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Post by Tricky Grama on Apr 3, 2020 12:06:53 GMT
Went to Telephone TX to look at a rebuilt 8N...not so good. We have limited abilities when it comes to tractors but could tell the guy painted over stuff...he followed us to our property to look at our dead 8N & immediately came down on price & offered us 1400 to trade. Hmmmm. Don't think we will do that. Cleaned most of rat poop out of our shed. ![:(](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/sad.png) 3 garbage bags of nothin' but poop! 2 more of broken plastic, etc. Still not done.
Depending on its mechanical and general cosmetics, an 8n tractor around here goes for between $1200 and $2000 bare with no implements. One thing you'd always want to check is the hydraulic lift ability, if the pump is weak it can be expensive to get rebuilt. Also, does it have an "over-run" clutch on the PTO, as brush hogging without one might well take you places you didn't intend to go.
If it were me, I'd have a qualified tractor mechanic look at yours and see what kind of costs you'd be looking at to make it serviceable again. As was mentioned, 8n tractors are very simple machines, which means servicing the is pretty simple too.
DH called one of his poker buds who has a reliable tractor guy & he'll go get ours & take it to his place & see if he can fix it. $$$$
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Post by Ozarks Tom on Apr 12, 2020 23:32:53 GMT
Thought I'd bump this thread back up.
The last couple days we've spent several hours inventorying the preps in the old milking barn where we store our dry stuff. Then I spent a couple hours typing up the lists and printing them off.
One thing we found that was questionable was two #10 cans of freeze dried eggs that had a little rust on their bottom rims. How any moisture got to them I'll never know, the shelved pantry is inside a water tight barn, plus an insulated sheetrock ceiling over the pantry. Anyway, we didn't want to trust the rusted cans, but when I opened one it looked fine. We had a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs to check them, they sure didn't taste like our fresh eggs, but weren't bad overall.
Found some not really shortages, but a few things we'd like more of, and surprisingly found them in stock at Bulk Foods.
Put out a couple more alarm transmitters, which this evening seemed fortuitous, as they let us know two different people were wandering around the property that's for sale next door.
What's going on with y'all?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2020 23:53:40 GMT
Friday right after work I went and picked up 30 replacement Cornish x chicks for the ones I bought 4weeks ago that are definitely not Cornish x. No idea what they are unless a very poor variety of that breed. Guesses range from white leghorns to Cornish hens but I’m pretty sure I’m starting to see some combs so idk.
Yesterday worked on the rotational pig lots more. Need 4 more t-posts to finish it out. I have the posts that I’m pulling and replacing with wood in the buck lot, so that’s on the agenda for this week. Grass isn’t growing as fast as I’d like in 2 of those lots so I might spread a little fertilizer to give it a boost.
Got some strawberry beds laid out, goat stalls cleaned, 4 goats sold and the area for the sorghum turned over. Also got some “locks” rigged up for the garage doors.
Took it easy today with it being Easter. Cooked a nice dinner along with cleaning the house and moving the chest of drawers out of my bedroom into a spare. I’m wanting to move my bed around but I might need some help. It’s a big, heavy, solid cherry thing.
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Post by blackfeather on Apr 13, 2020 3:03:39 GMT
I worked today. I'm on vacation but I did volunteer to work at the store today. The next time I work is Friday. A lot of people buying generators. Were supposed to get 40 mph winds gusts to 70mph. So we sold every generator we had except the small 700 watt ones. I was surprised how busy it was for Easter Sunday. We have these new plexi-glass barriers now so I didn't choose to wear a mask. Store was opened from 12-5 and I worked 12-4. It was nice enough I could ride my e-scooter to work and back. I took in $1000 in cash and most people used credit cards so it was worth it for them to be open.
April first I went back to burning wood instead of coal. The coal worked out well, I allot myself 150 bags of coal (#40/bag) for a season and we have probably 25 left. I used it quite liberally in both kitchen stove and furnace. Coal is nice because you don't need a tank to keep it in like oil or propane therefore you can stock up on it. It is dusty though. Funny thing about coal it seems to burn best when it is cold and the warmer it gets the poorer it burns, probably not as much lift in warmer weather. Any way this saved me a lot of wood this winter. It takes 12 to 14 face cord of wood to heat for a winter and this year I'll use about 6. Wood is for fall till January first. Then for spring starting April first. I use coal for the coldest part of winter. It takes a bit to get used to, but once you get down how to use it it works pretty well.
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Post by Tim Horton on Apr 13, 2020 7:35:11 GMT
Easter kind of snuck up on me this year... So we didn't do anything special today..
When we did town last week, it was necessities, and home.. We will likely plan a trip later next week to avoid the after holiday shopping surge.. Again just for necessities..
So the only thing "special" we will do is tomorrow morning I'm going to make a small mountain of my world famous saddle blanket pancakes from scratch.. And fry up a package of fresh, thick slice bacon I found in the back of the freezer from the whole pork we got.
Sunday morning breakfast of pancakes and maple bacon at the Eagles club is one thing I have been craving..
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2020 12:37:13 GMT
as far as puppets is concerned it is nice. for kids. It is not austrian. If you tell an Austrian it is he will think you are soft in the head. My best friend is from Salzburg. Buses with American tourists come and look at the movie locations. they are real.
If you want to see a real goatherd, as near as it goes, here is an excerpt from the original, Swiss version of the movie Heidi.
I still love Johanna Spyri's book. I'm sure I still have a copy of it on one of the bookshelves... maybe in one of the boxes of books. We have a lot of books.
