Not that I know of. Mine can take a 48" chunk if you can get it in there. I looked into a log burner that got loaded from the top but wouldn't have had near the draw it'd have taken to keep the thing happy. Plus it was damn near 3x the price.....was almost 3x the machine though as well. I think it was rated at over 1M BTUs if I remember correctly.anyone around you have a top load wood boiler that takes 4' chunks?
Not that I know of. Mine can take a 48" chunk if you can get it in there. I looked into a log burner that got loaded from the top but wouldn't have had near the draw it'd have taken to keep the thing happy. Plus it was damn near 3x the price.....was almost 3x the machine though as well. I think it was rated at over 1M BTUs if I remember correctly.













The upstairs might need a warning system if your pooping below and venting upstairs ...And this pair pulling air back down. With all the wood boiler plumbing in the little mech room in the shop it gets up to 80F or so in there. Pooping when it's 80F is no fun and the room upstairs is only in the 62F area so I figured I could solve two problems at once. It's worth a shot. I'll report back later if it works. Maybe.
Hmmmmm. Solving two temperature issues but creating a fumigation ventilation issue ......The upstairs might need a warning system if your pooping below and venting upstairs ...
I struggled HARD not to fall down the monkey wrench rabbit hole and succeeded so far. I have a few old ridgid models that I use but no Diamond branded ones. Based on how many different wrenches I have only one of I think I'd fill 10 walls that size. All the oddball ones on the right are the only one of each type I have. There are a few really neat ones and I keep watching ebay for more but the funds for frivolous things have been getting shoveled to larger things these days. Like that Freightliner pickup !!You are missing out if you don’t have a set of these in your collection, incredibly useful!
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Diamond Tool & Horseshoe Co. Adjustable 9" Smooth Jaw Monkey Wrench C-79 G102 | eBay
Here is a good, barely used Diamond Tool & Horseshoe Co., C-79, 9" adjustable smooth jaw monkey wrench. This one has the diamond & horseshoe logo. The jaw width is 11/32" and the jaw depth capacity is 1-1/16".www.ebay.com
The TRUE GJ solution would be to follow in @Denwood 's footsteps and use an HRV with automation, monitoring and such.Hmmmmm. Solving two temperature issues but creating a fumigation ventilation issue ......
Might have to put a relay and timer in so the upstairs fans shut off when I turn the lights on and turn back on after a half hour or something. Or I can just spray some fabreeze into the fans so it smells good everywhere.
The fabreeze thing is more of a solution you'd find on a Cricket forum .... The GJ solution is the relay and timer. Should likely put a light outside the bathroom door that goes on when the lights are on and off after a half hour as well.
That old shop looks really good -- like it's still got some useful life left in it. Maybe for a "project" car that'll spend a lot of time sitting on blocks?
It was mentioned above, but I’ve had good luck with Evaporust. Careful not to leave in too long as it’ll turn them black.nyone know an easier way to remove rust than with a wire brush and a lot of time ?
Looking at last years and coming years fertilizer pricing, GREAT timing on your chicken operation and poop shed.
In Illinois, a lot of corn acres being swapped to beans for another year, little if any profit margin in planting corn.
I read through that thread and wowser there is stuff going on in there !!!The TRUE GJ solution would be to follow in @Denwood 's footsteps and use an HRV with automation, monitoring and such.
Poop jokes are always funny - I'm 57 with the sense of humor of an 8 year old boy.
Jim
I will be trying the vinegar thing tomorrow on a few things to see what it does. Thanks for the tip !!If you get a small bin and put in some vinegar you can set your tools in there for a bit and rust will come off easier. Just don’t leave in vinegar too long especially the chrome plated tools. Sometimes a few hours works or a day or two but much longer than that and vinegar can eat the good parts of your tools and not just the rust.
