Above 1200 Sq/FT Out on Quaker Road

[1949 caddyman]

I always use a right angle die grinder and scotchbright type pads. Just be careful not to sit in one place too long and ruin the surface.

The tractor is really coming along. Keep after it.

The abrasive from the scotch pads gets inside what you are cleaning. It can then ware internal parts. Not good.

 

[XJSuperman]

The abrasive from the scotch pads gets inside what you are cleaning. It can then ware internal parts. Not good.

Not when you plug all the holes and thoroughly clean everything before reassembly. I thought that would be obvious enough to leave out of my comment. My mistake.

 

[1949 caddyman]

I added that for those that didn’t know, good that you did!

 

[jblnut]

The abrasive from the scotch pads gets inside what you are cleaning. It can then ware internal parts. Not good.

Not when you plug all the holes and thoroughly clean everything before reassembly. I thought that would be obvious enough to leave out of my comment. My mistake.

I added that for those that didn’t know, good that you did!

Oh boy I hope no one is coming in here for advice on how to do things

 

[jblnut]

I sold some fat cattle over the last few weeks which prompted a phone call to a guy that had some youngstock to sell. I called around 8am, we agreed on a price and how many I needed and BOOM !!! around 1:30pm 35 new calves show up

They were forecasting a winter storm of sorts for today so Dad and I bedded the steers before I headed off to work.

He lost the coin toss so I got to run the skiddy

When I got to work this morning I noticed a pallet with my name on it had arrived. To say I am excited is an understatement. I'll show what it is if you don't know soon enough !!

I worked in a calf barn today with our construction guy Corey. This is his truck. He's good at lots of things I am not. Can you see the machine shed in the background ?? It's only 50' away !!! I guess the winter storm is here !!!

I did find something that I need to get. These are the slickest drill bits I've ever used. Looks to be in a Ryobi case dyed red

 

[Farmall450]

C'mon, the right angle die grinder is only for the residual, no sense in blowing through rolac wheels on the thick stuff.

 

[oldironfarmer]

So are those just 1/4" quick connect drills? Did the rest of us keep them a secret from you? Usually guys like you only carry the four sizes they always use, and spares.

Glad you got some more calves. That little steer barn makes you some money.

 

[ripperd]

We got some good drifting snow yesterday too. Made driving pretty crappy this morning!

 

[jblnut]

C'mon, the right angle die grinder is only for the residual, no sense in blowing through rolac wheels on the thick stuff.

This multi-tool got most everything off. There is not much left and what was left I got with an old school putty knife and razor blade. Feels better to not be slinging stuff around where it doesn't belong. I have no intentions of tearing the entire rear end and trans apart to clean out flying debris ....

So are those just 1/4" quick connect drills? Did the rest of us keep them a secret from you? Usually guys like you only carry the four sizes they always use, and spares.

Glad you got some more calves. That little steer barn makes you some money.

Secrets don't make friends .... unless that's what you're going for I guess

I have a pretty basic set with me that has maybe 6 bits in it. 1/8",1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 5/8" and 7/8" are in there for sure. Carrying a 7/64th drill bit seems as pointless as the kids that had 64 crayons. I had 8 crayons and that was plenty. After all, they all taste the same anyway

It's always fun getting more calves. Another group full of potential !! The barn holds its own but isn't profitable enough to move the needle much while I'm still paying for it.

We got some good drifting snow yesterday too. Made driving pretty crappy this morning!

I got stuck half in/out of my driveway on the way home yesterday. I put the bale fork on the skiddy, grabbed a bale and pushed it the rest of the way into the driveway and dealt with it this morning

 

[oldironfarmer]

Hay bales are versatile.

I used to see guys put square bales around their trailer instead of skirting. Good for non-smokers, I guess. Of course they keep the house warm either way.

 

[jblnut]

Hay bales are versatile.

I used to see guys put square bales around their trailer instead of skirting. Good for non-smokers, I guess. Of course they keep the house warm either way.

There are a few trailer parks around here and most of them do it as well. When we lived in town next to a park (a very well maintained one) I'd bring the manure spreader in and they'd throw them into it in the spring. I left a barrel next to it for the strings and surprisingly everyone cut them off. It takes a fair number of bales to ring a trailer house.

