[jblnut]

Time to empty the header trailer off to bring home some treasure......


Not sure the official specs on this monster but it's HUGE !!!!!


More treasures !!!!!


90' of 6"ish natural gas line and 38' of LARGE metal beam. The gas line will be the legs of the shop loft. I don't remember if I posted pics of the yellow beam I acquired earlier this summer but they'll be used for the clear span supports in the loft we'll be putting in the shop this winter. I've been gathering parts for that loft since before we moved dirt for the shop and I finally have all the big pieces home for it !!


Well I needed a slide hammer but didn't have one ..... Isn't something I can say anymore because I built one this morning


An auger I wanted to use had a big dent in it .....


Thanks to some recent hard work out in by the Research and Development team I had a new tool to fix said dent. A couple good bonks with the slide hammer and that dent was almost invisible


Skiddy lifter boom and ladders and cables and wooden supports oh my !!


The oats bin now has a brand new to me 6" auger on it !! Just needs a $600 electric motor now

 

[XJSuperman]

I fully expected to see a new header coming home and since you just did that recently I thought maybe a combine too (to make the math add up in my head). I was slightly disappointed to see a really cool giant beam there instead as I scrolled down. Ya got me good. Now Im waiting for loft construction.

 

[jblnut]

I fully expected to see a new header coming home and since you just did that recently I thought maybe a combine too (to make the math add up in my head). I was slightly disappointed to see a really cool giant beam there instead as I scrolled down. Ya got me good. Now Im waiting for loft construction.

Lol. Just stuck a pile of money into the head, no way I'm getting rid of it anytime soon! Our 2388 broke 2000 engine hours last Harvest so it has a lot of life left in it as well

The loft is going to be a winter project as there are way too many outside things to do this time of year. Like making it the SSU code go away on the 7630 lol

 

[jblnut]

Look at that huge cruise ship !! Always thought it'd be neat to do a cruise one day.


They let us inside to look around !!!


This is a large boat !!!


There is grass on the roof and a putting green


7 day Alaskan cruise underway


First stop in Ketichican Alaska. Neat town !!


We did some touristy stuff and went to a "logging competition". It was neat.


We stopped at a glacier on the way to Juneau. You could tell them people from the Southern US as they were all bundled up and cold. We were out there in shorts and a light sweatshirt and were just fine. It was a comfortable 50f


Zoomed in on the glacier.

 

[Bob Heine]

Mike, we've never taken an Alaska cruise but my 9 weeks riding in the back seat up there was the experience of a lifetime. I hope you did all the adventures they offered while on the cruise. Sadly, you missed the really really long days but being out on the water you may have also missed the bat-size mosquitoes. If they had hive mentality, a group of them could knock you down and drain all your blood before you could say "ouch." We bought a reindeer pelt in Norway and the scars from mosquito bites were huge.

We used to drive the 2 miles to the beach a lot. Sometimes we'd go in the winter, as you say, all bundled up. Every time someone walked past shirtless wearing just a bathing suit I would say "Minneapolis" and Liane would say "St. Paul." A different level of Pale.

 

[madison069]

So, how do you rate the cruise experiences?

All I did was drink and eat. I’m positive that the cruise line hated the fact I had a drinking package for free drink. I tested that limit each day.

The stops were short for us, we went to Maine/Canada for one cruise and then the Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands for the second one.

 

[Boostingaz]

We did a 14 day I think it was Alaskan cruise and it was amazing!

We have done a couple of Mexico cruises too and they are always a good time. Not much off the shop time though, the days you get are very very short.

 

[jblnut]

Mike, we've never taken an Alaska cruise but my 9 weeks riding in the back seat up there was the experience of a lifetime. I hope you did all the adventures they offered while on the cruise. Sadly, you missed the really really long days but being out on the water you may have also missed the bat-size mosquitoes. If they had hive mentality, a group of them could knock you down and drain all your blood before you could say "ouch." We bought a reindeer pelt in Norway and the scars from mosquito bites were huge.

We used to drive the 2 miles to the beach a lot. Sometimes we'd go in the winter, as you say, all bundled up. Every time someone walked past shirtless wearing just a bathing suit I would say "Minneapolis" and Liane would say "St. Paul." A different level of Pale.

As we travel farther North it's becoming more apparent who is from a warmer state lol. I wore a light jacket due to rain yesterday while wandering around Juneau and others were winter coats, mittens and hats.

9 weeks in the backseat ? Family vacation or just checking Alaska out ?

So, how do you rate the cruise experiences?

All I did was drink and eat. I’m positive that the cruise line hated the fact I had a drinking package for free drink. I tested that limit each day.

