George the city slicker.

alleyyooper

Tractorologist
Senior Member
Member
When we bought our place in 1985 We were the only house on the east side of the road for nearly a half mile either north or south and only had one across the road we can see in the winter.

Then along about 1987 we see they are building a huge house south of us. It is a deceiving house that looks huge as it has no basement and a small loft with a bed room the rest is all open wasted space to heat.
A guy who lived in a burb of Detroit retired from a Ford factory and decided he wanted to move up north where he could have some horses.
George was a funny fellow but I liked him a lot as a neighbour and as a retired fellow.

He saw me working up my garden with one of my old tractors a model 30 Massey Harris. Asked me to work his yard so it could have grass seed spread for a lawn. I used my 30 to work up the front both sides and back yard area then spread the grass seed packing it in.

Couple years later he had a pole barn built, they scraped a flat spot down in a hill side for it. every time it rained water ran thru it. I take my Massey Mustang with a front loader over there scoping the hill down useing it for fill to raise the floor up in the pole barn where it should have been done. A trench had been dug from the house to the barn to run electric and water to the barn. I filled that in for him also.

George brought his horse home from the boarder a nice mare that was raced on a circle dirt track with a jockey aboard. He got a couple foals out of her a filly and a colt. He was funny in thinking a horse pasture had to have board fences like you see in books about blue grass horse farms in Kentucky. So most of his acrage was going back to brush and deer pasture.

Asked me to work up the area so it could look like pasture that some day he would have post driven and boards installed for a fence. I used my 555 Diesel to pull a lot of Autum Olive bushes and the Mushtang to brush hog down a bunch of other brush. Put my 44 Standard to work pulling the Massey Harris # 27 plow turning over the dirt grassy side under. Put the 44-6 to work pulling a old IH disk to work the soil nice and smooth then since it was mid summer we let it set till early Sept.

Again got the 44 Standard working pulling a old IH field cultvator to work the soil once again. Went over it with the 44-6 and the disk so it was ready to plant.
Hooked the Massey Pacer to the Massey grain drill filled the seeder box with the Pasture mix seed George had bought. Since I do not have a big culipacker I spread a chain across the back of the drill to cover the seed good. Got it all planted it rained a couple days later then you could see seed had sprouted to start a good looking pasture. When spring came it really took off and was really a deer pasture then.

George then decided he wanted a tractor of his own with a front loader to move horse manure, a brush hog to mow the pasture with and snow plow or back blade to move show with. I had been cleaning his drive way with my Mustang with a back blade the the front loader.

He would go out looking at tractors and find one that took his fancy and next day call and see if i would go look it over with him. One of the first was a Indrustal IH had a nice front loader but the hydraulics squeeled like a hurt pig plus no PTO to run a brush hog.
Finally he asked me to go on a Friday to look as some consigned tractors for a sale on Saturday. Two of the most decent tractors were Allis Chalmbers, one a model CA with a snap coupler 2 bottom plow, a snap coupler disk and a set of cutlavtors to go with it. the other was a Allis D17 It was just the tractor no equipment for it.

I told Kare he was probably going to get the CA, So I was in shock when he called me Saturday evening to see if I could go trailer his tractor home on Sunday. I was even more shocked to find out he had passed on the CA as being small and haveing equipment to do a garden with it sold high. The D17 was not pretty to look at but it ran really nice every thing worked.

I gave him a old two section JD spring tooth harrow I had so he could drag the grass down in his field. Should have given hin instructions on how to use it. turned to short so the rear tire grabbed the hitch and had the harrow in his lap PDQ. Can I come and remove it from the seat.
I say I can get it the next day as I have to get to work.

Next day I go over there and remove the drag from the back of the D 17. used the front loader on the Mustange to lift it off. Wonder he didn't get hurt would have been my fault because I had not taught him.

To be continued.

:D Al
 
George was no mechanic So every time he had a problem with his lawn tractor or the big tractor he would call me to fix it. Then he wanted to pay me all the time,I would tell him I wasn't takeing any money for what I was teaching him I am a neighbour. Just take it to the tractor small engine repair shop in town if you want to pay for the work. He then asked what as a neighbour he could do for me.
I said just be there, I have a teen age daughter and son, if some one is trying to get in our house the kids can run to your place till the police get there so that was our agreement.

I am putting shingles on our house and he comes driving down the drive way. I climb down off the roof to see what the problem is. He pulled up got out of his little pick up all excited and says his mare won a race and he had a gift for me. Some gift! he hands me $300.00 in $100. bills. I tell him I can't take that money and he says it is a gift not pay and it isn't polite to refuse a gift from a friend. So I take the money so he wouldn't be up set.

One time he called me up and says Al my lawn tractor won't start. I tell him I will be right there, get there and it won't hardly turn over the battery is so dead. Run back home and get my charger with the quick boost hook it up and it rolls over and won't start but gas is running out the muffler.
I remove the plug and it is really wet, so for some reason the carb is allowing to much gas to get in the cylinder. Remove the air cleaner cover and it is packed with dandolion seeds grass clippings and all kinds of other stuff.
Tell George he should clean that thing or get a new one regular. Got a new plug and air filter and it started right up.
It was a TSC Huskee lawn tractor with a Briggs engine.
Another time he called and said that the engine was running but it wasn't cutting grass. Well I guess not every bolt that held the engine to the frame was gone except one. That one was so loose it allowed the engine to move and not make contact enough with the belt.
Get all new bolts for it use loc tite and install lock nuts as a second back up.

