I got into drama from 7th through 12th in a behind the scenes capacity. It lead to 40 years in film and television! Good times for sure!Mama Bear kept grumping that her feet were cold so I decided firing up the stove was in my best interest.
Puff puff puff and away it goes.
We got some rain finally so we got after hauling manure and more tillage before it froze up.
MiniMe tagged along for quite a while. Chatterboxing and bouncing around in the cab all while eating snacks and having the time of his life.
Putting our feet up at the office.
We’ve been trying to get better about spreading cover crop seed in the fall so Pops spread rye on a bunch of acres and I harrowed it in. We’ll see what happens !!
Once things sort of froze up Pops and it went to fill a couple trailers for one of the guys we rent land from. He’s having issues getting around so we figured we could lend a hand or two.
Miss Lily decided she wanted to be in the high school musical this fall. They did “Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” and it was a great performance !! She is one of the littles in the tiedye shirts. I was in most every play from 8th - 12th grade and some of the friends I made in drama are still in our lives today so it was easy to get behind her wanting to be in drama club.
Above 1200 Sq/FT Out on Quaker Road
- Thread starter jblnut
- Start date
Wokspaces above 1200 squarefeet.
That’s pretty cool !! Looking back, the people in drama club were the correct people to hang out with. No one had anything to prove like the “jocks” group and no one that I remember had any high school image issues to deal with. We were all there being ourselves and to hell with what others thought.
I got to know Mama Bear through drama so it was a great investment of my time !!
Sifan
Well-known member
our little school did musicals ... stumbled into building sets ... we could have built a house in the time it took us to build sets 
Eating lunch every day at the bowling alley or pool hall occupies a lot of your set building time and can really improve your game
Eating lunch every day at the bowling alley or pool hall occupies a lot of your set building time and can really improve your game
Mixing a batch of steak food. It’s less fun in the winter but better than doing it in the rain so 
Two more loads of soybeans headed out. Every time I take a contract out the price goes up the next couple days so this time I contracted one load and waited two days and did a second load. It paid off as I got almost $0.30/bu more. Should have waited to do both loads lol
I was going to build this handy looking 3pt to skid steer quick attack adapter but some guy named eBay had it listed for $212. That seemed like a no brainer. Other than not having the fun of building it it was a great deal.
I used it the first time to carry a bucket to use it to hold the splitter sized chunks whilst helping a buddy carve a trail in his woods. Every fall we go over there and put a couple rows in his wood shed for them and some others that live in town to use for bonfires and while camping.
To say it worked well would be a huge understatement. It worked amazing !! We mostly put splitter chunks in it and had a half an IBC tote up front on the forks. I can’t believe how capable this little tractor is for its size.
Not bad for an afternoon of work. Well not bad until you are told there were 7 dudes, 6 kids and a dog working on it
Two more loads of soybeans headed out. Every time I take a contract out the price goes up the next couple days so this time I contracted one load and waited two days and did a second load. It paid off as I got almost $0.30/bu more. Should have waited to do both loads lol
I was going to build this handy looking 3pt to skid steer quick attack adapter but some guy named eBay had it listed for $212. That seemed like a no brainer. Other than not having the fun of building it it was a great deal.
I used it the first time to carry a bucket to use it to hold the splitter sized chunks whilst helping a buddy carve a trail in his woods. Every fall we go over there and put a couple rows in his wood shed for them and some others that live in town to use for bonfires and while camping.
To say it worked well would be a huge understatement. It worked amazing !! We mostly put splitter chunks in it and had a half an IBC tote up front on the forks. I can’t believe how capable this little tractor is for its size.
Not bad for an afternoon of work. Well not bad until you are told there were 7 dudes, 6 kids and a dog working on it
cvairwerks
Well-known member
You sure that wasn't 1 worker, 6 supervisors, 6 distractions and a dog?
