7/25/2020 (Saturday) To me this was the most surprising picture from last week. One year ago I got the tractor and mower running at the same time and cut one swath through these bushes. Turned around, couldn't get the mower re-engaged, the gears scrubbed, I got scared and quit. You can still see the cut after a year! Are the deer using it as a path now? Could mowing be worthwhile and not just another weekly chore to add to the list? I bought that mower used, and I think they sneaked a smaller tail wheel on it than the original. Too low to the ground. You can order a bigger one, but unless I can figure out what I'm doing wrong with the gears it won't help. I need to try it again. If I ruin the gears it's no worse than not using it at all, because I'm not going to bother ever trying to sell it. YouTube videos suggest I might be flipping the PTO lever too fast, because it is stiff, and moves in one jerk or not at all. 7/26/2020 (Sunday, at the farm) Of course the tractor battery is dead. Put it on charge for 3 hours. Not good enough. Internet said it may take 10 hours. Got the lawn mowed with riding mower, and the chainsaw running with new gas. Next trip out there Thursday, weather will determine what to do. 7/28/2020 (Tuesday, in town) Mowed front lawn and top part of back. Definitely going to lose another large patch of grass in the front yard this summer. Why? Planted two more hedge bushes. They are getting root bound in the pots and turning yellow. At least I'm keeping busy. That was the point to begin with...to get out of a rut.
HI Bill, The area in the picture used to be under a power line that went to nowhere. The power company would mow it every other year. Then the goats kept it mowed. That line was removed a few years ago. I could just let it grow up there now. It might be good cover for smaller animals. I was just testing the mower there because it's close to the house. Since I bought that property, the hardwood trees have grown large enough to shade out brush from growing under them. The woods gets prettier every year now. The only places where the growth should be controlled are along the fence, the roads, and the dam. I could mow a few strips across the top of the dam. The rest would have to be sprayed. Three more hours on the battery charger Thursday and still just goes click, click, click.... Battery could be shot I guess. It's rather new, but hasn't been used much. I'll keep trying.
I keep my riding mower battery on a battery tender, when I'm not mowing. Keeps it in great shape. This week, I'll be detaching my mower deck and changing the drive belt. Something is wrong with my deck lowering and raising mechanism, and my blades keep spinning, even when the deck is raised, partially. If I get any flashes of insight, into the whole deck raising and lowering mechanics, and the blade activation/inactivation, I'll follow up, in this thread. My riding mower is thirteen years old, so if I discover the deck is rusted through, I'll pop for a new one, no biggie.
The battery tender is a great idea, Trev. . Thanks. . Is this the one? Would it be a bad idea to try to jump start the tractor with the truck (Ford F-150) running? Tractor is a New Holland compact TC30 (30 hp?) diesel. Don't remember the specs on the battery right now.
Hi, Nancy! This is what I use. I take the battery out of the mower after mowing, and keep it on the tender in my garage. I get about four years, per battery. Jumping the battery from your truck works ok, but I've not had to do that since I started using the tender, many years back.
Thanks. I'll check that one out. I just thought if you could get the thing started it might charge faster running. Maybe not. The battery is very hard to get out. You have to disconnect some hoses attached to the air filter. And it's heavy. I could disconnect it in place, though.
I keep discovering really great old songs that I never heard of before. It's embarrassing. Most were, and still are, very popular. This is the latest one. Powderfinger - Neil Young From the album, Rust Never Sleeps, with Crazyhorse, 1979 This song is intense. A live performance with Crazyhorse in 1991 is included (below), but I also like this solo version from 1998. The same intensity is there from the (12 string) guitar. ----- Lyrics Look out Mama, there's a white boat coming up the river With a big red beacon and a flag and a man on the rail I think you'd better call John. It don't look like they're here to deliver the mail And it's less than a mile away I hope they didn't come to stay It's got numbers on the side and a gun And it's making big waves Daddy is gone, my brother's out hunting in the mountains Big John's been drinking since the river took Emmy Lou So the powers that be left me here to do the thinking And I just turned twenty-two I was wondering what to do The closer they got The more those feelings grew Daddy's rifle in my hands felt reassuring He told me, "Red means run, Son. Numbers add up to nothing" When the first shot hit the dock, I saw it coming Raised my rifle to my eye Never stopped to wonder why Then I saw black And my face splash in the sky Shelter me from the powder and the finger Cover me with the thought that pulled the trigger Just think of me as one you never figured Would fade away so young With so much left undone Remember me to my love I know I'll miss her ----- I love both versions.
