Wandering Tank repair

Remember that black water tank that decided to take a trip this winter?  It left home from behind the shop and ended up in first one field and then another?

Well, all that rolling around caused some damage that needed to be repaired before we could once again fill it with water and use it this spring.

I took a few photos of the repair work.  But, before I got myself over to the shop to help, I was distracted by spring!

It was such a lovely day, that I moved these few plants outside so that they could get used to being out.  The four little oak trees came from acorns I collected last fall in Boston!

My cousin started these rose plants from cuttings that she took last spring.  I have planted several already. These guys are waiting for a little warmer weather to find a permanent home.

Daffodils with swollen buds!

And crocus blooming happily in the sun.  

So, here's the wandering tank, back at home, but full of dirt from traveling! We tipped it up so that we could rinse it out.

This is a piece of the broken fill valve.

Reynald is surveying and evaluating what to do next.

Remove the damaged piece,

And put the new one on....

Now attach the fill valve.

Rinse out the tank and everything is as good as new!

A few days ago one of my farm projects was to change the tips on the Flexicoil sprayer.  These tips are some kind of new, low drift, technology.  They were kind of expensive, and honestly, I can't see much, if any difference between these and the old ones.  But, someone thinks they are a good idea, so we are trying them.

Here's Indy hooked up to the 114 foot Flexicoil sprayer.

These are the tips that I replaced.

A much easier process than in the "old days".  Now you just twist them on.

This is a pretty cool invention.  There are actually three different tips on this one manifold.  If you want to change the rate of product that you are applying, you can just twist the manifold and get a different size tip!

There were 67 tips to change out!

Here's Bertha, ready to go to work! 

And look!  She has a new Honda engine and water pump!

And the best thing is, this electric start!  The old engine and pump gave us a good long run.  It had a rope pull, which, for the last two years, was rather finicky!  

We also did a little repair work on the harrow.  Last year we bought and installed these new drag harrows.  There's a bit of a design flaw on how they are attached to the main harrow. so we decided to fix it before it's time to use it in a few short days.

The fix required the tonner and the welder and someone that knew how to use it!

So here's the design flaw.  If you can make out the hook that has a clevis attached.  Then on the hook there is a floppy piece of metal that was supposed to seal off the hook and not allow the clevis from bounding off the hook.  Seemed like a good idea, but it didn't work.

Last year I spent almost as much time re-attaching the drag harrow, as I did harrowing!  So, here's the fix.  You can see that I am holding a thin piece of metal with the pliers and Reynald is getting ready to tack weld that piece of metal in the opening of the hook.  

Here is is finished!  I shouldn't have any trouble this year, with that clevis hopping out of the hook!

Reynald insisted that I take a photo while he was welding!  Looks kind of ominous!  

It's too early for it to be this nice, but we're taking advantage of the gloriously warm days and brightly shining sun, while it's here!  It feels so good to be outside in the fresh air.

Still working...

on the drill project!  At least we are starting to put things back together again.  Spring is sneaking up on us, and more pressing projects are presenting themselves, so we may not finish the drills before we have to turn our attention to spring work, but we're going to get as much done as we can.

So, here's one of my projects for today.

Working on this darling project that involves wool, and pumpkins!  Two of my favorite things!

I'm almost finished with sewing the pumpkins to the black background.  I plan to make this in to a pillow.

And here's another one!

One of my other jobs today was to assemble these pieces in to "straw pickers".

This is the finished "picker" part.

This is what they will look like fully assembled on the shaft.

Another view.  These came off the drills that we bought from Gregory, and will go back on the set that we are currently working on.....eventually!

You may remember the photos of taking the packer wheels apart.  These images will be very similar as they go back together!  This is just the beginning of re-assembly.

Packer wheels going back on the shaft!

They actually slide along on this shaft fairly easily, once you get them started.

"Fairly easily?" he says?!?

Figuring out the exact spacing is a bit of a mathematical challenge.  Reynald has this figured down to the 1/8th inch.

These are some of the pieces that make the spacing precise.

This is the metal band saw that we use to cut the square tubing spacing pieces.  This faithful saw is about 25 years old.  When we bought it, we never thought it would last this long!

This is a closer look at the square tubing and the blade that cuts the metal.

Spacing piece on the shaft.

There are four of these bearings on each shaft.  They are a sealed bearing so never have to be greased!  YAY for no greasing!

Reynald is always a happy worker!