Jim_No_Garage
Well-known member
If you mention the dog you need to include the required "dog carrying a huge branch" picture.Mixing a batch of steak food. It’s less fun in the winter but better than doing it in the rain so
Two more loads of soybeans headed out. Every time I take a contract out the price goes up the next couple days so this time I contracted one load and waited two days and did a second load. It paid off as I got almost $0.30/bu more. Should have waited to do both loads lol
I was going to build this handy looking 3pt to skid steer quick attack adapter but some guy named eBay had it listed for $212. That seemed like a no brainer. Other than not having the fun of building it it was a great deal.
I used it the first time to carry a bucket to use it to hold the splitter sized chunks whilst helping a buddy carve a trail in his woods. Every fall we go over there and put a couple rows in his wood shed for them and some others that live in town to use for bonfires and while camping.
To say it worked well would be a huge understatement. It worked amazing !! We mostly put splitter chunks in it and had a half an IBC tote up front on the forks. I can’t believe how capable this little tractor is for its size.
Not bad for an afternoon of work. Well not bad until you are told there were 7 dudes, 6 kids and a dog working on it
bugnut
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Well once again GJ wins my $212 bucks off to ebay! Thanks
The little people were actually sort of halfway helpful. More helpful than at least three of the dudes. I cut most of the time and three guys mostly just stood around and critiqued how the pile was being stacked and how call the wood should be split and how on earth could I justify having that fancy little tractor and on and on. I told them “it’s just money, you can’t take it with you so spend it and enjoy it now!!”
I couldn’t find a picture of Morgan but she’s been with us since 2008 and is the size of a little rat terrier mixed with something that makes her shaggy and dark black. She’s getting up there in years and mostly sat around getting loved from the kids.
Did you order one ?
The school our kids go to has a valley with some huge oak trees and unfortunately some of them are dying. The principal asked if we wanted to cut 9 of them down and I said sure !! This was the first and largest so far. Twas around 30” DBH.
We dropped three of them and cut them up as we went. We cut the larger chunks into 7-8-1/2’ pieces to be sawn into lumber. Sort of excited for that !!
Broke my first chain ever. Too much powa rawr. Plus I know the chain was getting dull and I should have swapped it before starting this cut.
We tipped trees Friday and headed in to clean them up Saturday. I hooked the skiddy trailer behind the little red wagon and headed to town.
Biggest chunk. What a girthy ******
Mama Bear, the little people squad and I made relatively short work of the clean up.
First load was most of the big stuff. There was some weight in here. The tractor knew it was back there.
The second trip was all the small stuff the didn’t need to be split. Around 2 cord of that stuff alone.
The third trip was the rest of the big stuff and the brush. I hauled the brush to the town brush site so that was nice to not have to find a home for it on my property.
Not a bad pile of big stuff for three threes !! The stuff on the left is the sawmill stuff and the right stuff is the firewood pile.
We dropped three of them and cut them up as we went. We cut the larger chunks into 7-8-1/2’ pieces to be sawn into lumber. Sort of excited for that !!
Broke my first chain ever. Too much powa rawr. Plus I know the chain was getting dull and I should have swapped it before starting this cut.
We tipped trees Friday and headed in to clean them up Saturday. I hooked the skiddy trailer behind the little red wagon and headed to town.
Biggest chunk. What a girthy ******
Mama Bear, the little people squad and I made relatively short work of the clean up.
First load was most of the big stuff. There was some weight in here. The tractor knew it was back there.
The second trip was all the small stuff the didn’t need to be split. Around 2 cord of that stuff alone.
The third trip was the rest of the big stuff and the brush. I hauled the brush to the town brush site so that was nice to not have to find a home for it on my property.
Not a bad pile of big stuff for three threes !! The stuff on the left is the sawmill stuff and the right stuff is the firewood pile.
cvairwerks
Well-known member
Now you need yourself one of the big trailer mounted chippers and then you can run all the brush through it and bag it to burn as well.
bugnut
ALLIANCE MEMBER
@jblnut
Yes I did, wish there was a way to get you a commission! Soon to be here, appreciate the bucket on the back and will use for ballast with the grapple and GEL.
3 Pt Skid Steer Quick Tach Conversion Adapter for Cat 1 Tractors Heavy Steel US
$206.99Unit price $206.99
Item number: 296060682159
Returns accepted through Jan 23, 2025.
