What did you do to or on your Kubota today?

[Snowman7]

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.

Damn, that trashes a good day outdoors

 

[Old_Paint]

Use something heavy (2-3 pounds)so there’s no doubt when it hits bottom. A nail on bailing twine is gonna be harder to detect because the baling twine has some buoyancy, unless it’s a really big nail. I found an old frow (for splitting shaker shingles) when we cleaned out a similar well in our yard when I was a teenager. We tied that to a hundred feet of paracord for our depth gauge. Each day, before we started pumping the well dry for excavation, we’d measure the depth of the water to get some idea how hard we could use the well.
Cleaning out that well is probably not in my top 10 favorite memories.

 

[Old_Paint]

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.

I don’t know if there’s anything on this planet that will put me in more of a rage than those things. They build in the ground to get that little bit closer to Hell where they came from. I let ‘em calm down, and come nightfall, I show ‘em how much a B***H karma is. I go find the hole while they’re still buzzing around, then return at night with a suitable size drink of 89 octane, typically about half a cup, in a 2-liter bottle that plugs the hole with them in it. I go back a couple days later to make sure I got the whole nest.
Knock on wood, I haven’t had any this year.

 

[6869704x4]

 

[radas]

Picked up a ssqa receiver to move my trailer around alongside my house without the pain of having to use my truck. I can back it in with a little effort but it'll be so much easier with a small tractor.

 

[In Utopia]

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And this is used for?

 

[Siesta Sundance]

And this is used for?

2 post, 4 point car/truck lift.

 

[retiree-urgency abandoned]

Dug up a partially ground oak stump from some trees I had taken down about 4 years ago. One of the reasons I don’t like grinding stumps is that they will always wind up being sink holes, but the grinding was part of the price for removal. Within a year, a 4 inch tall and very solid chunk of this one was trying to kill my mower. Started digging on it a couple days ago, but got rained out, so finished the job today.
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The TEE post in the photo is my homemade stump puller. I used a subsoiler and stump bucket to cut/break most of the roots, and a pickaxe to get a couple I couldn’t get to with the tractor. Wrapped the chain under the root stubble and over the puller, and Bob’s yer uncle. This is actually the second piece I pulled out. I got some out on the first dig that looked like a totally separate older stump, which was also charred. There’s a pretty good sized mound in my front yard that I’m almost positive was an old homestead which was razed when this neighborhood was built, and all the trash and debris was covered by clay from the excavation for the foundation of my house. We pick up at least a pound of broken glass every time it rains. If I can get a good layer of centipede going, that’ll solve the problem with most of the glass. This stump always seemed to be leeching some kind of smelly black ooze that looked like used motor oil, but apparently it was from the older stump under it. The soil has a very smoky smell to it where I dug it up, but I’ve been here 20 years and know for a fact there hasn’t been anything burned out there since I’ve been here.
I also brought a couple bucket loads of compost and soi to fill in the divot from the stumpin’. Gotta get some grass seed and straw to cover it before it rains again.
When I finished with the front yard, I pushed the edges of my giant compost heap up on top of the pile and did a little boxblading to fill in another stump hole from a gigantic sweetgum that got knocked over last winter.
Made a bit of a mess on the tractor tending the compost heap, so hosed it off and knocked most of the mud outta the treads. Came up on the porch with a cold smoked porter homebrew, and wrote this while I was cooling off.

Hi - Trying to understand your t-post puller, as it might help me with an upcoming project. After doing what you can to cut surrounding roots, you're putting the chain around the root ball, then somehow running the chain over the t-post as a fulcrum before attaching the chain to the drawbar? If so, I assume the t part of the post is on the ground and maybe the chain wraps around the 4x? I'm looking at the pictures - now I guess I need (hopefully less than) 1,000 words.

 

[fried1765]

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You will love using it!

 

[Chanceywd]

You will love using it!

I love my lift! Put it in when I built the garage 20 ears ago.

Had 2 brothers here sunday and we did brakes front and back on ones 2017 Jeep compass. He uses the thruway a lot and salt made those a bear to do. The lift made the difference it was stand up work for 68 yr old owner, our 66 younger brother and me the 70 yr old lift owner. Had a couple beers after and a nice lunch.

Bill

 

[RCW]

I love my lift! Put it in when I built the garage 20 ears ago.

Had 2 brothers here sunday and we did brakes front and back on ones 2017 Jeep compass. He uses the thruway a lot and salt made those a bear to do. The lift made the difference it was stand up work for 68 yr old owner, our 66 younger brother and me the 70 yr old lift owner. Had a couple beers after and a nice lunch.

Bill

Bill - just a short distance east of you…..need another younger brother?!?!?…..

Have two friends with lifts close to us. It’s like having a swimming pool for do-it-yourself guys….. you get lots of new friends…

 

[DustyRusty]

I will do something like that to see how deep it is. It has not been used since the mid 1990s. The tape came back pretty cold & clean, just wet. It amazes me that someone(s) dug & lined with rock at least 25’.
There is another well with an old windmill that is 5’-6’ wide & 42’ deep (I was told). I will check that well too.

