While you guys were having fun, I was trying to get my yard mowed. Everything was going good, weather was almost tolerable, until I stirred up the yellow jackets. Five or so got me. When I was undressing in the laundry room, four were still trying to sting through my socks. That was the end of my outdoor activities. Fortunately, I'm not deathly allergic to them.
What did you do to or on your Kubota today?
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NCL4701
Well-known member
Equipment
L4701, T2290, WC68, grapple, BB1572, Farmi W50R, Howes 500, 16kW IMD gen, WG24
Forks are a good match for furniture and appliances. I no longer understand how anyone survives without forks.
Attachments
NCL4701
Well-known member
Equipment
L4701, T2290, WC68, grapple, BB1572, Farmi W50R, Howes 500, 16kW IMD gen, WG24
When we first got the Kubota and chipper the first goal was to work down four brush piles within sight of the houses: 3 each about the size of a tour bus, and 1 about half that size. We did that. Plan going forward for routine stick pickup in the residential area: put it in one pile and chip when it got piled up pretty good. Well that worked for the first couple of rounds. Then wife decided she doesn’t like me chipping by myself (dangerous); and I’m sort of OK with that but for the past close to a year there’s always something “more important” to do.
So I’ve had this brush pile the size of a semi for months and changed “the procedure” to if you want to pick up sticks, we chip them right now. No more adding to the brush pile.
Today, after a brief explanation that chipping would ensue with or without complicity of others, we at least started on the chipping. It was, I think, a high of 98 degrees according to the thermometer on the end of the house and the humidity was up there as well, so it was a morning thing with a stoppage at lunchtime to prevent death, brain damage, or other dire outcomes. Got better than 1/2 of it done in the 3 hours we actually chipped. The grapple sifted for snakes before handling the brush. When it cooled off late in the day considered going back to chipping but wife had a few outside chores she wanted help with and I’m not a total jerk all the time so we’ll pick up chipping another day.
Spot sprayed the road, then spent a little time with the old Howse rotary cutter. It’s time to switch it from 90-140 gear oil to corn head grease. The check/fill plug has a recess for a 3/8” hex so not really ideal for adding a zerk. Looked like 1/2” NPT. To confirm, I found this 1/2” NPT hose bib in the plumbing parts bin and threaded it in the hole in the gear box. Perfect fit. Toward the end of the day went by the store to get a 1/2” plug with a square outie instead of the hex innie to accommodate a zerk. Found some corn head grease with free shipping but it isn’t in yet so no rush on that project.
Oh, almost forgot the snake. It’s an Eastern Black Racer that lives mostly in the shed. My wife hates all snakes. My adult son and his fiancé who live in a nearby house on the property also dislike all snakes. We have no mice or other varmints in the shed but I have found several snake sheds that match this guy and he and I have met in the loft a few times, always amicably. Son and wife ran across him and were pretty set on getting rid of him. Dissuaded them, but had to admit he’s the reason the shed is mouseless so they might see him in the rafters if they go in there (and they better not mess with him).
So I’ve had this brush pile the size of a semi for months and changed “the procedure” to if you want to pick up sticks, we chip them right now. No more adding to the brush pile.
Today, after a brief explanation that chipping would ensue with or without complicity of others, we at least started on the chipping. It was, I think, a high of 98 degrees according to the thermometer on the end of the house and the humidity was up there as well, so it was a morning thing with a stoppage at lunchtime to prevent death, brain damage, or other dire outcomes. Got better than 1/2 of it done in the 3 hours we actually chipped. The grapple sifted for snakes before handling the brush. When it cooled off late in the day considered going back to chipping but wife had a few outside chores she wanted help with and I’m not a total jerk all the time so we’ll pick up chipping another day.
Spot sprayed the road, then spent a little time with the old Howse rotary cutter. It’s time to switch it from 90-140 gear oil to corn head grease. The check/fill plug has a recess for a 3/8” hex so not really ideal for adding a zerk. Looked like 1/2” NPT. To confirm, I found this 1/2” NPT hose bib in the plumbing parts bin and threaded it in the hole in the gear box. Perfect fit. Toward the end of the day went by the store to get a 1/2” plug with a square outie instead of the hex innie to accommodate a zerk. Found some corn head grease with free shipping but it isn’t in yet so no rush on that project.
Oh, almost forgot the snake. It’s an Eastern Black Racer that lives mostly in the shed. My wife hates all snakes. My adult son and his fiancé who live in a nearby house on the property also dislike all snakes. We have no mice or other varmints in the shed but I have found several snake sheds that match this guy and he and I have met in the loft a few times, always amicably. Son and wife ran across him and were pretty set on getting rid of him. Dissuaded them, but had to admit he’s the reason the shed is mouseless so they might see him in the rafters if they go in there (and they better not mess with him).
Little BX earned its weight in diesel this weekend. Spent several hours a day cleaning this up. Looks like some sort of insect damage as there are small holes all over the thing. Got it cut up and dumped in the woods. Those 3pt forks really came in handy.
Attachments
fried1765
Well-known member
Equipment
Kubota L48 TLB, Ford 1920 FEL, Ford 8N, SCAG Liberty Z, Gravely Pro.
3pt. forks on my little Ford 1920- 32HP are great.
I use them a lot.
48 HP Kubota TLB can lift any really big stuff.
Siesta Sundance
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
L305DT, MX 5200, SVL 75-2, (Sold M7060))
I got tagged on the top of my ear yesterday, stung hurt for about 2 hours.
