Baymule’s Journal

[Mini Horses]

Score on those CL things! Hey, the insulators would cost you another $50!! Plus gate hangers!

Ummm...gate is a little long to haul that way! At least you didn't get pulled. . Ok, I'm sure you'd have a good story for the daring officer....

 

[Baymule]

16’ gate 6’6” of truck bed. Yeah, maybe it was hanging out there a little. Haha Pity the poor officer that would pull me over!

 

[Baymule]

In the morning I’m taking 4 sheep to auction. Not usually a problem because BJ backed the truck up to the trailer, I stood where he could see me in the mirror, signaling to move over to the left or right and when to stop backing up.

Neighbor Robert moved the trailer several weeks ago with the mule and left it perilously close to a large pine tree. Robert is down with a very painful kidney stone, waiting on a hospital appointment on December 7. He is loopy on pain pills. I took their garbage can to the street because he couldn’t and Sharon isn’t steady on her feet. No way he was going to be able to help me with the trailer.

So I tackled the trailer backing. Let’s just say for the record, I am extremely incompetent. Plus there was that big pine tree that I didn’t want to hit. I could get so close! But I’d be a few inches too far in one direction or the other. Many times BJ was able to kick the trailer tongue over, so it centered over the trailer ball. Uhhhhh……. not me. I don’t have enough lead in my bottom to kick the trailer tongue anywhere. It went something like this.
Get out of truck, go look at trailer hitch.
Too far to the left.
Get back in truck. Pull up.
Turn steering wheel wrong way, miss the trailer, go WAY too far over!
Pull up. Reverse, turn wheel right way. Bump.
Hit trailer tongue.
Get out of truck.
Now too far on the other side.
Get back in truck. Pull up.
Turn wheel wrong way again. Sigh……
Pull up.
Reverse. Turn wheel right. Still wrong.
Pull up. Yell at BJ for not being here to back the truck to the trailer!
Reverse. Turn wheel right way, go over too far.
Pull up again. Almost hit damn tree.
Reverse. Turn wheel BOTH ways, still wrong.
Get out of truck #87th time.
Getting closer!
Pull up.
Reverse. Barely turn wheel.
Bump. Hit trailer tongue.
Get out of truck. Stare in disbelief.
Trailer ball is right under hitch.
Lower tongue hitch onto trailer ball.
Hit thingy with hammer so collar will slide up.
Hook safety chains.
Plug in lights.
Tell my Angel BJ thanks for looking over my shoulder so I could FINALLY get it right.
Do happy dance.
Get back in truck. Pull forward.

It took me 45 minutes to hitch the trailer. I refused to give up. See how close to the pine tree?

I took a break. LOL A pine top twisted out during the last storm and was in the way. I got the chainsaw, cut it in pieces. I got the mule, chained the trunk pieces and dragged them to the burn pile.

Time to back the trailer. I suck at this.

I was shooting for a opening of about 2 1/2 feet wide. The end gate has a slider gate so the trailer can be backed flush against the chute. I tied a piece of surveyor tape to the fence as a marker. It only took me 15 minutes to back the trailer up. Yeah, lots of getting out of the truck, walking back to the back of the trailer to stare stupidly at it, like if I stared at it long enough, it would magically levitate and move over. No such luck. I kept trying. I did it. I got the trailer perfectly lined up!

Inside view!

Time to load sheep. After all that trailer rigmarole, loading sheep was a cakewalk. Had to scrapie tag a couple, which required me to straddle them, practice my one armed headlock and snap the clamp on their ear while hanging on for dear life. Why do they ALWAYS bang my knees? Why can’t they just be happy peeing on me?

So now I have 4 sheep loaded, feed, hay and water. I’ll leave out in the morning for the auction. @Devonviolet and her husband are going to meet me there so we can watch the auction together.

This sure went a lot easier and faster when BJ was in charge. Trailers were his specialty. Trailers are not my specialty, but I’m learning.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Been there done that...bought a new truck with a back up camera, lol! Or - install one of those bicycle flags on your trailer - right over the receiver. Then tape, glue or attach another flag right over the ball on your truck. Line 'em up - and voila!

EDIT: Just get this, lol.

Magnetic Trailer Alignment Kit

Amazing deals on this Magnetic Trailer Alignment Kit at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[Mini Horses]

Yep. --. another BTDT here. But I've had a lot more practice time and getting pretty darn good! I have an auction next Sat, to which I'm considering taking 4 or 5 does. Nice ones I had planned to keep but --- feeling some need to go. Always more for sale in Spring if I have that urge! The hay and feed keeps going up. . Will look everyone over this weekend and decide.

 

[Simpleterrier]

Look in your mirrors when u are pulling the trailer and memorize what it looks like. U Know where your tail light is in reference to the trailer. Next time just back up to the same spot.

