FlyHiFlyLo
Administrator
2007 Jinma 554LE
Posts: 425
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Post by FlyHiFlyLo on Apr 26, 2009 10:40:54 GMT -5
So Rob, how are the chicks AT SPEED? Do you have little helmets for them?
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3RRL
Administrator
Huge Kama
Posts: 2,027
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Post by 3RRL on Apr 26, 2009 12:11:04 GMT -5
So Rob, how are the chicks AT SPEED? Do you have little helmets for them? Hahaha, they are actually pretty good being towed around. They just walk on that screen like they are on a tour bus !! Rob-
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3RRL
Administrator
Huge Kama
Posts: 2,027
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Post by 3RRL on Apr 26, 2009 12:16:35 GMT -5
Hi Rob, That truly takes the cake, now I think I've seen it all - a precision machined portable chicken coop, who would have thought. I really enjoyed all the other updates too. Including the new outdoor plumbing. I was wondering is there is a way to drain the water out for when winter sets in? It freezes at your place right? At least every time I've been there it has. Oh and one more thing I noticed - you have a black wollie worm crawling on your face, just under your nose, better wipe that thing off. Larry LOL Larry, I figured you'd like the new coop. Yeah, the sprinkler lines have 2 big valves that I can open to drain the whole system. I also got the brass valves that let the other side be drained or bleed down. They've got a little cap on them to loosen. I figured like you, even though it's NOT supposed to freeze here, IT ALWAYS DOES !! That black fuzzy worm happens to be my Clark Gable mustache. I grow it everyday but usually shave it off. Now that I'm a total hick, I'm gonna grow my hair long too. Next week it's back to the garden and mowing the lawns. Rob-
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3RRL
Administrator
Huge Kama
Posts: 2,027
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Post by 3RRL on Apr 27, 2009 14:09:18 GMT -5
Jumping back to Loretta's garden, we finally got her new Tiller up and running. This was a Tiller we bought along with many of the other implements when we got her tractor over a year ago in January 2008. After reading the instructions, lubing it up and checking the bolts, we hooked it up to her 284 Jinma. For the first go 'round, we set the depth at only a couple inches just to get used to it. Loretta made the first passes of her new garden to what she wanted. Here are a couple photos of Loretta and myself trying it out. Rob-
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3RRL
Administrator
Huge Kama
Posts: 2,027
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Post by 3RRL on Apr 27, 2009 14:17:16 GMT -5
It's hard to believe what it looked like before she started all this. That whole area has now changed in appearance from what it used to look like to what it does now. If you recall some of the previous photos, here is a comparison of the garden area before her tilling project. Later on in the week she set the depth to maximum and completed the contours or her garden. Man, that tiller does a super fine job. Loretta was very excited about all the smooth fluffy Earth she had churned up. Now it's ready for all the vegetables she wants to plant. We just completed pressurizing the non pressurized water tank line, so we will run some sort of drip irrigation in the garden area later this week. Look what that area looks like now. Look at the finished raised beds she got with her tiller. Rob-
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quikduk
CTW Life Member
Dog House
Posts: 552
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Post by quikduk on Apr 27, 2009 23:51:40 GMT -5
I thought they called that stuff peach fuzz... That coop really is bitchin'! F-ing chickens at his place get driven around for a "change of scenery"! "cluck cluck cluck" = "We would like a view of the valley please". "cluck cluuuck cluck cluck cluck" = "We think it is a bit breezy here and would like a bit more shelter". "cluck CLUCK...and hurry it up" = "We need a refill of our cappuccino please". ;D ;D ;D That tiller did a great job. You appear to have some good soil in the garden area. Was this planned or happenstance? All I have here is caliche with bolders and cobble thrown in for texture...
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FlyHiFlyLo
Administrator
2007 Jinma 554LE
Posts: 425
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Post by FlyHiFlyLo on May 1, 2009 0:58:40 GMT -5
Rob that tiller looks to work pretty good. How was it?