If you aren’t in a hurry 1 part molasses and 9 parts water is a mix that you can set rusty tools in for days or weeks to remove rust. For bigger tools like a vise or … electrolysis works great and there is a great thread “homemade electrolysis” here on GJ where we asked and answered a ton of questions about how to do that.
I bet you were smiling when your little girl was driving and I’m sure that smile will only get bigger when all 3 of them are doing stuff around your farm.
Stay warm and try not to consider fabreeze as a solution for odd smells.
I have a wire wheel grinder somewhere but can't find it back after moving into the new shop. I have no idea where it could have goneAlso having a nice old Baldor or craftsman bench grinder with a nice wire wheel on it is a bit easier than removing crud with a wire brush after the vinegar or molasses baths but bee careful not to take too much of your good metal off after you remove the rust.
I picked up some evaporust the other day to give a shot to. We shall see !!! Thank you for the tip !!I like the ultrasonic and a quick warm evaporust bath for the rusty tool!
I have thought the same thing for a while and keep getting tempted to put something in it but always remind myself why I build the new one. It's a bear to heat and gets something awful musty in the summer. I think it's going to serve as a wonderful wood shed though !! Likely will keep the golf cart, mowers and wheelers in it in the summer though.That old shop looks really good -- like it's still got some useful life left in it. Maybe for a "project" car that'll spend a lot of time sitting on blocks?
Very nice collection of old wrenches! I like the display board.
If you've ever cut wood in the middle of a pasture in the blowing wind when it's 13F you'd have been as excited as I was to cut inside the shed !!! It was a real treat !!Mike, I had to laugh at your description of a 13* temp as balmy and like basting on the beach!
Glad to see things and life are good on your farm.
Jay
No kidding. Say it again, no kidding. I try to hug the littles everyday and tell them they're doing a good job when they are and try to give as constructive feedback as possible when they're not. I'm trying to keep the "What the **** did you do it that way for ?!?!?!" to a bare minimum .... I got a lot of that type of feedback in my younger days and turned out okay so maybe I need to do that as well .... hmmm ....These are the days to savor, my friend. You have your health, kids are at a great age, a new house, property is user friendly, and Pop's is still around. Thanks for sharing your thread with all of us, very cool!
Will do thank you !!It was mentioned above, but I’ve had good luck with Evaporust. Careful not to leave in too long as it’ll turn them black.
How much vinegar do you think it'd take to soak an entire Ford Ranger ??30% vinegar is supposed to knock the rust off when diluted some with water.
I've read a bunch of your content over the years and have to say I need to read some of it twice, scratch my head and move on. Lots of technical stuff lol. Thank you for the positive words and for stopping by !!!!!Stumbled across this thread and I must say it's an awesome insight into the reality of modern farming. Awesome shops and projects delivered with a great sense of humor. Mad props to your work ethic sir![]()
Agreed on the manure supply. We're actually going to switch some acres from beans to corn this year .... $6.50/bu at 180bu/a beats $14.50/bu at 55bu/a in my book. $372.50/a to buy fert/chem to pay for the difference ... yup. Makes sense up here. Beans are a lot less stressful than corn though !!!Looking at last years and coming years fertilizer pricing, GREAT timing on your chicken operation and poop shed.
In Illinois, a lot of corn acres being swapped to beans for another year, little if any profit margin in planting corn.
Pretty rare that beans are more profitable than corn in this area. Plus .... I need corn to feed the critters so I like to air on the side of for sure having enough corn to get by on a poor year ....It's funny how different things are from one area to the next. Here corn is better than soys by $50/ac right now.
Gobble gobble mothercluckers !!!!Happy turkey day to the family on the chicken farm!











