Buying a Kubota tractor and building a Camp

[fried1765]

The place that sold it to me only sold two grades.
Cargo ready and one trip. Mine is a cargo ready.
The side of the container you cannot see in the photo has some good sized dents.
From inside to outside, so at some point in it's history, it had internal cargo shifting.
There are no holes in the steel, and the double layer plywood floor is solid and no flaws.
There are several steel welded patches. The rubber door seals are intact and flexible.
It works well for implement storage, and I will likely park one ATV inside for the duration of conventional firearms deer season, and both of the muzzleloader seasons.

I did weld a very tall old steel flag pole pipe to one corner of the container. I will string a 100 foot long outdoor rated 10 gauge wire extension cord from a repurposed telephone/power pole near the corner of the cabin, overhead to the repurposed flag pole. That way, heavy equipment, loaded 10 wheel dump trucks, and loaded log trucks will be able to get underneath the overhead wire, and I will have 20 amps of 120 volt power inside the container for anything I want.
(electric tools, lights, battery tender etc.)
I likely will not complete that task until next year

It will however at some point need some painting, but being constructed from CORTEN steel,
any surface rust will act as a protective coating. CORTEN steel is the same stuff you see on unpainted
steel beams used in modern interstate bridge construction. The rust becomes the "paint."

The container was right around $2k.
The delivery to my location from Philadelphia, PA/Trenton, NJ was slightly less than $2k.
All in, $3900 and change with a one year satisfaction guarantee.

Round trip from the yard to my location and the return trip back to Philly/Trenton is 400 miles.
The delivery charge is directly related to the two way distance from the yard.
They hauled it with a big late model Ford F350 diesel 4x4 pickup, and a fancy hydraulic trailer.
The only thing about my container I do not like is the door hinges are stiff as hell.
I have soaked them with PB Blaster, Kroil, and ATF. They are still stiff.
I am going to mix up a batch of Ed's Red (50% ATF/50% Acetone) and try that and see if it penetrates into the hinge pins. If not, some oxy-acetylene heat should do it.

I did do a security modification, I bought several feet of PEWAG chain with a square cross section wire
1/2" x 1/2" (square, not round) and huge case hardened links and cut it into two sections one foot long.
I cut small rectangular holes in each door, and stuck one end link of each piece of chain thru the hole in each door, and then skewered the end link inside the door with a five foot section of big rebar, and then welded the rebar inside each door in six places. I'm using three Italian VIRO keyed container locks.
You use one VIRO lock on each of the standard equipment container cammed locking bars on the right hand door, and the third VIRO lock connects the two pieces of PEWAG chain at the split between the two doors. The locks are NOT keyed alike, so I marked each lock with one, two, and three centerpunch divots,
and each matching key with the appropriate number of centerpunch divots. I sealed up the holes where the chain penetrates each door with plumbers putty to keep the yellow jackets out.

1/2" x 2' Pewag Security Chain Kit w/Viro Lock

Protect your items from theft with this Pewag security chain kit. This kit features Pewag 1/2" case-hardened security chain and a high quality viro security lock. The combination of the square chain on the lock prevents thieves from getting a bolt cutter on the lock while the chain itself won't...

www.uscargocontrol.com

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018MASOGQ?tag=bravesoftwa04-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1&language=en_US

Nobody will be able to drag the container away, it's 10,000 pounds.
Plus the weight of anything I load into the container.
You will not get in that container using brute force or bolt cutters.
Oxy-acetylene torches and/or cordless grinder/cutoff wheel will however get somebody inside.
But they will need a lot of welding gas or many cordless tool batteries.
That PEWAG chain is crazy tough stuff. They use it for traction chains on the world's largest wheeled logging and mining equipment. The VIRO container locks are also tough as hell.

