Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along

[Baymule]

T-posts every 20 feet? Oh heck NO! Only if you want your fence to fail. 10 feet spacing, maximum, 8 feet is better. TSC wood posts are crap and rot out in a few years. They are plywood peeler cores. The bigger ones are ok.

There is a post treatment place in Alto, called Hicks. You can order by the bundle or truck load. Skip TSC!

Buy a fence post drill to go on the back of a tractor. Chain post to front end loader, pick up and drop in hole.

Check out Branson tractors in Sulphur Springs, they will make a package deal for you, be sure to include a trailer to haul it on.

 

[Baymule]

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Big Tex Tractor offers the best tractor package deals in the nation on Branson tractors, TYM tractors, and farm equipment in Texas. Call us now at 903-527-4449.

bigtextractor.com

 

[Baymule]

https://hickspost.com/contact-us

 

[Ridgetop]

Began pricing materials yesterday. Today I called around and got a couple fencing contractors. Only talked to one so far, checked his references which were good. He does mostly Wood County. Talked to him over the phone and sent him the survey with measurements and told him what we wanted. He said that a 6' hi-tensile fence should be plenty for keeping the dogs in and hogs out. He does welded metal H braces. He said 8' T-posts are ok but he installs an additional 10' vertical post every so many feet to stabilize the fence since he feels 2' in the ground is not enough. Time till install is several months due to backlog of work which is ok with us. If his bid comes in ok I will have him install and we will do the interior pasture fencing. Still getting a power post tamper though.

DS1 finished the rest of the jugs this morning. He had to dig them out since with all of us getting Covid we did not do a good cleaning job since Thanksgiving/Christmas. We are definitely putting the jugs inside the barn instead pf in the lean-to sheds at the ranch so we can use the tractor to clean up. So tired f 30+ years of cleaning our deep bedding in our 24' x 36' barn by hand and dragging either wheelbarrow loads or trash barrel loads up 4' to the driveway. DS1 said we will set up a compost area where we can use the sheep barn debris for fertilizer in the garden or on the fields once it composts. DS2 was doing some woodworking so I explained what i wanted in wooden feed boxes to attach to the metal hay feeders. He said he would try to do those for me - or at least one to see how it works - today. I am going out to the trailer now to pull out more of the banquette.

Still haven't had a cup of coffee yet - keep reheating my first! Going to reheat it again!

 

[Ridgetop]

Got the price list from Binford Fence Supply for ordering the stuff in TX. Prices are double what I priced at Home Depot and Tractor Supply for T-posts! Waiting to see what the bid will be from the fence company.

DS1 helped me remove the banquette seats which was a more difficult job than I expected. They did come out without damage to the walls and floor. The walls need a little scrubbing, and the carpet needs to be cleaned. I was able to save all the oak veneer pieces so I can install them over the areas where the exterior storage doors open into the trailer. We won't need the doors now. Since the banquettes are gone so is the storage. I can cut a piece of insulation to fill the opening and then attach the veneer to the wall and apply oak trim to look like a chair rail. Also will need some small oak base shoe to cover the bottom seam of the wall. Next plan is to remove the sofa bed. Very uncomfortable to sit on, let alone sleep on! I will replace it with a recliner for DH. Removing the dinette area gives us a lot more room for some storage bins and a folding table and chairs. So glad we are doing this ourselves since the RV place would have charged several thousand dollars to remove it, let alone the cost of the recliner! Have to shop for that I guess. Next project is to use the drawer fronts from the banquettes to make cabinet doors to access the under bed storage without having to lift the mattress and platform up. The storage under the bed is nice, but having to wrestle the platform and mattress up, then balance it on top of my head while trying to put things away or get things out is a real nightmare. Also probably good for a segment of "Funniest Home Videos", particularly the time I lost my balance and fell into the storage area with the platform trapping me half in and half out! Good for a laugh now, not so much then!

By framing openings and cutting them out of the bed frame base, then attaching the drawer fronts with hinges, I can make the area closer to the head of the bed easier to access. It will be good for storing shoes etc. now that we don't have the drawers under the banquettes. Storage in a trailer is always at a premium!

Might also do something about the TV opening too. It was sized for a large old fashioned box TV instead of a flat screen. I can frame in a shallower area and install a larger flat screen TV. Then cut through the back of the closet partition into the empty space behind the new wall and use that area for storage. The TV space backs up to the closet in the bathroom. That project will be for next year since I don't want to rip too much out of the trailer at one time. Better to live with the trailer using the recliner and table and chairs for a while to decide about the TV area. I also want to see if there will be room for a small electric fireplace in the trailer for winter heat. We already carry an electric heater but a fireplace heater is so cozy. Another project . . . .

