Okanogan 14x24 by a lurker :)

Started by Oljarhead, September 21, 2009, 02:53:09 PM

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OlJarhead

Quote from: JavaMan on June 07, 2012, 01:08:42 PM
Well, you'll be able to have a bath then, if you want to haul the water and heat it on the stove  :D  Just like the olden days  :)
Be better then no bath at all! lol

OlJarhead

Ouch, my back is killing me!

What a great and productive weekend though!  We cut down two more of the trees that were shading the orchard, bucked up 4 for firewood (two from previous trips), chopped some of the firewood, fixed the well solar system (except I need to check on something for that -- the wiring appears to be wrong in the instructions), put wire separators in the fence, finished and painted the walls in the bathroom and installed the bathtub!

So ya, I'm smoked!

Here's the tub finally in the bath.  I'll have to move it around a little to install baseboards but for now it's at least in it's new home :)


Things are tight in there, but hey it's a cabin right?


I'll get the base boards in, then get all the water lines done (finally) and do some trim work around the commode and window.

Then I'll make a door for the bathroom too (swing outwards though).

While up at the cabin I also invited Javaman to come out for a visit and warm up by the wood stove (it was cool and raining a LOT this weekend) and he showed up around 5pm.  First order of business was a relaxing sit by the woodstove with some lemonade to get the chill off (he'd been sleeping in his truck and working in the rain and hail!).  Then visiting until late into the evening and a good breakfast to send him on his way back to his cabin.  My friends and I offered to help get the rafters up on the top of the walls for him but he felt he wouldn't be ready for that on Sunday so we weren't able to help out.  Hope all went well up there Jeff!

Anyway, I'm pretty much soaking in Icy Hot now and thinking I need to get into better shape!!!  Sheesh.

Next trip will likely be a relaxing one for clean up, wood chopping and perhaps some interior work.


OlJarhead

While waiting on getting the trackhoe up to the cabin next I'm planning on this:

www.dripdepot.com

I've been watering by hose when present, or rain, or neighbor with hose or bucket while trying to fix the system, and put in some soaker hoses last trip to get them SOMETHING while I get a better system together so I'm going to try to get one of their kits and bring it out next trip.  I can then balance the system to provide 2 gallons per hour to the trees and have it water them at 6am for 2 1/2 hours.  That ought to get them 5 gallons of water each.

Once I get that done I should be able to set the time for max watering over a ten day period (since I'm only gone 10 days at a time usually).  So, with 325 gallons of water in the system (assuming it isn't leaking) I should be able to get 13 total waterings when the system is not in use before it's completely empty.

If that works out then I can water every 2 days throughout the summer which would give the trees 5 gallons each every other day and allow me to go for over 3 weeks of watering before I had to start worrying.

Or, put another way, I should be able to water them 5 times while I'm gone and not have to worry :)

JavaMan

Thanks for the sit by the fire,OJH!  It was good to finally meet you.

Got back to my place and worked on getting things ready for the next step (more in my build thread)

Got home about 2 hours ago and showered, shaved, and kissed Beautiful before she ran off to get the kids from school.

OlJarhead

Quote from: JavaMan on June 12, 2012, 03:51:12 PM
Thanks for the sit by the fire,OJH!  It was good to finally meet you.

Got back to my place and worked on getting things ready for the next step (more in my build thread)

Got home about 2 hours ago and showered, shaved, and kissed Beautiful before she ran off to get the kids from school.

Well get posting ;)


AdironDoc

Quote from: OlJarhead on June 11, 2012, 08:49:39 AM
Ouch, my back is killing me!

.... and installed the bathtub!

You didn't drag that cast iron tub in by yourself I hope! My old tub weighed more than my old Japanese compact car. I can hear those disks shouting  :-\


Quote from: OlJarhead on June 11, 2012, 08:49:39 AM
Next trip will likely be a relaxing one for clean up, wood chopping and ...

If that's your idea of relaxing, you're welcome to relax at my place any day of the week! Mine's having a cold one and watching the creek roll by.

Congrats on a fulfilling weekend.

Glenn

OlJarhead

LOL -- I usually can't sit long in one spot unless on a computer but since I do that all day at work (most days anyway) I look forward to NOT doing it on the weekend.

Now I'm getting excited about the next trip and also about possibly getting a tractor in the next couple months!  I can't wait to mow the property!

OlJarhead

Next couple months turned into FRIDAY!

If all goes well I'll be mowing the property in July ;)

JavaMan

Wow!  Friday? what kinda tractor did you find?


alex trent


OlJarhead

Yup :)  A BIG Red Mahindra 5010 -- will weigh in around 6000lbs with tires filled with balast!  It's a Utility tractor so I guess that's a full sized one (it's about double the size of a compact) and 50hp.  4wd, loader and more.

We are pretty excited and can't wait for Friday to roll around!  I spoke with the dealer for probably an hour today going over the tractor, implements and various things I'll need to know (like greasing the PTO shaft etc every two hours when brush hogging -- he says he can get 10 years out of a shaft that many guys replace every year or two just by, gee whiz, taking care of it by greasing it).

I have SOOOO much to learn but the salesman/dealer I'm working with has 220 acres up in the Northern part of the state also and, like me, spends a lot of weekends up their -- only he's actually farming his land -- and so we have a lot in common.