The place that sold it to me only sold two grades.
Cargo ready and one trip. Mine is a cargo ready.
The side of the container you cannot see in the photo has some good sized dents.
From inside to outside, so at some point in it's history, it had internal cargo shifting.
There are no holes in the steel, and the double layer plywood floor is solid and no flaws.
There are several steel welded patches. The rubber door seals are intact and flexible.
It works well for implement storage, and I will likely park one ATV inside for the duration of conventional firearms deer season, and both of the muzzleloader seasons.

I did weld a very tall old steel flag pole pipe to one corner of the container. I will string a 100 foot long outdoor rated 10 gauge wire extension cord from a repurposed telephone/power pole near the corner of the cabin, overhead to the repurposed flag pole. That way, heavy equipment, loaded 10 wheel dump trucks, and loaded log trucks will be able to get underneath the overhead wire, and I will have 20 amps of 120 volt power inside the container for anything I want.
(electric tools, lights, battery tender etc.)
I likely will not complete that task until next year

It will however at some point need some painting, but being constructed from CORTEN steel,
any surface rust will act as a protective coating. CORTEN steel is the same stuff you see on unpainted
steel beams used in modern interstate bridge construction. The rust becomes the "paint."

The container was right around $2k.
The delivery to my location from Philadelphia, PA/Trenton, NJ was slightly less than $2k.
All in, $3900 and change with a one year satisfaction guarantee.

Round trip from the yard to my location and the return trip back to Philly/Trenton is 400 miles.
The delivery charge is directly related to the two way distance from the yard.
They hauled it with a big late model Ford F350 diesel 4x4 pickup, and a fancy hydraulic trailer.
The only thing about my container I do not like is the door hinges are stiff as hell.
I have soaked them with PB Blaster, Kroil, and ATF. They are still stiff.
I am going to mix up a batch of Ed's Red (50% ATF/50% Acetone) and try that and see if it penetrates into the hinge pins. If not, some oxy-acetylene heat should do it.

I did do a security modification, I bought several feet of PEWAG chain with a square cross section wire
1/2" x 1/2" (square, not round) and huge case hardened links and cut it into two sections one foot long.
I cut small rectangular holes in each door, and stuck one end link of each piece of chain thru the hole in each door, and then skewered the end link inside the door with a five foot section of big rebar, and then welded the rebar inside each door in six places. I'm using three Italian VIRO keyed container locks.
You use one VIRO lock on each of the standard equipment container cammed locking bars on the right hand door, and the third VIRO lock connects the two pieces of PEWAG chain at the split between the two doors. The locks are NOT keyed alike, so I marked each lock with one, two, and three centerpunch divots,
and each matching key with the appropriate number of centerpunch divots. I sealed up the holes where the chain penetrates each door with plumbers putty to keep the yellow jackets out.

1/2" x 2' Pewag Security Chain Kit w/Viro Lock

Protect your items from theft with this Pewag security chain kit. This kit features Pewag 1/2" case-hardened security chain and a high quality viro security lock. The combination of the square chain on the lock prevents thieves from getting a bolt cutter on the lock while the chain itself won't...

www.uscargocontrol.com

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018MASOGQ?tag=bravesoftwa04-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1&language=en_US

Nobody will be able to drag the container away, it's 10,000 pounds.
Plus the weight of anything I load into the container.
You will not get in that container using brute force or bolt cutters.
Oxy-acetylene torches and/or cordless grinder/cutoff wheel will however get somebody inside.
But they will need a lot of welding gas or many cordless tool batteries.
That PEWAG chain is crazy tough stuff. They use it for traction chains on the world's largest wheeled logging and mining equipment. The VIRO container locks are also tough as hell.

Weight of STANDARD 40' container is listed as 8,159 lbs.

 

[BX25D Rookie]

In late summer 2023, we were at the recreational property doing some bush hog work.
There is a small interior field of several acres that hadn't been mowed in over 20 years.
That field is well away from the road frontage, and entirely surrounded by woods.
It cleaned up nicely and in the weeks before firearms deer season start in November, it grew lush green grass and became a very nice poor man's food plot.