There is a park in an adjacent town that is home to all sorts of miscreants and there numerous fires there due to "campfires" getting out of hand inside the trailers

 

[jblnut]

I went into the steer barn this morning and there was snow on everything. The wind must have really been whipping around last night !!!


There is always a decent drift that forms here when it snows and blows and this morning was no exception. It was 3' deep but Dad made short work of it.


I'm about all snowed out. Time for summer.


We finished getting the truck turn around plowed out and put the skids away to rest for a while.


Here is the first round of parts for the 884. $658 worth of stuff. The T/A discs and rebuild parts aren't in the picture ..... this is mostly filters, a belt and the parking brake band.

 

[Nicklx]

Finished reading your whole thread in about two nights and just reached the last page. Always been interested in the farm life and your thread was just so interesting I couldn't stop reading. Thanks for sharing what you consider normal life. Subscribed and can't wait to hear more about your adventures on the farm

 

[Muzzy]

That pile of parts seems awfully small....
We also never heard what was on your pallet!

 

[drivesitfar]

JBL: I seem to recall when you were building your barn that you had some tarps that could roll down to maybe block the cold and wind. are they still there and just curious when you use them and are they on both sides? or is it too windy and cold to use them now?

good luck on the tractor fix!!

BTW check out my thread and we got over a foot of snow here in the last 24 hours and my snow shovels are MIA so shoveling with a hand flat square small shovel. almost need a BOBCAT for our driveway though and it's times like this I wish I lived in the country and had a barn full of machines to move this white stuff around.

 

[jblnut]

Finished reading your whole thread in about two nights and just reached the last page. Always been interested in the farm life and your thread was just so interesting I couldn't stop reading. Thanks for sharing what you consider normal life. Subscribed and can't wait to hear more about your adventures on the farm

Thank you for slugging through it all !! You must read faster than I do !! There never seems to be a shortage of adventures out here that's for sure. If there's something in particular you'd like to see let me know.

That pile of parts seems awfully small....
We also never heard what was on your pallet!

The parts pile will grow about 3 times that size before any of it gets installed.

I'll show what's going on with the pallet of goodies later today if we get it all fabbed up !!

JBL: I seem to recall when you were building your barn that you had some tarps that could roll down to maybe block the cold and wind. are they still there and just curious when you use them and are they on both sides? or is it too windy and cold to use them now?The tarps (curtains) are only on the north side of that barn and are there to do exactly that. They block the cold wind from blowing through the barn. I don't roll them up in the winter because the entire South side is open to let fresh air in.

good luck on the tractor fix!!I hope it goes back together as well as it came apart !!

BTW check out my thread and we got over a foot of snow here in the last 24 hours and my snow shovels are MIA so shoveling with a hand flat square small shovel. Almost need a BOBCAT for our driveway though and it's times like this I wish I lived in the country and had a barn full of machines to move this white stuff around.The snow shovels must buried under the snow !! I think the storm gains some strength as we only got about 8" here. Having a Bobcat is nice for sure !!

 

[jblnut]

Yesterday Dad and I ran around and got a bunch of stuff for different projects. One of them was to get that pallet of stuff put into operation. We got a pair of 3/8"x 15" x 32" plates and started drilling holes.


That huge Jacobs chuck sure does make that 3/4" bit look small


Dad did some grinding on the edges of the plates to get them nice and smooth.


We got them mounted in the bottom of the new adjustable cattle alley.


Good grief I broke my favorite 9/16" drill bit


That is a Tru-Test MP800 load bar right there. The mounting locations that were on the alley weren't quite large enough so we had to redo them with that 3/8" plate.


The scale platform is 30" wide and fits nicely into the alley.


Everything is hooked up and it all works great !!