Yes it is !!! We were at a birthday party for one of the nephews and my BIL had this neat app on his phone watching the temp of the meat on the smoker. I poked a bit at the app and decided that it was exactly what I was looking for !! I think it was $99 and worked right out of the box. I tried to customize the labels but can't get rid of the "Rare" on the screenHey, is that temperature monitoring and graphing I see there? Apparently after you scratched your head and read twice...
There is so much going on with your equipment and managing it all, I would not assume for one second that you did not have mad skills on the technical side of things. I followed along a bit on the "Right to Repair" thing with John Deere and was not surprised at all that it was an issue. Of all the occupations I have mad respect for, it is guys in your line of work. Hard working, problem solving and apparently keeping your wives/partners, uh, very happy. It was a stat I read some time ago...ha.
On the Inkbird, are you just taping the sensors on the pipes, or using thermowells inline? How long is the path to the shop and house? Based on those return temps, I would guess that the plumbing is quite well insulated. I had to laugh at the "Rare" indication on the screenGiven the low cost for that setup, I'd say a pretty smart setup with the app/graphing etc. If you want any tips on automation, I may be your man.
Never heard of a Bestway Sprayer before. Looked them up and there are definitely a few things that caught my eye !!As a former Bestway Sprayer Territory Manager...ewwww on that Hardi
What tank and boom size? You didn't happen to buy it at Schwartzrock in Charles City, IA did ya?
That is the strategy I've been trying to go with !! Be patient, lots of feedback and always make sure they are comfortable with whatever it is"I try to hug the littles everyday and tell them they're doing a good job when they are and try to give as constructive feedback as possible when they're not. I'm trying to keep the "What the **** did you do it that way for ?!?!?!" to a bare minimum .... I got a lot of that type of feedback in my younger days and turned out okay so maybe I need to do that as well .... hmmm ...."
As a veteran of working with family farms off and on for 50 years, please allow a few observations and suggestions ... always remember that you and your Dad have worked together for many years, and what is obvious/natural for you is the first, second or third time for your kids. When giving instructions/directions, have them repeat your instructions/directions to you. That way you know you explained it right and they got it. Plus, as you have them repeat stuff to you, they are going to pick up on it and pay more attention because they know they are going to have to repeat it. And always, if you're not sure, ASK if you can't do it safe, STOP ask for help!










Never heard of a Bestway Sprayer before. Looked them up and there are definitely a few things that caught my eye !!
It's a 60'/90' boom with a 1,000 gallon tank. Hardi 5500 controller. I'm stoked to use it this year !! Should be a tad faster than the 45' sprayer we've been using forever. We purchased it at Dave's Repair in Hillls, MN.
We're going to keep the 45' sprayer as well so we can go with two and ya know, really get stuff done !! And I intend to set the old one up with some Y-drops to use it for in season N applications.The 60/90' boom is a pretty cool option, especially on the smaller pieces of ground. Makes it a more versatile piece of equipment for sure.
I'm not as familiar with the sprayer dealers north of the IA border, as that is where my territory stopped. At one point I worked for Brandt Holdings Company in Export Sales and Used Equipment Remarketing for their John Deere dealerships...they own a bunch of John Deere dealerships in the Dakotas, NE, and MN. The Kibble group, Crookston, Wheaton, etc. So I did travel near your area back then.
If it fits in the 24x24 door it'll burn it but these damn things are too big. The 18" bar on the MS251 barely cut through the biggest ones. I tried to cut them in half and they're so soggy and wet it didn't work worth a ****.Why are you bothering to split those chunks of log? I wasn't paying enough attention earlier in your install, but my old neighbor used to feed unsplit chunks into his furnace with his skidsteer. Just get a couple chunks in the bucket and then push them off into the cooker. No lifting, no splitting needed. Maybe your door is smaller than his furnace though.

They look like Cottonwood, won'be dry till...............2025!I tried to cut them in half and they're so soggy and wet it didn't work worth a ****.
They look like Cottonwood, won'be dry till...............2025!
dumb. Yes they are cottonwood. Not sure why my fat fingers typed poplar .... Twice 

It seems like you needed more power to pull that wagon...![]()
gonna need a larger dump trailer now I guess
Yeah no kidding. Weighted down around 45,000lbs with new tires and another 175hp over what the STX325 has .....That should be a nice upgrade for pulling the tile plow!