Yard Cleanup

[Sawdust]

I cut a few cedar trees down last year letting them shed their growth for a good bedding in this area. I’m hoping next year I can build a three sided shed to drive in and out of and not have to cover the tractors up. I used the Sears SS15 to haul the chipper to this area which was a little challenging the way the chipper rocks back and forth. In one area I put the tractor in 1st gear and got off to walk along the side of the chipper. I need to work this thing before cold weather so the new wheel and axle design will have to wait.

This chipper is working out very well. I chipped up four piles of growth nothing bigger than a couple of inches. I did try one bigger with no problems but I cut the bigger stuff for firewood. I limbed the trees last year so all that was left was the branches. I opened the discharge door to the second position and like designed it crests bigger chips which I like this pile better.


Once I got done I used the string trimmer to clean up the weeds. I had three bunches of honey locust shoots about 3’ high. These things are viscous.

I heard the dinner bell ringing around 1:00 from the house and had to quit for awhile to take care of this.

 

[4getgto]

Nice weather to work in Jim...
Been having beautiful fall weather here too..
And that sausage and biscuits looks really good...
Ill be down by suppertime . keep me some..!

Biscuits and (gravy ?) or something, it don't matter, still looks good.

 

[Sawdust]

Nice weather to work in Jim...
Been having beautiful fall weather here too..
And that sausage and biscuits looks really good...
Ill be down by suppertime . keep me some..!

Biscuits and (gravy ?) or something, it don't matter, still looks good.

Biscuits and gravy, fried potatoes, fried egg, bacon, and tomatoes.

 

[MFDAC]

That chipper is earning it's keep right away! Looks like it does exactly what you need it to do, Jim! That breakfast does look great!

DAC

 

[Sawdust]

I’ve had a lot of stuff accumulated not far from the house under tarps. It wasn’t so bad for awhile but recently its been looking like a homeless camp. A few days ago I started moving things to the upper area where I recently cleaned up with the chipper. It’s about 138 yards from my shop, a nice little walk to get to something. So far I have 8 tractors, 60” Swisher Trail Mower, garden tiller, chipper, seed spreader, two yard trailers, and a cultivator. I’m hoping to get all this in the three sided shed I was talking about.

Carol had to steer two non runners up while I towed them.

I’m kind of disappointed once I got this stuff up there, space started to disappear fast. I thought I could get 6 rows of tractors 2 in each row but I can’t in my plan of a 24’ width. It’s going to take at least 27’.

In the pic below if I move everything counter clockwise to about an 8:00-2:00 position I can get 28’ which would be real good. Right now everything is away from the house out of view which is what I wanted to do. We don’t have a lot of level areas near the house. We have plenty for f level areas too far to walk too and too secluded without doors. I’ll think more about something permanent next year.

 

[MFDAC]

Better go at least 25% more than you think you need for space! Something else is bound to show up and then no room for it, Jim! Nice to see your better half out there with you!

DAC

 

[chieffan]

Cheaper to go bigger now than to add on later. I agree with you on the tarps making it look like a homeless camp but we have to do what we have to do. I was fortunate when I was doing custom haying and made enough money to put up two buildings, a 32 x36 x10 and 24 x 32 x8 3 sided pallet building. Can get everything under a solid roof.

 

[Sawdust]

Better go at least 25% more than you think you need for space! Something else is bound to show up and then no room for it, Jim! Nice to see your better half out there with you!

DAC

I need to downsize bad on a lot of things. For example, if you all remember the little Husky cultivator my friend gave me about four years ago that quit turning the tines. That little thing has been sitting under a tarp for two years. I got it out to throw away but tried to start it and it fired right up and ran good So it’s a keeper…again.

 

[Sawdust]

Cheaper to go bigger now than to add on later. I agree with you on the tarps making it look like a homeless camp but we have to do what we have to do. I was fortunate when I was doing custom haying and made enough money to put up two buildings, a 32 x36 x10 and 24 x 32 x8 3 sided pallet building. Can get everything under a solid roof.

Those are nice size barns Roger. Carol thinks I need a typical enclosed barn instead of sheds. Right now the economy is too uncertain and lumber prices are still high. I have been researching stick building a barn vs the package deals. Those package deals are not bad at all. For me the sheds cost very little since I have been using the repurposed pallet lumber.

 

[KennyP]

Those are nice size barns Roger. Carol thinks I need a typical enclosed barn instead of sheds. Right now the economy is too uncertain and lumber prices are still high. I have been researching stick building a barn vs the package deals. Those package deals are not bad at all. For me the sheds cost very little since I have been using the repurposed pallet lumber.

Only thing to consider about the package deals as you may get a lot of warped/twisted lumber.

