Guess I'm Gonna Hafta Buy Some Green Paint...

Ok - it MIGHT not be known to the whole world - or even much of the world outside of our Hillbilly Ranch - but I'm not a real big fan of John Deere.

I mean, they're ok, and all, but I grew up IH and learned to run a tractor on a Ford, so I tend to shy away from the Big Greenies.

Back in the 1960's, our neighbor down the road from our place had a "Johnny Popper". I don't know the model.

I DO, however, know the SOUND of that two cylinder motor.....POP...POP...POP...POP...

I remember running and hiding when I heard that thing heading down the road toward our farm.

Maybe that's why I never knew the model, huh?

Anyhow, that sound terrorized me when ever I heard it - and it STILL DOES - 40 years+ later. A couple of neighbor's run those old poppers to do light work. Occasionally, they drive by our place. That sound reaches my ears from a mile away, and the hair starts prickling up on the back of my neck.

I'm just glad I'm deaf in one ear, otherwise it would be TWICE as bad...

When it came time for me to buy a tractor, I knew I didn't want to be reminded of that sound every time I got on the tractor, so I passed up anything wearing green paint that I saw.

Of course, John Deere IMPLEMENTS don't make that annoying clatter, so I was safe with them. I'm actually "color blind" on most implements - as long as they work, I don't care.

It seems that a lot of things that "fell" my way happened to be covered in green (or rather, USED to be...).

The first was a 5 foot shredder that my brother had used, and used, and used. It was worn, but he sold it to me for $25, and I put another $18 into it. That was 8 years ago, and it still shreds.

Next came a 1950's model two row "Lister" planter. We bought this at an auction for $7. It has worked wonderfully for the past 5 years.

About 3 years ago, I drug home two John Deere Model "L" manure spreaders. I gave $25 to the man who owned them and hauled them out of his fence row. I spent about $20 on nuts and bolts for one, and it has been slingin' rather well since.

Now comes tonight. I was making some eggs and pancakes for supper (breakfast for supper thing this weekend....) when the phone rang. It was a friend of mine who lives about 15 miles southwest of here. He told me he had a plow to GIVE me.

Naturally, I hemmed and hawed....

RIGHT...

He came over about 30 minutes later to drop it off. I THINK it's a Model #52 on steel from the mid 1940's. The coulters are gone (one mount is actually an IH mount...), and a few other pieces will need TLC, but it's in pretty good shape.



With this type of plow, you get to the end of the furrow, pull a rope, and the plow rides a "dog" in the wheel hubs to pull out of the ground. When you are ready to start plowing again, you pull the rope again, and it rides back down to engage the ground.

It's been about 30 years since I plowed with one, so it will be a learning experience all over again.

At any rate, I am glad to have it, and very thankful that Kirk was thinking of me when he found it.

I am up to just under $100 for 4 pieces of usable equipment.

The green paint to cover them all will probably cost more then that.....

Grinding Corn Video

Here is a video we made a couple years ago. It's me grinding corn with my 1949 8N and my Letz 200x Burr Grinder.

Well, Chute!

I went to the auction on this passed Saturday and managed to come home with a few usable items, even though I didn't spend a lot of money. One of the things was an older loading chute. It has steel wheels, but does not have a tongue. I can add one on later, if I need one, but I probably won't be moving it around much, anyhow! I got it to use with my goats. It is in pretty good shape, but will probably need a coat of paint before to long. It will fit right into the "rusted"......er....."rustic" look of the rest of the "decor" I have around here! Things don't have to be new, just fuctional. Besides, the Jones's have enough people trying to keep up with them!

All Crop....

I have been on the lookout to restore one of those Allis-Chalmers All Crop pull-type combines. Just mostly a play type deal. I have been asking around for a few weeks to see if anyone had one close. A friend of mine had posted a photo of one on a forum I visit. It was in a field about 15 miles from my house. I shot him an e-mail to ask if it was still in the pasture where he had found it. He answered me the next day and said, yes, it was still in the pasture at his neighbors house, but that there was one only a couple miles from my farm.