While there doing the bush hog work, we noticed several vehicular access roads had been cut in the woods between the road frontage town road and the power line easement. The power line easement is roughly parallel to the road frontage town road, and about 150 feet into the woods from the town road.
I have a pair of locked double steel farm gates for access into the road frontage field where the cabin is located. Two 12' steel gates on steel well casing posts. So at a nominal 24' width between the posts, virtually any sized equipment can be brought onto the property. We've had excavators and tracked skid steers there before for projects, along with our personal equipment and trailers.

I called the fish cops dispatch center and made a complaint. I eventually had a fish cop show up at the property and they did a trespassing and unauthorized timber cutting investigation.
The fish cop reluctantly did his job and tracked down the offenders.

In October, we had a on site meeting with the responsible corporate entities.
It turns out that a subcontractor for the power company did the illegal road building and tree cutting on the property. The foreman for the tree trimming subcontractor stated in front of the fish cop, (A.) they did the deed, (B.) they knew they should not have done it, and (C.) they didn't have time to follow the rules because they got paid by the mile for easement trimming, and time is money.

Needless to say, when I heard that reasoning for the trespassing and timber cutting, I was really pissed off. Basically, they were too lazy to make a phone call for getting the gates opened.
The power company has a lock on the gate so they can access the easement if they need to get into the easement for power line repairs. The subcontractor (tree trimmers) could have called the power company field operations group and had them open the gate. Or the subcontractor could have used the power pole ID numbers that feed power to the cabin, and the power company customer service group can ID the customer and call them for getting the gate opened.

However, none of the correct things were done, and the subcontractor decided that they would just cut roads into the woods in two places so they could reach the easement and do their tree trimming work.

I then spent the next nine months filing complaints with the public service commission, filing claims with the power company, and trying to get the local county district attorney to prosecute.
Phone calls, emails, photos, meetings, nothing but wasted time.
The end result of nine months of wasted time and paperwork was a big goose egg zero.

Several days ago I decided to lawyer up.
There is ~$25k in property damage. (contractor written estimate)
And I'm asking for several hundred thousand dollars in punitive damages for their unlawful & outrageous conduct.
My final instructions with my lawyer was, hang onto their shoulders tightly, make it hurt.
Put pumice sand in the Vaseline.

 

[RCW]

If my memory serves, you are in my area.

As such, I’m probably familiar with the companies involved. Not associated with either one.

I also have an easement through the middle of our house property.

I guess their actions don’t surprise me. If I have the companies correct, I haven’t had any problems with them on the rare occasion they do vegetative management/maitenance work, but know some have.

Best of luck with your action against them.

 

[BX25D Rookie]

Yes, I'm local to you. Both my home and the recreational property.
So you have undoubtedly figured out who the perpetrators are.
I don't wish for either of them to be identified by name at this time.
The lawyer I hired is in the county south of us.
He's big on news conferences and print media.

 

[rc51stierhoff]

In late summer 2023, we were at the recreational property doing some bush hog work.
There is a small interior field of several acres that hadn't been mowed in over 20 years.
That field is well away from the road frontage, and entirely surrounded by woods.
It cleaned up nicely and in the weeks before firearms deer season start in November, it grew lush green grass and became a very nice poor man's food plot.

While there doing the bush hog work, we noticed several vehicular access roads had been cut in the woods between the road frontage town road and the power line easement. The power line easement is roughly parallel to the road frontage town road, and about 150 feet into the woods from the town road.
I have a pair of locked double steel farm gates for access into the road frontage field where the cabin is located. Two 12' steel gates on steel well casing posts. So at a nominal 24' width between the posts, virtually any sized equipment can be brought onto the property. We've had excavators and tracked skid steers there before for projects, along with our personal equipment and trailers.

i called the fish cops dispatch center and made a complaint. I eventually had a fish cop show up at the property and they did a trespassing and unauthorized timber cutting investigation.
The fish cop reluctantly did his job and tracked down the offenders.

