What have you done to your Wheel Horse today?

[Bill D 1,922]

2 hours ago, kpinnc said:

 

I used to. Then we moved here where mutant grass grows year round. While you guys are pushing snow around, I'm still mowing at least twice a month. We had a couple weeks of single digit temps last year, so I got my first December off from mowing.

 

During the summer, the grass grows about an inch per day. Even more when we have regular rainfall. The grass in the pic below is 6-7 inches tall, and was cut to 2 inches only 3 days ago. 

 

 

Never heard of a grass variety called Mutant?  😁 Any idea what variety it actually is?  Just curious.

[cleat 6,005]

Looks like crab grass

That constantly grows in my gravel driveway as well.

[19richie66 17,508]

My centipede grass has gone crazy. Finally filled in all the bare spots in the back. Front is nice and green. I have to mow my mutant mix every 4-5 days with the rain. 

Edited July 19, 2023 by 19richie66

[c-series don 8,708]

I don’t think that’s crab grass, crab grass usually dies off at the end of the summer/beginning of fall. 

[Wheel-N-It 2,969]

My son worked all day (Surveyor) then came to my house and started mowing. After an hour he apparently disturbed a colony of yellow jackets. The jumped on him like white on rice. .I just happened to be looking out back when he leaped off the mower and took off running across the back yard, turned left, and ran across the front yard. I had stepped out the back door, and one of the yellow jackets stung me on my left elbow. Anyway my RN Daughter who lives next door came over and checked him over, gave him some Benadryl, and took him to her house for him to soak in the salt water pool for about 30 minutes. Our best count was he had been stung about 25 times. He's OK now. I'll have to do something special for him this weekend. 

Well this happened on the zero turn but since we are posting about mowing , I added this to the conversation. 

Edited July 19, 2023 by Wheel-N-It

[ineedanother 1,369]

18 minutes ago, Wheel-N-It said:

My son worked all day (Surveyor) then came to my house and started mowing. After an hour he apparently disturbed a colony of yellow jackets. The jumped on him like white on rice. .I just happened to be looking out back when he leaped off the mower and took off running across the back yard, turned left, and ran across the front yard. I had stepped out the back door, and one of the yellow jackets stung me on my left elbow. Anyway my RN Daughter who lives next door came over and checked him over, gave him some Benadryl, and took him to her house for him to soak in the salt water pool for about 30 minutes. Our best count was he had been stung about 25 times. He's OK now. I'll have to do something special for him this weekend. 

Well this happened on the zero turn but since we are posting about mowing , I added this to the conversation. 

Been there, done that. They are pollinators so I hate to kill them, but those are bad, bad, hornets and I just can't have them around. If you can find their entrance, here is what the NCSU folks say about getting rid of them... https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/yellowjackets

[Wheel-N-It 2,969]

8 minutes ago, ineedanother said:

Been there, done that. They are pollinators so I hate to kill them, but those are bad, bad, hornets and I just can't have them around. If you can find their entrance, here is what the NCSU folks say about getting rid of them... https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/yellowjackets

Thank you for this information. Having forestry property gives me an interest in all things that live in and near the forest. 

Unfortunately we will have to get rid of this particular nest in the next day or two

[ineedanother 1,369]

Yep, the bad thing about them is that they can't discern between what is or isn't a threat so they tend to attack and can sting multiple times. Bad. Glad to hear that your daughter was nearby and I hope your son is okay.

[Wheel-N-It 2,969]

5 minutes ago, ineedanother said:

Yep, the bad thing about them is that they can't discern between what is or isn't a threat so they tend to attack and can sting multiple times. Bad. Glad to hear that your daughter was nearby and I hope your son is okay.

 

Thank you for your concern. It's a blessing to have my daughter on the family compound. 

[8ntruck 7,011]

Last week, I mowed the lawn with Clyde the C-195.   As I was putting him away, I noticed that a lot of oil had collected on top of the engine. This is the first time I've run him for an extended time at WOT. Today, I checked the oil level - it was down to the add line on the dip stick.  Was at full before I started mowing.  Guess I've really got to pull the tins and figure out where the oil is escaping from.  Clyde seems to have an oil drip on the flywheel side of the engine when it is not running.  I'm suspecting maybe a bad crank seal.

 

I also got Morgan the 14-8 out to mow the more contoured parts of the lawn.  About 5 minutes into that job, I noticed that the RD deck seemed to be running slow.  Well, it was getting towards dark, so I put Morgan away and investigate the deck later. 

 

Today was later.  I dropped the deck looking for obvious issues.  Didn't find any.  Tomorrow, I'll drop the SD deck off of Clyde and put it on Morgan.  If I have a RD deck issue, the  SD deck ought to run just fine on Morgan.  If it dosen't, I'll start digging into Morgan's PTO clutch.

Edited July 25, 2023 by 8ntruck

[kpinnc 12,065]

9 hours ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

Two words: Got goats? 

 

Actually we do. Spoiled little turds will eat every bush and potted plant, or raid the hay. They wiped out the corn and watermelons in my garden once in just a few minutes (someone left the gate open). They belong to my wife, and all I can say is she almost lost them all to lead poisoning on that day. 

