Tractor Stories

Phil was hit and killed by a drunk who was driving on the wrong side of the road and then left the scene of the collision. The man then hid in the nearby woods. Authorities found him, took him to a hospital, then he was arrested and jailed (in Vanderburg county) and is awaiting extradition to Wabash County. I hope he stays in jail until convicted. Uncle Phil was totally innocent, minding his own business. I have known Phil since he was fifteen years old. That is a long time, sort of.

Your uncle Phil had an MI today ( Myocardial Infarction commonly known as a heart attack ). His third. He acted appropriately and asked his sister Carol to call for an ambulance. Phil was Life Flighted to a hospital in Evansville (I forgot to ask Carol which hospital). Two stints were put in and he is recovering in ICU (most likely a cardiac ICU). He is anticipated to be discharged home tomorrow. Nancy thinks Phil is in Deaconess hospital. She says he will go home tomorrow.

Today I used some 2x6 board to make a mount against the outside wall of the Tractor Building so I could then drill a hole for the air line and screw the attachment to the outside wall of the building. Actually, I used 2 ½ inch screws and screwed them into the 2x6. I used glue and long screws to secure the 2x6. On the inside I used a piece of plywood as thick as a 1x4. I screwed and glued it to the 2x4 upright. I made a template to help me align the hole for the air hose and drilled through the 2x6, the outer wall, and the inner plywood. Then I mounted the two air attachments after sealing the joints in the various things that fasten onto the 2x3x1 block of aluminum. It was a lot harder to accomplish than it is to write about it. J Anyway, next I shall address the block which is where the air line from the compressor will plug in. I have already added the pieces to it and sealed them from air leaks. The kit contained some brass plugs where a hole needed to be filled because there was no...

This afternoon I decided to attack the brush and thorns around the Guard Light pole again. I got an idea that I might be able to use my Kubota and its front-end grapple to dig below ground and pull up brush by its roots. It sorta worked. I did manage to get a few large grape vines and some thorn and tree plants up. I then used my lopping shears and pulled and pulled. I worked for about 2 ½ hours. In the end I had a pile about ¼ the size of the one taken away by the city truck on Monday. The area is looking better and better. Tomorrow I may be able to get a few cedar trees cut down and hauled away. I tried to rent equipment to cut cedar trees. The rental place said he had nothing I could use. He suggested renting a bulldozer to push the trees over. I have eight acres of trees in town and would need to do something fairly quickly with the uprooted trees or I would have a big fire hazard drying out on the ground. I will try a couple other ways to get cedar cut down. Mean time I am going t...

Today, this morning, I was walking our dog when she spotted a squirrel about sixty feet away. We struggled a bit as I wanted to go in the opposite direction to throw some brush onto the brush pile. Then, now over a hundred feet away from the squirrel, we started in that direction. As we moved Mocha began to pull and pull and pull. The squirrel was young or really stupid as it ignored us until we were less than 20 feet away. Then it scampered up onto the wooden swing set toy. Now Mocha tried to run after the squirrel, tugging me along. As the squirrel may then have leaped to a tree, Mocha rounded the swing set, and I stumbled. Down I went as Mocha pulled harder (at least that is the way it felt). My knee hit the ground, and I was pulled over, my right arm getting wrenched as Mocha pulled more, ignoring me on the ground. I considered letting her go but instead pulled the leash toward me as I lay on the ground. She cooperated and came to me but kept searching for the squirrel. I told Nanc...

Today, this afternoon, I went after the brush near the Guard Light again. Years ago, Nancy gave me a Poulin Pro weed eater with a separate head for brush cutting. It has an odd four-edged disk-like flat blade. I used it today in place of the pole saw head and later this evening I used a file to sharpen the flat blade. It takes an edge on each side of the flat blade. I am sure it will work better now than when I tried it with its very dull cutting edge. This thing is loud! I will wear ear protection. Paul (our minister) came over to help me and together we made three times the progress I make alone. I used the Polaris Ranger utility vehicle to haul the Yamaha generator, two electric cords, a Sears chain saw (electric), chains, bar oil, a brush grubber, a clawed pole for reaching into the sticker brush to pull cut brush out. I had the pole saw and the brush cutter head too. Paul and I drove around the 8.3 acres too, just for fun. I think the gas in the Polaris is at least a year old, so ...

Since my Billy Goat is scrap metal, I decided to look at alternatives. The BG dealer/service center does not keep the BG in stock but can order one. Electric start is close to $4K. Too much Swisher Predator 24-inch electric start can be purchased from Sears for $1,904.46 or from Home Depot for $1,799.99 (does seem to be the same machine). It has a Briggs and Stratton 11.5 hp (344 cc) engine. Lowe’s has a similar Swisher 24 inch cut machine, but with 10.2 hp Honda engine (389 cc) for $2,219.99.  So, for $500 more, I can buy a Swisher with a Honda engine which is superior to the Briggs and Stratton engine. For $100 more I can buy the electric start Briggs and Stratton engine from Sears instead of Home Depot. The Billy Goat dealer said he had no used machines. He does have one other brand brush cutter which actually has a string cutter instead of a blade; however, for $100 additional I can get a blade (I think it is circular). The machine made by Echo and sold under another brand has ...