I'd be going out there just after dark to let 'em "Have a drink on me". A little 97 octane drink, perhaps 3-4 ounces right in the entry hole. Be careful, though, because if they're in a stump hole that's covered with debris, they may have several entrances. Need to put an eyeball on the normal traffic first.
I'm not allergic to them at all, but the pheromones in the sting are pretty much my Jekyl/Hyde drug. And I didn't say they don't hurt, they do indeed. I go into a rage, and my goal is to send every one I can find back to Hell where they come from. That's why they build in the ground, IMO, to get that little bit closer back to Lucifer what sent 'em to this side.
I don't mind the big black/white hornets, because their nest is visible, and they're pretty easilly avoided. I'll even excuse red wasps in a barn that isn't near human interface with barn. But I ain't gonna tolerate them building close to my house, and ANY bug that builds in the ground to ambush me cannot stay here (except ground dwelling bumblebees). I try not to kill pollinators, but I have yet to find ANY reason that would dissuade me from wiping yellow jackets off the planet. They're one of the most aggressive insects I've ever seen, and have the punch to back it up. One worker hits me, payback is a b**ch.
I bet you can guess what I did again this weekend... cut up another tree and tilled the garden under as the pre emergent obviously didn't work.
Agree, 100%!! That is the best purchase I ever made. Bought them about a month ago when a tree fell to make clean-up easier. Haven't put the bucket back on since.
I got a set of forks with a new machine recently. I don’t know how I ever lived without them prior. I’ve probably used them more than the bucket so far
Yellow jackets are a pain. I was blowing leaves last Fall, and was clearing between a double tree. Well in the middle of the stump under the leaves was a yellow jacket nest and they came swarming out. Fortunately ran away in time with yielding only 1 sting that day right on the jaw
fried1765
Well-known member
Equipment
Kubota L48 TLB, Ford 1920 FEL, Ford 8N, SCAG Liberty Z, Gravely Pro.
Siesta Sundance
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
L305DT, MX 5200, SVL 75-2, (Sold M7060))
The fig and peach trees have never really recovered from that deep freeze in 2021, and last couple years of droughts, so I pulled up about 9 or 10 them out of yard with that Orange shovel. There are half dozen or more on the other of the yard that need to be pulled as well, but requires moving a few things around so I can maneuver around obstacles.
Absolute useless tree. Cut the rest of it down before it falls. Also, if you have anymore on the property, possibly around things you don’t want them to fall on, cut them down too.
Being lucky is no guarantee of surviving Darwin’s Theory of Selectivity. People that ignore safety will find that out sooner than later.
Actually quite invasive, too. You’ll be finding them all over your woods , especially from a tree that size, especially in low lying damp areas.
Another technique though is to top and limb it at the last fork of the main trunk, and let it grow back out again. They get very brittle when they get that old and large.
Getting our septic system put in, which requires some more clearing. They took down a large mature cherry and cedar tree to start, which I spent friday and today trying to process (still more to do).
Cut the cherry up with the chainsaw today and moved the wood out of the way for future firewood processing with the grapple. Then got to work with the chipper trying to get the branches all cleared out. Much better success this time with the WC68 now that I know to just shove the branch in there harder to get it to feed!
The trees that were cleared (you can see the backhoe loader buried in there)
The cherry tree
The piles I have to work through. Got the largest trunk of the cedar limbed and the rootball cut off. Still have to work through two other trunks.
Chipping the cherry limbs. We started up filling our gorilla cart and hauling it to the garden on the back of the mule, but the cart fills too quickly. So making a large pile for now we can move later with the tractor bucket.
So many more trees we want cleared. I don't know if my body has it in it!
Cut the cherry up with the chainsaw today and moved the wood out of the way for future firewood processing with the grapple. Then got to work with the chipper trying to get the branches all cleared out. Much better success this time with the WC68 now that I know to just shove the branch in there harder to get it to feed!
The trees that were cleared (you can see the backhoe loader buried in there)
The cherry tree
The piles I have to work through. Got the largest trunk of the cedar limbed and the rootball cut off. Still have to work through two other trunks.
Chipping the cherry limbs. We started up filling our gorilla cart and hauling it to the garden on the back of the mule, but the cart fills too quickly. So making a large pile for now we can move later with the tractor bucket.
So many more trees we want cleared. I don't know if my body has it in it!
I bought my L3010 in 2001. Early on, before SSQA loaders and grapples were common place on tractors, I put a grapple on my pin on bucket. I extended the grapple tines to get good closer with the tooth bar.
On several occasions including earlier this summer I have bent one of the tines side ways. Usually while popping rocks out of a woods road. You can see they are at risk.
They always bend in the same place - Between the end of that wide cross support plate and where I welded on the extension tips. I just pound them back straight with a 3 lb hammer. Today I was looking for something to do and decided it would be good to try and strengthen that area. I cut out some gussets from the small piece scrape box.
And welded them in - even had time to dab on some paint before lunch.
It should help at least.
gg
On several occasions including earlier this summer I have bent one of the tines side ways. Usually while popping rocks out of a woods road. You can see they are at risk.
They always bend in the same place - Between the end of that wide cross support plate and where I welded on the extension tips. I just pound them back straight with a 3 lb hammer. Today I was looking for something to do and decided it would be good to try and strengthen that area. I cut out some gussets from the small piece scrape box.
And welded them in - even had time to dab on some paint before lunch.
It should help at least.
gg
I can't find the little b@$#@®#s! I've been out there twice and it's quiet as a church yard. I did find one little hole, but there was no activity. If I don't find 'em this morning, I'm going to treat that hole just in case.