Bruce's Journal

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Novice; "Practicing" Animal Husbandry
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When you said you were going to put a rack or racks of wood up on the porch, I was picturing them sitting and staying on the deck where you'd go outside to get the wood. I didn't picture you placing the rack up there on temp basis to unload it into the inside porch area... So after you lift the pallet up to the door on the porch, I guess you go inside through a diff entrance and walk to the doorway to unload it inside? I noticed the storm door has no glass... not sure if that was planned or part of the wood rack learning curve... :hideo_O looks like it did what you intended :thumbsup

OOOooooo alligator snapping turtles... very nasty creatures when they get big. You're developing a regular wetlands menagerie there Bruce... Pretty soon, you won't be able to do anything on your land for fear of harming some living creature...
 

Bruce

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You have it right both ways Joe! There is leftover wood in the little barn. Prior method of getting it to the enclosed porch and in the racks involved the GT and dump trailer several times a winter. Load the cart in the little barn, unload and carry it up the stairs and put in the racks. I need to move it onto the porch so it is accessible this winter since I have room on the porch racks. If I didn't have the tractor and my rack plan, that is what would have been done yesterday.

Figured it would be good stuff to test the drying/storage racks I'm attempting to build so first I moved the empty rack to the landing. Then made EC 1 & 2. Then loaded up some wood and placed the rack on the porch. That is where it would sit in the future for accessing as needed. Didn't want to load it up for drying/storage without first testing and modifying until moving it to the landing full works OK. I have a pile of wood that needs to be split that will go directly into a finished rack once I'm satisfied with the design. I'll need at least 2 for this winter since the one with the "hasn't had any time to dry yet" rack won't be available. Trying to plan my time to cut more wood, build more racks, do all the other stuff that needs to be done.

I'm going to modify the existing one to be 40" wide tomorrow and test with more wood. I think for the actual winter movement, I really need to have some fixed chocks in front of the stairs to stop the front tires at the proper location rather than needing to have an assistant standing on the porch playing "ground controller" and inching, inching, inching "TOO CLOSE!". I'm thinking this is a procedure that would substantially benefit from depth perception. Sadly that is an EC I can not make. I'm also thinking if I attach a string with a weight, like a big washer, on the back side I can get an idea if the load is level (sorta) or not since raising the loader arms tilts the forks and they have to be counter rotated to stay flat. Practice, practice, practice.

And yes, there are 2 doors onto the porch. 99% of the time that door is used, it is to move cord wood from outside to inside. The other door is close to the main entrance to the house and is closer to the parking area. It is just out of sight on the right in the 3rd picture previously posted.

Driving to MA and back yields a lot of "thought time" so I thought about the suggestions to brace the rack. I don't want a permanent solid back or front, even partial, during the drying time since that would keep air from blowing through and drying the wood. But I could make "transport bracing" that would be put on only to move the wood. One thought that would be easy would be to use 2 ratchet straps to crank the piles tight to the platform. I have lots of those. Though a solid back could be useful as it would keep snow from blowing in.

DW and DD1 said the turtle moved to the upper water area today.
 

CntryBoy777

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Something that may help ya out with a back or front piece is to either use window latches on it to be able to remove or install rather easily....or, make slides on the ends that the panel can slide into....it would depend on the clearence ya have and style of window latch that is used....:)
 

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OOOooooo alligator snapping turtles... very nasty creatures when they get big. You're developing a regular wetlands menagerie there Bruce... Pretty soon, you won't be able to do anything on your land for fear of harming some living creature...

My Dad had some acreage once that had a spring that fed into a woods and made a swampy area and fed a small area in the smack dab middle of a tilled field that always had water and sometimes a full fledge pond. It occurred naturally and had reeds and all the wildlife to go with it. He wanted to put it in tracts for some residential development and all the DNR told him was that he couldn't impede the spring, or the water movement to that woods or pond. He told them he thought of making it a bigger pond and having homesites on the ridges around it. They were ok with that, but of course any plans had to be preapproved. He eventually sold the land as it was before he purchased it to a farmer wanting to keep it agricultural.
 

Bruce

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I like the idea of keeping it agricultural!

:( Looks like Florence has decided to swing well south of us. AGAIN no rain. WE NEED RAIN!

I have to check with Al in regard to hay this year, already told him a month back that I would need 25 small squares. Usually he cuts at least twice a year, sometimes 3. I don't think he has anything to make a second cut this year. Nothing has been growing.
 
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Pastor Dave

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I got my two cuttings and decided with all the raking by hand and baling by hand, that was enough! I just got that field cut down today, and it was as high as the hood of my Craftsman. I probably could have used a third cut of hay, but will wait til Spring and plan to buy a hay rake for Class 0 or Class 1 tractors, and maybe a different stationary baler that looks to be more efficient.
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And DONE and put away!

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Pastor Dave

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:( Looks like Florence has decided to swing well south of us. AGAIN no rain. WE NEED RAIN!

What was the one ahead of Florence? Edward? Don't remember, but it hit more Gulf states, right? We got 5" clear this far inland.
Surely you will get some rain with the remnants of Florence here in the next week or so.
 
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