The stops were short for us, we went to Maine/Canada for one cruise and then the Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands for the second one.

Mama Bear is soaking the cruise up more than I am. We're 4 days in and I'm ready to go home and see the kiddos and critters. I'm having a good time but after a few days away I'm always ready to go home.

We went to Juneau yesterday and that was neat. We immediately walked to the capital building to get out of the pool of tourists and took a tour of it. We wandered around town after that and it was pretty neat !!

We did a 14 day I think it was Alaskan cruise and it was amazing!

We have done a couple of Mexico cruises too and they are always a good time. Not much off the shop time though, the days you get are very very short.

The time off the shore has seemed very short so far here as well !!

 

[Firstram]

When is the last time you went this long without working on something? Enjoy yourself!

 

[Jayman17]

You could mosey on down to the engine room and see if they need a hand with something if you are getting bored on the ship.

 

[drivesitfar]

I thought when minn e soda guys went cruising it was in a camero or a mustang?

Enjoy your time off cause you sure deserve it and I’m also positive work at the farm will be waiting for your return.

Have fun and I bet seeing all those eagles is a nice change from turkey vultures.

 

[Bob Heine]

9 weeks in the backseat ? Family vacation or just checking Alaska out ?

Mike, it was 1957 and my parents, being teachers, left Long Island (NY) at the end of the last day of school, towing a 15-foot travel trailer. Drove across Southern Canada to Edmunton, Alberta where the paved road ended. Stopped in Grande Prairie (to visit my mother's childhood home) and then Dawson Creek, the start of the Alcan highway. At the border between the Yukon an Alaska we returned to paved roads. Used Fairbanks for home base and took a small plane flight to Fort Yukon, above the Arctic Circle, followed by a train ride to Mt. McKinley National Park. Drove from Fairbanks to Anchorage and the surrounding area. Headed south to Seattle and from there back home to Long Island, arriving the day before school started. No where near as plush as a cruise ship but we did get to spend time real close to nature. Also discovered exactly how far a 1953 Oldsmobile could go on a tank of gas and why you always carry a spare tank of gas in Canada and Alaska (and at least 3 spare tires).

 

[jblnut]

When is the last time you went this long without working on something? Enjoy yourself!

A whole week ? I don't know .... Probably 6yrs ago when our little guy was at Children's Hospital I'd say but that was a different sort of week off ...

You could mosey on down to the engine room and see if they need a hand with something if you are getting bored on the ship.

Oh we tried and almost got into some trouble. Apparently they don't like it when you wander around where it says "Crew Only". We said we were lost and it worked lol

I thought when minn e soda guys went cruising it was in a camero or a mustang?

Enjoy your time off cause you sure deserve it and I’m also positive work at the farm will be waiting for your return.

Have fun and I bet seeing all those eagles is a nice change from turkey vultures.

When I go cruising it's in my Jeep usually lol. And yeah, lots of stuff waiting when we got back !! We got back midnight Friday and were in the chicken barn on Saturday morning setting up for baby chick arrival on Monday.

We saw a crazy amount of eagles !! I have a eagle that lives in the woods to the south of me that likes to raid the compost pile and makes a mess. I surprised it one morning and when it flew off it was pretty neat as we were only 10' apart. Damn big birds !!

Mike, it was 1957 and my parents, being teachers, left Long Island (NY) at the end of the last day of school, towing a 15-foot travel trailer. Drove across Southern Canada to Edmunton, Alberta where the paved road ended. Stopped in Grande Prairie (to visit my mother's childhood home) and then Dawson Creek, the start of the Alcan highway. At the border between the Yukon an Alaska we returned to paved roads. Used Fairbanks for home base and took a small plane flight to Fort Yukon, above the Arctic Circle, followed by a train ride to Mt. McKinley National Park. Drove from Fairbanks to Anchorage and the surrounding area. Headed south to Seattle and from there back home to Long Island, arriving the day before school started. No where near as plush as a cruise ship but we did get to spend time real close to nature. Also discovered exactly how far a 1953 Oldsmobile could go on a tank of gas and why you always carry a spare tank of gas in Canada and Alaska (and at least 3 spare tires).

That sounds like quite the adventure Bob !! I can't imagine having us all couped up in a car for months but I bet it was a good time making some core memories !!

 

[jblnut]

When we got to Juneau everyone flooded the touristy shops and we hiked uphill to the capital. What a beautiful building!!


The security guard at the front door gave us a self guided tour pamphlet and said go explore. Huh ? Neat !! He said we'd get told if we went somewhere we weren't suppose to be but it was unlikely as no one was there other than him and the governor at the time. So we wandered !!


