Senile Texas Aggie - comic relief for the rest of you

[Latestarter]

Gosh Tx Aggie, I wish I had your problem (weight), I doubt you'd wish to have mine... I'm better than 100 pounds over my ideal weight. Having quit smoking back in Sept 2010, I breath much better and have no problem bending over, but my back, knees and sometimes ankles can be a real problem with swelling and joint pain. I sometime think about it when moving feed bags (50# each) That essentially, I'm always carrying 2 of those around, and how much better I'd feel and move if I "dropped them". I'm trying.

Glad to hear the chain saw is helping you. Always better to use the right tool for the job you're doing.

Bruce, now that you have the FEL, wouldn't it be faster/easier to drop the tree, cut to 16" lengths right there, stack in the FEL, and then move to the splitter? Seems to me that would be the more sensible way since you're already cutting when you drop the tree, might as well do all of it right then, rather than moving long logs to then start cutting again. It would also keep the slash/trash/sawdust etc out in/near the woods rather than in your yard by the barn.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Regarding

Are you cutting for firewood or just taking down trees that are where you don't want them?

just cutting them down. When my wife and I were looking for properties, most of the houses we saw had fireplaces or wood burning stoves. But we ended up buying this place, with 60+ acres of timber, and we have a propane type fireplace! Can't even use the stuff to heat the house! Oh, well.

Regarding

my back, knees and sometimes ankles can be a real problem with swelling and joint pain

I hope your joint pain gets better. About the only joint pain I have is arthritis setting up in my left elbow, but so far it doesn't slow me down much. But this 40 lb spare tire around my waist really makes it hard to breath whenever I bend over or squat. Maybe I should take the chainsaw to my waist!

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[greybeard]

Handle by hand, the cut pieces as few times as absolutely necessary.
Cut trees down.
Delimb.
Cut log to maximum length your tractor can handle & drag or carry it to splitter.
Cut to length at splitter and split unless it needs to season before splitting.
1. place on splitter,
2.then stack the split pieces.
3. carry in the house as needed.

No sense making that a 4-5-6 step operation for cut pieces. It's strenuous enough just pickin up the cuts and getting them on the splitter.

(For a nominal fee, I'll bring you a breeding pair of young beaver......next year you won't have to repeat what you're doing now)

 

[Bruce]

Bruce, now that you have the FEL, wouldn't it be faster/easier to drop the tree, cut to 16" lengths right there, stack in the FEL, and then move to the splitter? Seems to me that would be the more sensible way since you're already cutting when you drop the tree, might as well do all of it right then, rather than moving long logs to then start cutting again. It would also keep the slash/trash/sawdust etc out in/near the woods rather than in your yard by the barn.

Yes and no? If I cut it at the woods I then have to pick each piece up and stack it in the bucket. Then I have to take it out of the bucket back at the barn, split and stack. 3 moves, 2 are full rounds. If I cut it at the splitter I only have to pick it up and put it down once. Then take it off the splitter table and stack it. 2 moves, 1 is full rounds. But yes there would be all the sawdust, and chainsaw noise! up by the house. Plus I can carry more wood "whole" on the forks that I can carry in "rounds" in the bucket. Fewer trips back and forth.

Ideally I would have a 3 point or gas splitter that I could take out with me and "split wood cages" I could fill on the spot. I could take the wood off the splitter and stick it in the cage then use the forks to bring that up by the barn. Sit it down to dry and move it to the landing at the porch as needed. The forks have a weight limit of 500 pounds which is about 1/4 cord of hardwood. What I need now are a bunch of 3.5'x4' pallets I can modify into those cages. I have one I can test with. Not sure where to find more. Just to be safe (and for easier traveling from the woods) I probably want 5 cages per cord, 20 for the 4 cords I burn/year.

Guy came by about 9:30 and replaced the coupling, no more leak. BUT he noticed the upper BIG bolt on the right side of the hoe was backed out. No washer or nut on the other side. Too bad he didn't notice that last night, he could have brought the nut and washer with him. Gotta wonder how those came off. Either they weren't properly tightened (and backed off 2"??) Or maybe they were not there? He might steal them from another tractor as he did to get the coupler. Maybe that happened with my tractor and someone forgot to replace them?


I don't think the beavers would stay long @greybeard, no running water.

 

[greybeard]

Most of the time, the water at my pond don't run either. Beaver hate running water in a pond and if one is serious about trapping one, they will create a trickle of water somewhere and make their set there.......that unique sound will be the 1st place beaver will go to when they emerge at twilight and where ever it is, they'll work to plug it off..

 

[Pastor Dave]

Gosh Tx Aggie, I wish I had your problem (weight), I doubt you'd wish to have mine... I'm better than 100 pounds over my ideal weight. Having quit smoking back in Sept 2010, I breath much better and have no problem bending over, but my back, knees and sometimes ankles can be a real problem with swelling and joint pain. I sometime think about it when moving feed bags (50# each) That essentially, I'm always carrying 2 of those around, and how much better I'd feel and move if I "dropped them". I'm trying.

Joe, I was advised to go on Keto or low carb diet to help with my BP. I am abt 50# over what is healthy. When I began to follow the diet, my inflammation decreased real quick. Green tea supposed to be good for inflammation too, and probiotics can help with better digestion along with plenty of water to flush out everything. Just some things you probably have heard a hundred times.

 

[Senile_Texas_Aggie]

Calling All BYHers,

I need some advice regarding leasing my pastures for hay production. (Miss @farmerjan, since you bale hay on leased land, please weigh in, but others feel free as well.) I finally contacted the guy that baled the hay from my pastures back in June to see if he would be interested in leasing my pastures for hay production. He was interested. We discussed a few ideas, but I told him I wanted to get some input from you folks before we signed an agreement. To provide some guidelines for recommendations, I am willing to sign a multiyear agreement and I am not going to ask for any bales of hay, so whatever income I derive from it will be in the form of cash. I plan not to lease the south pasture that is currently overgrown -- I will hold that in reserve in case I want to grow some forage for farm animals. So what kind of sage advice can you folks provide me regarding reasonable terms for the lease?

Senile Texas Aggie

 

[Pastor Dave]

Guys I know or have worked for are on their own land, but I heard a guy say the other day that he leased a hay field for $150-175/acre. I don't know if that was for the season or what time frame that involved.

 

[greybeard]

Guys I know or have worked for are on their own land, but I heard a guy say the other day that he leased a hay field for $150-175/acre. I don't know if that was for the season or what time frame that involved.

That, would be a little high per acre/per year rate for this area.
What one can get for any hay field is only whatever someone is willing to pay for it, and the lessee is going to go by what the field is realistically capable of producing. Since it's going to be a strictly cash deal (no share of hay) and the terrain in that area doesn't look like there's a lot of competition from row croppers, I suspect the lease rate is going to be rather low, considering the lessee is going to have to rejuvenate the field to get it to producing good cuts again.

There's maps, charts, formulas and all kinds of USDA/NASS data on what ground leases for in any given state, but in the end, everything is local and it all depends on 'the deal'

 

[goatgurl]

i'm no help, we always traded the baling for some of the hay for our animals. db would cut, bale and store the hay in his barn and then deliver 2 round bales to my house every couple of weeks all winter. worked well for me.