Finding something to do...

I jumped right in and did some bush hogging and it is a good thing I did. Weather came roaring in and dropped rain leaving everything wet. 

I never connected with the folks selling their rotary mowers so I bought a new one. But the 284 was very weak. I asked Preston to look at it with me. He dropped down Saturday morning and we found the problem. The plugs had become fouled. Probably needs a new set but we cleaned them and it is running strongly now. 

Bev and I pruned the Camelia bushes at the front of the house. They could have been shaped but we agreed that leaving them alone looked fine. So they are shorter and will get another 1/3rd taken off later. 

I brought the Murray mower home where I will redo the spindle and muffler so I can mow while I'm down and out with the surgery.

 My spraying with the cone sprayers didn't do as good a job as it should. I'll be switching back to the fan sprayers.

 

Some frosty days in Cullman.

 

The weather here in Cullman has taken a dip. Last night it got down to 38 with an expected low of 33 tonight. It makes for some uncomfortable work days. The John Deere mower we got last year has had a rash of eating belts. I just installed a Kevlar belt 101" we bought at Tractor Supply. I've mown grass all down the road with the covers open so I can see if any damage is occurring but so far all is good. Another couple of tries and I'll get it done.

The Troybilt rims are being outrageously difficult to pull off. 

Pesticide/Herbicide Inventory

1. Fusilade - grass killer
2. WEEdestroy  - 2,4 - D
3. Atrazine - herbicide used in corn
4. Herbimax -surfactant
5. Grazon PD  - broadleaf killer
6. Diquat - for the pond
7. Carbaryl XL is a pesticide
8. Dursban TC for termites
9. Copper sulfate - dissolved in water and sprayed on to kill algae.

The hole implement was in the way so with some difficulty we removed it and piled it with the big disc behind the barn. I took the antique Bush Hog out of the truck and placed it in the barn. Later on David and I will put it on the Farmall Cub and mow grass.

Update: I finally got the wheels off with great difficulty. Gary helped me put the tires on. So we can till the garden for Maw Maw tomorrow. I made good use of the time and sprayed the lake and parts of the field with herbicide. Then I put the bush hog to work and cut some parts of the field for the best aesthetic. Then the wind laid so I was able to spray around the upper fields with the new sprayer arrangements I made. Then we had a spot of supper and hung in the hammocks for a time. 

Update: upon inspection of the covers for the pulleys, I see some wear inside them that may have created some sharp edges. When I return we will smooth them out before replacing on the mower. For now we can see if the belt breaks like the others.

Perpetual motion...

 Another working week in Cullman, We drove over to Tuscaloosa to visit Becky, Jan, and Oakie with the addition of Owen and Paula. It was a pleasant visit. Then up to Cullman Via 20/59. There I accomplished a few things on my list. The whole of the pastures needed mowing. I was able to get that done over the first 2 days. I put a tube in the John Deere mower, painted most of the rusty spots on the shop roof, I got the hole auger up out of the dirt, attached it to the 284 and got some holes dug for the hammocks. I swapped the new brake cylinder on the 284 and now have functioning brakes on it. We mixed a lot of herbicide and set up the sprayer in the 6 wheeler. I moved the old zero turn up to the shop and discovered an oil leak from the bottom seal. That's another project for me. I tried to improve the ditch around the barn but the ground was very soggy. Finally Thursday morning I changed the engine oil and hydraulic oil in the 284 tractor. The waste oil was far too much to pour up so it wound up in the 55 gallon barrell.

A day to get something done

 Our list had a lot of little items on it. Good thing we had some extra time because almost everything required some fixing before we could work with it. This little roto-tiller wouldn't drive but after some tinkering, we found the cause and remedied it. We spent some time on top of the shop getting limbs cut off. Then David put a little paint on the rusty spots. We got the blades off the bush hog and sharpened them. Then I pulled a blade off the zero turn only to find it was in good shape. We moved some of the equipment around and I got the sprayer ready. The pump driven sprayer needed some repair to work but we got the orchard and the driveway sprayed. 