I enjoy the occasional Alaskan Amber at home so I couldn't pass a chance to have a fresh one at the brewery!! It was delicious!!


Mama Bear wanted to go whale watching so we found a boat in Juneau and found some!!



We toured a sled dog kennel in Skegway and talked to a guy that's completed it 8 times. Neat stuff !!


Another place we almost got kicked out .... We wandered around in the dredge that was parked by the sled dog kennel when they weren't looking lol. What a neat piece of machinery!!


Fancy little ice cream cake deal for dessert at the fancy restaurant on the ship.


Welcome to Canada eh' !!!


The Parliament building was really neat !! Couldn't go in though as it closed at 4:30. Bunch of half day working Canadians lol.


There was a giant Sequoia tree that was planted in the 1800's that we were trying to figure out how many cord of wood was in it lol

 

[madison069]

That fancy dessert is called a Baked Alaska, not to be confused with Baked Alaskan cod like I did.....


Interesting that ya'll seeked out the capitol buildings, cause it's something I do myself when I'm in the capitol of other country and people I know always thought it was weird.

Did ya find any gold at the dredge?

By any chance did you try any of the local cuisine while you were on land? Finding the capitol building and eating the local food that the country is known for are the 2 things I do in new countries!

 

[jblnut]

That fancy dessert is called a Baked Alaska, not to be confused with Baked Alaskan cod like I did.....


Interesting that ya'll seeked out the capitol buildings, cause it's something I do myself when I'm in the capitol of other country and people I know always thought it was weird.

Did ya find any gold at the dredge?

By any chance did you try any of the local cuisine while you were on land? Finding the capitol building and eating the local food that the country is known for are the 2 things I do in new countries!

A Baked Alaska you say .... It was delicious and we ordered another one lol.

The interesting stuff to us isn't the touristy **** but what the local area is actually known for. I like going to the capitals as there is likely lots of history there.

No gold on the dredge and I was sitting in the sluices at one point lol

We ate salmon, cod and crab at every stop !! One place we ate at we caught the salmon in the creek and watched them cook it. That was neat. In Victoria I had a steak and fries so nothing really Canadian. Not like poutine or BC crab or anything unfortunately.

 

[madison069]

On the otherside of Canada I took a lobster trap tour and brought in a trap that had a lobster. They let me take it to a local restaurant to be cooked for an additional $8 with sides and a drink. I enjoyed that meal on a dock while watching the sunset in the distance before I had to rush back to the cruise ship.

 

[drivesitfar]

Got any eagle pics or other bug critters cause seems like Alaska should have most of them that AFRICA doesn’t have.

So how many pounds did you gain?

 

[Flanman55]

Where is Canada? My mom's from Tatamagouche and it's a lovely place

On the otherside of Canada I took a lobster trap tour and brought in a trap that had a lobster. They let me take it to a local restaurant to be cooked for an additional $8 with sides and a drink. I enjoyed that meal on a dock while watching the sunset in the distance before I had to rush back to the cruise ship.

 

[jblnut]

On the otherside of Canada I took a lobster trap tour and brought in a trap that had a lobster. They let me take it to a local restaurant to be cooked for an additional $8 with sides and a drink. I enjoyed that meal on a dock while watching the sunset in the distance before I had to rush back to the cruise ship.

That sounds like a great time !!!

Got any eagle pics or other bug critters cause seems like Alaska should have most of them that AFRICA doesn’t have.

So how many pounds did you gain?

Everyone was taking pictures of wildlife type stuff all the time and I wasn't I guess. I dunno why other than I see lots of critters everyday so it didn't seem to be a big deal to me I guess. At one point we saw something bonkers like 40 eagles in the same spot. Damn neat !! The few wildlife pics I did take didn't do the actual scene justice anyway. It was all so big and pretty looking !!

I actually lost a couple pounds somehow !! We did a crazy amount of walking both on and off the ship so that must have offset the 2nd and 3rd breakfasts, 2nd lunches, mid day snacks, 2nd suppers, evening snacks, prebedtime ice creams and the list goes on lol

Where is Canada? My mom's from Tatamagouche and it's a lovely place

Canada is just north of the United States

@madison069 I think this one's for you

 

[jblnut]

When we got back we set the chicken barn up and I mixed a bunch of feed for the steers. Golly I need to enact some weed control


The boiler pad is getting rather full and difficult to cut logs on so I started cutting them over here. I don't really care for all the shavings/chips that are building up here though ....


Decided using the skiddy to load the chunks was way easier than pitching them on by hand .....


The little Avery is home !!


