Senile Texas Aggie - comic relief for the rest of you

[greybeard]

So into the limbs I drove

We sold lots of aluminum and steel replacements for rop's canopies when I worked at Kubota. The fiberglas and other plastics didn't hold up around here very well.
I could build one from either steel or alum for a lot less than what we charged and for less than what after market places are selling them as well.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Regarding

Next time pay attention to the sign on the tree telling you the height clearance

You are right -- I flat out missed seeing that clearance sign!

Regarding

I don't know if you are interested but I got my canopy from the folks at the link below:

https://www.rhinohidecanopies.com/

I looked at the web site but did not see one specifically designed for a New Holland. Are they adjustable to fit different widths?

Regarding

Some lessons we learn the hard way.... so glad you're relatively ok!

and

Glad you only hurt the tractor and not yourself. Learning curve... Pretty soon you'll earn your graduation certificate (hopefully!)

Thanks to you both for the wishes. And I only hope I earn my graduation certificate too, before I become eligible for a Darwin Award!

As for Mr. @greybeard's idea of building my own canopy, I might consider that. But considering that I have rarely built much of anything (see my comment in my very first post about what my dog thought of the dog house I built for him), I run the risk of making a canopy that would fail and make matters worse!

This morning it was really cool -- 60 degrees -- so my wife and I decided to tackle clearing the dam around the pond again, using the pole saw, the reciprocating saw, the pruning/lopping shears, and the hedge trimmers. After 2 hours of work, with not a bit of breeze, it didn't seem nearly as cool. We both decided that it was time to buy a real chain saw. So off I to go shop for one. Let's hope I don't buy a piece of crap!

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[greybeard]

Look into the easy pull ones they have nowadays.
Both mine are the old style recoil and it won't be too many more years before I can't drop start one any more.
(both are Stihl Farm Boss 290 saws with 20" bars)
The new model# for FarmBoss is 271.

And unless you are an experienced sawyer, get a full comp chain on it, not full skip or semi-skip. (some dealers call the full comp a 'safety chain'.)
I think the current designation for the safety chain is RSC3 and it should come in a green box.

http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/255/chain3.jpg

 

[Bruce]

And I only hope I earn my graduation certificate too, before I become eligible for a Darwin Award!

If you already have kids I don't think you can actually get a Darwin award. I think you are supposed to remove yourself from the gene pool BEFORE you pass them on!

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Regarding

Look into the easy pull ones they have nowadays... get a full comp chain on it, not full skip or semi-skip.

I wish I had read this post before I went to town to shop for chainsaws. Before leaving, I checked Consumer Reports for their ratings and saw that the Stihl was highly rated, and I knew that Ace Hardware sold Stihl, so I ended up buying an MS 251 C-BE. I looked at bigger models but decided that the 251 was light enough and powerful enough for my needs. It has the easy start feature. One of the folks there took it outside and demonstrated it and it started on the first pull. Great! No more magic formula! As for a full comp chain, I don't know if it has that or not, but I assume it does, since it has only an 18" bar. Until you mentioned it, I had no idea of the different chain types. But a search on the Internet led me to an explanation, so now I know a bit more about chainsaws. Since I doubt my wife will be using the chainsaw, I didn't mind buying a 2 Cycle engine.

Having watched on YouTube the Stoney Ridge Farmer videos, where in one of his videos he talked about chainsaw safety, I also bought some chaps and a hardhat / face shield / hearing protectors. Now I can look like a real chainsaw dude!

As for

If you already have kids I don't think you can actually get a Darwin award. I think you are supposed to remove yourself from the gene pool BEFORE you pass them on!

Ouch! Boy, Bruce, you sure know how to hurt a fella -- just tell the truth about him! Seriously, my wife and I don't have kids, but considering that I will soon turn 66, and my wife recently turned 61, I doubt we will be having any anytime soon!


Senile Texas Aggie

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

All,

I want to confess to everyone that I am a stalker. You see, I have been stalking many of you by reading your journals. I just finished Miss @goatgurl's journal, and have been reading a bit at a time of many others of you. And for you, Mr. @greybeard, and you, Miss @farmerjan, I haven't located journals that either of you keep, so I have resorted to reading your most recent posts.

"Why are you stalking us?" you ask? It's simple. I learn so much from reading what y'all post that I have found it to be a great use of my time. The biggest thing I learn is just how much I don't know. For example, while reading Miss @goatgurl's journal, I read a post that mentioned "wether". "What's a 'wether'?", I asked myself. "Did they mean 'weather'? No, that doesn't make sense. Maybe they meant 'whether'. No, that doesn't make sense, either." So I left wondering what the heck a "wether" is. Also, what is an "ff"? Fertile female? Foxy female? F***ing female? Something else? I wish I could find a glossary for these terms. Oh, well, just part of this learning process.

So, yes, I am a stalker. I hope y'all don't mind...

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

All,

Once I get the canopy on the tractor fixed, as well as the safety switch under the seat, I will be tackling the remaining part of the south pasture. I wanted to show pictures of what remains to be mowed. WARNING TO READERS. THIS POST CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES OF A FORMERLY PRISTINE PASTURE TURNED INTO A JUNGLE. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

Here is the area to which the pictures will reference.

Point A, looking west. Not too bad here.

Point B, looking west. Starting to get into more trees and the briars are getting thicker.

Point C, looking west. The start of the pine/briar jungle/thicket.

Point D, looking northwest. The southernmost part of the south pasture. The pine/briar jungle/thicket is just as thick here.

Point E, looking north. Still plenty of pines/briars.

Point F, looking north. Still plenty of pines and briars.

More pictures in the next post(s)...

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Point G, looking northeast. This is right next to the southeastern bank of the south pond.

Point G, looking northwest across the pond.

Point H, looking east. Out of the jungle.

Point H, looking west:

Point I, looking east toward the west bank of the south pond.

Point J, looking northeast:

Point K, looking east. The northwestern most part of the unmowed part.

Point L, looking northeast. This is the part of the pasture where I was mowing but had to stop when it started raining.

So that gives you an idea of what remains. So what advice do you folks have as to how I tackle this? Will this be like eating an elephant, namely 1 bite at a time?

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[Mike CHS]

In their Q&A section if the Rhinohide Canopy:

Will it fit my ROPS? Yes with the following exceptions: ROPS legs over 2-1/4" x 4" ROPS over 45" wide NO. If your ROPS are over 42" wide we can furnish extended brackets good up to 45 ", we just need to know. Not compatible with round ROPS legs but we have had a user, with one of the new Exmarks that used (4) 2-1/2" muffler clamps. He drilled (4) new holes in the brackets. It really worked well.

I emailed them with a couple of questions before I bought mine and they responded pretty fast.

 

[Bruce]

Point A, looking west. Not too bad here.

That is kind of what mine looks like. No trees trying to take over. But then I have only about 5 acres of non forest land and it had been used as grazing pasture by the people we bought from. I can see how 100 acres could get away if someone didn't have the time to stay on it.

And yes, one bite at a time. Anything else would drive you insane.