He told me where to look, so I took a drive the next day to check things out. Sure enough, there it was, sitting just where he said it would be! I must have driven by this place a thousand times in the pst 10 years and not seen it! I pulled into the neighbor's yard to talk to him about it. After a little bit of talking, I found out that it was not the only one he had! I ended up making a "package deal" for them! They seem to be in good shape, with little rust and most parts seem to be there. I hope to be able to get them out in the near future so I can see what I have for sure. The ground is not frozen terribly deep - and it is mostly sand - so I will just have to wait for a warmer day. It is suppose to be in the 20's for the next week at least, with wind chills in the -5° to +10° range. Here is a photo of one of them. It is a 1949 Model 60.

The exposed wood has rotted away, but that is easy to replace. I can't wait to get started!

Might not escape, this time.....

The last three snow storms have pretty much passed us by, but this time we MIGHT catch one! The predicted amount is anywhere from 3" to 9", depending on which weather gypsie you listen to. So far thier track record isn't good! I let the chickens out yesterday and today, but they will be staying in the coop for the next 2-3 days!

I am in the process of building a "kid can" for my goats. It is, basically, a 55 gallon drum with a hole in the side near the bottom. The hole is big enough for the kid to crawl through, but small enough so that the mom can't get in. I will put a lamp in the top so it will be nice and toasty warm in there for the baby. Once I fasten it to a wall, it won't be able to be knocked over. A nice, comfey place for a newborn! I don't expect an "new arrivals" soon, but it won't be long! Deb's dad in Missouri has two new ones that arrived last night.

I started to take a few bolts out of my Dearborn Cordwood Saw. I am planning to use "electroysis" to remove rust, crud and old paint from the small parts. It will clean them up nice and "new". It is a simple process and requires only basic materials, a plastic tote, and a battery charger.

We had Bar-b-que BEEF ribs today for lunch! I seared them and put them into the crockpot yesterday morning. Last night at about 9:30 I took them out and peeled most of the fat off and removed the bones. This morning, Deb poured "Cookie's" Bar-b-que sauce on them and baked them for another 1 1/2 hors. They were down right TASTEY! Can't wait for the other half tomorrow noon! The dogs are in heaven with all the fat and bones. All in all, a pretty good chunk of dead cow!

Grinding corn.....

I noticed that the feed bin I have for my chickens was running a little low, so I decided to grind some to fill it. I wanted to get it done this week because, for the next couple of weeks, the high temperatures are supposed to get only into the mid twenties. I hooked up the Letz Burr Grinder I have, to the PTO of my 8N and ground away! It only takes us about 1/2 hour to grind enough feed for the bin. A neighbor had also given me some wheat last week, so I decide that it would be a good time to mix it in as I ground. He had four bags of wheat that he had swept out of his grain bins. It worked like a charm! The 8N chugged right along, without any problems! The Letz grinder is probably the most important item I have gotten for the farm - after the 8N! I can grind my own feed for the chickens and save money on feed.

On the animal front - I went to check the goats this morning (about 10:30) and heard all kinds of noises coming from the barn! The goats were grumbling, cats were calling, chickens were clucking and crowing, and there were "monkey" sounds coming from inside! We have a couple of does that are coming in heat and the Billy was making his normal "barks". The tin in the barn was echoing and distorting his sounds, and those of the other animals, to the point that it sounded like a jungle in there! This means that these two does will kid late, but at least they won't be having them in the snow!

I've figured out that we may have one cat to many! We have an older Tomcat, and a younger one. The younger one has decided that he is "man" enough to start challenging the older one. He has also taken a couple of swipes at me (but soon learns he's not gonna get very far!). We don't need two Toms, and the older one has a better temperment, so the younger one has got to go! Anyone need a barncat (maybe I should invite Idiot and Buster out.......LOL)?

My wife's parents FINALLY got DSL this week! I haven't had a chance to see how they like it yet, but I am sure it is a big improvement after spending so much time on dial-up!They have two computers, so they can both be online at the same time now! Hope they enjoy it!