The bare frame, waiting patiently for a set of freshly spaced packer wheels.

It's kind of hard to tell in this photo, but every thing lines up very nicely.  Imagine that!

Every now and then you have to bring out the heavy artillery!

Drill Project Phase II

The weather has been warmer than normal this past week, which makes for spring fever!  Time to start making a list of things that "must be done" before spring work starts, and top of that list is getting the drills put back together.

Today we worked on taking all the packer wheels off the shafts.  Some we will keep and put back on the drill frames that we stripped before Christmas.  Some we will turn in to a welding shop, to be rebuilt, before they can be put back on to the drill frames.

We have a long way to go, before this project is complete.....a long long way, but we're still hopeful that we can get humpty dumpty put back together again!  When I look at all the pieces, that's what it feels like!

So we need to get all these packer wheels off the shaft where they currently live.

Here's a closer look.  You can see that there is a bunch of stuff between the wheels, which also has to come off that shaft.

Reynald getting ready to strip one of the ten shafts that we need  take apart.

In a perfect world, all this just "slips" off the shaft!  And, I have to say, about half of our world was perfect today.  The other half, not so much!

This shows the spacing pieces and a sprocket that is used for the drive chain,.  

Sliding the sprocket and spacing pieces off the shaft.

This is the pile of packer wheels that need repair.  I think it looks like a bunch of coins laying on the floor.

Another view of the wheels in need of repair.  It's quite a pile!

K, many years ago, I found these coveralls.  They used to belong to Reynald, he thinks when he was in early high school.  They fit me perfectly!  Plus, I'm kind of in to vintage clothing!

This is the pile that doesn't need repair/  The next step is to figure out precise measurements for replacing the wheels on to the shaft.  It's all going to be different than it was.  It will require a lot of math, something I have no intention of being involved with!

Also in the shop is little Colt.  Reynald is putting a new style radio for communication purposes in.  He has my little fellow all torn to pieces.  (More tearing apart and putting back together!)  Once he is finished with the install, I will spring clean little Colt like I did the other two tractors.

Here's Colt, patiently waiting for a new antenna and communication radio.

I try so hard not to panic when I see what Reynald has done to my little Colt!

He assures me that it's not as bad as it looks!  All I can see is a bunch of stuff torn apart, and wires sticking out where they aren't supposed to be sticking out etc!  Glad I don't have to put it all back in order.

Spring Cleaning

Most years, before spring field work begins, I do a thorough cleaning of the tractor cabs.  Of course they will get dusty through the season, but it's nice to start out clean!

Reynald had both Arthur and Indy in the shop, doing some maintenance work, so today I took advantage of both tractors being in the heated side. and grabbed my bottle of windex and roll of paper towels and set to work!

It will be at least a month before we are in the fields, but it's nice to have these two tractors ready to go.  Little Colt still needs to be tidied up, but that won't take long.

Here are a few before and after photos!  I kinda like to clean!!

Here I am, armed and ready to go!

Indy is the tractor that Reynald bought me for a Mother's Day gift a few years ago.  

I used Murphy's oil soap and hot water to clean the floor mat.

Reynald puts his water jug in this area.  It leaks slightly now and then, making for a bit of a mess.

Nothing that a little soap and water won't clean up however!

This is my satellite guidance screen....just a little dusty.

Again, nothing that a little windex won't handle!

Not sure why this area got to be such a mess, but it did.

But now it's clean!

Looking forward to spending some time in both tractors this season!  It won't be long now.

First Egg

This morning when Baxter and I went out to feed Leo and check on the chickens I was happy to find our first egg from the new girls!  They are always small to start with.  Hoping I'll find a few more tomorrow morning!

The first egg from the September chicks.

This late afternoon the sun came out and Baxter found the perfect place to take advantage!  He's not supposed to be on this bed, but he was snuggled in so cute and cozy, that instead of shooing him off, I snapped a photo!   Yep, he's a spoiled dog!!!!

Baxter in the lap of comfort!

He is our sunbeam dog!  

Can you believe.....

this parsnip?  Rather, can you believe I got it out of the ground without breaking it?

We love parsnips.  They are sweet as candy when left in the ground, covered with straw over the winter.  Still have about a third of a garden row left to dig before the weather turns more spring like.

One of these days soon, I'll stuff as many as I can fit, into a large, flat rate mailing box, and send some to Boston.  The girls complain that you just can't get good parsnips in Boston!!!