Tomorrow I will go out and clean up the trailer. Right now my back and knees hurt. Knees from kneeling to remove the banquettes, back from same. Came in thinking I would be able to lay down but had to feed Annabel since DH said she was spitting out everything he was giving her. Turned the high chair around so she was not blinded by setting sun and she ate just fine. Really Gampy?! Passed her off to DH with a bottle after she ate. I can hear her out there being a little fussy but her mom will be here soon so no point in putting her down for a nap. Time for e to lay down and put my legs up. I was heading for the bedroom when DS1 grabbed me to show me how he finished the banquette removal, then fed Annabel, then checked to see if the estimate was in on the fencing. Now to go lay down and take some aspirin! Before fixing dinner.

 

[Mike CHS]

I'm happy that I am past all of that but I enjoy reading your actions.

 

[farmerjan]

. You might want to ask the fencing company if they would give you a price to just drive the posts. Many of them around here will do that also and they can do it A LOT FASTER since they do it for a living. Might be more sensible for them to drive the posts, and then you can put up the fence as you want/need. Just a suggestion

 

[Baymule]

You are wise to get the exterior fence put up and do the interior fences yourselves. I like @farmerjan 's idea of getting them to pound the T-posts in too!

 

[farmerjan]

I was thinking mostly about the wood posts for the driving, brace posts and all that... but to get them to put in all the posts in lines etc would be good.... won't know til you ask.

 

[Ridgetop]

I priced the T posts her in California but could drive them back with other stuff little by little. Tractor Supply priced 8' posts at $7.69 and 5% discount for orders over 400. Priced 10' posts at $13.79 with 5% off for orders of 400. Bid from Binford Fence came in with 8' T-posts at $13.49 and 10' T-posts at 18.45 each. Then they priced the treated pine posts 4" x 4"s at $24.96 for 8' and 10' at $33.42! I am currently waiting for the bids from the fencing contractors to see what they will estimate for putting in the 6' hi tensile wire and posts. If it is somewhat reasonable, I will have it installed instead of dragging materials to TX and installing it ourselves. Also we might as well get it up in a reasonable period of time - if we do it ourselves, it will take 2 years! LOL We can do the shorter interior fencing (at least part of it) ourselves once we are back there. I'm still buying a power driven post driver! It can be DH's Christmas gift! LOL

The price for using the 10' length T-posts bought in Texas would be $2,100 more just for the posts. I haven't priced the 4x4's since I am checking how many cross arms we have available which would be better to use and we already have them. These cross arms are the posts they use on the top of power poles to hold the wires. They are treated posts measuring 4.5" x 5.5" and range in length to 14'. We built our barn out of them. We could probably get more from the training center since they are always looking to get rid of used ones. We would have to truck them back to Texas, but DH figures if he starts hauling the gate and pen panels back no, he can also bring the posts back at the same time. It would be a "turn around" trip with him and DS1. If we have the fence installed we will still bring the cross arms back with us since we can use them to build pasture shelters, etc.

We had a good discussion with DS1 yesterday about the fencing and rotational grazing fencing and DS1 surprised me by saying he would have to start reading up on pasture and rotational grazing! He knows plenty about sheep husbandry but not so much about rotational grazing. Like he said, our current "rotational grazing plan" is to encourage the sheep to eat it all down to a scorched earth type look!

DH suggested we have larger pastures and not rotate the sheep but DS1 pointed out doing that would result in the sheep concentrating on eating only the most delicious plants and leaving anything they didn't like. He compared it to a child eating cake or broccoli. And we would have to mow the pastures. I plan to have him go to the meeting with the NRCS when we line out our rotation pastures. Also to be present with the Extension agent meetings regarding the number of AUs to put on the pastures. He agreed he would be interested in going to some of the seminars put on by TX A&M and the Extension office.

DH is considering driving to Texas and renting a trailer there, bring it back to California, load it and return. He said it might be cheaper to do that than rent one in California. I told DH that if he did that we should leave the trailer in the TX barn this summer, rent the trailer in TX, fill it with Bermuda hay instead of traveling to California empty. I told him that if he did that we can accustom the sheep to eating it before making our move. We also will bring out alfalfa on several trips so we can transition the sheep over to the new diet. We can make several trips before bringing the trailer home.

Got to go out and finish cleaning up the debris from the banquette removal in the trailer. Also have to bag up the cushions to keep them nice in case I need the fabric and cushions to repair or replace any fabric on the sectional couch I am keeping. The sectional couch seats lift off to great accessible storage. I need to clean off the walls and spot clean the carpet. DS1 and I need to check out the sleeper sofa to see how to remove it from the trailer. We think it must come apart somehow since there is no way they got it in there through the door.

I need to have DS1 separate off the ewe that is going to the auction so I can give her some antibiotics. She is not moving well. I might move her back into the barn and put her lamb back in with her since he is scrawny. I should have left her with him in the creep. Didn't know what I was thinking. Actually, I should have taken her and both her lambs on the last load to the auction. Again, don't know what I was thinking!