What's everybody doing?

I still use the Horses for everything else and they are my fav except for mowing.  The grass looks better when mowed at 4", the WH can't do that.  Taller grass prevents a lot of weed growth and helps a lot when we get heatwaves like this.  If I mowed with a WH a lot of my yard would be almost dead by the end of this week.  I would use a tank of gas (2-1/2 gallons) and take 2 hours to mow what I mow, the clipper uses a little over 1 gallon and takes 1 hour.  

I love my Horses but over twice the gas, twice the time, and an unhealthy yard full of weeds seems like a bad choice for me.  I could use the WH and cut it high as possible (shorter) and spray it more often like I used to but that is even more money invested in equipment, gas, time, 2-4D, etc, and more grass would still be dead after these heatwaves.  The thing I really need more than anything is more time to do other things right now...  
 

I'm back (for now) to quitting work for everyone else around 6PM and doing a few little things around here that I need done for an hour or so.  Last night was put some hooks on the forklift that I've been meaning to do for many years.  Not a biggie but it's one more thing off the list and will make life a little easier... 

 

Been doing cleaning + rearranging on and off in what spare time I have, what else is new. 

The Kubota came out this morning and I got addicted to using it like I usually do.  First thing this morning while it was cool I moved one of the old heat pump pads and leveled that spot up, it was done by lunchtime.  I need to figure out what to do with that one and the other one before I move it.  I've been wondering if I could use them somewhere else but haven't thought of anything yet.  I poured them about 26 years ago so they are pretty cured and tough now.  

I knew it was too hot to be out there but I just couldn't stop, nothing like being on a tractor...  I took some breaks to cool off but spent most of the day digging, moving, clearing out the mess around the last 4 stumps behind the shop, and even started on the front sidewalk in front of the house that goes to the highway.  As dry as it is nothing came easy but a lot of progress was still made today. 

The mailbox used to be at the bottom of the steps at the highway but I moved it next to the driveway when I bought the place in 95.  I've been debating for a long time on the front porch, steps, and sidewalk but decided today it can all go.  The stone foundation can get steam cleaned and joints redone, then I can just build another porch rail section and close it off.  That entrance is never used anyway.  It will be less to maintain and just plant it back in grass.  Less work and a cleaner look is always good. 

 

More moving + cleaning.  Got the other heat pump pad out this morning and it needs more work back there but at least it will be easier to maintain for now.  I don't know who did this sidewalk and front steps years ago but they sure didn't mess around.  It's been a real job getting it up and broken up as much as it is now. 

It's been around 100 deg here the past few days but Monday is supposed to be a nice 80 degree day for a change so I'll see how much more I can get done on Monday.  Looks like the sledge hammer will have to come out and see if I can break up more of the big sidewalk pieces.  My friend Kevin is coming up next weekend to help me around here and bringing up his Kubota with his bucket + backhoe.  He's bringing a jackhammer along from work if they don't need it next sat also.  We'll need something like that to tackle the steps going down to the highway, hopefully they will come out, who knows...  We'll be having fun on the tractors and should get a lot of stuff finished up with 2 tractors and 2 of us next Sat. 

 

Awesome day today, 80deg with nice 10-15 mph winds.  Thank the Lord for the stamina and strength to get the rest of the sidewalk broken up and taken away.  The first pick is my old trusty smaller sledge I've had forever that was used and so far my back is feeling pretty good after all the swinging and bucket loading.  There's still a lot of clean up left, then dirt fill to do but I think the worst part is over.   

When Kevin gets here this Sat it will go a lot quicker.  Someone called today and bought my old downstairs HVAC system in the House, so the first job when Kevin gets here will be getting it out after they see it work, should take way less than an hour.  After that we can have Kubota time the rest of the day... 

 

Middle of the year is here as of today and days are officially getting shorter, time to get moving on warm weather projects.  

I made a little time today to finish up the main sidewalk cleanup minus the step foundation at the house and the steps going to the highway.  Those will be Sat projects if Kevin can bring the jackhammer.  Since the Kubota was hot it was also a good time to service it and let it drain overnight. 

 

My friend Kevin was here before 9 this morning and brought his Kubota and a jack hammer.  If it wasn't for the jackhammer and using both tractors to pry things out of the ground it may have never gotten done...  The front step foundation was about 2 feet deep and almost 1 foot wide, talk about overkill.     The piece I didn't get near the highway part of the steps was all 1 piece with the steps and over 6" thick.  It took the jack hammer and a lot of prying to get it all out but it's all out, filled with good topsoil, and ready for some grass planting.  The other handrail is out and you really don't notice the steps with them gone.  The steps were all done in a single pour and they would take an enormous amount of work to get out so they may stay for awhile, or forever.  