EziWeigh 7i scale head. This is a top of the line indicator with TONS of features !! An animal comes onto the scale and it locks onto it's weight even if the animal is moving around. We enter the animal ear tag number and hit the REC button and it sends the info to my phone via Bluetooth. Once my phone has the info it gets uploaded to my MiHub Livestock Management account. Once there I can track gain's and input any other info about each animal such as when they were purchased, vaccination dates and anything else you'd want. It's a game changer out here. I'll be weighing the animals when they come on the farm and hopefully once each month to track growth. I've sold a few animals over the years that were too heavy (over 1,000lbs hanging weight) and the packing plant docks $0.10/lb for every pound if the hanging weight is over 1,000lbs. That's a minimum of $100.10 deduction for you math wiz's out there. The adjustable alley this is all mounted in will serve another purpose as well. It will help us be more efficient when we are running cattle through the chute by always having an animal ready and waiting. While they are waiting in the alley they have a chance to calm down while we weigh them. Happy cattle = a happy Mike


The info goes to my phone once I log in and hook up via Bluetooth. It shows a few days ago because that's the first time I weighed into that particular group. I weighed myself and Dad today

 

[oldironfarmer]

Pretty cool scale setup! Congratulations!

But the reading with the two animals (I assume an old bull and young steer) didn't show any weight.

 

[jblnut]

Pretty cool scale setup! Congratulations!

But the reading with the two animals (I assume an old bull and young steer) didn't show any weight.

Thank you !!

Once you click on the entry it'll bring up the individual animals that have been weighed. It took a bit to get used to but should be easy after a few times of use ....or a few years as we're slowly learners

 

[oldironfarmer]

Hmmm, you didn't take issue with the one steer crack.

 

[jblnut]

Hmmm, you didn't take issue with the one steer crack.

I didn't read as far into it as I should have

It has been reread and noted

 

[Farmall450]

I didn't read as far into it as I should have

It has been reread and noted

I missed that the first time, too.

 

[Muzzy]

That's a cool setup!
Please take some action shots when you get it in use.

 

[jblnut]

That's a cool setup!
Please take some action shots when you get it in use.

Thanks !! I'll definitely take some shots of the alley/scale in action, hopefully sooner than later. It's gotta warm up a bit though and I still have a little fab work to get the sliding gate to go on the front correctly.

 

[jblnut]

Just after we got done eating lunch yesterday I got a call from the owner of the company I work for off the farm. Seems he went in the ditch close to Dad's place. I needed to give him a check for the steers I took delivery of on Wednesday anyway so off I went to pull him out.


He wasn't in real bad but couldn't get out on his own. The 7400 spun a bit on the ice covered roads but got him out. Just as I was heading home it started to snow like crazy !!

 

[ripperd]

Neighbor and I took out the snowmobiles for a ~3 hr ride yesterday to take advantage of the snow! Light was pretty flat though, couldn't see the bumps through the snowfall real well!

 

[drivesitfar]

JBL: nice neighborly gesture pulling your friend out of the ditch. speaking of the JD tractor is there anytime that it's not been able to drive around?

i'm watching our news and a truck full of live (well most used to be) chickens crashed on our main freeway about an hour or so ago. there are live and dead chickens everywhere. the driver of the semi truck slipped on the ice at about 4am and flipped the truck.

 

[jblnut]

Neighbor and I took out the snowmobiles for a ~3 hr ride yesterday to take advantage of the snow! Light was pretty flat though, couldn't see the bumps through the snowfall real well!

I've lost track of all the snowmobiles that have come tearing past our place the last few days. Everytime one goes by Leo runs to the window and jumps and points and starts making a heck of a racket because something is moving and making noise outside !!

JBL: nice neighborly gesture pulling your friend out of the ditch. speaking of the JD tractor is there anytime that it's not been able to drive around?

i'm watching our news and a truck full of live (well most used to be) chickens crashed on our main freeway about an hour or so ago. there are live and dead chickens everywhere. the driver of the semi truck slipped on the ice at about 4am and flipped the truck.

THe 7400 goes out a few times each winter pulling people out of the ditch. It's usually high school kids and others that are going WAY too fast. This guy wasn't going that fast as he wasn't in real bad but it was glare ice around that corner and it had an inch or so of fresh snow on it making it look better than it was.

I'm not aware of a time we've ever gotten the 7400 stuck in the snow. I've driven through snow deep enough that it drug on the frame and it just keeps on going


q13fox.com - "Several chickens died in the accident, while others were injured.
Road crews are trying to round up some of the loose birds around the crash scene.
No other vehicles were involved, and no injuries were reported."