I have also been trying to sort through a few things in my sheds here and there. I have been going through boxes, buckets, cans, etc, of "stuff" and trying to get it organised (so I can bring home MORE!). I have found that old bread loaf baking pans make EXTREMELY good drawers to store fasteners and other small items in. I have started to look for them at every farm sale, auction or garage sale I go to. If they go for cheap, I try to get them.

I recently received over 200 new electrical boxes for free and have started to use a few. I finally got power to the barn and installed a couple of outlets and lights. It sure is a LOT nicer to flip a switch instead of using a flash light or running extension cords! I was also given 250' feet of outdoor 12-3 Romex. That stuff is EXPENSIVE! I was MORE than happy to get it, and it was GREATLY apreciated!

We still haven't had any snow this winter, except that 4 1/2" which came on New Year's weekend, but we did get some nice rain. I don't mind the lack of snow, but we need the moisture. It is supposed to have a chance for freezing rain and snow this weekend - we will wait and see!

Plow and Loader

Here is a photo of the Allis-Chalmers plow that I brought back from Missouri yesterday. It is a "Quick Hitch" model. I need to use it on a Ford, so it will have to be converted to 3 point. I figured that I would give any Allis-Chalmers fans a chance to either trade me for a 2 bottom, 3 point plow (14"), or buy it outright. I would then use the money to buy the correct plow for my tractor. If I can't find a taker, then I will have to modify it to work. I just want to give any AC guys the chance to get it in it's unmodified condition!

I also brought back an Allis-Chalmers loader! It was a "package deal" with the plow. This is a model CA-8 loader made to fit a model CA tractor! It is a trip bucket design. The photo doesn't show them, but I do have the "sub frame" (lower arms) and cylinders for it. I'm not an AC guy, so I don't know much about it! It has set outside, but the plow has always been shedded.

If anyone knows any AC fans out there, let them know there is a REALLY nice, original, 2-14 plow, and a used AC loader available!

Back home again.....

Well - we had to make an unplanned trip to NW Missouri to my wife's parents house last week. We were just over there Thanksgiving. My wife's Grandmother was not doing well and took a turn for the worse when we left. The weekend of 16 December, her parents told us that she was REALLY down and had refused food and water for several days. We decided to go see her one last time and help out with anything we could. Grandma decided to hang on until 7:00 pm Wednesday 20 December 2006 before she died. A problem we faced, was that 2 of her 3 remaining sons live about as far away as you can get from Missouri, and still be in the CONUS! One is in Florida and the other in California! While Getting a flight from Orlando to Kansas City seemed easy, one from CA proved to be a challenge! The blizzard in Denver and the holiday weekend did not help matters any. The other son managed, after CONCIDERABLE searching, to get ONE seat on a flight from San Bernadino to Las Vegas to KC. His wife was unable to come with him. We all got together on Saturday morning, the 23 of December for Grandma's funeral. See was 89, and had led an interesting life. She had four sons of her own and helped her husband raise 19 Foster boys. Two of the foster boys were Pall Bearer's and two more attended.

My wife's parents are busy deciding what they should do FIRST. We figured out that since they were married in 1967 - after the first 9 months before thier son was born until the time my wife left (1991), they were busy taking care of thier two children. Three years later, his parents moved in and they have been busy caring for parents ever since. They took care of all four of my wife's Grandparents - all four of them died at home. Each one happened to die in the same room as thier spouse. So - it all boils down to - since they got married, they have spent a total of just a little more than 3 years alone with each other, since 1967! They are trying to rearrange the house and get used to thier "new life".