My ability to predict car salesmen has been reaffirmed. Just sent an email to the Ford salesman asking a question. Turns out he quit his job and moved on shortly after I last corresponded with him. That explains why he didn't bug me anymore about a phone number. I got a reply from a different salesman. So what does this new salesman do? I send him a serious simple question, "Can I still do a custom order on a 2020 model F-150?" (along with a copy of all the correspondence with the previous salesman which has the specs I want.) His answer was only to ask for my phone number. I want to correspond by email so I have time to think. I don't want to be bugged by cell phone calls. I may just ignore him, drive out Monday and as soon as a salesman asks for my phone number, I'll ask if I can speak to someone else. Am I being too stubborn?
"Daddy is gone, my brother's out hunting in the mountains .Big John's been drinking since the river took Emmy Lou .So the powers that be left me here to do the thinkin' " After much thinking, I'm going to take the answer from the Ford salesman to mean "No," and wait for the 2021's to come out (in September). I may tell him just that, and ask if you really need a phone number to buy a car. Previews of the 2021 Crewcab models are out. Little has changed that I care about. I like the new front end much better. It looks neat and simple with a chrome bumper option. With all the cameras outside, I guess you will have to keep it washed more often. Unless there is something wrong with the one I get, I will likely keep it for 20 years, so it WILL be my last vehicle, and I want it as close to what I want as possible. Hope you can still get a bench seat. I don't like bucket seats. The only preview of a Supercab is this prototype spotted in Colorado in June, undergoing high-altitude testing.
8/7/2020 - Part I (Friday) Set tractor battery charging for about 4 hours. Hooked to charger on 'start', engine turned over once then click, click, click. Tractor battery is 675 CCA. Jump started it with the truck. Let it run about 20 minutes. Didn't help. The charger cord gets awfully hot. With the new smart battery charger/maintainer I ordered you are supposed to be able to leave it on charge unattended, and it automatically switches to maintain, but it's not scheduled to be delivered until August 18th. Tried to engage the mower and it scrubbed again. I think I didn't push the clutch in all the way. Can't remember. Found this on a tractor forum. A member's reply to another member who was having trouble with the PTO on the same tractor: "I don't know about your set up, but on my 9X3 gear tractor (TC-30), my PTO lever hates to budge. I do a lot of shifting on the column, the 3- lo, med, hi ranges and make sure the clutch is flat down - then it slips in. Mine gets better with use. First time after the winter- it does not want to move. Good luck with yours." The weeds along the road are just the right size to mow. I could go around and check for any obstructions hidden in the weeds, in the meantime. I guess as long as I keep close to the road at all times, I can always use the truck to jump start it again. {Jinx!} I wonder if an armadillo would do it.
Just checked my email. Update from Amazon. The charger has been rescheduled to come tomorrow. They reschedule almost every time I order something. Do you suppose it's just to try to get you to choose a faster delivery when you order? Anyway...
8/7/2020 - Part II There was supposed to be a Part II but I kept editing out unimportant things and there was nothing left. Will add back one picture. Kudzu vines crossing the road. Zapped them good with Roundup Friday. I think this is the only remaining patch on the property now. There were several acres of it out there 30 years ago. Kudzu is a lot like the virus. It's hard to eradicate completely once it is allowed to take over. Sometimes the best you can do is keep it down to small patches, which can be controlled with very little work. But it can pop up anywhere when you aren't paying attention.
I never heard of Kudzu before so I looked it up. It almost looks like the ivy growing in my backyard. I have to cut it back too or it will take over. I purposely let it grow over a basement window though.