Oh boy I don't like catching them in the barn, I can't imagine them running around outside loose. If it was dark out they will be fairly still though so as long as they caught them all before the sun came up it would have been easyish.

 

[Farmall450]

You know it's bad when the Steiger comes out

Tho it might not be much better off.

 

[drivesitfar]

JBL: so has it warmed up a bit yet in your part of the world? how are the chicks and new cows getting along with each other and are they listening to their new DAD?

your LEO sounds like a bundle of energy!! have you got him driving anything yet even though he's only 3 or 4 years old?

 

[dchance]

Good job on the assistance. Weather like that makes you appreciate cell phones.

Dwight

 

[oldironfarmer]

I'd always pull my boss out. Hmm, depending on which one it was, I guess.

So you're buying steers from your employer. That sounds like a good arrangement.

Years ago about 4 AM I had a knock on the door. A drunk had slipped off the icy road a mile and a quarter from the house and he wanted pulled out. I got an M started and made him ride on the drawbar. That woke him up at 15F. When I got there he was off on the inside of a curve, banked. The M had no traction so the only thing I could do was get off on the other side and pull down into that ditch with the chain strung across the road. No lights, no flags, public road. But nobody came along and he went merrily on his way. Thanks for the memories.

 

[Sifan]

We lived 6.5 miles out of town and was always pulling people out. Dad said everyone gets pulled out for free, we might need help sometime. No cab, just bundle up and do it. 1am near white out conditions and local business man needs a pull. Start the IH 706, get him a pair of carharts and gloves and take off. On the way there, he tells me he and his sister were visiting friends and lost track of time. Pulled him out, he offered money, declined per Dad and sent him on his way. Told him to stick to the East/West roads until he got to the main highway because the north/south roads were drifting shut. Before I get back to the barn, I watched as his taillights moved to the west until he got to the intersection and the ******* turned north. And there his taillights stayed. Thought about leaving him there ... didn't want them to freeze ... turned around and went to pull him out again. Told him last time, say on west road to the main highway, I'm done pulling you out, you're on your own. And I couldn't help myself and said I didn't know Miss third grade teacher was your "sister" Tell her and your Mrs Hello

 

[jblnut]

JBL: so has it warmed up a bit yet in your part of the world? how are the chicks and new cows getting along with each other and are they listening to their new DAD?The new steers are happy and healthy so far. Now is the time when they'll get sick though as I wrote the check out today

your LEO sounds like a bundle of energy!! have you got him driving anything yet even though he's only 3 or 4 years old?Little Leo will be two in June but he's as busy as a 3-4yr old for sure !! He drives non-motorized things around and won't be trusted for a while with anything major.
I'm thinking this summer would be about right to start him in the girls battery powered Jeep though

Good job on the assistance. Weather like that makes you appreciate cell phones.

Dwight

No kidding. He went in 150' from my uncles house but cell phones sure do make the world smaller ....

I'd always pull my boss out. Hmm, depending on which one it was, I guess.

So you're buying steers from your employer. That sounds like a good arrangement.

Years ago about 4 AM I had a knock on the door. A drunk had slipped off the icy road a mile and a quarter from the house and he wanted pulled out. I got an M started and made him ride on the drawbar. That woke him up at 15F. When I got there he was off on the inside of a curve, banked. The M had no traction so the only thing I could do was get off on the other side and pull down into that ditch with the chain strung across the road. No lights, no flags, public road. But nobody came along and he went merrily on his way. Thanks for the memories.

Yeah, this boss is a good guy so he'll always get pulled out. The steer purchasing arrangement is a good deal for both of us. I get animals that haven't been run though the local sales barn and he gets a happy me because I get happy healthy animals.

