Bruce's Journal

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

I hope you can take care of the groundhog. I have never had to deal with them, so cannot offer any advice. But I bet that groundhog's days of a peaceful life are numbered.

Good diagnosis on the barn door opener. As Mr. @CntryBoy777 said, electrical problems can be a pain to figure out at times. Good luck it getting it solved.

 

[thistlebloom]

I'm sure there is a purpose for the woodchucks but I'm not sure what it is.

Dog food apparently!

 

[Bruce]

No chuck in the trap yet today.

I dug up some dirt in the area I want to level out and stone so I have somewhere at least MOSTLY level to store my cord wood racks. I have 4 corner stakes with level lines on them so I can now get the manual landscape rake and kinda sorta make it level before I get the stone to spread. Of course I first need to find stone and someone to move it but I'm sure there are plenty of people who do that sort of thing.

Then I went out back to where the deck piece had been and moved some dirt from the pond dredging up onto that steep part going up to the north end of the barn. When we bought the place there was a fence piece that went from the corner of the barn to the cheesy fence they had up. There was a drop of about 18" from the barn side to the low side. I pulled that piece of fence out when I added the fence extension that included the north barn doors. The alpacas kinda smoothed out the drop off but it was still somewhat of a steep drop down. Not sure why someone would want to lead their horses out past 15' of fence then downhill to a gate into the fenced area rather than just open the doors and let them into the paddock/pasture directly. Anyway I added dirt and back dragged it so now it is more of a smooth slope down to where I dug out between the pond and fence a couple of weeks ago.

 

[thistlebloom]

I have 4 corner stakes with level lines on them so I can now get the manual landscape rake and kinda sorta make it level before I get the stone to spread.

I'm shocked that you aren't screeding it. Did you learn nothing from my journal?

 

[Bruce]

I thought your DH was going to come do it!

Of course then I'd have to box in the sides with wood. That isn't in the plan THOUGH long term I'd like to make it about 10x36 pole barn, basically just a roof on poles so the rain and snow would stay off the wood and the wind could still blow through to dry it.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Pictures, Mr. @Bruce! We want pictures! (A YouTube channel video would be nicer, but that probably isn't happening any time soon.)

 

[Bruce]

The stone was delivered today. I was using the tractor to spread it out


And I earned a double Zinger Award ™. I was going back and forth in the area where the tractor is now, heard an odd thunk a couple of times and a funny dip on the left side. Nothing is flat so I figured I was just crossing a hole. But I didn't like that thunk, thought maybe something under the tractor was somehow damaged. Nope, left rear wheel had only 1 bolt in it and wasn't centered on the hub owing to the location of the remaining bolt..


Note that the only bolt actually attaching the wheel to the tractor is the one at 2 o'clock. I slipped other "not quite big enough" bolts into other holes to hold it in place and tightened down the one remaining bolt. I found only 1 bolt on the ground very well stripped. It was over to the right in the first picture when I had been going in from that (the east) end.



Note to self and others - just because all the bolts are there and feel tight by hand, they may not be. Again EVERY other wheel bolt on the tractor clicked the torque wrench set to 94 ft-pounds. I don't recall the last time I checked them with the torque wrench after losing 3 and having 3 loose ones the first time this happened after being pretty good about it for a couple of months and finding them all tight, but I have looked to see that they are all present. My guess is there are 4 stripped bolts somewhere in the fenced area since that is where I last used the tractor to mow. The odd thing is that even with only 2 bolts, one loose, one VERY loose, the tractor didn't "feel" odd at all.

I think I've really done it this time though. The holes in the rim look elongated and I think there is probably damage to the threaded part the bolts go in to. No idea how much this is going to cost but I bet it will be a lot. I guess I have to make some lemonade out of this. At least it didn't happen out in the field but right up by the parking area where the dealer can get it on a trailer. AND at least the wheel didn't fall off dropping the axle down to the ground.

 

[thistlebloom]

Ouch! Sorry to hear about your tractor trials. Also glad to hear that you weren't out in an inaccessible location and the whole wheel didn't come off.
Those darn tractors!

 

[farmerjan]

Sorry to hear it. Yeah, it might be expensive. And yes, the good thing it is right where you could get to it.
Had that happen to my truck one time. Felt a little funny and I stopped at the farm bureau thinking it was a low tire. Only 1 lug nut holding the wheel on !!!!!! Where or how they disappeared I will never know. On the side I don't "see" normally at the house to get in and out. Had to discard the rim as the holes were wallowed out. Luckily I had the spare with me, they changed it. I don't normally change my own tires so it was put on with an impact so don't have any idea why.....
The more equipment you own, the more things that go wrong....

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Holy cow, Mr. @Bruce! I wonder why the bolts came loose. I seem to remember your using Locktite on the bolts the last time you had the wheel bolts come loose. I wonder why it didn't hold. This happening to you makes me want to check the bolts on my tractor! Any idea when you might get it fixed?