Whilst loading the Avery I noticed a large pile of iron in the guys pasture so I had to ask about it. We came to terms on it and we're bringing it home !! Lots of good heavy stuff on the pile that will make nice random pieces for a loooooong time around here !!

 

[jollygreengiant]

Whilst loading the Avery I noticed a large pile of iron in the guys pasture so I had to ask about it. We came to terms on it and we're bringing it home !! Lots of good heavy stuff on the pile that will make nice random pieces for a loooooong time around here !!

Leave it to a farmer to bring scrap steel home instead of taking it away.

 

[madison069]

Where is Canada? My mom's from Tatamagouche and it's a lovely place

I believe the stop with the lobster boat was Halifax, we stopped at two ports in Canada and two ports in Maine for that particular cruise.

 

[jblnut]

Leave it to a farmer to bring scrap steel home instead of taking it away.

Some of it will be scrapped but most will stay here to be used for projects or repairs. Lots of heavy stuff in there !! There is a piece of 1"x12"x72" iron that I have no idea what I'll do with but that's the exciting part !!

 

[ybnormal]

Everytime I see this thread I think "We know what happens on Copperhead Road, I wonder how bad it is on Quaker Road?"

 

[jblnut]

See !! Lots of good stuff in there !!


Nice iron rack, big cage of larger flat iron and about 1/2 of the bottom of a very large fuel tank.


Lots of $$$$ in there if one was to go buy that all ... I'll likely never use it all but if I use 1 piece out of the entire basket I've more than got my moneys worth !!


Big steel tub that I think I'm going to use for ashes by the boiler and a couple parking stop things. I think I'm going to put one in the garage in Mama Bear's space so she quits running into the freezer


Time to empty the oats bin and haul it over to my place.


This is some dusty, itchy stuff !!


I don't mind emptying grain bins but emptying an oats bin has to be one of my least favorite jobs on the farm. I'm surprised the camera even picked up this much dust. I wear my chicken barn respirator in here otherwise I'll be coughing like crazy for a few days. Not good !!!


Up and into the hopper bin it goes. If all I do is feed out of it the oats in there should last for 4-5yrs lol. We'll pull some out for seed and neighbors so it'll likely last more like 2-3yrs. That's okay though !!


The Avery is home, the scrap pile is home .... Time to move on to the next project, or rather finish a few parts of an existing project. I acquired this auger probably 10yrs ago to do something with but never did. Now I'm going to rob the undercarriage from it to hold a different larger auger by my grain bin and hopper bin to load the mixer.


It doesn't have a hitch so we make do


Away we go !!


I was more worried about the tires blowing off than it coming loose and falling off the trailer. This one held air for around 10 minutes and was dead flat again. Good thing it only takes 5 minutes to get from Dads place to mine !! I should post this pic in one of the many "Can I put this used this tire on a trailer or a vehicle I don't used often because I'm cheap" threads

 

[jblnut]

Pops and I got a couple old augers in the shop so I could work on making one longer one out of two of them ....


Once I had the 5' extension from one auger taken off and put on the other to make a 25' auger I pushed the old POS in.


That's some fancy rigging right there


I spent the afternoon in here as it was a comfy 72F and it was in the 92F area outside. Gross. The little 5k AC was struggling so I opened the office door and it coolest off nicely again !!



I poured a bottle of water slowly on the shop AC's outside coil and the power use went down quite a bit and then back up again once it dries out ..... Makes ya think about running water on it all the time .....


On hot days like today I find myself wishing it was cold again ......



Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha yeah right

 

[jblnut]

So I'm a bit behind on this thread lol. We gave some attention to the ceiling in the house porch.


Fancy pants flooring grade stuff on the ceiling. The plan is to put some tongue and groove stuff up here in random lengths so I wanted something to nail into without having to have the pieces in 2' increments.


Miss Alyssa was making friends with the ribeyes.


Oh look ...... That looks like a spendy trailer load lol


Hey look !! Time to put some rubbers on the wagon lol


Swingset update !!! It's getting there .....


Ahhhhhh !!!! It's done !!!! Done'ish ......


Swingset needs something yet .....


It needs monkey bars !!! Kiddos approved while messing around in one of my campfire wheelchairs.


Weld'em up !!!!!!

 

[bugnut]

@jblnut love this line!!!

Miss Alyssa was making friends with the ribeyes.

 

[RickP]

You've been busy!

Swing set looks really good -- the kiddos should love that.

Those wagon tires sound pricey -- amazing how much weight they can haul -- maybe the manufacturer charges by the pound...

 

[jblnut]

@jblnut love this line!!!

Miss Alyssa was making friends with the ribeyes.