So overnight we had a significant amount of rain. The next day we waited on severe weather to develop. We had a short opening to go into town and purchase some items we will need for next time. But the rain persisted most of the day allowing only a couple of walking breaks. 

So Friday morning everything was sunny. We took this chance to check on things in the barn. The water flooded up into the barn. We plowed a trench to take water away from around the barn. I'll do more when the ground is dry. I'm hoping for a dry work week next time.

Making lists....

 This week I got more done. It was finally time to put the boom to work and spray the bushes around the fields. It worked as expected and hopefully the application will do some good. I also finished the disassembly of the spindle from the finish mower. It has a lot of wear and no doubt isn't worth rebuilding. I also got around to plowing those holes in the spot beside the lake. Since Fall the holes have subsided even more and I doubt my plowing and disking will get the desired effect. But it is done. I looked at the 6 wheeler for a leak and found the fuel line was dripping. I cut line and reattached it to the fuel filter. No further drips were seen. With our temperatures reaching almost 80 this week, the lawn is growing quickly. I got out the zero turn mowers and mowed the worst spots before we had to return home. I think the fact that every time I remembered something I wanted to do, I put it on a list. Often I've been at the farm for a couple of days only to remember some thing I had meant to do after I'd started home. Next time I need to change oil in the 284 and the big tractor again. I am pretty sure I need to buy a Yanmar tractor to replace the 284.

Fertilized

 This week in Cullman, we got a late start. Sara and Jamie had a birthday dinner at our house on Wednesday, so we drove up Thursday. We hauled out the fertilizer and spread it under the apple trees and pecan trees. I have enough pecan tree fertilizer I can reapply later in March.

Then I tackled the sprayer arm. After trying it with 3 medium sprayer nozzles, I changed them to brown nozzles. I think that will produce an effective spray. I got the hand sprayer cleaned and ready. Now we just have to wait for the privit to green up. I can start spraying then.

I went on to attempt to disassemble the mower. I got the seized spindle out. I thought I'd be able to just purchase a replacement but it appears I will have to order the bearings and rebuild it.

When moving the John Deere tractor, I stepped off onto my left foot and felt something painful. I think I've broken something in there. I'll see Tropeano ASAP.

Getting something done

We came up to Cullman Tuesday night, My plan was to get the carburetor fixed on the 284, fix the carburetor on the roto-tiller, and get the parts for the trellis sprayer assembly. 

The initial work on the 284 turned out well. Preston was able to see that there was a problem with the needle valve and had a replacement that turned out to work just fine. 

I got the tiller disassembled and am headed to Lowes for the bits I need to fix it. I also plan to pick up the parts for the side sprayer assembly from tractor supply. All this after dinner tonight. 

My body is tired and sore. It probably means a much earlier bedtime.

The second day was rainy and cold. worked on the tiller first. I thought I'd pull that fuel nipple with the bolt but a pair of vice grips worked fine. Problem. The nipple on the replacement part was 8mm and the hole was 6mm. I did a little search today and I see where I can buy a 6mm brass nipple. Since I wanted to get the tiller running, I simply worked at it and got everything reassembled and working. If a problem arises later, I'll order the 90 degree 6mm inlet. Now the tiller runs like a top.

I discovered that Tractor Supply failed to include the gauge with my parts last night and charged me for a bag of pine bark. I rode back over and got that taken care of. Now I have almost everything I need to build the trellis sprayer.

The six wheeler front right tire had a slow leak so I pulled it off and took it over to be repaired. I also got a new supply of gasoline. 

When I come back again, it will probably be time for the fertilizer to be spread under the pecan trees. I will also want to break out the tiller implement for the big tractor. The fertilizer spreader is tucked away behind an accumulation of stuff that needs to be moved. More organization in the barn is in order.