My first track loader!

[boone]

 

[boone]

Dad started cleaning up my mess of a grading job with the box blade.

 

[boone]

The 5140 was pushing some dirt behind the 8' blade.




Sometime this winter we'll finish up the whole section. Ran out of day light.

 

[Labparamour]

Your work looks nice. I'm envious of the nice day.
You guys ran out of light, I ran out of dry!

 

[boone]

Your work looks nice. I'm envious of the nice day.
You guys ran out of light, I ran out of dry!

That looks like some gloomy weather there in Duvall. Is that anywhere near Seattle? I've heard it's cloudy there all the time. The nice days have been hit or miss around here. We had a good weekend to cut, but the night of Halloween was the coldest I can remember. Dipped into the 30's with 15 mph winds. Trick or treating wasn't much fun.

 

[Labparamour]

Duvall is about 20 miles east of Seattle, in the foothills of the Cascade mountains. While winter is soggy and grey, sunny summer days can't be beat! And I can't complain too much, our summer was great and I was able to get a little clearing done.
Hollowed for us was grey and cool but dry. Got to take the 4 y/o granddaughter trick or treating. Very fun to watch...she really got in to it!
Keep posting the great pic.
DB

 

[RCTech9]

Anything new to share Boone?

 

[boone]

Nothing much RC. Have done a little maintenance work to the tractor. One of the fuel bleed screws was stripped and leaking. Fixed that and replaced that old rubber fuel line I had cobbled together. Put new crush washers on all the connections. I think it's the first time the fuel system has not leaked since I've owned it. The weekend after I did a bush-hogging job for a relative. My brother and I typically cut his place once a year and last couple I've been doing it. The land is rough and it was mostly bramble, sage and saplings. I only found one stump with the bushog. One of the reasons I like to do it in January is I can half way see where I'm going. The old tractor did well. He still wants us to come over with the loader and clean up a little. We'll do it eventually when we run completely out of things to do on our place.

 

[BCOWANWHEELS]

i have never read a thread i enjoyed as much as this one. you,re truely a blessed man and family. GOD is so merciful. I hope to do things here in east ,tn. as you do/did but unlike you I have no family and my health is bad but my dreams keep me going. you,re land is cattle ready minus some fencing and getting good drinking water for them. nothing like seeing healthy cows grazing in a well kept pasture. thank you so much for shareing your farm work with us all. you have truely blessed my heart and taught me so much on how to deal with things involved with clearing land. i,am sorry your engine block was cracked,satin always trys to throw obsticles in a persons ways but you defeated him with honour of a CHRISTIAN SOLDIER. also seeing your family all work as 1 makes me miss not having one but GOD CLEARLY knows best in all things. please keep us posted on any further things you can share.
regards
bob

 

[boone]

Hi Bob, wow - I'm humbled by your response. Very nice of you to say those things. So true, God is so merciful and knows best. God has blessed me beyond what I deserve and your response is a great reminder for me not to take that for granted. I hope you're dreams are realized.

Would love some cattle one day, but will be awhile. Just don't have time to spend with them. Would love a nice big pond too, but I wouldn't know where to start on building one with the loader...but I know a place to come to get advice. I'll try to keep the thread going as long as I have some things to post. Been a slow winter at the farm.

 

[BCOWANWHEELS]

Its always a shared belssing to uplift a brother in christ

 

[DMiller]

Boone, been going to start a pond on our place near the house, spoken many times with the local boys as to how to start. First and foremost, survey, set the lines you wish the pond to fit into then have a professional at using a transit or with the latest high tech equipment set where the dam should go and outline where the pond line will be. Lots of places look good but won't work as they force water onto neighbors or redirect outfall onto neighbor property all of which is a no-no here. Soil eval by state land management or Farm Services is not a bad idea either and they can at times add funds to feed the project.

My location did not fit Farm Services idea of erosion control or animal supply so they won't help on mine but I will still build it. Next in line determining the amount of spoil to build the retention levee, then working out the cuts in the pond bottom to make that happen. I will have to have clay brought in as our soil is too much water affected 'Loess' soil but that will work as a topping for grade.

 

[CM1995]

Dmiller I have all the nice yellow, impervious, nasty water holding clay you need. The trucking might be expensive though.

 

[BCOWANWHEELS]

i,d skip the pond idea as most are misqueto breeding grounds. I,d have a well dug in the middle of the land and use solar or wind power to pump water up. seeings you hit water you shouldnt have to go that deep. if you go in the middle you can section off the land to rotate your cattle grazing.

 

[DMiller]

Here in MO we have a cure for skeeters off the pond, one dribble of mineral oil on the water every so often. Does not affect livestock, is a natural substance and as humans we administer it to ourselves, will flat float on the surface and kill all the larvae in short order. Some use motor oil or diesel, mineral oil is less impact.

Do wish AL was a bit closer but luckily we have a local that can supply Missouri River bottoms clay for our use.

 

[Dickjr.]

DMiller , you can get you local NRCS guys to come out and lay out your pond , dig a few test holes to decide if you have good material to work with. They will survey the land lay out the dam etc at no cost to you as well as advise if its a good spot for a pond or not. If you have cattle they may even do a cost share to help pay for the project.

 

[DMiller]

Already had them out, chose a spot too far from house for any form of fire control benefit and little to no use for livestock water just erosion management, working on watering supply. Intend to do theirs but also to place one up by house with dry hydrant.

 

[boone]

I've wondered to what extent the extension office or farm services would offer help and/or funds to build one. Haven't gotten that serious yet. There's a good local outfit around here that have built many and would be on the top of the list to call if I wasn't brave enough to try it myself. I'm sure it's be expensive though for the size I'd like to build :naughty The property has a natural spring close to the middle that had an old hand-pump well in it for when my great grandparents were living on the land. We reluctantly pushed the old cinder block housing down early when we were clearing. It's located in the south-east corner of the wouldbe pond. There's already a natural bowl formation around it half of it. We'd need dam and run-off area at the now brook that runs out of the spring. Might need an upgraded tile under the barn road too. The well idea from Bob would be easy as there is already one there with a casing. Just need the windmill.

 

[boone]

New Ride

Recently added a new piece of equipment to the fleet. Ever since helping a buddy of mine work on his Massey Fergusson tractor at his hilly place up in Tennessee, I've had the bug for a side by side utility vehicle. He had given me a ride around his place on his Honda Pioneer. I fell in love with the idea of being able to trail ride and keep an eye on fences and such. What impressed me most was being able to traverse some pretty steep places and ditches. Needless to say, I've been wanting to get side by side. I planted the idea in my wifes head back in the summer and have been bringing it up ever so often. She finally agreed as it would be something the whole family could enjoy.

Anyway, last weekend my wife and I were in the neighborhood of a dealership and just wanting to test drive one.





I'd kinda settled on the Polaris XP900. But had planned to try the Yamaha Viking and the Kawasaki Terex. Went to a Polaris mega dealer in the Shoals area and before I knew it they had me hooked. I was sitting at the salesman's desk with my wallet out staring at a set of keys wondering how that happened...





They stuck a sold sign on it and I made arrangments to come back on Tuesday to pick it up.

 

[BCOWANWHEELS]

HAPPENNED TO ME TOnly I bought a new left over 2012 yamaha 700 EPS grizzly atv. never knew they could be so handy. took me all winter to get it "decked out" to my likeing. boy they sure are expensive huh