 

[Baymule]

My step counter on my phone says I walked 9,819 steps or 3.7 miles today. I think ALL of them were between the truck driver’s door and the trailer tongue. LOL

 

[Baymule]

Look in your mirrors when u are pulling the trailer and memorize what it looks like. U Know where your tail light is in reference to the trailer. Next time just back up to the same spot.

That’s kinda what I did with the surveyor tape. The wire behind me all looked the same.

 

[Devonviolet]

In the morning I’m taking 4 sheep to auction. Not usually a problem because BJ backed the truck up to the trailer, I stood where he could see me in the mirror, signaling to move over to the left or right and when to stop backing up.

Neighbor Robert moved the trailer several weeks ago with the mule and left it perilously close to a large pine tree. Robert is down with a very painful kidney stone, waiting on a hospital appointment on December 7. He is loopy on pain pills. I took their garbage can to the street because he couldn’t and Sharon isn’t steady on her feet. No way he was going to be able to help me with the trailer.

So I tackled the trailer backing. Let’s just say for the record, I am extremely incompetent. Plus there was that big pine tree that I didn’t want to hit. I could get so close! But I’d be a few inches too far in one direction or the other. Many times BJ was able to kick the trailer tongue over, so it centered over the trailer ball. Uhhhhh……. not me. I don’t have enough lead in my bottom to kick the trailer tongue anywhere. It went something like this.
Get out of truck, go look at trailer hitch.
Too far to the left.
Get back in truck. Pull up.
Turn steering wheel wrong way, miss the trailer, go WAY too far over!
Pull up. Reverse, turn wheel right way. Bump.
Hit trailer tongue.
Get out of truck.
Now too far on the other side.
Get back in truck. Pull up.
Turn wheel wrong way again. Sigh……
Pull up.
Reverse. Turn wheel right. Still wrong.
Pull up. Yell at BJ for not being here to back the truck to the trailer!
Reverse. Turn wheel right way, go over too far.
Pull up again. Almost hit damn tree.
Reverse. Turn wheel BOTH ways, still wrong.
Get out of truck #87th time.
Getting closer!
Pull up.
Reverse. Barely turn wheel.
Bump. Hit trailer tongue.
Get out of truck. Stare in disbelief.
Trailer ball is right under hitch.
Lower tongue hitch onto trailer ball.
Hit thingy with hammer so collar will slide up.
Hook safety chains.
Plug in lights.
Tell my Angel BJ thanks for looking over my shoulder so I could FINALLY get it right.
Do happy dance.
Get back in truck. Pull forward.

It took me 45 minutes to hitch the trailer. I refused to give up. See how close to the pine tree?

View attachment 88374

I took a break. LOL A pine top twisted out during the last storm and was in the way. I got the chainsaw, cut it in pieces. I got the mule, chained the trunk pieces and dragged them to the burn pile.

Time to back the trailer. I suck at this.

I was shooting for a opening of about 2 1/2 feet wide. The end gate has a slider gate so the trailer can be backed flush against the chute. I tied a piece of surveyor tape to the fence as a marker. It only took me 15 minutes to back the trailer up. Yeah, lots of getting out of the truck, walking back to the back of the trailer to stare stupidly at it, like if I stared at it long enough, it would magically levitate and move over. No such luck. I kept trying. I did it. I got the trailer perfectly lined up!

View attachment 88375

Inside view!

View attachment 88376

Time to load sheep. After all that trailer rigmarole, loading sheep was a cakewalk. Had to scrapie tag a couple, which required me to straddle them, practice my one armed headlock and snap the clamp on their ear while hanging on for dear life. Why do they ALWAYS bang my knees? Why can’t they just be happy peeing on me?

So now I have 4 sheep loaded, feed, hay and water. I’ll leave out in the morning for the auction. @Devonviolet and her husband are going to meet me there so we can watch the auction together.

This sure went a lot easier and faster when BJ was in charge. Trailers were his specialty. Trailers are not my specialty, but I’m learning.

I’m really looking forward to going to the auction in the morning! I remember going to auction with Latestarter’s goats. @Baymule assures me that this is a nicer (albeit faster moving) auction. We may want to take some goats to auction next year. So I want to see how they work.

 

[Baymule]

I’m back home. Backed trailer up much better than yesterday and dropped it.

Didn’t back trailer at auction barn. I checked the sheep in, pulled around to unload and spotted a vaquero motioning me to back up. Ummm nope. I got out and told him that I’m terrible at backing a trailer and would he please back it up for me. He did. @Devonviolet and her husband got out of their truck, she laughed and sad great way to play the damsel in distress. LOL

We had coffee, then watched the auction. We enjoyed it, Devonviolet was fascinated and kept up with the auctioneer real well.

I recognized my sheep when they came through. 3 of them were white, but I knew their faces. One was a white with brown head, ram lamb. He is a week short of being 3 months old. He brought $180! A 10 month old white ram brought $330, white ewe brought $250 and a young ewe brought $210. Total $970, less commissions $887.
I am very happy with that. Plus had a lot of fun with @Devonviolet and her husband.