Archive for the ‘Equipment – All’ Category
May 23, 2007 – Gearing Up for Soap-Making
We’re getting ready for the first soap-making episode of the season this upcoming weekend. Last year I made a couple different styles of soap molds and the one with the hinges to open up the mold after the soap has hardened was a runaway favorite with the soap alchemists. So, today, I made a couple more.
The bottom piece is a mold all ready to pour soap. The top shows a mold extended, as you would unfold it after the soap had hardened. The smaller pieces can slide wherever you’d like in the mold, depending on how much soap you have to pour. The small slit on the right side is where a soap cutter can slide in to cut the soap.
May 11, 2007 – Little Projects
Today some nagging things were completed. I’ve long disliked the placement of the metal machine shed on the property (it predates our arrival on the farm). It presents a wall of steel driving into the farm, blocks the view of the pasture to the east and is generally ugly. I’ve always wanted to put up some greenery, so to help the hops we planted as an experiment, I put up a 16 foot cattle panel on end. It was a bit trickier than I anticipated, needed to get the tractor loader out to lift it into place.
The hops can grow 30 feet tall, so even this seemingly tall structure is still undersized. If it works out, we will add sections in future years.
I also got the deck on the small trailer built – I made the deck detachable using pins to hold it to the frame, so I could take advantage of the trailer’s variable length. This deck was built in the short position – when I build a longer deck, I’ll just have to pull the 4 pins, extend the trailer and swap out decks.
I also got 80 or so feet of Christmas trees fenced off in the pasture.
one year ago…
May 7, 2007 – Trailer Guy
My old small trailer broke last week, so it was time for a replacement. I happened upon this one that was on close-out from Farm-Tek, usually $250, marked down to $112. I was pleasantly surprised with the sturdiness of the frame and thickness of the angle iron used to make it.
It can vary in length from 60-92 inches. My next move is to make a deck for it (maybe a couple of different lengths) and begin hauling. I do have a weakness for trailers/wagons. I have the same weakness for spring/fall jackets. I’m guessing it’s better than having a weakness for cars/trucks and scotch!
May 2, 2007 – Tree Mulching
The tree planting is the easy part! Now comes the mulching. We mulch because I think it may be less work in the long run and we don’t have to use herbicides and worry less about watering in dry periods. Today was the good mulching day. The fastest equipment was put into force today. Below is an old animal chute that I rigged up to hold mulch. It pulls with the tractor, drives over the rows and holds enough mulch for about 180 feet of row.
I also have some old barge wagons that I use, but they aren’t quite as handy. But these contraptions are nice since I can load them up in the late fall so they are ready to go in the spring. Today, I ended up getting 60 trees covered in the morning. Last Monday I got 35 trees done and suffered from equipment failure, equipment stuck in the mud, and smaller-scale haulers. The temperature was near 90 on both days, along with up to a 30 mph wind, so I spent some time watering as those are about the worst conditons you could imagine for newly planted trees. Now I’m on the lookout for a small low, trailer that the garden tractors can haul – the one I got at an auction 8 years or so ago to use to put the stock tank on to drag water on, was one of the equipment failures when the axle snapped (with an empty load, thank goodness).
January 21, 2007 – Snow At Last
We finally have a blanket of white after a winter of brown. The last week we’ve had two snowfalls. Just enough to warrant trying out the tractor with the blade for clearing snow.
It sure beats shoveling! I’ve still got some learning to do with the equipment, but right now it is a novel activity. This snow was folled by still and warm – not the usual howling wind, so it is once again nice to be outside.
January 10, 2007 – Gate 2
I think we are on the 33rd day in a row of above normal temperatures – for all of 2006 there were only 16 days when the temperature did not get above 32 degrees.
So, I made another replacement gate and moved the post over so a cart would more easily fit through the gate.