Since we were going over there, I borrowed a friend's trailer to bring my corn picker back on. I had it all ready to load, just waiting. The day after Grandma died, my wife's dad and I went to Independence MO to get the arrangements finalized.While we were thier, we talked to one of his cousins. He retired from working at the Allis-Chalmers Plant in Independence. We were talking tractors, when I mentioned that I needed a 2 bottom plow. He told me he had one in the shed out back. I went to look at it and he told me it has sat there for 20-25 years since he bought it and NEVER USED IT! He told me that the man he bought it from had had it in HIS shed for awhile without using it. I don't know for sure how MUCH use it has seen, but not much. He told me that if I wanted the plow, I had to take theold loader that was beside a different shed in his back yard. It fits and A-C "CA" model tractor (I think). I is in good shape, but the hoses are really bad. I told him I'd drop by on Saturday (23rd) with the trailer and get it. He stopped me at Grandma's funeral and told me he didn't want ANYTHING for them! I thanked him profusely and was glad to have them! I ended up bringing the plow, the loader, and PART of the corn picker home. My BIL will bring the rest later. The plow is a 2-14 unit made for the AC "single point" hitch. It seems to be a later model of the "snap" hitch AC made. I am thinking that, since I need to modify it for use on a 3 point, that I MAY try and trade it for a 3 point 2-14. My theory behind this is that, in it's original, unmodified state, a collector might want it. I would hate to modify something that someone would want original. Still need to find info on it, though!

As for the corn picker, I couldn't see it very well in the man's shed, and was going on the information he gave me. Now that I have seen it in the light of day, I have found out that it is a "Farm Rite" Corn Picker, not a David Bradley as I first thought. Now I need to find info on Farm Rite!

It's good to be home! My brother from Kansas was by today, also. He had a get-together yesterday at his daughter's house in Lincoln, NE. My sister was there and made a BUNCH of her World Famous Apple Strudel. Brother Bob, stopped by here with a LARGE Strudel she had made for us. I had to make the frosting, but it was EXCELLENT! I'm sure glad she made the special effort to make us one and to find a way to get it here - she went out of her way to do it - thanks!

My Spreader

Well - I FINALLY got the spreader done except for paint and putting the guards back on! It's only taken me all Autumn to get it THIS far! I plan on using a combination of soap, water and motor oil to seal the inside of the wood. It is for goat and chicken maure, so it won't be handling any real "gooey" stuff, like cow manure!

Mark (BIL) called this morning and said that he had picked up the corn picker and it was on it's way back to his house. He was going to get some pictures of it to me, but hasn't taken any yet.

I had to get rid of a cat the other day. There was a large dark grey Tom that kept stopping by. I guess he liked it here, because he was around quite often. When we were at my wife's mom and dad's house last month, we brought back 3 more kittens to replace the one that the worthless mutt killed. This brings our total up to 6 - 7 with the Tom. Wednesday afternoon, I saw the grey Tom go after and try to kill one of the new kittens. He had it in a pretty good grip and it was REALLY flailing about! I clubed the Tom and he let go. He then knew I was after him and wouldn't come near me. He found out that he couldn't out run a .22 long rifle round. Peace and Harmony have been restored to the cat world ......at least this part of it.

Just Piddlin'

I haven't gotten much accomplished in the past few days, I've been feeling a bit "under the weather", as they say! I did manage to work on the John Deere Model "L" Manure spreader that I have. I found a packing crate that was made out ofYellow Pine boards. There were several 2x4s, 8 1x10s and a dozen or so 1x8s. Everything was 9 feet long, so it worked out great! I don't know what came in the crate, but it was HUGE! The original wood in this model of spreader was Yellow Pine Tognue and Groove boards. Mine won't be T&G, but it will work for what it has to carry! I got all the "workings" loosened up, replaced about 150 bolts, and am about half way done with replacing the wood. I plan on sealing the inside of the spreader with oil and will paint the outside with exterior implement paint. I didn't do a full "restoration", I just did a "refurbish". It has taken me awhile, working on it "here and there", but I am at least NEARING the end. I hope to use it this spring. I know it's a John Deere, but I think I'll paint it RED!

I also had a friend come over yesterday and cut a few Hedge Posts. It was amazing, but ONE tree yielded 55 posts! This tree was 60+ feet tall, and had several arms that went out in all directions. Most of the posts are fairly straight. There are several corner posts and a lot of good 5" diameter Line posts. I know of a couple more trees that are similar, but not QUITE as large, more like 35-40 posts size! It would be something to get over 100 good posts from just 3 trees!