I'm picturing putting my M down in a ditch to do that and I'm pretty sure most of them would eat the M alive. There is upwards of 2' of snow in most of them right now

We lived 6.5 miles out of town and was always pulling people out. Dad said everyone gets pulled out for free, we might need help sometime. No cab, just bundle up and do it. 1am near white out conditions and local business man needs a pull. Start the IH 706, get him a pair of carharts and gloves and take off. On the way there, he tells me he and his sister were visiting friends and lost track of time. Pulled him out, he offered money, declined per Dad and sent him on his way. Told him to stick to the East/West roads until he got to the main highway because the north/south roads were drifting shut. Before I get back to the barn, I watched as his taillights moved to the west until he got to the intersection and the ******* turned north. And there his taillights stayed. Thought about leaving him there ... didn't want them to freeze ... turned around and went to pull him out again. Told him last time, say on west road to the main highway, I'm done pulling you out, you're on your own. And I couldn't help myself and said I didn't know Miss third grade teacher was your "sister". Tell her and your Mrs Hello

That is an amazing story that I've already read and chuckled a few times at

 

[jblnut]

The last week at work has been a week of ups and downs. I got stuck in this yard with my loaner minivan and had to wait for an hour to get pulled out. No big deal but it was a LOOOOOOOOONG waiting game !!!


Not sure if this is an up or down yet but I got a different work van. I'm in the process of swapping stuff from one to the other. Good grief I've packed a lot of stuff in that van in the last 4yrs !!! Old one has an EcoDiesel and has been in the shop for 155 days total .... a week here and there, one time for 6 weeks, this last time for 3 weeks. The boss finally had enough (about damn time) and the "new" one has the gasser motor. We have two other vans identical to it and they've had very very few issues. Should be a good deal once I get used to it.


Got the Hydraulic oil filter changed on the 884. It's an internal filter and made A MESS when I took it all apart. Good grief this thing was FILLED with oil and it's now on my poor floor




Next up, fuel filters. This old strap wrench Grandpa built comes in handy often.


Who else clocks their fuel filters


Oh, we also got the T/A back in the trans and got it back on the tractor tonight.


Thanks for the help Pete, Benny, Lane and Dad !!!


The shop is a mess again !!! It took way more beer to get it together than it did to get it apart

 

[cvairwerks]

ff the cover for the hydraulic filter doesn't spin when you torque it, why not weld a bung on the bottom of it and install a Fumoto drain valve in it the next time you have it off?

 

[drivesitfar]

JBL: drinking a few beers while working on your tractor with friends and family AND CLOCKING FILTERS TOO sounds like a good night's work.

best of luck organizing the new van and maybe you'll find a few things you forgot you had as you are cleaning out the old one.

cheers (homemade ice tea mostly for this old guy, but I do occasionally partake in a good brewski or red/white)

 

[jblnut]

ff the cover for the hydraulic filter doesn't spin when you torque it, why not weld a bung on the bottom of it and install a Fumoto drain valve in it the next time you have it off?

The filter I took out had May '81 stamped into it so if that one lasted 38yrs I shouldn't need to change the hydraulic filter again until 2057. I'll be 70 and doubt I'll remember about the drain valve

JBL: drinking a few beers while working on your tractor with friends and family AND CLOCKING FILTERS TOO sounds like a good night's work.It was quite a bit of a good time. The T/A clutch discs DID NOT want to slide in and we ended up standing the trans on end to get it all to line up. Also, putting the roll pin back in the PTO clutch was a contortionists dream. All in all it went very well.

best of luck organizing the new van and maybe you'll find a few things you forgot you had as you are cleaning out the old one.I've found a bunch of stuff I thought was long gone already. I also ordered a larger tool chest to keep all the tools in. Right now they're scattered everywhere in all possible corners. I've got to do inventory on all the parts while I'm moving it all around. I had the sheet printed out and I have over 900 unique part numbers in there somewhere

cheers (homemade ice tea mostly for this old guy, but I do occasionally partake in a good brewski or red/white)We had the local classic country station turned up and the wood stove had it about 70F inside the shop so it was inevitable that the beer would be good and tasty

 

[Muzzy]

Nice work. I especially like the "0 hrs" written on the filters.
While it looks like a pain, I suspect for inside the chicken barn work you'll never have to have split it again....and if you do, by then the kids will be old enough to do the hard stuff.

 

[Farmall450]

Nice work. I especially like the "0 hrs" written on the filters.
While it looks like a pain, I suspect for inside the chicken barn work you'll never have to have split it again....and if you do, by then the kids will be old enough to do the hard stuff.

Agreed, you got your money out of the first filter!