January 7, 2007 – Gathering Mulch
The tractor came in handy again today. There was a small pile of the good mulch at the pallet factory, so I ended up with a couple of pick-up loads of “A” mulch – about 45 cu ft (not quite 2 cubic yards) for free. The pre-tractor method was to move it from the pickup and throw it 4-5 feet over the top of the wagon by hand with a pitchfork.
Now, It gets pushed once from the truck to the loader. (The loader is about an inch wider than the bed, so I can’t scoop it right out of the truck.
Then from the loader to the wagon. The wagon is still in the barn and this is the view from the tractor seat.
January 5, 2007 – Keeping the Cub in Use
It’s been a while since the ’47 Farmall Cub was used with the new tractor on the farm, so moving some cattle panels out to the pasture was just the job as it is lighter than the JD and the ground is soft. It starts right up and runs like new.
I love this little tractor – even the smell of the exhaust hearkens back to another time.
Linda took me out for dinner at the Phoenix Cafe in Grinnell – it was an enjoyable evening with good food.
January 3, 2007 – New Gate
Another 50 degree day. The kids are back in school. Once again the “Cone of Silence” can descend upon the household. Got down all the Christmas lights and removed the hanging door hardware from the old corn crib doors for re-use with new doors and started next year’s burn pile with the Christmas tree and old wooden doors.
Took a walk with Linda in the back pasture and started thinking about possible uses. So many options! Will keep you posted.
Got one rotting gate replaced.
This is a home-made design using a piece of a wire panel and treated lumber. It’s an original design and works quite well as affixing the panel lends lots of sturdiness to the gate. The heavy-duty gate pin on the bottom with a regular hinge on top adds to the strength and simplicity.
December 26, 2006 – Shepherd’s Crook
Here’s one of the most uniquely wrapped gifts of the holiday season.
It’s a shepherd’s crook – it will come in handy catching sheep whenever we need to catch sheep! No more running and lurching around like kids in a greased pig contest.
December 2, 2006 – Boy Auger
When the wagon runs low on chicken feed, it’s time to crawl in to push that last bit out. It’s the perfect job for a 5 year old boy.
Today’s high was in the 20′s along with NW wind, so in the shed was one of the nicest places to be.
The first Midwestern blizzard of the year went south and east of us – not a flake (of snow).
August 24, 2006 – Thingamajig Thursday #38
Here’s this week’s “Thingamajig Thursday” entry. Also check out
last week’s answer.
As always, put your guess in a comment below.
Answer…
This is a three point attachment for a tractor with a receiver-type hitch commonly attached to trucks and cars. It can be used to haul trailers and equipment with ball connections.
August 20, 2006 – Today’s Bounty
Fellow scavenger and bargain hunter neighbor calls me about 5:00 yesterday and informed me of this “rummage sale” at a former small state nursing home. Everything was for sale, but nothing was marked – it was make an offer.
The best bargain, I think, is an 8 ft long stainless steel table.
I did a quick check on e-bay and found a used one for $650.00, so I’m probably all right on that one. They wouldn’t sell me the stainless 3-section sink off the wall though.
I also got a couple of 5 foot bakers racks with about 5-6 shelves, two gym style locker towers, a CD player, some food service items (cookie sleeves, portion cups) and cases of old food for chicken food – chow mien noodles, oatmeal, ice cream cones and a bunch of other things. Total bill for everything $72.00.
It was a sad place – all the old beds, institutional-type furniture and dormitory-type rooms – even some people’s personal effects were boxed up in a closet – clothes, tapes, Christmas decorations etc. It was as if the place was closed suddenly and everything was just left as it was.
July 5, 2006 – Working with the Cub
Today’s entry doubles as this week’s Photo Friday Contest entry. This week’s theme is “Summer.” 
I had just a little bit of raking to do today on the buffer strip in the neighbor’s field. I borrowed the neighbor’s rake and hitched up the Farmall Cub to rake the oat straw.
Nothing says summer like making hay on a hot day.