Buy again
edit for spleling
Yes I did, wish there was a way to get you a commission! Soon to be here, appreciate the bucket on the back and will use for ballast with the grapple and GEL.
Item info
3 Pt Skid Steer Quick Tach Conversion Adapter for Cat 1 Tractors Heavy Steel US
$206.99Unit price $206.99
Item number: 296060682159
Returns accepted through Jan 23, 2025.
Buy again
edit for spleling
The thought has crossed my mind
I don’t know how well the chips would burn. I think they might be too soggy to burn right away
Cool deal !! Whatcha got for a tractor you’re putting on it ?@jblnut
Yes I did, wish there was a way to get you a commission! Soon to be here, appreciate the bucket on the back and will use for ballast with the grapple and GEL.
Item info
3 Pt Skid Steer Quick Tach Conversion Adapter for Cat 1 Tractors Heavy Steel US
$206.99Unit price $206.99
Item number: 296060682159
Returns accepted through Jan 23, 2025.
Buy again
edit for spleling
My cousin Danny has started on the tin project to enclose the shop loft finally. He’s a busy dude and was waiting until it was cold and ****** outside to start so he could loaf around and do inside stuff.
Geez he sure makes a mess
Framing is all done and we’re ready for tin !!
*snaps fingers* and it’s a week later and he’s back !
Good grief that’s a lot of white
Everything that’s not white sticks out so much now. Like the attic access. That needs to be painted !!
The knotty alder door turnt out nice. Once the oak top boards go on the railing I think it’ll all tie together nicely.
Geez he sure makes a mess
Framing is all done and we’re ready for tin !!
*snaps fingers* and it’s a week later and he’s back !
Good grief that’s a lot of white
Everything that’s not white sticks out so much now. Like the attic access. That needs to be painted !!
The knotty alder door turnt out nice. Once the oak top boards go on the railing I think it’ll all tie together nicely.
Finallygotit
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Any plans for the stair treads?
Thanks !! No kidding !! It was supposed to be the same color but I know the stuff in the shop is dirty already. It'll all blend in in due time.
My fussy cousin Danny wants to do something with them as well. I keep telling him (and myself) "It's a working shop, not a show off building" but we'll see. Likely they'll stay this way as I will be going up and down to the loft for parts and stuff so they won't be traveled with nice clean shoes and may get things dropped on them. Not sure what for products exist that can take that kind of abuse without needing to be scrubbed with a mop to stay clean. Or vacuumed. Pass on that !!Any plans for the stair treads?
A few days back I was looking for something I needed and found a bucket of used harrow teeth. Since I have laser focus and am not easily distracted from my mission at hand I made a mental note to remember they were there for a future project I had in mind for them.
I spent too long looking at the harrow teeth (couldn’t have been more than 8 seconds) and forgot what I was looking for so I decided to get to work building a landscape rake. Maybe I’d remember what I was looking for while doing something completely different
Cut them in half, welder them to a heavy pipe and wonder why there are 15 on one side and 16 on the other side but they’re evenly spaced and the same width from the center tooth to the end tooth on each half
While taking advantage of my previously mentioned laser focus I stumbled upon this idea to clean up the storage under my shop steps. The drawer cabinets could easily find another home and a shelf/drawer system under there would really clean things up …..
Anyway …. Two days later I’m back at the rake and got it all wrapped up !!
I goobered some levers onto the bolts that loosen so I can adjust the rake side to side angle. That way I don’t have to keep a pocket full of wrenches with me when I use it and the urge to angle it comes over me.
Oh yeah, somewhere in one of my many moments of laser focusing I welded a receiver hitch on the bottom of my skid steer to 3pt adapter. Figured it’d be handy ….. as shown above by the rake mounted in it. Hey @bugnut …..
I decided I needed to torture test the rake and see if I could break it. I went as fast as Lightening McQueen racing in the Piston Cup and it held up great !! I also pushed one edge against a round bale and spun out with the tractor and nothing gave way. I’d say it’ll work !! I’m mostly planning on using it to clean up brush and debris when cutting wood. Should be quite a bit faster than a hand rake !!
