Senile Texas Aggie - comic relief for the rest of you

[Bruce]

I'm starting to think the same thing as @greybeard. Looks like a lot of "oddity" and it might be best to suck it up and pay an electrician for a couple of hours to make sure everything is understood.

Clearly my thought that there were a lot of 240V circuits shines a light on the fact that I didn't grow up a farm boy Didn't know about all those 240V farm equipment loads. And the only service panels I've looked in had separate ground bus bars so it doesn't seem odd to me to have the neutrals connected to the bar closest to the breaker.

 

[greybeard]

Add a good drill press, maybe some machining equipment as well to round out a full shop's manifest, and that doesn't include any heavy woodworking machines.

 

[greybeard]

And the only service panels I've looked in had separate ground bus bars so it doesn't seem odd to me to have the neutrals connected to the bar closest to the breaker.

Sub panels will have separate (unbonded) ground and neutral bars, but first means of disconnect (main) panels will have the bonding somewhere and generally, even tho the 2 bars are bonded, everyone does try to still keep the ground and neutral wires on separate bus bars in the main panel just to make things neat and easy to work with.

 

[Bruce]

The only shop tool I have that can run 240V is the table saw. I've not converted it though.

Bigger shop tools include:
Router Boss - uses a standard DeWalt plunge router.
19"/38" open arm drum sander
3 blade 13" DeWalt planer
10" table saw
Jointer
Dust collector

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

OK, everybody, I want all of you to roll your eyes. Go ahead. Have you done so? Good. The reason I wanted you to roll your eyes is that I am about to ask a question that will elicit that response from you, because you will think it is the dumbest question ever asked. But I'm going to ask it anyway.

Some time this week I will get my tractor from the dealership with the new grapple. Once I have the grapple I will be easily able to haul a lot of the brush that we have cut down and are continuing to cut down. Now for the eye-rolling question: is it better to (1) have one HUGE burn pile, (2) have multiple small brush piles, (3) have one small brush pile and burn a little bit of the brush at at time. I have enough acreage to have multiple small piles if needed, but I think I would like to keep the burned area to one circle instead of lots of circles. But maybe buring off the grass is OK and provides potash, if nothing else, for the soil.

Comments?

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[Mike CHS]

No eye rolls from me. I try to keep a single burn pile at a time but there were times that I had several depending on how far I had to move the debris. Now that we have almost all of our fences up I try to keep them of a size that I can start them and have it done in a short time so I can keep an eye on it. I use a propane tank and burner to start my fires so it doesn't matter how green the wood is. There is no right or wrong way on this one to me and by this time next year you won't be able to tell where the burn pile was.

 

[greybeard]

define 'small'....
this is one of about 18-22 piles I had.

Is burning good for the grass and soil?
All depends primarily on whether your soil is in need of Potash ie ... Potassium. The best grass on my place is where there was once a burn pile.

My sister up the road from is skeered of 'big' fire and just builds little city girl fires she can watch while standing there with a rake or shovel.

My wife isn't skeered.

Go big or stay home.

24 hrs later..

I have already burned the piles on the left lower side of the picture but not the ones off to the right (east)

Yellow circles is where a big burn pile once was and all that is left is the remains before I went thru them and re-burned the remains and spread the ashes. There were, more than this, as I have since cleared more area to the NorthWest.

It all depends on your skill set at containing/control fire, your comfort level, your risk appetite and the weather conditions. No matter what, don't leave one unattended, meaning you go off for a road trip and it still smoldering.

 

[greybeard]

If you have a lot of dry grass when you are ready to burn, watch the humidity. Burn when humidity is high and preferably while dew is still on the grass. According to US and Texas Forest Service, humidity level is even more important than wind velocity.

You need a harrow of some kind for a variety of reasons. Disk or drag. Even a triangle shape drag made from old tires will allow you to control a grass fire most of the time.
Tires will burn of course, but they are very difficult to get ignited

Keep the Forest Service's ph # handy whether you burn or not.

 

[farmerjan]

Agree with @greybeard ; it depends on your comfort level on the burning, how far to move the stuff and if you want to get it done in smaller shorter burns or a bigger all day plus type of burn. If you start it this fall, then by next spring you will barely notice the spots and the grass will really come back good.
Humidity is a real key, and we always used to burn when they were calling for some rain just to help keep the surrounding areas wet. Once you get it going, it will take hurricane rains to put it out very fast, but a couple of showers, or a steady light rain will really help knock the chances of it spreading where you don't want it to be.

 

[Bruce]

define 'small'....
this is one of about 18-22 piles I had.

@greybead is from Texas, everything is bigger in Texas!

I think you have good advice from @greybeard, @Mike CHS and @farmerjan
Having never burned a pile before (and as you read in my journal) I figured what I had was plenty big enough. I doubt @greybeard could even see something that size and think it was a burn pile. And I burned when there was snow on the ground. Not a possibility for you but no permit needed here if there is snow on the ground.