In October, we had a on site meeting with the responsible corporate entities.
It turns out that a subcontractor for the power company did the illegal road building and tree cutting on the property. The foreman for the tree trimming subcontractor stated in front of the fish cop, (A.) they did the deed, (B.) they knew they should not have done it, and (C.) they didn't have time to follow the rules because they got paid by the mile for easement trimming, and time is money.

Needless to say, when I heard that reasoning for the trespassing and timber cutting, I was really pissed off. Basically, they were too lazy to make a phone call for getting the gates opened.
The power company has a lock on the gate so they can access the easement if they need to get into the easement for power line repairs. The subcontractor (tree trimmers) could have called the power company field operations group and had them open the gate. Or the subcontractor could have used the power pole ID numbers that feed power to the cabin, and the power company customer service group can ID the customer and call them for getting the gate opened.

However, none of the correct things were done, and the subcontractor decided that they would just cut roads into the woods in two places so they could reach the easement and do their tree trimming work.

I then spent the next nine months filing complaints with the public service commission, filing claims with the power company, and trying to get the local county district attorney to prosecute.
Phone calls, emails, photos, meetings, nothing but wasted time.
The end result of nine months of wasted time and paperwork was a big goose egg zero.

Several days ago I decided to lawyer up.
There is ~$25k in property damage. (contractor written estimate)
And I'm asking for several hundred thousand dollars in punitive damages for their unlawful & outrageous conduct.
My final instructions with my lawyer was, hang onto their shoulders tightly, make it hurt.
Put pumice sand in the Vaseline.

Oh my…I would be wrapped around the axles over that for sure. Good luck.

That’s funny what you told lawyer…If it were me, I would have told the lawyer something along the lines of “ I don’t want to work again do you?”


I hope it works out for you.

 

[BX25D Rookie]

∆∆∆
LOL, I am already retired. The only work I do is what I want to do.
But a new tractor and truck would be wonderful.
Especially if they didn't have payment books.

 

[rc51stierhoff]

∆∆∆
LOL, I am already retired. The only work I do is what I want to do.
But a new tractor and truck would be wonderful.
Especially if they didn't have payment books.

Alrighty then…maybe throw some crushed/dried habenero in the mix so they remember your name.

 

[torch]

Laws differ wildly from place to place, but I would think the utility should bear some responsibility for the actions of their contractor.

 

[BX25D Rookie]

^^^
That is true here. I have an easement document that has been passed forward since the 1940's as the property has changed ownership over the ~ 80 + years. It clearly identifies the power company as liable for damage outside the easement corridor. They ran electric power to that remote land towards the end of WW II as most of the small remote farms ran generators for their farm electric power.
Installing grid power saved petroleum products for the war effort.
The grid power was also far cheaper for the farmers, compared to generating their own.

 

[BX25D Rookie]

When this mess is finished, I ***might*** have a small pond installed right in the center of the easement. When the easement was drafted in the 1940's, the land was all open/no woods.
It's ~ 70 acres total, with 61 acres in well grown forest now.
So the easement states I can't plow/till within a 20' radius of power poles and guy lines.
It also states I can't build outbuildings in the easement corridor.
But not a single word about building a pond.
I have a eight year old grandson and he likes fishing.
It would really be a crying shame if wheeled/tracked vehicles became useless in the easement corridor. I guess they'll need to bring boats when they perform easement tree trimming.

 

[torch]

When this mess is finished, I ***might*** have a small pond installed right in the center of the easement.

I'd bounce that off the lawyer first. The easement itself may not specify a pond, but there could be case law dealing with deliberate hindering access in general (eg: doctrine of proprietary estoppel).

 

[BX25D Rookie]

My brother in law died back in April from a cardiac event. I do miss him. He was the most skilled and passionate hunter I've ever met. 70 years young.
He grew up as a child on a 500 acre farm and his Dad would give him one .22 LR cartridge every morning. His job was to hunt up dinner with that single cartridge.
My sister is gradually coming to terms with his passing. Recently she asked me if I wanted some of his lifetime collection of deer horns to put inside our cabin for decoration.
I selected these three very nice examples of his hunting skills and I will get them up on the walls inside the cabin this fall.