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3RRL
Administrator
Huge Kama
Posts: 2,027
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Post by 3RRL on May 1, 2009 20:45:58 GMT -5
Rob that tiller looks to work pretty good. How was it? That tiller works great and is like the other stuff, very beefy. It's gear driven and not chain driven, so it is pretty high end construction. I was very pleased with it's performance. Managed to throw out several good sized rocks (football size) with no problems. Loretta made sweet beds with that thing in no time at all. She adjusted it all the way down so she was churning up a lot of dirt in the last passes. Only thing I did was switch the PTO drive shaft to one that has a slip clutch on it to protect the implement and tractor in case she got into some real rocks. I priced them out at the Ag Fair (Gearmore) and my size 48" was around 3 grand for the HD gear driven ones. We got a killer deal on that stuff for sure and it's all pretty darn good quality like the chipper and log splitter. Sweet man! Rob-
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Post by gerifalte on May 4, 2009 14:36:54 GMT -5
Only thing I did was switch the PTO drive shaft to one that has a slip clutch on it to protect the implement and tractor in case she got into some real rocks. Very good that you did that! You may recall the thread where I shared the repair I had to do to my gear-driven tiller. After I repaired it and added slip clutch I haven't had any problems. Enjoy the tiller! G
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3RRL
Administrator
Huge Kama
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Post by 3RRL on May 8, 2009 1:07:06 GMT -5
Thank you G, After the chicken coop, it was time to mow the fields with the rotary cutter where I could. Since I didn't mow around South Camp, there were only 2 places I could use it around the home. They are in front of the house where I'd made the terraces. The rest I had to weed eat by hand. All around the rocks and completely down the back hillside. Including using the rotary cutter, it took me almost 30 hours to weed eat everything. And like every year, I had to watch out for rattlesnakes, especially around the rock piles. I got 3 rattlesnakes which I almost stepped on while weed eating. One got away and I saw several other snakes including a striped racer and several Pacific gopher snakes which look exactly like Diamondbacks at first glance. There are a couple of big ones around the house. But those are "good" snakes and I don't bother them. It's the ones below that are dangerous. They lost their heads. Rob-
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quikduk
CTW Life Member
Dog House
Posts: 552
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Post by quikduk on May 8, 2009 16:22:14 GMT -5
Holy Crap!!!
Those guys would ruin my whole day. The next time I am up there, I think I'll have you help me practice my shooting.
Sheesh! How big is the biggest one there re: length and diameter? It look close to 5-6"!
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3RRL
Administrator
Huge Kama
Posts: 2,027
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Post by 3RRL on May 8, 2009 21:45:13 GMT -5
Holy Crap!!! Those guys would ruin my whole day. The next time I am up there, I think I'll have you help me practice my shooting. Sheesh! How big is the biggest one there re: length and diameter? It look close to 5-6"! The biggest one was pretty fat but only about 4-1/2 feet long. I was shittin my pants when I saw the big one about a foot in front of my boots. With the weed eater, you start at the top of the long grass and shrubs and work your way down. That's when they're exposed. Seems like the weed eater doesn't bother them until they are exposed. That's when they start moving. Then you get to see the tell tale diamond back pattern up close and realize what you found...Yikes!! The gopher and racer snakes take off right away. Saw a big, beautiful California King snake this morning. Wish we had more of those around. I always wear tall leather boots and also have snake proof boots too. But I wouldn't want to try them out to see if they really work or not. LOL, know what I mean?
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GuglioLS
Administrator
Jinma354 LE
Posts: 1,276
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Post by GuglioLS on May 8, 2009 22:38:56 GMT -5
Yikes, Now you know why I visit in the dead of winter! What a snake pit you got there Rob. With as many rattlers you got, I guess it pays to never let your guard down. I would use that fancy tiller of yours set deep and till everything in sight in the hopes of chewing up as many as possible. Short of that maybe import some weasels? I believe they like to kill snakes, gophers and ground squirrels and just about anything else that moves. Of course with chickens that might be a problem though. I have to wonder if Brads brother Brian might be able to offer some practical advise? Larry
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Post by bradblazer on May 8, 2009 23:12:50 GMT -5
Nice mobile coop Rob! That tiller looks like it's doing a nice job. I've used my buddies KK 72" with good results. Makes a beautiful garden without much effort. I'll have to ask Brian about snake control. All of his neighbors know to call him if they see a rattlesnake. He'll come and get it. www.corvitude.com/Blazer17.jpgI get black rat snakes in my chicken coop all the time. Last weekend Matthew caught 2. One was a 6 footer. I let them go down the road by the lake.
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3RRL
Administrator
Huge Kama
Posts: 2,027
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Post by 3RRL on May 10, 2009 10:07:18 GMT -5
Larry and Brad, I know the rattlers play an important role in the balance of Nature around the place. The problem is that I don't want them right around the home of course. But there are plenty in all those other rock croppings and I will never get rid of all of them. So yes, we always have to be on guard. I picked up some plastic bags from when Loretta was adding mulch and fertilizer to her garden. There was a baby rattler under on piece. That's how most guys get bit ... they get complacent and pick stuff up around with a possible snake under it. Around the garden hose bibs, when they reach down to turn it on, that often happens. I'm in the habit of using a stick or my boot to move stuff before I pick it up by hand.
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