I like the fact that you have gardens right up to the house. It amazes me how some people think they don’t have room for a garden then they turn around and complain about mowing the lawn.
Don’t worry you are still about a month ahead of me. Although last night was the first night I didn’t need to run the wood stove and today it will hit 71f that seems early. But next week I think they said back down to 40f during the day.
Spring is definitely busy every time I turn around I find another project.
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The rear tine ones are far superior to the front tined ones at least in rocky clay. They don’t bounce nearly as much. However, getting the soil fixed also helps a lot. It doesnt get rid of the rocks but it breaks up the lumps of clay that feel like rocks when you are tilling. 
Adding the organic matter made a huge difference and made the weeds easier to pull and helps retain moisture.
I kind of hit an impasse on all this. rototilling destroys the soil ecosystem, by upsetting the fungi, worms etc. which helps build the soil and the plants grow. On the other hand, it seems to help with weed management and it is seemingly less work and looks nicer.
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Not to worried with the garden yet, like Steve said we are still getting morning frost daily. Left the house at 530 in 31 degrees fahrenheit was a chilly morning ride. Should be about 50 on the way home
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hello Marcus, I see that you have the legendary Hondo xl, or am I wrong, our home is also a little older xl 250, it also has a brake drum in the front.
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This one is 89 xr250 that I street legal swapped with as many xl parts as I could find but they are far and few between around me. There is a huge following here for the older xl and xr, they are fantasticly tough old bikes. I scored this one last summer for 300$ just because it had a title. I went to pull the motor down for parts since It didn’t run and found it had been completely rebuilt all new internals…but someone timed the cam chain wrong. Bent valves no compression. Ebay for 17$ a piece? Don’t mind if I do! She runs sweet and carrys my 220lb butt around at 60mpg just dandy!
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My saw mill was built from parts from a Honda. 400 or 450 Rebel I think. I don’t remember. I wanted to use the engine for the mill but it was seized which is why I got the bike for free. The engine had other issues as well. Parts quoted from the dealer about gave me a heart attack. Just nutz. I put a 420 preditor on it. It works OK. It would never have enough power to cut on wood gas though.
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That’s what the big predator 670 vtwin is for! It’s crazy the numbers those things can crank out with bolt on goodies, I’m sure it could be tailor built for a woodgas project which would be awesome for a sawmill 
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Any thoughts on this npk soil testor working? They also
make a 6-1 device for 94 dollars which looks like it uses the same probe.
https://m.alibaba.com/product/1600058855831/product.html
I believe are two forks plus a bobcat posted on my local fb buy and sell site. One is older and needed a repair though.
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Dan, l agree 100% with you.
And l too love the Norths garden front yard and am doing just that on my new house.
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I’ve never seen an NPK tester like that. It would be good if it was accurate. I just use a PH probe that cost about 20 bucks. You know if it’s working good if you stick it in a bucket of wet wood ash and it reads between 9.5 and 10. Then you can be pretty sure it’s fairly accurate for other readings. For NPK I just these because I mostly grow in raised beds and every one is different.
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K
Any chance we could get some more pics on how that place is progressing?
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Recovering from a small operation/procedure. I’ll spare you all from the gory details. However I’ll say that knowing what I know now, I would of joined a rock-and-roll band in my teens and O.D. of LSD in my 40’s. 
We hit 90F a few days ago. It was 87 at the airport but that is by the cool lake. Weather man says another record today. Our first (that I know of) forest fire started a few days ago. Small compared to out west, about 150ac. This area has had forest fires in the past, according to history, but nothing that I personally recall or heard of. They should have it out in another day. We had a bit of rain that saved the day.
The good news is that I found my windmill mentor. This should fit my under $200 requirement. Looks like he only uses it for LED lighting but it is built by a practical man. Truly an amazing individual. He uses USofA style washing machine motor. All though, it looks like any junk motor could be used.
Example video:
And his main video page:
Tons of interesting videos.
If things would have worked out different, this would have been my electric car. That is assuming he can make a go of it. He is an interesting individual.
Cheers ! ! !
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Oh, I forgot. There are electronic device companies laughing at the auto industries just in time policies. During the slow down the auto companies said cancel the orders. Were as some of the electronic device companies say, lets keep the order for more chips. So now the auto industry lost it’s place in the chip manufactures line. And it is a long line now and you don’t go to the local hardware store to make a new silicone die.
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Yup just in time has for decades used the volume of big business to hold the suppliers hostage and force warehouse and supply chain costs off onto the supplier. I don’t feel bad for the companies that are learning that this has a fatal flaw in that being dependent on a supplier to keep your line running hour to hour in some cases means you are at risk. Just in time is a numbers game that adds stress to the entire system for very little real cost savings.
Those EV are definitely interesting I was watching those and the 3 wheeled Sondors. But it looks like that one failed to make it into production.
https://www.sondorselectriccarcompany.com/
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Dad gave me his “old” top loading washer. It started leaking really bad and didnt want to deal with it. Need to see if I can make use of the little stream fed by my pond runoff. Maybe a ram pump that fills up a tank reservoir and float dumps water onto a wheel de la toilet style. Would be a nice way to charge up a battery bank.
Dont underestimate how much water hydro needs to generate any meaningful power. Here is a calculator to give you an idea:
https://www.alternate-energy.net/micro_hydro_calc.html
When I plug in my system stats; 4.5m head, 4liters/sec, it says I should get 106w at 60% - In reality I get about 95w. On a good day. When the intake isnt clogged. I get a lot of exercise hiking down to unclog my intake 
.
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Hey JeffD,
You were probably pre/post surgery focused and missed this from Al Frick on comment #12:
https://www.thebackshed.com/windmill/FPRewire.asp
NOT true any motor.
Only the many poles PM types to get the direct drive low RPM for wind and micro-hydro.
Well good the hear you still have your “voice” and urges, To-DO, man.
Steve unruh
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Not to mention the stress that the workers end up with.
Very nice web page.
Well, this man learned to make do with what he has (except the magnets). I guess that is a learned appreciation. I get it. I too like some high tech stuff. The electric car is a good example. But I also have a high appreciation for using the stuff that is at easy grasp. Not shinny but workable. This man achieved a way of life that I could only dream of. True, I would have been more of the USofA version but a Peasant never the less. For the record I use the word “Peasant” with high respect.
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