We also did a little digging and moved the old package unit pads from the back to the front corner of the building.  There's still a lot of work to do there but at least they are where they will end up being.  More on that later.  I think the best part is we got it all done by 7:15 and he's already headed back home, no late night tonight, and we had a good pizza buffet for lunch.  

 

I've been hiding lol... 

Not really.  Things have just been really crazy and between regular work, taking care of peeps, peeps coming in from out of state, selling things, cleaning, rearranging, and working on my "Things to do before cold weather sets in" list there are not enough hours in a day.  

My friend Kevin was here a few weeks ago and helped my do the other half of an awning board (16' above the main garage door) that had to be replaced.  I built the awning 20+ years ago so the main 2x8 holding it did good considering how wet it gets.  The 16' back half was done last year.  It went pretty quick with all of the rain this past Spring and I thought if we got a wet heavy snow this winter it may take all 32' of it off the building, that would stink especially if I had a car parked under it...  Another thing off the list. 

He also helped me put a new storm door in that's been sitting here since last year that was warrantied through my local, privately owned home improvement store.  It had a lifetime warranty on it and was Made in USA.  The old one was over 20 years old as well and it had so much use the piano hinge had a lot of play in it, so they gave me a complete new door with glass, screen, and hardware.  It was a Provia and did well for all the traffic it's seen over the years.  Yet another thing off the list.  The "Things to do before cold weather sets in" list is getting pretty short, it's a good feeling.   

 

Been doing all kinds of things, still cleaning + fixing inbetween work.  I can't say enough good things about this LA's Totally Awesome products, especially the Oxygen Orange, I've mentioned it several times before.  I sprayed it on one of the massage chairs that was in the waiting area and you can see years of dirt, paint, carbon monoxide residue and whatever else floats around here running off in the floor.  Everything they make really is totally awesome, they picked a good name.  They sell it at the Dollar Tree and Big Lots and its the best out there, and cheapest, weird...   

Been spending some time fixing some other things that have been setting around or needing to be fixed for awhile.  I thought I need to fix this stuff or throw it away.  I'm glad I kept this stuff sitting around because the fixes were cheap and easy.  I had a few nice Logitech solar keyboards that the batteries were bad. The label on the battery said "do not replace battery".  Under the label it was a Maxell ML2032 lithium rechargeable.  I ordered 2 of the original Maxell Made in Japan batteries for around $9 on Amazon and they have both been working like new again, I'm using one to make this post and the other is in the house.  The keyboards were around $100 each and the fix was around $4.50 each.  I think they just want to sell more high dollar keyboards...  

I had a few Logitech wireless mice acting up and they just needed complete disassembly and a good cleaning.  They work like new again so I have a few spares now.    

Some alarm sirens were down and all they needed was the same transistor replaced, now they are fixed, cleaned up, and back in place.  There were other little things but that's the main stuff.  Close to $500 worth of electronics all saved and fixed for less than $15 can make anyone feel good.  It's also a lot more stuff off my list of things to do...  

 

I can't believe it's been almost a month since I made a post.  Time is flying by like never before...

I've been getting some work done around here and on the property before cold weather comes in, cleaning, organizing, fixing things, making things, working on tractors, all the usual stuff.    I sold my last complete and assembled with a rebuilt engine RJ last week to someone in Northern IL, I have 8 more here and maybe a few at the farm not completely assembled but they're all getting sold, I never cared for them much anyway.

Started on another 520 this morning for a customer, it came in a lot of pieces and hadn't run for well over 10 years.  It was at another shop and it cranked intermittently but wouldn't run, they said it needed a starter, yea right...  I told him don't give them another dollar, go get it in pieces and bring it here.  After putting the original starter back on and everything tied up out of the way the main problem was at the 30A fuse at the fuse block.  After a few hours it was running like new.  I pulled the flywheel because the rest of it was already apart to get the starter off and the oil filter leaked at some point and the fins under the motor are clogged up.  It's getting steam cleaned tomorrow or Sat.  He's bringing me the rest of the parts on Mon so I can put it back together and do some other work on it.    I may start a post on it next week, depends if the customer wants to follow along or not as things happen.

Also going for a load of steel one day next week, getting low on a lot of stuff.  The peeps that I usually buy from and deliver to me are getting too proud of their steel.  There's a place about 1 1/2 hours South of me that sells new stuff, buybacks, unused cut stuff leftover from job orders, and off size stuff that is about 1/2 price so it's worth the trip.