When we were at my wife's parents' house last month, we had some "idle" time between butchering the cow and Thanksgiving, so my BIL and I took a road trip (of only about 10 miles). Mark (BIL) had found a couple of Allis-Chalmers Rotobalers a couple of years ago, and mentioned a couple other things that the gentleman had. When we got to the place, I spotted an old One-row corn picker. This particular unit was made by David Bradley, and sold through Sears Roebuck & Company. It is especially made to mount onto a Ford 8N tractor! Mark is going to go pick it up for me this weekend and hopefully be able to bring it to Nebraska in a week or two. It has been stored inside a shed for several years since the man retired, so it is in good shape. I told a neighbor about it and he told me that his dad had one back in the 50's. He said that he had SEVERAL hours using one behind the 8N his dad had. Since I can't find much information about it, he said he would tell me anything I wanted to know! I'd still like to scrounge up a manual for it, though!

Burr......

True, it has been a little cool lately, and the north wind really drops those wind chills but, in this case, the BURR I mean is my Letz Burr Grinder! I FINALLY got the chance to use it for more than just playing! I ran about 3/4 of a 55 gallon drum through it today. I mixed in some milo and layer crumbles for the chickens while I was grinding. The milo and crumbles are small, so they didn't grind much, but mixed real well. I filled the hopper bin I made for my chickens and put the unground corn in a bin for my goats. A 55 gallon drum of whole kernal corn will last the goats quite awhile, but the chicken feed will be used faster.

I ran the grinder with my 1949 8N - it just purred along without complaint! The more I use that little tractor, the more I am impressed with it! Before I bought it, I had people tell me all kinds of things it WON'T do. I am now finding out all the things it WILL do!

We went to my brother's house in Kansas this last week end (by way of Grand Island, Nebraska). They were moving from one house, to another one 2 blocks away. I didn't help much, but it was good to see them. He is expecting thier first grandchild in early February, so we will probably need to make another trip to see the baby. It was a LONG trip and my back/hips/legs made me pay for it! I think I even caught a cold to boot!

A Visit.....

Got a visit from a cousin today. He and my brother stopped by for an hour or so. About 30 years ago, my Uncle August and a few of us cousins tore down my Grandpa's house and barn. Uncle Auggie took home LOTS of wood from the buildings, and has built several things from it. Since he was a preacher, the wood moved a couple times. Cousin Paul had taken some of the wood and made "knick-nack" shelves out of it. He made one for each of the people who helped tear down the house and barn. He also made sure that our two aunts had one, and each oldest child of our Grandparents five children. Along with the shelf came 2 old fashioned square nails from the house and a couple of photos (one I believe, is Grandpa and Grandma's wedding photo). The back of the shelf has two lathe that can be used for attaching it to the wall - these lathe also came from the house. The shelves themselves were made from the tongue-and-groove flooring that was in the house. There are cracks and missing pieces to the boards - he used the boards in whatever condition they were in. He COULD have sanded them down smooth and cut the boards so the cracks and stuff were gone, but chose to leave them as they were so some of the "character" would still be there. All-in-all, a fine piece of work and a wonderful gift! Thanks, Paul!

I also managed to grease the "runnable" A-C Rotobaler Friday evening and Saturday morning. It took awhile as there are 45 zerks to find! My mother-in-law e-mailed me a copy of the lubrication chart from the manual they have (I don't have one!) - I had only found 32 until I had the chart! I hooked the tractor up to the PTO and turned it on SLOW. As it turned, I oiled the chains. Everything ran pretty smooth! I just need a couple of belts, some twine, and a small spring and it will be ready to go! I'd rather have a square baler, but this was free, so it will work until I can afford a square.

Rotomania

Awhile back I mentioned that a lady called and said she had 8 rolls of woven wire to give away. I managed to bring home 12 rolls from her place - totaling about 3/4 of a mile of wire! She also had 2 of the old Allis-Chalmers Rotobalers sitting there. I asked if she wanted them out of there and she told me I could have them. One was for a spare, but the other was used up until her husband had died 5 years ago. It will need a bit of work, but it should be ok. These balers put out around a 40-60 pound round bale. They are different to work with, but I will use it until I can afford a square baler. The price was right anyhow! I have one (the better one) home now and will get the other in a few days.