I spent too long looking at the harrow teeth (couldn’t have been more than 8 seconds) and forgot what I was looking for so I decided to get to work building a landscape rake. Maybe I’d remember what I was looking for while doing something completely different
Cut them in half, welder them to a heavy pipe and wonder why there are 15 on one side and 16 on the other side but they’re evenly spaced and the same width from the center tooth to the end tooth on each half
While taking advantage of my previously mentioned laser focus I stumbled upon this idea to clean up the storage under my shop steps. The drawer cabinets could easily find another home and a shelf/drawer system under there would really clean things up …..
Anyway …. Two days later I’m back at the rake and got it all wrapped up !!
I goobered some levers onto the bolts that loosen so I can adjust the rake side to side angle. That way I don’t have to keep a pocket full of wrenches with me when I use it and the urge to angle it comes over me.
Oh yeah, somewhere in one of my many moments of laser focusing I welded a receiver hitch on the bottom of my skid steer to 3pt adapter. Figured it’d be handy ….. as shown above by the rake mounted in it. Hey @bugnut …..
I decided I needed to torture test the rake and see if I could break it. I went as fast as Lightening McQueen racing in the Piston Cup and it held up great !! I also pushed one edge against a round bale and spun out with the tractor and nothing gave way. I’d say it’ll work !! I’m mostly planning on using it to clean up brush and debris when cutting wood. Should be quite a bit faster than a hand rake !!
bugnut
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Tractor is a bx 2370. Have contemplated moving up in size, but the trees keep dropping. Making firewood as the woods thin themselves. I wondered if the hitch was an add-on. Dag nabbit, more to buy and welding practice coming up!
Prospecter
Well-known member
Nice work on the rake. Probably works better than the commercial landscape rakes. Merry Christmas.
I’ve used the hitch a few times now and it’s handier than the one I built that goes on the quick hitch. The only thing I’d need to take this setup off for now is to use the brush mower and that’ll only be a few times a year.
I think I’m going to use the metal glue gun and stick one or two more receiver tubes on it so I can store the hitches I use right on the carrier instead of having them roll around by my feet. More projects !!
I looked at a few rakes to buy and they varied from $169-1299 and I had no gauge other than pictures to quality so I decided to build one. That was when it falls apart I know why and have no one else to blame
RickP
Well-known member
Merry Christmas to you and your family too!
I've really enjoyed all your adventures this year. Your house is looking good and the porch/patio really finishes off the yard nicely.
drivesitfar
Well-known member
Merry Christmas and hope you and your growing family have a great 2025 too!!
Nice looking take!!
Ever remember what your thoughts were on the buckets of goodies? I’m luckily not having to take any meds but I do take 5,000 mg vitamin d daily and I heard if you take K2 with it that it works better. I’m also taking magnesium supplements and a couple others I could mention if you’re interested.
Looks like you’ve had a busy successful year in your full time farming adventure so keep up the great work!!
By the way my memory has good and bad minutes too so we all just do the best we can!!
Nice looking take!!
Ever remember what your thoughts were on the buckets of goodies? I’m luckily not having to take any meds but I do take 5,000 mg vitamin d daily and I heard if you take K2 with it that it works better. I’m also taking magnesium supplements and a couple others I could mention if you’re interested.
Looks like you’ve had a busy successful year in your full time farming adventure so keep up the great work!!
By the way my memory has good and bad minutes too so we all just do the best we can!!
madison069
Well-known member
Merry Christmas Mike! Hope everything is great at the farm today!
Thanks Drives !! Back at ya !!
Thanks !! I was hoping to use it tomorrow but Mother Nature has decided to make it warm and sloppy so the brush I was hoping to rake through the snow will be a soggy mess. It’ll have to wait until spring !!
I’d love to have the goodie buckets and would be able to put a lot of it to use but don’t know how to get it here in a way that isn’t an inconvenience to you.
It’s definitely been an adventure that’s for sure !!
Everytime I learn something new it seems something old gets pushed out. Crappy thing is that I don’t get to pick what leaves !!