IMG_20240805_183649512_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

My girlfriend is a trooper when going hunting. But she really doesn't deal well with the cold. Here in upstate NY, firearms deer season runs from mid November to the first of January.
That's the conventional rifle season and the two black powder seasons combined in the mentioned time period. Basically, about six weeks to get it done.
Temperatures can range from 50 F down to below zero F. Sometimes it rains and snows. We've had fabric pop-up blinds collapse from snow & ice buildup.
She's spent a fortune over the years we've been together on premium outdoors hunting clothing. It helps her sit longer, but still she can't sit in the cold for more than several hours.
Over the last four years or so, we've experimented with fabric pop-up blinds for her usage. We use a Mr. Buddy flameless propane heater inside the pop-up blinds and with a comfortable chair and heat,
she can sit in a hunting blind all day. A 20 pound propane tank will last for multiple years.

Several years ago, we were heading to the recreational property for some muzzleloader deer hunting, and we always bring an ATV on a small trailer for dragging deer out of the woods.
On that trip, we had a wheel bearing on the trailer seize, and the tire popped from skidding along the road before I could get the rig stopped.
That old Carry-On brand trailer was more than 20 years old, it didn't owe me anything. We managed to get the trailer home and it got parked out behind the barn, never to see the road again.
Several days ago, I dragged that old trailer out in front of the barn and tore the seized wheel apart, and much to my surprise, the trailer axle spindle and hub were still usable, the inboard wheel bearing had failed. After lengthy discussions with my GF, we decided to take the old trailer, repair the wheel bearing, remove all the lighting and brackets, and build a mobile deer hunting shack on the old trailer.

We've accumulated building supplies (hemlock timbers & steel roofing material) over the last couple years. Total all in cost for the build should come in at under $200.
We also have a good amount of Styrofoam 2" board, so the hunting shack will be well insulated. Since this trailer/hunting shack will be moved with the Honda Pioneer side by side around our woods on some rough woods roads, it needed to be bolted together, not nailed. We have the timber framework about completed, it is now ready for the roofing metal.
The floor of the trailer is a 4' x 8' sheet of marine plywood. The entire project doesn't have a single nail in it. It's all structural lag screws, and construction screws. The wooden structure is bolted with threaded rod to the angle iron trailer frame.
The roof and three vertical walls will be skinned with roofing steel. The entry door will be on the end of the trailer opposite the trailer tongue.

We will add the insulation after the shack is skinned with roofing steel, add a couple windows, a door, black out the interior, add some camo paint to the exterior, and get it moved into place for the season.

IMG_20240825_180504043_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

IMG_20240825_180518573_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

IMG_20240825_180532989_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

IMG_20240825_180543895_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

It is still a work in progress, I want it set up in the woods at least a month prior to opening day so the deer become accustomed to the hunting shack.

 

[BX25D Rookie]

I got an email from my lawyer today.
They filed my complaint yesterday in State Supreme Court against the two corporate defendants.
Both will be served with the court paperwork by process servers.
This lawyer isn't fooling around. He had the paperwork filed with the court in less than one week from my initial visit.
The prior lawyer wasted three months of my time and did nothing for me.

 

[fried1765]

I got an email from my lawyer today.
They filed my complaint yesterday in State Supreme Court against the two corporate defendants.
Both will be served with the court paperwork by process servers.
This lawyer isn't fooling around. He had the paperwork filed with the court in less than one week from my initial visit.
The prior lawyer wasted three months of my time and did nothing for me.

Please keep us updated!

 

[BX25D Rookie]

It wasn't until I retired that I had the time and equipment for doing some of the projects I wanted done.
We've got a irregularly shaped field down near the middle of the recreational property.
It's landlocked by dense forest.
It was overgrown 20+ years ago when the land was purchased.
There are several streams close by, with bedding areas for deer nearby.
The field is in a perfect location for being labeled as a "food plot" but we didn't plant anything.