I've heard good things about him online also (at tractorbynet) and got a great feeling when I met him.  Frankly, he's been more patient with me and all my questions (like a machine gun firing away at him) and has taken the time to go into great detail about various aspects of what to do or not to do with the tractor, implements etc etc.

This will be a big expense but we look at it as an investment in our little homestead -- and after all, clearing out the brush, mowing the grass and removing the 'fuel' should greatly reduce the risk of losing our place to forest fires!  Not to mention getting some fields ready for cover crops and and and and.....

Now if only I had more then a couple weekends a month up there! lol

OlJarhead

I hate waiting! lol

After over a year of looking at tractors and trying to figure out what we needed I'm not almost unable to contain myself!  I want to get that rig and start mowing, grading, plowing, moving and all manner of 'tractoring' at the cabin.

We're in a stage of the build where things have slowed down a little because I need to mill more lumber which means falling and bucking up more trees and hauling them over to the mill etc. and while I'm working, ever so slowly, on the stairs and railing it's a slower process.

The orchard is in -- 1st phase anyway -- and getting water (although it needs improvement the rainy season is on us so it's ok) so there is really just a lot of clean up to do and preparation for the remaining interior work, plumbing and such.

So ya, a tractor will be sweet!  I could get some mowing and cleaning done, skid logs to the mill, do some milling and what-not.

And maybe even plant that field of Rye this year!


OK I'm rambling...I'm just dying to talk tractors I guess....or better yet, BUY one!

JavaMan

Ok, I'm green with envy (oops, wrong color - my wife wants to show me a place with a PINK John Deer... I keep telling her, there is so much wrong with that)...

I was dreaming over 8N's on Craigslist the other day...  Saw a fair one for $1500 ... then I saw an Allis Chalmers for around $3000 ...  ???  If I had the 3K I'd be tempted to buy it - Diesel, etc... but I think it's probably too big.

Like I said, I'm green with envy... I gotta find more income around here someplace!   [waiting]

Hopefully you'll post some pictures of your new toy soon!

OlJarhead

Quote from: JavaMan on June 27, 2012, 03:22:40 PM
Ok, I'm green with envy (oops, wrong color - my wife wants to show me a place with a PINK John Deer... I keep telling her, there is so much wrong with that)...

I was dreaming over 8N's on Craigslist the other day...  Saw a fair one for $1500 ... then I saw an Allis Chalmers for around $3000 ...  ???  If I had the 3K I'd be tempted to buy it - Diesel, etc... but I think it's probably too big.

Like I said, I'm green with envy... I gotta find more income around here someplace!   [waiting]

Hopefully you'll post some pictures of your new toy soon!

I started that way (looking at 8N's) but eventually graduated away for a number of reasons.  One of the main ones is the hills I have to work on/with and my lack of tractor experience.  I learned that four wheel drive was much safer.  I also wanted a bucket and the 8N buckets were pretty old and small.....but I understand the challenge of affording one!


OlJarhead


Here is one of my apples.  So far the farm fencing (which is kept close enough to the tree to prevent the deer from jumping inside of it but far enough out to allow it to grow and you to work inside the fencing) is working as well as the barbed wire.  The cows seem to be moving right on past the fencing and ignoring it and the orchard.


Another apple (I have 5 different types)

I'm drip irrigating them with my water system barely able to supply the needed water but it's been raining a ton so I'm not worried yet...I'm hoping to fix the water system before it gets too dry though!


Three weeks ago we got a bunch of firewood bucked up...now I just need to finish splitting it and stacking it into the shed for drying.


There's a little dude in there wondering what the heck I'm up to ;)


Packrats (woodrats) are a problem in my area and if they get into your shed......well let's just say you;ll shoot them too! lol

Now I have to burn my shed down I think ;)

CjAl

didnt ford start making tue 8n new again? i saw a pic somewhere and it was pretty sweet.

i like the 8n but i like the farmall 160 better. and i am partial to any allis chalmers. they were built in my home town of west allis, wi and my grandpa worked at the factory almost his whole life

OlJarhead

New Ford?  Ford was bought by New Holland which was owned by FIAT so I think FIAT makes them all....but still uses the New Holland brand name.

Same blue too.

CjAl

ford, new holland. same difference. go to the new holland web site and there is a pic of a new 8N

OlJarhead

Linkage?  I couldn't find it.



OlJarhead

Used at $28,000 on tractor house?  Yikes!  it's cool and all but for $8000 more then the $20k I'm paying now I'd rather buy implements!

CjAl

ya i think its more of a collector thing. it may even be limited edition. i think you can get air conditioned cab in some brands for that much. lol

OlJarhead

For that much I get a front end load and an AC cab and stereo and and and....

Actually after taxes and implements for a new Mahindra 5010 it's $24k -- but I don't have the cabin which would likely add 3-4k

CjAl

thats pretty much more then everything i own is worth with the exception of my semi truck. heck, that about what i paid for the truck

OlJarhead

Quote from: CjAl on June 27, 2012, 08:25:07 PM
thats pretty much more then everything i own is worth with the exception of my semi truck. heck, that about what i paid for the truck

LOL - our land is worth a lot more then that, as well as our home and other things.

But ya, it's a BIG purchase for us but we decided to do it.  I looked at a lot of used rigs but the price on newer used ones wasn't much less then new (these days that's seems to be common for items like this) so we went new and said to heck with it.