Today was a good day !! Most days I’m not punching someone else’s time clock are good days though
I brought some lumber in the shop so it could thaw so I could build a thing with it.
MiniMe says “Dad, why is it still snowy when it’s warm in here !?” Dude it’s been inside for 3 minutes max, give it time
*snaps fingers* and it’s thawed out !! Here is the basic idea for the lumber thing. Going to place it like this on this here trailer and use it as a firewood cutting rig. Going to load long pieces onto it and buck them without having to bend over. Once I get more pallet racking firewood racks built I can grab a piece of wood, spin around and stack it on the rack while only touching the piece of wood once. Win win win in my book.
After mocking up the trailer I had things to think over so I decided to bring a tote of wood scraps up to the stove. I tossed my snow bucket on the back for a counterweight. I can’t believe how much that helped with overall stability!!
What a perfect looking fire !! I sure like this “free” heat machine.
MiniMe says “Dad, why is it still snowy when it’s warm in here !?” Dude it’s been inside for 3 minutes max, give it time
*snaps fingers* and it’s thawed out !! Here is the basic idea for the lumber thing. Going to place it like this on this here trailer and use it as a firewood cutting rig. Going to load long pieces onto it and buck them without having to bend over. Once I get more pallet racking firewood racks built I can grab a piece of wood, spin around and stack it on the rack while only touching the piece of wood once. Win win win in my book.
After mocking up the trailer I had things to think over so I decided to bring a tote of wood scraps up to the stove. I tossed my snow bucket on the back for a counterweight. I can’t believe how much that helped with overall stability!!
What a perfect looking fire !! I sure like this “free” heat machine.
Yesterday Pops and I tackled some more of the large dead oaks at school.
This was the first one and was quite rotten so we put a strap around it to keep it from doing unexpected things while being cut down. It made the perfect creaky tree falling over sound and pulled a ton of fibers out on the way over !!
Just made a big ol mess
#2 of the day took way more effort. It was leaning the wrong way and I had to beat wedges for what seemed like an hour. My fatass was tuckered out when I was done !! Not the nicest looking stump but I’ll cut them off closer to the ground before we’re all done so no evidence will remain. Shhhhhhh ……
#3 is the smaller closer one and was more rotten than I’ve ever seen a white oak. The little ash next to the other one was in the way and the big one in the background is going to make some really nice white oak lumber !! I cut a 17’ piece and it’s 32” in diameter so we’ll see if the skiddy will pick that one up today when we go haul this whole mess home.
This was the first one and was quite rotten so we put a strap around it to keep it from doing unexpected things while being cut down. It made the perfect creaky tree falling over sound and pulled a ton of fibers out on the way over !!
Just made a big ol mess
#2 of the day took way more effort. It was leaning the wrong way and I had to beat wedges for what seemed like an hour. My fatass was tuckered out when I was done !! Not the nicest looking stump but I’ll cut them off closer to the ground before we’re all done so no evidence will remain. Shhhhhhh ……
#3 is the smaller closer one and was more rotten than I’ve ever seen a white oak. The little ash next to the other one was in the way and the big one in the background is going to make some really nice white oak lumber !! I cut a 17’ piece and it’s 32” in diameter so we’ll see if the skiddy will pick that one up today when we go haul this whole mess home.
Prospecter
Well-known member
I like the strap trick. I'll borrow that someday. It's difficult to get those leaners to go the other way. Even with wedges, it sometimes is not enough. Well done.
I saw it on the YouTube tree cutting channel a while back and also thought it was a good idea. What is even more impressive is that I actually remembered enough about it to actually put it to use !!
If I knew that one was going to be so tough I’d have tossed my 100’ 1/2” cable up there and given it an encouraging tug with my 100hp 4wd John Deere powered wedge
drivesitfar
Well-known member
JBL: I was talking about your bucket and your stuff you had hence the missing memory and supplementing pills for our memory. That said I shipped a few packages last year via usps and had a few disappear so I didn’t want to have the same issue happen with my stuff I was wanting to send your way. I doubt you know a trucker or friend heading your way from here with a partial or empty load but if you do I can have about half a ton of stuff on small pallets ready for him/her to pick up. Let me know if you have any other ideas.