I also built a grain bin for the corn I feed my chickens. I used to have a 55 gallon drum in the chicken house for thier feed. They would roost on it and there would be bunches of fresh "chicken do" on the top every morning. I decided it was past time for one on the outside of the coop, with a tube to channel the feed to the inside the chicken house. I used parts I had laying around and a little "MacGverization", but it works great. I built a smaller version to store cat food in that hangs inside my barn. It keeps the cats from trying to get into the food while I'm trying to get it out.

My corn is done for the year! I only had 6 rows, but I got a nice sized pile of ears! I had cut some green for the goats and then waited for the rest to mature. Yesterday, I mowed the patch down with my sicklebar and fed a pile of stalks to the goats. They loved it! They happily munched away for hours - and even stayed up later than usual to eat some! I will probably give them some more tomorrow. I picked up most of the rest with a pitch fork and used the brush hog on the field to shred the stubble down.

The neighbor picked corn Thursday and Friday. I asked him if I could go through and pick up some of the down falls and missed ears. It took me about 20 minutes and I had 2 bucketsful of ears! I could have gotten more, but decided to stop for the day. I also picked up 3/4 of a bucket of shelled corn he had spilled on the ground. I use some of the ear corn to toss to the chickens durring the day. It's fun to watch them run after it and crash into each other over it! They have started to follow me around, looking for it!

Fall is Here!

It's October, and the leaves have started to turn colors and fall. The Hedge Apples are really thick this year - some say that means we are in for a snowy Winter. Last year we only had 12" total, so practically anything would be a snowy Winter!

I did have a few items I drug home in the past couple weeks. I found an old Dearborn model 14-42 Side Delivery Rake and a bale loader in the weeds on a nearby farm ( I can SEE the field where they were). I was helping another neighbor cut some trees for the man and happened to see them. I have been looking for these items for 4-5 years, and had even asked the farmer if he knew where any were at!

I brought the rake home on Friday, gresaed /oiled it up on Saturday, put on new tires/rims, and tried her out! I removed 2 of the stripper bars because they were bent, but other than that it works just fine! I will replace a few teeth this Winter, but it will be ready to go next Summer. I had JUST finished with hay for this year - two days before I found it!

The bale loader it the type that attaches to the hay rack or flatbed of a truck. As you drive, it raises the bales on a chain elevator and takes them up to the wagon or truck bed for stacking. It is "ground driven" so It can be used behind a truck or tractor. It makes it a LOT easier than picking the bales up by hand!

I also managed to work on one of the John Deere Manure Spreaders I drug home. I pulled it up by the shop and started "tinkering" with it the other day. I greased everything up (all 19 spots) and oiled every link in all the chains. The beater bars and the spreader were realitively easy to get to turn the way they should. The main conveyor chain was a different story! I oiled up the links and greased the sprockets, but I could not get the axle to turn. When I originally towed the spreaders home, we had to remove the wheels and wire the "dogs" on the axles closed in order to get the wheels turning. Since all the wood has rotted out of both machines, the "tray" that the axles sit in have filled with dirt and have small trees taking root in them. I first had to dig and flush the dirt out. Dig, flush, dig, flush, dig, flush.....It took awhile, but I managed to remove 95% of the dirt. I then soaked the axle bearings down with PB Blaster (GREAT STUFF, BY-THE-WAY!) . After a couple days of soaking, I took a pipe wrench and a LONG piece of pipe and tried to work the axles loose. All I managed to do was break the pipe wrench in half (it was a cheap Chinese one). I soaked it down with more PB and waited another couple days. This afternoon, I decided it was time to try again. This time I took my largest GOOD pipe wrench (Ridged brand) and the pipe. I worked it back and forth until it MOVED! I watched the sprocket and saw it moved one tooth, then two, then THREE! Now, knowing that it moved and that I had to hurry before it realised what was happening to it, I hit it with more PB and some 30w oil. I started to force it just a little and got it to move more and more each time. Back and forth until it FINALLY moved all the way around. I took the pipe off and found that I could turn it fairly easy with just the wrench. I turned it all the way around 3-4 times and oiled it up again.