Called me up and says I need you if your not busy to come and hold the filly while I doctor her leg . She slipped and caught the door stop going out yesterday. The vet came and looked at it cleaned it up then said I should change the bandage every day and apply some more antibacterial cream.

I walk over and he says to just hold her halter so I am doing that and talking to her as he is removeing the bandage. Every time she stomps her foot he jumps back like he thinks she is going to stomp on him.
Being a old farm boy who had a rideing horse since i was about 10 and been around cows that were at times needing treatments I am used to cattle.
I tell Geoge to just hold the halter and i will apply the cream and rebandandage the wound. So every morning for about 10 days I would go and work on her leg.


One day he calls and asked me if a front loader for a Allis WD will work on his D 17. I said I don't know if it is a driect bolt up but I have a welder and cutting torch. Couple days he asked if i can go get a front loader, disk harrow and some other stuff.

Yup I can do it today where is it at? Do they have some thing to load it on my trailer? he tells me where it is and no they can't load it up. I go hook up to my trailer and load my Mustang up stop at Georges place and drive to where the suff is. Use thr loader on my Mustang to load the disk and front loader on my trailer the way I wanted it. All the way back to Georges house he is asking how we are going to unload thre trailer. I get to his place back the trailer up to a clear spot on his property hook a chain to the disk use his D 17 to tow it down off the ramps, Same with the front loader. Go back for a second load a 2 bottom plow, a Allis snap coupler rear dirt scoope, a snap coupler Field cultavator. Take that load to George and unload it, go back and get my tractor.

I drag my feet getting around to mounting the front loader on his D 17 as I knew the worry wort guy would being asking the thousand qustions about every move I was making.
He called and said he and his wife were going away for a long week end could I or my son feed the horses while he was gone. Told him to consider it done by one of us. While he was gone I got the loader mounted on the tractor ran the oil lines to the remote and tied them up. Made him a rear hitch to hook the back blade to also.

Was several months before he needed help again. Called and said thr D 17 had just quit in the field while he was disking it down. Said he had checked the gas and it was nearly full. I walk over there to th efield where th 3etractor sat and I could smell the burnt electric smell as soon as I got there. remove the right side hood section and started looking at the wireing. The battery tray brace had rotted in half allowning the tray to come down on the wire and short it out burning a good section of wires.
I tell george I will get some wires from work We have big tubs of wires to fix and replace stuff on the lemons we get in.
Next day with my wire tools and wire I go over and get the wires redid enough to get it to the barn. At the barn I solder all the wires slide the heat shrink in place and shrink it. Tell George I need to take it over to my place and make a new brace for the battery tray,I have a block of wood as a tempory brace. Get it fixed and home the next day, he tells me that he has put it in his will the tractor and all the equipment is mine when he passes.

I didn't hear from him for some time after that. then in Nov he calls and says they are selling the farm and the tractor and stuff is mine. He has a medical problem and can't take care of the horses and they are moveing into a condo. I asked how much he wanted for the stuff and he said I told you it was yours when I die, I should have also said in event I can't use it any longer too.

So I got the tractor and stuff home. Never seen George again for a vey long time. then ran into him one day at a resturant. he was going in as we were going out. then it was several more years before I saw him again. Kare's mom broke her hip then was put in a nursing home to recover and do therapy. Kare came home and said she thought Geroge was in that nurseing home, thought she had seen him. Couple days later said that yes it was George and had talked to him for a tiny bit. I started driveing in and found him and spent a couple hours talking to him. He didn't even remember me nor the farm, but enjoyed the visits. Geroge passed away in June 2017.


Allisbuildingthebeegarden.jpg


It is a lite duty loader but moved horse manure and some dirt too.


:D Al
 
That’s a great story, Al. It’s nice to be able to help someone out. And enjoy doing it. And they appreciated your help.
So, I was wondering about the new owners of George’s place. Are they like George. Do you interact with them. Just wondering.

Noel
 
Georges place is on the second owner since George sold the place.
The first couple was odd moving in during the winter. Not seeing a tractor I plowed their drive for them. The wife got crappy with me and said he was getting a tractor so I quit plowing the drive. When the snow got to deep for them to wade thru it they called and asked me to plow them out. I gave them the number of a fellow who plows drive ways.

Soon after that they were evicted for non payment.

The next people moved in during the summer had a board fence put up which is about a foot on our new place, got to deal with that soon.