They like to name the steers and I started yelling by giving suggestions like ribeye, back strap, porterhouse and Mr. T-Bone. They keep naming them things like Whitey, Blackie, Pink Nosey and Poo Face. One had poop on its face once and the name stuck lol. They're very cleaver kiddos

You've been busy!

Swing set looks really good -- the kiddos should love that.

Those wagon tires sound pricey -- amazing how much weight they can haul -- maybe the manufacturer charges by the pound...

No busier than most on here

Kiddos have been racking up the hours on the swing set that's for sure !!

The wagon weighs 44,000lbs or so when full of corn. The tires are 445's so they're big boys. New they're around $1100 but they're a bargain at $300 for used ones. They rot off before they wear out even through they're already 85% worn out already.

I was grumping about needing four new wagon tires to a buddy and he laughed and said they just replaced the tracks, bogies and idlers on their 620 QuadTrac. Roughly $12k per corner ....... Yup, I'll take this bill any day over that !!

 

[jblnut]

Monkey bars are done !! Just gotta drag this monster outside now.


Got it in it's for now resting place and the kiddos attacked it !!


They seem to like it !! Mama Bear was happy they have a swing set but not too thrilled about it being made from and old POS auger lol. I told her she should be proud of me as I "repurposed" something and she's all about that. I got the Mrs eye roll. All y'all married guys kow the one


Get your mind in the gutter !!!



My gutter guy out some nice gutters on the shop and another chunk on the house. This will be nice to have so I don't have a huge ice pile by the shop anymore.


Liquid Man-daid now with Gel Control !!! This one probably should have been checked out as it was measurably deep but the Man-daid sealed it right up.


My tile plow guy sent me a picture of the new 2024 models. Damn that thing looks sharp in its black dress !!


A buddy asked for help chopping silage so I lived in this thing for about a week. When a friend asks for help you help. Plus it was sort of fun being a chopperator for a while !!


Om nom nom nom !!!!! 6 rows at a time going 3mph shoving around 100 ton/hr through this little guy. At 300hp this is just a baby chopper. The biggest one on the market is a measley 1,156hp lol.


It even looks small in front of that 20' wagon. I named it Arnold for obvious reasons. "Get to the Choppa!!!!"

 

[madison069]

Kid's swing set reminds me of the stuff I played on as a kid. I had a monkey bar that was homemade also with the swing hanging off the side of the ladder end. The public park had some kind of "playhouse" deal that was round and looked like a UFO with the ladder in the middle. The ladder was the stand that this UFO shaped thing stood on. I was told it was some framework from some HVAC setup from back in the days. Now adays you won't find that kind of homemade stuff in the park.

Super glue fixes everything! I've just taped things closed too that probably should of gotten stitches. Oh well, I only lost a little bit of feeling in those particular area.

 

[madison069]

Not the exact one but apparently there are more of these UFO playground equipment



As you can see, yo I can climb out on top and test your balance while being in harnessed at the top!

Then I found what my monkey bar looked like minus the slide, this one goes for $2,400



But I’m pretty sure mine was homemade as it was old drill pipes welded together.

 

[OutlawDrifter]

I was grumping about needing four new wagon tires to a buddy and he laughed and said they just replaced the tracks, bogies and idlers on their 620 QuadTrac. Roughly $12k per corner ....... Yup, I'll take this bill any day over that !!

Sounds to me like they got off cheap!

 

[XJSuperman]

We've got a 9900 chopper at work, she's got a little tiny 24 liter engine out back. Loaded with a 4640 and all it does for us is Autotrac and Machine Sync testing. Pretty fun to run though, and it gets through the mud a lot better than a combine.

The playground looks good! Don't forget to keep a close eye on it next summer when the bees/wasps start making nests in it. I personally found each nest at school every year in elementary. The EMTs and I were on a first name basis.

 

[cvairwerks]

Now you need to add a spray head in the spout of the auger and a hose connection on the other end for cooling off on those shot summer days when there's not a breeze.

 

[jblnut]

My FarmSipSupreme and I got a bunch of hay baled in the heat. @jeepxj


It was 98f and gross out


On the way to the field I spotted a little pile of wood so I asked what he was going to do with it and he said he'd help me load it sometime. Sweeeeeet.


Hey hay !!!!! I hauled 4 loads like this to a neighbor for his dairy cows as I waaaaay to much on hand for my needs and he was running short. I go through on average 5 bales every 4 weeks so 88 bales is something like a year and a half of extra hay lol. Time to move it out !!


11 more bales loaded up to go somewhere else a little farther away. I'm going to put two more on the bed of the truck to have 13 total. Should be a nice little load for Walter.