I decided that the next step was to try the conveyor chain. I pulled the lever to engage the chain and turned the axle. To my amazement - it worked!. I'll have to keep turning things to get them "limbered up", but at least it's this far. All I need now is some wood and two tires, then I can really have a "fling" with it!

Here we are - Nearly half of September is gone!

It is hard to believe that September is almost half gone! Here it is the 11th already! I have a friend from the USMC that got married on September 11th. Today is thier 25th Anniversary. He's in Iraq, his wife is at home. Five years ago, the attacks took some of the luster off of their special day, but not from thier marriage. He (Max) is SUPPOSED to get back sometime toward the end of the month or next. They are saving the celebration for when he gets home!

I've been working on a couple of projects lately, one especially. If you remember I found a set of old running gear (for a wagon) while cleaning up a lady's farmstead awhile back.

*** Scroll down, and there will be a photo of what I started with.***

I need it to get fence posts in the NEAR future, so I finally got to work on it. I also managed to salvage some 2x6 lumber from an old barn that was torn down (be fore they piled it up to burn). I made the wagon (or Hay rack) 8 feet wide and 12 1/2 feet long. I have about $6.00 into it total, and that was for bolts.

The worst part of this was changing the tires. All four of the tires were SHOT! They were all OLD implement tires, (6.50 x 16) and the rims were from 1930's or 40's vehicles. The front were 5 lug, but were a LOT wider bolt pattern than later 5-hole rims. The rears were 8 bolt but were also wider bolt pattern and larger hub (center hole) than modern rims. I was thankful that the rims, front especially, despite setting for who-knows-how-long, were in great shape! I aired up the tires and found they were so rotten, that the tubes split right through the tires! Two of the inner tubes were still good, so I was able to re-use them. I Usually keep my old tires when I get a new set. I happened to have one 235/70/R16 and scrounged the other 3. My neighbor has a tire machine, so I was able to remove/replace the tires for free. The only time I used the machine was to break the bead loose. I used bars to remove the tires from the rims, and install the new ones. The front two worked slick - I got them off, cleaned up the rims and popped the new tires and the tubes on. The two rears, however, were a tussle. I cleaned up the rims, but could only get one to "pop" onto the rim like it should. I FOUGHT the other for two days before I gave up on it! I found an older Ford 8 lug rim and "modified" it to work. It came with a tire on it, so my tire fighting was over (for now).

As for the deck, I found 2 13' 4x6 beams at a neighbor's house. It ended up that I got these for eggs and helping him for a little bit. I fastened the rear end of the 4x6 beams ONLY. The front ends need to be able to flex. I didn't have quite enough 2x6 lumber to make a deck that was solid, so I left a gap of 1 1/2" between the boards. It will be just as sturdy, but a lot lighter. The edges I covered with 2x2x1/4" angle from an old bridge rail. I also fastened a 2x4 underneath the edges to help make it solid. I even made the deck low enough so my wife can sling the bales while I drive the tractor!



I plan on building a removable back on it so I can stack against it.

We also lost a cat last week. A guy I know from High School was out with his dog. This dog has been a PITA (Pain In The you-know what) since I've known it. He stuck his face in the dinner of my wife's dad, marked all over our house (including my wife's favorite chair), ran head-long into a green block wall and knocked it 4" out of alignment, amoung other things. Pete (High School guy) thinks Buster (mutt) can do no wrong. Last Fall, Buster grabbed one of our hens. When he saw me coming with a club, he spit the chicken out and ran for cover behind Pete. My wife came out of the front door - Pete and Buster made a world record setting dash for the car and were down the driveway in SECONDS! The chicken survived the initial attack, but died that night. We banned Buster from getting out of the car. Pete, to his dying day, will claim that the chicken was at fault and deserved to die for attacking Buster! Buster, by the way, is part Spitz, part Blue Healer, and part guess-what. He's only about 15 times the size of the chicken. This "stay in the car" ban was intentionally defied several times right in front of us. If we told him to get him in the car, he'd get mad and leave. Well - last weekend (Saterday 2 Sept 06) Pete stopped by. He stayed in the car (untill he HAD to get outto chase Buster). As they were leaving, Buster jumped out of the open window, chased down a cat and shook it like a rag-doll. Pete's comment - "Buster know's what to do with a cat!". Buster got into the car after I beaned him with my cane and they high-tailed it down the drive. We brought the cat into the house to see if it would improve. It took it 4 hours, but it died of it's injuries. I e-mailed Pete and told him "DO NOT bring that dog out here again!". His response - It was the CAT'S fault! I told him that he needs to grow up and take responsibility for his dog. Pete is under the mistaken impression that everyone just LOVES Buster - when in reality - most people are putting up a front.