Last year we bush hogged a portion of the interior field on Labor Day weekend for the first time, and the trail cameras showed native grasses flourishing in about six weeks. The resident herd of deer were all over that new growth.

I bush hogged the interior field yesterday. I also increased the area I did compared to the first time.
The hunting shack on the trailer will be going there to the interior field.

I swear that the steel ladder on the 20' ladder stand jumped out in front of the Kubota!
Actually, it is my $400 error. I was bush hogging while backing up, looking to the rear, and didn't pay attention to the front bucket.

It is a good reason for purchasing a new ladder stand, something more comfortable and 2 person.
The old stand that I damaged was about 20 years old. We've moved it several times and it's been out in the weather for that entire time. Strictly from a safety point of view, it likely was time to replace it.
All I did was force the timeline for replacement.
(that's my justification for screwing up, LOL)

Earlier in the week, we got more accomplished on the hunting shack. the metal roofing skin is almost complete. The scrounged metal roofing needs a serious pressure washing.

IMG_20240901_182212837_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

IMG_20240901_182154545_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

IMG_20240901_182132060_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

IMG_20240902_183911917_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

14555 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

14556 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

08120010 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

09020086 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

 

[rc51stierhoff]

It wasn't until I retired that I had the time and equipment for doing some of the projects I wanted done.
We've got a irregularly shaped field down near the middle of the recreational property.
It's landlocked by dense forest.
It was overgrown 20+ years ago when the land was purchased.
There are several streams close by, with bedding areas for deer nearby.
The field is in a perfect location for being labeled as a "food plot" but we didn't plant anything.

Last year we bush hogged a portion of the interior field on Labor Day weekend for the first time, and the trail cameras showed native grasses flourishing in about six weeks. The resident herd of deer were all over that new growth.

I bush hogged the interior field yesterday. I also increased the area I did compared to the first time.
The hunting shack on the trailer will be going there to the interior field.

I swear that the steel ladder on the 20' ladder stand jumped out in front of the Kubota!
Actually, it is my $400 error. I was bush hogging while backing up, looking to the rear, and didn't pay attention to the front bucket.

It is a good reason for purchasing a new ladder stand, something more comfortable and 2 person.
The old stand that I damaged was about 20 years old. We've moved it several times and it's been out in the weather for that entire time. Strictly from a safety point of view, it likely was time to replace it.
All I did was force the timeline for replacement.
(that's my justification for screwing up, LOL)

Earlier in the week, we got more accomplished on the hunting shack. the metal roofing skin is almost complete. The scrounged metal roofing needs a serious pressure washing.

IMG_20240901_182212837_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

IMG_20240901_182154545_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

IMG_20240901_182132060_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

IMG_20240902_183911917_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

14555 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

14556 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

08120010 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

09020086 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

Good day.

Well, on the bright side, I don’t think you will have to worry about someone hunting your stand when you are not in it. It looks like the platform/seat took a tweaking too. How will you that bring down? Or leaving for the raccoons?

Good luck and be careful.

 

[BX25D Rookie]

Not sure yet. The seat is ratchet strapped and chained/locked to the tree.
So nobody could readily steal the stand.
Probably, I will need to get my extension ladder to the tree and get up there and get after the task.
I looked carefully yesterday, nothing appears tweaked except for the very bottom section of ladder.
The chair is hanging like you see in the photo, because it's strapped to the tree.
Once I get it all down, if usable, I may just toss the bottom section of ladder and it will be a 15' stand instead of 20' and move the old stand to a different location.

The present location is begging for a new fancy comfortable 20' two person stand.
I have a young grandson who in a few years will need a place to sit.
Obviously, since at that height your life is on the line, i will inspect the old stand components very carefully and make the determination about scrapping vs reusing.

 

[BX25D Rookie]

We have completed the mobile hunting shack! It has taken every bit of spare time available for the last month. The goal was to make it warm, dry, and mouse/bee/wasp/hornet proof.
The insects may build nests on the outside, but have no available pathways for building nests inside. The shack will be stored outside, and closed up for about ten months out of any given year.
Of course, I did end up going over budget.