I would put a few pounds of chlorine powder down the well to sanitize it if you are considering using it for drinking water. Water in the well is always moving in and out of the well, so in a few months, the well and surrounding rocks will be disinfected.

 

[DustyRusty]

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BendPak is a great lift. I am certain that you will get a lifetime of trouble-free use from it. I have had mine for over 20 years and never a problem.

 

[trial and error]

I would put a few pounds of chlorine powder down the well to sanitize it if you are considering using it for drinking water. Water in the well is always moving in and out of the well, so in a few months, the well and surrounding rocks will be disinfected.

@DustyRusty I know you are likely not the original source of the info you gave so keep in mind this isn't "an attack at you lol." This info or advice is passed around the interwebs like a bad cold amd it is dangerous to

I am going to preface this by saying I am not looking for a argument or debate as I know this is not the thread for these things. and while I appreciate the advice for dissenfecting potable water with a dose of bleach or chlorine. This is a unsaglfe and temporary way to do so. DOH has strict protocols for disinfecting potable water and for good reason, people can get very sick and even die from contaminated drinking water.

Now there methods for properly treating contaminated water that is to be consumed.
1 is boiling for X amount of time
2 a DOH aproved U V system
3 a constant chlorine injection system with a minimum 240 gallons of rentention/contact and strict daily cl residual checks

Pouring X amount of bleach or chlorine down a well will dissenfect water and pass a bacteria sample BUT... it does not treat the source of contamination in a permanent way it is only a band-aid and the results and time that is affective can and will vary.

Again I apologize for criticism of this advice, and my reply may not be even apply in this particular instance. However contaminated drinking water is not something to take lightly and there are protocols in place for a reason. And that is becuase people can and have gotten very sick and even died from improper treatment or a false sense of security consuming what they believe to be "treated water" becuase of bad advice

P.S. I work for a water treatment company that is DOH certified and has been in bussiness for over 30 years so I'm not just pulling this stuff out of my Backside

 

[D2Cat]

I did a search looking for reports of deaths from drinking bad water. The EPA mentions children less than 6 months old in this paragraph.

"Nitrate and nitrite are present in chemical fertilizers, human sewage, and animal waste and fertilizers. They can contaminate a private well through groundwater movement and surface water seepage and water run-off. Once taken into the body, nitrates are converted into nitrites. High levels of nitrate and nitrite are most serious for infants. High levels of nitrate/nitrite in drinking water can cause methemoglobinemia or "blue baby syndrome". These substances reduce the blood's ability to carry oxygen. This acute condition can occur rapidly over a period of days. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blueness of the skin. Infants below six months who drink water with high levels of nitrate can become seriously ill and die."

I was interested because the well at my farm is 6' in dia. laced with flat rock from top to bottom, 25' deep, and lover 100 years old . I had it tested by the EPA because I was concerned about run off from pasture and oil wells mis-managed. I can't remember the exact numbers, but when I got back to the man at the EPA he apologized for not getting back to sooner. He said "the number" was so low (in parts/ million) he justleft it on his desk.

I put a pump at the top of the well right next to the hand pump and ran water lines up to a corral with two hydrants and an automatic waterer. The water is crystal clear. I clean out the inside of the waterer every few weeks. I am sure the inside of that waterer has more :stuff" than the well. The cattle often add some slobber and grass remnants!!!

Have a friend who hauls his water and buys his drinking water. He comes with several gallon containers and fills for his drinking usage. He's been doing this for 5 years and declares it's the best water he's ever drank. Suggested I bottle and sell it!

I do have concern about safety of water. Can you point me to articles of human death caused by bad water coming directly from the ground (not lead pipes)?

 

[trial and error]

@D2Cat ill have to get back to this later, I'm @work and have a busy evening ahead of me when I get home. I think you answered your own question in the article you cited above though. Yes it is rare and mostly if not all in infants but that was not the point of what I wrote, becoming sick over something that is completely avoidable is no fun either. Btw the guy who pulled your samples did what is common practice at least where I am "no news is good news" on BAC samples

 

[Biker1mike]

I did a search looking for reports of deaths from drinking bad water. The EPA mentions children less than 6 months old in this paragraph.

"Nitrate and nitrite are present in chemical fertilizers, human sewage, and animal waste and fertilizers. They can contaminate a private well through groundwater movement and surface water seepage and water run-off. Once taken into the body, nitrates are converted into nitrites. High levels of nitrate and nitrite are most serious for infants. High levels of nitrate/nitrite in drinking water can cause methemoglobinemia or "blue baby syndrome". These substances reduce the blood's ability to carry oxygen. This acute condition can occur rapidly over a period of days. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blueness of the skin. Infants below six months who drink water with high levels of nitrate can become seriously ill and die."

I was interested because the well at my farm is 6' in dia. laced with flat rock from top to bottom, 25' deep, and lover 100 years old . I had it tested by the EPA because I was concerned about run off from pasture and oil wells mis-managed. I can't remember the exact numbers, but when I got back to the man at the EPA he apologized for not getting back to sooner. He said "the number" was so low (in parts/ million) he justleft it on his desk.