Nice work on the trees and good call on the strap to prevent a widow maker. My gramps was a logger for over 60 years and he used to burn old growth scraps for heat or campfires and he used small chains to wrap trees sometimes to keep them from barber chairing or swinging where they shouldn’t.
Free heat is good and I’m betting good exercise too.
Nice work on the trees and good call on the strap to prevent a widow maker. My gramps was a logger for over 60 years and he used to burn old growth scraps for heat or campfires and he used small chains to wrap trees sometimes to keep them from barber chairing or swinging where they shouldn’t.
Free heat is good and I’m betting good exercise too.
There is always something like pirate ship or another hot shot service out there but most require you to have a way to load it all. I’ll see what I can come up with. I’ve got a cousins that trucks but his routes have never taken him your way. He goes from Southern FL to NY and back to MN most of the time.
Mama Bear would have words with you if she heard you call it “free” heat
The wood is the only actual free part of the whole mess
. The grapple bucket, trailer, wood splitter, chainsaws, and stove itself were far from free 
Pops and I got started in bringing the wood home we cut up at church. The back load is all saw logs with two being 16’ long 30” diameter white oak logs. The other three are 8-1/2’ long 30”+ red oak logs. Gonna make some nice lumber !!
We added three loads of little stuff to the firewood log pile. I think I need to get started in on cutting this to firewood lengths !!!
Also added one load of ugly stuff to the big ugly oak stuff pile.
These look larger here than on the trailer !! That far left one was about all the skiddy wanted to lift. It wasn’t falling on its face but it absolutely knew it was on the bucket !! Once the ground freezes again I’ll pipe these with the previous logs. I didn’t want to drop them in the mud behind the barn.
I cut one stump off flush with the ground and this is the chunk I got off it. I have 8 more to cut flush before we’re done. There is a days worth of wood in this one chunk !!
We added three loads of little stuff to the firewood log pile. I think I need to get started in on cutting this to firewood lengths !!!
Also added one load of ugly stuff to the big ugly oak stuff pile.
These look larger here than on the trailer !! That far left one was about all the skiddy wanted to lift. It wasn’t falling on its face but it absolutely knew it was on the bucket !! Once the ground freezes again I’ll pipe these with the previous logs. I didn’t want to drop them in the mud behind the barn.
I cut one stump off flush with the ground and this is the chunk I got off it. I have 8 more to cut flush before we’re done. There is a days worth of wood in this one chunk !!
cvairwerks
Well-known member
You could slab those stump sections and make some nice coffee table tops....
My mind has more projects planned than I have time for but that idea definitely ran across the ripples in my brain.
Having some larger pieces milled to be big accents in Mama Bears grain bin gazebo also crossed my mind.
I think if I mill all the logs I have set aside for lumber I’ll have enough lumber for a very very long time. Pops staked claim to a few logs already as well. He builds some amazing stuff in his wood shop !!
Today the family and I are going to head down to Mama Bears sisters place and cut up a few trees that blew over in a storm a few years ago. I sent a picture to my BIL of the stuff we were cutting and he sent a picture of the trunk of a tree his saw wasn’t large enough to get through from both sides. I sent back “looks like 15 minutes of work” so we’ll see how long it takes lol. It was a big looking chunk !!
Prospecter
Well-known member
Just think of all you are saving on a gym membership! Nice to have something active to do in December / January.
And I’m still out of shape somehow !!
I sure do like being outside as much as I can and the wood cutting adventure helps that tremendously.
A LimbSaw showed up yesterday so now I get to embark on another wood cutting project. We have miles of field edges that need to be trimmed and this thing is going to make that much more enjoyable!!
Sifan
Well-known member
So much for surfing the bucket. Spoilsport
XJSuperman
Well-known member
Mike, looks like a lot of neat projects getting done as usual. It all looks great. For the under-stairs storage, I just got a look at my siblings new drawer they have under their basement steps. They used slides rather than casters but same concept: invisible storage. Worked rather slick.