Anyhoo - I'll get off my soap box now!

Farmshow

SCROUNGEMAN IN "FARMSHOW" MAGAZINE!

The March 2006 edition (vol.30, number 2) of Farmshow Magazine has an article on Scroungeman's Homebuilt Tree shear! Keep watch - more items will be appearing in Farmshow at later dates! This is the story as it appeared in Farmshow (credit Farmshow Magazine vol 30 number 2).




This is the second article from Farmshow! Credit Farmshow Magazine, July 2006 Volume 30, Number 4, page 40.

Holy Cow!

It's only been 3 days and I'm posting again (my head hurts.....)! I have been trying to "spruce up" the place in the past few days, before I decide it is time to start on more fence. I just brought home another 40 pallets, so I am up to over 170! I have enough pallets to build the big barn, but I need to find some more 2x6's, 2x4's and plywood. I THINK I will have enough tin when I get at a neighbor's barn that has fallen in. I also updated my last entry with a couple of photos of my newest fence project.

I need to get at one of the manure spreaders I found. I cleaned out the barn today and need something to spread it with. I want to spread it on my hay field, but will probably pile it for now and hope the chickens leave it alone!

We also have 5 new chicks that were born over the past 6 days! There MIGHT be more, but we will wait and see.

I also brought home a stack of lumber from another farm near here. It was from part of an old barn roof from a barn that was torn down. There are several good 14' 1x6's and 2x6's. It's all Full Dimension lumber. I plan on using this bit for my trailer, but most will go for the new barn (when I get to build it!). I need to get the trailer ready to go so I don't have to borrow the neighbor's all the time. He's been wonderful about letting me use his, but I want to get mine ready so I won't have to bother him!

Been a little lax, lately!

My wife told me it was time to add another entry to the blog! I haven't been keeping up as I should! Here goes!

In the last week or two, I have managed to bring home 42 10' plus pieces of tin (and a few scraps), two John Deere manure spreaders, some more wire, lumber and a 1946 Chevy 2 ton truck! There are probably a few other things, but that will have to do for now! I also built a new hay feeder for the goats. I used some scrap materials I had lying around - the total cost was for hinges only. I'll be adding an instruction guide in the near future, if there is interest!

The tin was from an old barn that was built in the 1890's. It had square nails and used "peg" construction. The whole structure was held together by "dowels", the nails were used for the siding and roof. It was already torn down when I got there, the man who owned it just wanted the tin and lumber hauled off.


The manure spreaders came from a tree line not far from my house. They have been out there for about 30 years, but seem to be in good shape, except for the wood. I will probably fix one and sell the other. They were fun to tow home! The tires are SHOT and they "limped" back at about 5 MPH! They dogs that lock the hubs were rusted, so we had to tie them down so the wheels would turn. A little grey tape and baling wire and things worked fine!


As for the 2 ton truck - it's a 1946 Chevy with a 235 in it. It's been stored inside since the late 70's, so there is VERY LITTLE rust and only a few dents. One of these days I want to get it running again to use around here.

Dirt Scoop

I also managed to drag out this horse drawn "slip" scoop from the same farm. I don't know what I will do with it, but might have to scrounge around for the rest of the parts and use it! Anyone know much about these? Any help would be appreciated!

Running Gear Found!

I finally had time (and the weather cooperated) to go over to a farm a few miles from here and pull a few things out of the weeds. I took my tractor over and, with the help of a neighbor, cleaned up on a farmstead. We managed to drag home an older set of running gear for a wagon. I now need to find some lumber and build a hay rack out of it!