I had always walked my dogs down a path next to that fence. His wife was out there once and My Visula barked at her but was no where near her. that evening he has his fat butt on his tractor and yelled at me for my dog growling at her.
Didn't set well with me so I left them alone and when there dog came over to mess with my dogs I let my dogs tear into it that stopped their dog coming where I walk my dogs for a long time. Then about 4 years ago they got a german shepard that scared me one evening. So I started carrying again when walking my dogs. their dogs would come out in the field and I would yell git and shoot a tree a couple times. They must think I am the worst shot since their dumb dogs returned home every time unswathed. But it soon stopped their dumb dogs coming into their field. The Husband died last summer some time.

We bought the Property between our place and theirs. I asked Fred the Former owner if he knew where the property line was and he said he had never been sure but had planed on a survey when they built a home there before his wife took sick.

So they had been mowing out side the horse fence so I used that as a start point and started clearing brush from where they mowed to the road.
Next thing I have a cop banging on my door. Said she complained I had cleared the brush to far south on their place.
I told the cop that while I was clearing she had told me to clear all that stuff out since it stunk so bad in the spring and we had a survey crew coming and if I was to far south all the stuff I had clerared would be back by mid summer 2019. I told him I was putting up a woven wire fence so their dog couldn't come over on our place and chase deer. He said I was not the only one to complain about the dog. Said the last time he told them to controll their dog when out side or he would ticket them for voliateing the leash law.

And yes I was to far south by about 20 feet. She could have ofered to work with me on the property line but instead called the law.

So no I do not inter act with them, the lest said the better.

:D Al
 
Very sorry to hear that, and I’m sorry I stirred things up.
It’s just amazing how nutty some people are.
I have land where I live. And a no mind neighbour drives his atv over my land and what do ya do. He’s the type that looks for a fight when he’s drinking. Which is every weekend. But he’s a business man. Has a siding and window business. I don’t know how he stays in business with the type of personality he has. So I don’t know how to deal with him.
Any way, it pisses me off that people are idiots.
No matter how far you get into the country to have peace and quiet from idiots, they seem to be there.

Noel
 
Yes I know Daniel. But what do you do. I’m trying to keep peace. Even the town put up signs for people to keep off town land. He just drives around it. My land boarders town land. I don’t need the hassle of dealing with an idiot.

Noel
 
I learned a long while ago you personally can not deal with tresspassers. Get pictures if you can with out a ensueing fight. Either way pictures or not call the law and have them do their job the one your tax dollars pay for.

You haven't stired a think up just worte how it was and how it is. Life is what it is.

When I was 14 brother was 12 we dug a lot of fence post holes by hand one summer nearly every wakeing moment on nice days. Along about the end of August we had all the holes dug and filled with new cedar fence post. We rolled out rolls of woven wire fenceing stapled it to the end post then streched it, stapled to all the post as dad instructed. finished just before we had to start school was a sight to see that shiny woven wire fence as straight as can be and tight as a drum skin.

Couple guys stopped in later and asked dad about permission to run coon hounds across the place to chase coons.
Those jack A**es carried wire cutters and cut holes in the fence to let those hounds thru. No couldn't prove it was done during the night time when coon hunters would be out.

Dad was really ticked off said some words I had never heard before along with thats enough to frost your balls. Day after those fence holes were discovered My brother dad and I spent a couple days putting up NO TRESSPASSING SIGNS, no DON'T EVEN ASK.

Dad wasn't nice to any one who had the guts to knock on the door to ask either.
Got in trouble for shooting a guys car who had pulled in the drive way one night and shineing the buildings and such. Dad put four 38 cal holes in the left front fender of the car before they could get out of there. What saved dad was the guy couldn't explain how the holes were in the left fender if he was on the road doing what he said he was doing.

:D Al
 
Guess I am lucky as the ground on 3 sides is under Farm Management and is in CRP for another 8 years at least. Without a lot of trouble the access to part of it is across my yard so we get along good. Fram Manager want to trade me some junk ground they had for 30' of mine along the one side. That would put the property line within about 30' of the house. No way. Left it that I have leased hunting rights on their 160A and they can access their ground on my ground with prior permission. My other neighbor if real good guy. I have worked for him numerous times, moving cattle, getting crops in, windrowing hay, etc. Anything I need he is right there to help. Big stock farm operation. Raises calves and sell them around 500lbs as feeders. Usually has several hundred head every year. Takes a lot of hay, corn for silage, and pasture ground for that size operation so between the family they have around 9KA in this area.
 
The Saskatchewan Provincial Gov't. has FINALLY passed a trespass law that has teeth. You now need written permission to go on private land. Previous to this it was up to the land owner to post his land with "No Trespassing" signs a designated distance apart and of a given size. What an expensive and annoying waste of time for the land owner. I like this law!!! :thumbs: Now I can lay charges against a trespasser and have a chance of winning.
 
Ya we have the need written permission slip also. You still have to have the dumb signs up be cause the ones in lansing will not pass the purple paint law to mark the property as private..

The tresspasser just says I had no Idea it was private property.

:D Al
 
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But there are some places although I haven't seen them in Michigan where you drive down the road see a chunk of land you want to tresspass on an it is fine.

Friend in N Dakota it is like that and very few bother to post their property. He did say that posting is on the increase as more and more slobs cut ruts in fields and leave trash and dump stuff.

:D Al
 
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