Wow !! You guys have the darndest stuff follow you home. Maybe I’ll start pulling a trailer to see if something will follow me. TomC
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Right now the generator is only pushing about 55hz. My Kill-a-watt tool just broke so I am unable to adjust. I was able to reach a technician that told me how to adjust the engine after I text him a picture. I YouTubed the repair for the Kill-a-watt and ordered a thermal fuse. I also purchased another unit as it is important to have for me.
@MikeR, i think I heard my chickens thank you for their oatmeal treats. They will run from wherever they are to get some treats. Thanks Mike.
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I’m giving the gardens a week of my time, then turning them over to the wife. My friend brought up his old deck he tore up on my trailer. I’m using the good pieces for garden beds. I have 7 made and 6 more in the bucket of the skid steer that will be assembled tomorrow. Next step will be to get some compost from the waste facility in Duluth. Their compost is tested for pH and bacteria before they sell it. I think I may mix it with some soil from our land (and charcoal) before putting in the boxes. We planted some onion, tomato, pumpkin and other seeds before I went to Argos and surprisingly they are coming out of the ground already.
As you can see, he also brought up the skid steer so some road work can also be done.
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Looks like you are making some great progress there Bill. My first kill a watt meter didn’t last a day. 100miles later I had another, a must for dialing in your generators. Looks like the mud had dried up some. We have been getting rain almost every day now after a very dry early spring. I nearly doubled my garden size this year and still expanding. Been eating salads now daily along with asparagus. My strawberry blossoms froze twice and are not doing so well, I thought I was going to have them coming out my ears but not so. Seem no matter how hard I work at the garden It never works out as planed. I always do seem to get something but never as planed. If I cant grow anything else my soil seems to be coming along nice. I have to get started on a greenhouse soon you going to try and get one up yet this year? So much to do and so little time.
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Jim,
I made these garden boxes this size because a twin bed sheet will cover them up against frost. Mary volunteers at the thrift store and can pick them up.
I have a big list of things I want to do but I’m sure reality will have different plans for me. I put in a request for it to only rain at night, so we’ll see how that goes.
An addition for the wife and a generator/battery shed are the top priorities for me. Okay, a shop too. It’s light until 9:30PM now but the mosquitoes rule everything outside after 8PM.
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Yes, regular rolled oats are a big treat for them, sometimes they will hang around my feet waiting if they think I might give them some. They also are a protein supplement, and a distraction if you have to do something in the coop. Ours also like apple cores and watermelon rinds, tomatoes, sweet and field corn, peppers, crickets, worms, basically anything that moves, (or doesn’t move!) I haven’t tried charcoal yet, but I bet @glgilmore would approve!
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I gave mine rolled oats last winter but always cooked it first. was afraid it would swell in there bellies if not already re moistened. I am sure it felt good to have something warm to eat as cold as it gets here. Mine were out free ranging all winter where the snowed was knocked down enough for them to walk in it.
Bill I plan to house my generators, batteries and a hot water storage tank in my attached green house to salvage all waist heats. my shack is set up perfectly for this just by dumb luck. It was never part of the plan from the beginning. This was never even meant to be more than a temporary home.
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Interesting Jim. If you have pictures you can post it here. I need ideas for a generator shed.
What are you using for batteries? I may have a line on some free ones.
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I haven’t started construction yet Bill; but the side of my house that faces the road is due south. It is also where my service entrance and breaker panel are. My water supply also enters in the same location. If you go to build it solar .com and look at the drain back solar water heater water you will see the system I plan to start with. With this tank I can add coils of tubing to add or extract hot water. My generator exuaste will be run through a gas water heater flu heating water to add. These will both be open systems with circulating pumps controlled by tep switches. this will pre heat domestic hot water. From this point I can add Coils of pipe or heat exchangers if you will to add hot water from other sources such as a engines cooling system or wood boiler. I will also be able to extract heat for space heating or to warm my engine before starting and replace it when I return. Perfect place to burn down the fuel in my gasifire to the point where lighting will be easy from the top. I am also going to try heating by composting. Many projects to come. Stacking all these functions should reward one with great efficiency.
Right now I am working with only 3 agm batteries I got in some scrap. I have them in the back seat of my car and it charges them as I drive and when I run the generator. Only a temporary solution, and I am sure no good for my batteries but the best I have for now. I have a friend in the solar business I used to work with I am hoping to trade labor for a solar array and charge controller But to afraid it would turn into a full time job and I don’t have time for that. So till I get a plan and things under control I am just making due with what I can scavenge from the junk. I have two old 1800 rpm 4000 watt generators to go get and can’t seem to even make time for that. Hoping to use one for powering the house and one for the shop and when I need 220 run them both on . .my truck gasifire. Really want to run these old gen heads on a 4cyl auto engine eventually.
I am all for free batteries. Tell me more please.
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I bought a new tool yesterday. It’s a 1997 with a 6.5L
Unfortunately it’s a diesel but that may also be a good thing. It has PTO driven hydraulics. It’ll help me with my plowing woes but now I can smooth out this old logging road. I bought it near the concrete jungle so I put 250 miles to get it home.
I’m going to put it to work today to get some sand and compost for the gardens.
The PTO seems to always be running even with driving. So I can hear whining all the time. But I have to turn the pump switch on to use the accessories. Does this sound right?
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Hi Bill, nice find, does the pto have a cable or electric to engage it?, may not be working. The pto should not run all the time, is there a shaft from pto to hydraulic pump? if so you can see it rotate when truck is moved.Al
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The pto should have a cable release knob under the dash somewhere if it is anything like the ones I had. Crawl under the truck and take a look at the pto and see if there is a cable attached and then follow it up to the cab. Might even be under the seat. Is that 2 wheel drive? Looks pretty nice. Hope it starts at 30 below!
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Thanks guys, I will look. I didn’t get home until late last night. So I will lift the box up and peek today.
Yes Don, it’s a two wheel drive. I may have to put chains on one wheel of each back wheel this winter.
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Bill, is it auto. or manual trans. check fluids in trans., . may be low causing noise.
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Nice find, Bill. Take a picture of the pump too.
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Hi Bill,
Diesel or not that is a nice looking vehicle er tool. As far as sand and compost for the garden, a word of caution. I read some where that if your soil has a heavy clay content that adding compost is a good thing, however adding sand may make a mixture akin to adobe and harden in hot dry spells. Gypsum may help clay soils. I have no personal experience with clay soils. I suggest a bit of research including a simple soil structure test. Put a bunch of soil in a straight sided bottle, add water, shake and let settle out. Then by measurements you can determine the % of sand, silt, clay, organic material, etc and have a better idea of what would be beneficial to add. BTW, organic material, cover crops and compost are almost always correct for any soil. Hope this helps.
Pepe
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It may have a dual use power steering pump
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Look for an engine driven pump. Could have a clutch like an ac compressor on it. Or on the side of the transmission
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