I put a pump at the top of the well right next to the hand pump and ran water lines up to a corral with two hydrants and an automatic waterer. The water is crystal clear. I clean out the inside of the waterer every few weeks. I am sure the inside of that waterer has more :stuff" than the well. The cattle often add some slobber and grass remnants!!!

Have a friend who hauls his water and buys his drinking water. He comes with several gallon containers and fills for his drinking usage. He's been doing this for 5 years and declares it's the best water he's ever drank. Suggested I bottle and sell it!

I do have concern about safety of water. Can you point me to articles of human death caused by bad water coming directly from the ground (not lead pipes)?

Direct water to death numbers are vague and very hard to find. Industrial chemicals in ground water and cancer groups are well known but not well documented. Cover up and great lawyers.
I find your EPA guy saying results in low parts per million to laughable. When I left the groundwater analysis field I was looking at low part per billion and mid parts per trillion concentrations of industrial chemicals. But then again I was in industry and we could afford to have much better equipment as we wanted to stay ahead of any issues and track what damage had already been done. That was over a decade ago.
Try a search on groundwater and cancer. Some common chemicals trichloroethylene, tetrachlorethylene, benzene etc.
Check out the 80's movie Bitter Harvest. Based on a true story.

 

[Old_Paint]

Hi - Trying to understand your t-post puller, as it might help me with an upcoming project. After doing what you can to cut surrounding roots, you're putting the chain around the root ball, then somehow running the chain over the t-post as a fulcrum before attaching the chain to the drawbar? If so, I assume the t part of the post is on the ground and maybe the chain wraps around the 4x? I'm looking at the pictures - now I guess I need (hopefully less than) 1,000 words.

Correct, the chain goes over the top (bottom) of the upside down tee. Look closer, and you’ll see a steel ’crown’ on the straight end that I made to keep the post from splintering and lock the chain by its links. Roots are designed (by nature) to prevent the tree from going sideways, so pulling sideways makes it a lot harder to pull them out Since they also taper going down, pulling up on the stump works a lot better, especially in clay soil. It normally works even better if you pull after a long span of wet weather. The bottom (top) of the tee keeps the fulcrum from sinking as well as stabilizes the tension in the direction you want it. This lets you have some small angular pull if necessary, but don’t get too carried away. It is wood and I’ve broken two which prompted some improvements to the bracing and gussets. Use at least 5/16 x 3 inch lag screws for assembly. I’ll try to take some more photos later today.
If you want something more, suited for a bigger tractor and bigger stumps, I would recommend some 2” box beam (or larger) with 1/4” wall thickness, but I used this scrap 4x4 which I can handle by myself without hurting my back. Whole thing weighs about 20-25 pounds. Just make sure to brace it sufficiently or you’ll break it pretty quickly if one side is on softer ground.
Most of the roots that make a stump hard to move are pretty close to the surface and run laterally from the stump. Some species, however, possibly have an identical tree sticking out in Australia. Elms typically have nearly as much tap root as they do trunk. Water oaks rarely go much deeper than a couple feet, even big ones. Sort of a crap shoot with pines or cedars, the main advantage with them being much softer wood
I still have a few that won’t budge (for now). I’d rather leave‘em tall enough to see than have ‘em sneak up high enough to find a mower blade. Stumps will raise up with time. Remember, they used to have a couple tons of tree sitting on them. Freezing ground will also heave them just like a foundation or post.

 

[dlsmith]

Did a mid-summer maintenance check on the BX. Checked all fluids, had to add some UDT2 to the trans since I had adapted the JD430 blade to it and the lift and angle cylinders were bone dry. Greased the mower deck, gauge wheels, drive shaft (it's a real bugger with the deck on the tractor), checked mower deck belt, still good condition, greased the FEL and HST pedal pivot. Mower blades are still look good for the rest of the season. Under the bonnet, coolant level was fine, fan belt felt properly tensioned, no visible leaks, air and fuel filters were in good shape and radiator screen was blown out. Also checked the pressure in the tires. the RF was a little low, so I pumped it up.
Should be good for the rest of the mowing season.

 

[dirtydeed]

sewer line action today with the U-27. was supposed to be 5 feet deep....well, I used all that the little U-27 had and was definitely down 9.5 feet! Fortunately, the soil was conducive and I dug some fairly deep benches. All in all it went fine.

dig:

Pipe:

backfill:

Tomorrow, we are heading around the corner to this clients dad's place to replace his line as well. I'm told I'll be digging a little over 10 feet plus up at the curb. We have a rented KX080 mule showing up for that one...but I'm bringing the B2650 to assist with the backfill (supposed to be 90 plus degrees). It was hot enough today at about 90 as well.

I think if I get time left at the end of the day, I'll pop over to this job and give it a touch up with the box blade as well.

It was a long 14 hour day and I'm recovering with an ice cold T-N-T as a type this. It's starting to hit now.