 

[chieffan]

There is a lot of idea for building on using pallets on the internet. Guy needs an air nailer to put them up though. That lumber is usually hard and dried out and splits easily when you try to drive a nail in. Pallets make a good cheap building for sure. I have a couple board that came off mine I need to replace before winter to keep the snow out.

 

[chieffan]

Only thing to consider about the package deals as you may get a lot of warped/twisted lumber.

And a lot of short cuts taken, like hanging sliding doors with roofing nails and covering it with the steel siding. Or a post a foot to short so they put a block on top and toe nail it in place and hide it. Seen that way to many times.

 

[Sawdust]

Only thing to consider about the package deals as you may get a lot of warped/twisted lumber.

When I mentioned the package deals I meant where you pick the size and decor and they deliver and build it. I’ve seen several go up in a day or two. Yeah your right I would never order a lumber package. That’s when the get rid of their firewood lol.

 

[Sawdust]

There is a lot of idea for building on using pallets on the internet. Guy needs an air nailer to put them up though. That lumber is usually hard and dried out and splits easily when you try to drive a nail in. Pallets make a good cheap building for sure. I have a couple board that came off mine I need to replace before winter to keep the snow out.

When I built Carol’s chicken coop and my shop extension I used mostly pallet lumber. Most all of the 4x4’s are oak and some are cherry. I have a nice framing gun and with maximum air pressure I still had to drive some of the nails home. The recoil on my gun a few times if I wasn’t keeping my head away it would have took my jaw off.

 

[chieffan]

When I built Carol’s chicken coop and my shop extension I used mostly pallet lumber. Most all of the 4x4’s are oak and some are cherry. I have a nice framing gun and with maximum air pressure I still had to drive some of the nails home. The recoil on my gun a few times if I wasn’t keeping my head away it would have took my jaw off.

Not to bad when the lumber is green. Had a HF framing nailer that bump fired on me. Was my fault for holding the pieces I was nailing together in the first place. Nailed two finger together. Went in the middle finger at an angle right under the finger nail and through the ring finger above the bone between the first and second knuckle. Have pic of it but can't find it now. Little foreign Dr. was going to try and pull it out with one of those little forceps they use for stitches. Knew the nurses well so pulled out my pliers and handed it to the one nurse and said big jobs require big tools. She handed it to another gal and said to steralize this as we are going to use it to pull that nail out. Dr. stepped back and the gals pulled the nail out and I went home.

 

[MFDAC]

I need to downsize bad on a lot of things. For example, if you all remember the little Husky cultivator my friend gave me about four years ago that quit turning the tines. That little thing has been sitting under a tarp for two years. I got it out to throw away but tried to start it and it fired right up and ran good So it’s a keeper…again.

I have pretty much decided an auctioneer and scrapper will downsize for me after I croak!

DAC

 

[Sawdust]

Took about four hours to mulch and bag up the leaves for the garden today. I couldn’t dump them on a tarp because of so much wind blowing. I loaded them up in the yard trailer 3 times and dumped them in the corn/potato garden. I wanted to till them under but just didn’t have the strength maybe in a day or two. My plan was to just push mow the leaf areas and use the tractor for the rest. I ended up just push mowing the whole yard because the grass/leaf mix would even be better for the garden. My counter said I walked 5.6 miles today. I took 3 breaks and the time it took to unload the leaves so it wasn’t bad. It was a good day and satisfying now that it’s done. I’ll probably have to do it again but next time I’ll use the tractor with the deck closed up to feed the trees.

 

[Propane1]

I should hire you Jim and your equipment to come to PEI and help me with all my downed trees. Hehe.
Oh, and take Carol with you, so I can try out her cookin. She makes some dandy looking dishes.

Noel

 

[Sawdust]

I should hire you Jim and your equipment to come to PEI and help me with all my downed trees. Hehe.
Oh, and take Carol with you, so I can try out her cookin. She makes some dandy looking dishes.

Noel

Nothing like your firewood setup Noel. I showed your pics to Carol the other day and she said that looks like a lumber mill. You could probably use this chipper/shreader I recently got, it’s been working out well.

 

[Sawdust]

Yesterday I started moving some pallet lumber left over from a project to a place away from the house. I used the 4 wheeler because it had a lot of gas that’s been in there all summer. This pile consists mostly of double solid oak 2x4’s nailed together with 4-6 nails. I separated a lot of these to use on my shop extension, a little effort but with a pot of coffee next to a fire and some money saved it’s worth the effort.

The new place is about a five minute walk from the house near my bone yard. I made two trips with these.


Next up will be some 8 & 10 foot 4x4’s these might be a little challenging because my trailer is only 6’ long.