Insulation work in progress but not yet complete in these photos. 1.5" Styrofoam in the walls & door,
1" Styrofoam in the floor & ceiling.

IMG_20240914_182556099 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

IMG_20240912_182521439_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

The four exterior sides. The protective films (inside & outside) on the plexiglass has not been removed yet. We will do that when it's set up on location.
I do not claim to be an artist, the camo paint job was done with 9 rattle cans.

IMG_20240919_170959075_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

IMG_20240919_170917613_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr


IMG_20240919_170939449_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

IMG_20240919_170855924_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

Inside.

IMG_20240919_171255511_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

IMG_20240919_171307223_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

IMG_20240919_171313208_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

IMG_20240919_171337378_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

IMG_20240919_171701415_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

Because the hunting shack will be heated by a Mr. Buddy catalytic propane heater when it's in use, a propane hose pass-thru port was needed.
When the shack is closed up for the ten months of the year, a Fernco rubber cap will seal off the pass-thru port.
When the shack is deployed for use, the propane hose will go through the pass-thru port, and the remaining space inside the pass-thru port will be packed with kitchen scrubby copper chore boys.
(essentially, a non corrosive copper form of "steel wool" for keeping mice & insects out)

IMG_20240919_172240999_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

We used gardening geo-textile to blacken the interior to avoid being silhouetted against the white Styrofoam board inside. Also the reason for the fire extinguisher.

 

[BX25D Rookie]

When we Bush Hogged the interior field at the recreational property at the beginning of this month, all the extra equipment/cooler of water/hand tools/battery chainsaw/chair for the boss all were carried in the BX front bucket. It's several hundred yards from the cabin down an old woods road to the interior field.

We unloaded the BX front bucket under one old thorn apple tree on the uphill side of the interior field so everything was out of the way when Bush Hogging. After unloading, I happened to glance up into the thorn apple tree and noticed a bountiful quantity of little red crab apple type fruit on the tree.

Interwoven in the thorn apple tree branches was a wasp/hornet nest larger than a basketball.
About 9' to 10' off the ground. It was a hot day, plenty of wasp/hornet activity!
My girlfriend is severely allergic to bee/wasp/hornet/yellow jacket stings and routinely carries an Epi-Pen when outside during insect season.

I moved all the ancillary equipment much farther away from the thorn apple tree and we gave it plenty of distance while Bush Hogging.

This coming weekend appears to be nice weather at my location, and we have multiple tasks planned.
The newly completed mobile hunting shack deployment location is right at the top edge of that interior field with the back edge of the shack within several feet or so of the edge of the thorn apple tree with the wasp/hornet nest. We've also purchased a new two person steel ladder stand that is in cardboard boxes which needs assembly and installation. I've also got to climb an extension ladder for getting the old damaged ladder stand down from the tree.

My Honda Pioneer side by side will tow the mobile hunting shack from the cabin down to the interior field location easily. We will be backing up/adjusting position/leveling with cinder blocks right next to that nest.

Yesterday afternoon I decided that at dusk I would go to the wasp/hornet nest and kill them.
There is too much risk for us working around that thorn apple tree doing our projects.

It was cloudy and overcast at sunset and I walked down to the location with two cans of "Red Can" CRC Brake Cleaner, and two cans of wasp/hornet spray. I started with B/C and saturated the entrance opening at the bottom of the nest with one can of B/C. The second can of B/C saturated the entire nest.
For good measure, I emptied one can of wasp/hornet spray all over the exterior and up inside the entrance hole.

I did not get stung or "buzzed" by wasps/hornets.
We will check for any hive activity this weekend.
I'm not expecting any activity.

14691 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

 

[Daylight]

Am I the only one to see the resemblance with this one (La Gleize, Belgium; close to my place)?

I do not claim to be an artist, the camo paint job was done with 9 rattle cans.