Pullstart 62,884 #1 Posted May 22 Kind of… but let me back up a bit. I have an in with the head maintenance man at the Grand Rapids John Ball Zoo, for wood disposal. I received a good deal of logs and milled scraps a few weeks back. Last week, I received a call that they had a bunch of milled lumber that needs to go. Some is solid, some is punky. This is not all, and this was not the full load even. Everything on the left I loaded myself. That heavy lumber was just that. HEAVY! The big stuff will likely become a deer blind base. 6 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,884 #2 Posted May 22 I decided in front of the chicken coop, we could have a raised bed garden of sorts. I have plenty of wood, and thought it would be a quick project. “It’ll only take a minute” were my grandfather’s famous words. I think I live my life like that, but it always takes more! I buried the posts, then built the outside, then built an inside load bearing wall. I tossed in some tree limbs, wood scraps, and chicken poop/bedding mix. 4 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,884 #3 Posted May 22 This next part comes two fold. I spend a lot of time thinking in my hunting tree. Cut this, move that, plant this, stop that. I have decided to move my water hole about 40 yards to a more traveled intersection. I also need some good soil for the planter. I mowed an opening, then used Putt Putt to drag an 8” plow as deep as it would cut and roll the sod. I want to create a low spot in the field prior to burying the water tank in the center. Why? I think it would be beneficial. Colleen says “Hi, y’all!” 7 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,884 #4 Posted May 22 (edited) You can see my trail system I mow. I’m looking forward to that 753 sickle mower from @pfrederifor that! They also disced, cultipacked, and planted the beans yesterday. To the right you can see the current water hole location. Creatures of habit, the deer pass through close to the water, but more frequently, from lower left (under my stand) to upper right… Edited May 22 by Pullstart 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,884 #5 Posted May 22 Now’s the time for the dirt thief story. I recently learned that SAND of all things is quickly becoming one of the most stolen items in the world! By camel, donkey, dredge, etc, sand is the most demanded building commodity and many of the world’s beaches and ocean ecosystems offshore are quickly disappearing for cement building. Once cement is poured, the sand is stolen and lost forever. Anyway, I decided to Robin Hood myself today. Robbed from the rich field to pay the poor empty planter box. 2 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,884 #6 Posted May 22 (edited) Grass facing down, I added more organic matter, top soil, even a cleaned and skinned rooster that I didn’t get around to cooking in time, mulch, planting fabric, then some pea stone gravel. Mrs. P’s “brother from another mother” just lost his mother this week. It was a sad ending, for the most loving, caring woman in the world, to be lost to cancer in months. Her husband and our “bro” asked if we’d like some of Mary Jane’s raspberry patch that needed thinning, and we are thinking some strawberries need a home as well. Edited May 22 by Pullstart 2 6 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cafoose 3,355 #7 Posted May 22 15 minutes ago, Pullstart said: Colleen says “Hi, y’all!” My bus says, "Hi Colleen" 6 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WHX?? 48,815 #8 Posted May 22 Yah well that don't look like getting a camper ready either. Just what you need .... scrap lumber to stack next to those telephone poles you ain't never gonna use... 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handy Don 12,232 #9 Posted May 22 Use some of those big boards under Colleen’s jacked up wheels to get a runway? 1 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,884 #10 Posted May 22 2 minutes ago, Handy Don said: Use some of those big boards under Colleen’s jacked up wheels to get a runway? I’m not sure I have a jack heavy enough to lift her from the mud…. We have a plan… 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,502 #11 Posted May 22 30 minutes ago, Pullstart said: …. We have a plan… Oh boy 1 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elcamino/wheelhorse 9,299 #12 Posted May 22 Do the plan after the BS , don't want you laid up in intensive care for the month of June. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SylvanLakeWH 25,560 #13 Posted May 22 56 minutes ago, Pullstart said: We have a plan… 26 minutes ago, ebinmaine said: Oh boy 4 minutes ago, elcamino/wheelhorse said: Do the plan after the BS , don't want you laid up in intensive care for the month of June. Why Yes, it involves Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,884 #14 Posted May 22 Yee’s of little faith.. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 55,230 #15 Posted May 22 6 hours ago, Pullstart said: We have a plan… Kevin, didn't you say the same thing a couple months back? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,884 #16 Posted May 23 18 hours ago, 953 nut said: Kevin, didn't you say the same thing a couple months back? It’s still wet out there! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tractorhead 9,064 #17 Posted May 23 (edited) Is there no source for Air jacks ? they be mostly available at your friendly volunteer fire department. Simply talking to them and ask, or ask f they wanna do a rescue Exercice. Here they be open minded to help for such a trainee situation and if there be a Big Box of „Colored Water“ and a Barbecue after the Rescue Training, they be „ Fire and Flame“ to help. -edit- our volunteer firefighters have two the can lift up to 30Tons each. - end edit- Especial for the youngsters. Could be a win win situation for both. Just a thought Edited May 23 by Tractorhead 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,884 #18 Posted May 23 That’s a great idea Stephan! 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SylvanLakeWH 25,560 #19 Posted May 23 (edited) 23 minutes ago, Pullstart said: That’s a great idea Stephan! And the would already be there...!!! Win Win situation!!! Breaking news... This just in: Trail cam at @Pullstart acres: Edited May 23 by SylvanLakeWH 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tractorhead 9,064 #20 Posted May 24 Other idea was - after the Big Show - call it a Puller day instead of a Plow day. Ya need lots of Wheelhorses and several drivers ! there is no weight the puller must move, there is Colleen they must move. Tow points must be on her i be shure, just need several ropes to Attatch her to the Pullers. i bet about 20 Wheelhorses be able to move colleen out of the Mud. could be a funny day. First Volunteer driver no.1 for that idea is set. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,884 #21 Posted May 24 3 hours ago, Tractorhead said: Other idea was - after the Big Show - call it a Puller day instead of a Plow day. Ya need lots of Wheelhorses and several drivers ! there is no weight the puller must move, there is Colleen they must move. Tow points must be on her i be shure, just need several ropes to Attatch her to the Pullers. i bet about 20 Wheelhorses be able to move colleen out of the Mud. could be a funny day. First Volunteer driver no.1 for that idea is set. I didn’t have any care to plow at the plow day, thought we’d team up and yank her out. It was so wet back there, and mostly clay… not worth making more holes. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,884 #22 Posted July 7 I set out to finish my water hole relocation project this weekend. A borrowed D-180 loader/hoe made easy work of it! It makes me wonder if I should make phase two of my 520Xi loader project into a hoe! It was awesome to use such a sweet machine! I’ll use a shovel to smooth out and backfill the approach to the water hole, then fill it up. 1 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,502 #23 Posted July 8 3 hours ago, Pullstart said: loader/hoe made easy work of it! It makes me wonder if I should make phase two of my 520Xi loader project into a hoe! It was awesome to use such a sweet machine! Niiiiice to have the right tools around ehh? 1 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wallfish 17,000 #24 Posted July 8 (edited) 5 hours ago, Pullstart said: It makes me wonder if I should make phase two of my 520Xi loader project into a hoe! It was awesome to use such a sweet machine! Order the PF engineering plans. The $85 is money well spent and well worth eliminating much of the design guessing, math and drawing circles to figure it out. Build it over time as you get a chance to work on it and acquire parts. The plans can be modified to fit your needs as well. https://pf-engineering.com/micro-hoe-plans One mod I would definitely do if I was to ever do one again would be to angle the stabilizers back at a 45 deg angle instead of straight out the sides. ( I ripped them off doing the electrical trench ) There were also ideas of making the hoe arm extend. And although I had all the hydraulic parts and steel to do it, it just never happened. The other mod I wanted to was to add a high torque hydraulic motor to spin a Stickler log cone splitter. Basically just split logs from the seat by poking them with the Stickler cone right on the ground. No lifting or moving logs to a splitter and the loader can be used to collect them into a manageable pile Edited July 8 by wallfish 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,502 #25 Posted July 8 13 hours ago, wallfish said: Order the PF engineering plans. The $85 is money well spent and well worth eliminating much of the design guessing, math and drawing circles to figure it out. Build it over time as you get a chance to work on it and acquire parts. The plans can be modified to fit your needs as well. https://pf-engineering.com/micro-hoe-plans Seconded. If I was going to make a backhoe on my own I would pay five times that price and not even bat an eye. This machine came out AWESOME... which I believe is a showcase exhibit of both the excellent plans and @wallfish John's skill. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