The movie was sweet, in a Hollywood sort of way. At least they stuck to the story line of the book. ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png)
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2020 12:42:27 GMT
Forgot to say that, on Saturday, we mowed for the first time this year. Dang! That grass grows FAST.
Maybe I need some wool sheep or a horse to eat that grass?
Got some spuds in the ground. Weeded a couple more beds. Praying that the cold temps last night and the next few nights coming up will not damage the flowers on the fruit trees.
Today, I'll try to clear a path through the house. When Spring hits, the house really goes to a hot place in a handbasket.
Who in the world has time for Spring cleaning?
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Post by daw on Apr 13, 2020 13:20:27 GMT
After working on the barn...cleaning out the bad wood and anything thing that would burn and the working on the garden.... plus cleaning out a small portion of the fence row and burning the tick infested leaves I crashed which lasted for a week. Now at the beginning of a new week I am debating on my tasks for the next few days. I see I am going to have problems with the garden unless it is fenced to keep out rabbits...not a problem I have had here before. The cat caught a small bunny and ate all but one foot...
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Post by DEKE on Apr 13, 2020 15:40:36 GMT
Forgot to say that, on Saturday, we mowed for the first time this year.
We did too. In one of our horse pastures there is a 150 ft by 40 ft block of wonderful, fast growing, green, green grass. Under that grass was a burn pit. When the land was cleared in 2010, they dumped everything into a 12ft deep trench and burned stumps. Apparently it is great fertilizer because you can still see the outline of that former pit as dark green grass.
Unfortunately, the horses won't touch it. Even though it is the same grasses, it must taste bad or maybe the horses can still smell the ash. They eat right up to the edge of the former pit and then stop.
We rake up that grass and pile it into the brooder coop, the main coop, and stuff the nest boxes. It makes the chickies happy to scratch in mounds of fresh grass and it keeps the eggs clean. The pig, not as picky as the horses, also gets her share which she happily munches.
During the winter, chicken bedding is the waste hay the horses and cows won't eat, but there is none available now. So the first fresh grass of the year made the chicks extra happy.
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Post by Txsteader on Apr 13, 2020 18:04:28 GMT
I planted seeds of banana peppers, Tuscan melons and summer squash 3 days ago. The melon seeds are already up and that makes me very happy.....thinking I'm going to plant some more next week to see if I can get a staggered harvest.
The wind blew something fierce yesterday. I've got branches (mostly dead) laying all over the yard, the power flickered a few times but didn't go off completely, thank goodness. I was worried about my little garden, I could see the plants whipping all over the place. The tomatoes fared fine but the beans were laying down. The soil had dried out pretty much so I watered this morning and scratched the soil to prop the plants back up. No broken stems so I figure they'll be fine.
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Post by tabitha on Apr 13, 2020 19:46:53 GMT
I hate this yoyo weather. But we have to make do with what comes.
the critters have kept the grass under control. DH lets Daisy in the gate and she eats the 'lawn'. you could not trust goats or sheep, but a cow eats slow and steady and is more meticulous. So it means no mowing so far.
the weather has not been conducive to planting. I really wanted to plant potatoes today, also carrots and onions, beets would be on the agenda too. but it is cold. got a fire going. the plants in the greenhouse have done well so far. I turned the lightbulbs back on that keep the plants warm from underneath.
Dogwood is blooming, redbuds are on their last leg.
We need to sell a Saanen buckling. but we get too emotional. I hope someone needs a Saanen buck for breeding. He has not been fixed yet. I would like to keep the girl, but on second thought, we do not need her. that is the hard thing about having animals. You have to sell them and hope they go to a good home.
It rained heavy for hrs yesterday. wondered where the sheep where. somehow they got over into the wildernes on the other side of the fence. and stood there like they were nailed on. SO I took a section of cattle panel out, which was a pain in the kazoo as multiflora roses were getting involved. I think the sheep were kind of lost. They just stood stock still in that heave rain, Finally I got a feed bucket and then they followed me. as soon as they knew their way, they high tailed it to the barn.
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Post by Tim Horton on Apr 14, 2020 1:20:02 GMT
6pm local daylight time and +9C, overcast with light rain... Predicted to be +1C overnight... You don't know how long it has been since a plus temp overnight... Seems like forever... About the same temps for the rest of the 10 day forecast.. So far.. That can change in an hour..
I got the tractor out and dragged the bucket teeth on an angle to score the slush on top of the hard pack to make it more secure walking.. Too easy to have it glaze to broken hip slick..
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Post by daw on Apr 14, 2020 15:04:49 GMT
Nothing interesting here. I am bringing the long wood in from the pile and cutting 6 inches off with my skillsaw . Walking the dogs.. 5 times yesterday. During these walks I meditate on the work that needs to be done..like these sprouts that need to come out, limbs that need to be cut back, and the best place to put the electric fence. Think I will go back to my original plan for the fence. Rain predicted to come in for the week end so do what first...?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2020 22:33:34 GMT
Cold here today. This weather stinks. Yesterday windy as heck but in the 60s. I just wore a sweater to work. Today had to break out the winter coat. I’m hoping this is why the call ducks aren’t laying steady. I’m getting an egg here or there. Really wish they would start laying good as I have orders for eggs and ducklings both. I do have a few in the incubator, 2 hatched and 3 more in process. Praying they are successful.
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Post by daw on Apr 14, 2020 23:07:06 GMT
Laundry , raked leaves from fence cut about a 20 foot row, of sprouts, Brought in a cart load of wood to cut shorter. Nice to have leftovers to warm up, when I came in...
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