 

 

They graze only when nothing else is available. Useless good for nothing!

 

 

[oliver2-44 9,756]

2 hours ago, c-series don said:

I don’t think that’s crab grass, crab grass usually dies off at the end of the summer/beginning of fall. 

When it’s warm enough my Central Texas Crabgrass will grow to the 1st hard freeze mid-December

[oliver2-44 9,756]

28 minutes ago, kpinnc said:

Useless good for nothing!

Can you say BBQ

[Thatoneguy 197]

I’m no expert but here is a picture of crab grass to make the debate more challenging!!! 

Edited July 19, 2023 by mower

[kpinnc 12,065]

7 hours ago, oliver2-44 said:

When it’s warm enough my Central Texas Crabgrass will grow to the 1st hard freeze mid-December

 

This place was originally part of a pasture covered primarily with fescue. Now it's a mashup of several different things. Closer to the house is a mix of apparently different versions of sown grass and fescue. 

 

Additional to that is we seem to be in a spot that gets more rain. Like alot more than other parts of the county. It's pouring right now, at 6:45 AM. I'm not complaining, but we get ALOT of rain for this area. 

 

7 hours ago, oliver2-44 said:

Can you say BBQ

 

I have threatened it, but the wife disagrees. She did finally come around to rehoming the two goats that were escape artists. Ever since they left, the herd has been much less trouble.

[Tractorhead 9,064]

16 hours ago, Wheel-N-It said:

My son worked all day (Surveyor) then came to my house and started mowing. After an hour he apparently disturbed a colony of yellow jackets. The jumped on him like white on rice. .I just happened to be looking out back when he leaped off the mower and took off running across the back yard, turned left, and ran across the front yard. I had stepped out the back door, and one of the yellow jackets stung me on my left elbow. Anyway my RN Daughter who lives next door came over and checked him over, gave him some Benadryl, and took him to her house for him to soak in the salt water pool for about 30 minutes. Our best count was he had been stung about 25 times. He's OK now. I'll have to do something special for him this weekend. 

Well this happened on the zero turn but since we are posting about mowing , I added this to the conversation. 

 

No good.

But there is nothing what can be healed with 2Kilograms of Ice Cream.

if he lick with the icy tounge the stungs after, they will just hurt a little Bit.

It cools and it tastes.

 

sent convalescent prayers.

 

👍

[kpinnc 12,065]

On 7/18/2023 at 9:41 PM, Wheel-N-It said:

Our best count was he had been stung about 25 times.

 

Hope he's feeling better.

 

Yellow Jackets are evil! Same for those tiny yellow and brown paper wasps. Both will jump all over you just for getting too close. 

 

 

[peter lena 8,631]

 

@Wheel-N-It  years ago , had a similar  white faced hornet , butt kicking . was dropping  a small burch tree , flat rock near the  root area. as the tree was just about to gently touch the ground , saw a small grey  bug cloude , come out of rock area , had shorts on , got bit more than 20 times . could not get a way from them . wife saw it , told her to cold water fill the tub, be in as soon as I  can. calimine lotion , bags of ice cubes , frozen gel pads . often thought that that would be an excellent terrorist , enhancement , member of the sting club , pete

[19richie66 17,508]

8 hours ago, kpinnc said:

 

Hope he's feeling better.

 

Yellow Jackets are evil! Same for those tiny yellow and brown paper wasps. Both will jump all over you just for getting too close. 

 

 

Red brakleen…..problem solved. 

[nyquil junkie 225]

Yesrterday I took the bulldozer to the barn and along the way smoothed out a nice road to get the WH loader down there later... I made a couple dozen passes thru the side barn to clear out a foot of sandy poop muck out the door and into the side yard.  I forgot to put the chains back on it, but it did a fine job as always.  Once it dries out a little more, I'll take the WH loader  down there and dig it all out down to the base.

 

 

I find it funny these things will do work in places the neighbors 5k little garden tractors cant go.

[nyquil junkie 225]

 

The loader was at the other end of the field cleaning up a feeding lot.  I had to truck it home to clean out another barn but it started running odd and then flooded out and died.  I got it running again to get it out of the yard where the cows would push it around and a very clever little goat would take it apart with her horns.... I got as far as the garden and thats where its in pieces being fixed....

 

[ineedanother 1,369]

3 hours ago, nyquil junkie said:

I got it running again to get it out of the yard where the cows would push it around and a very clever little goat would take it apart with her horns.... 

 

You just don't hear stuff like that every day

[ohiofarmer 3,276]

On 7/13/2023 at 10:25 PM, davem1111 said:

 

Is that what you can see just south of I-70 near the Lewisburg exit?  Something tall... maybe it's something else?

 

 

So, I wanted to add my 2 cents worth. My history goes back quite a ways in that little area right there. My great-great-great-great-grandfather came over from Germany to that area, and the little town of Pyrmont just a bit south between Lewisburg and Brookville was named by him or him and others that came over together, after the town "Bad Pyrmont"  ("Bad" meaning "Bath" in German, I guess they had a popular bath house or hot springs there...).  Lots of ancestors in Pyrmont Cemetary. You could hear the trucks on I-70 from my grandpa's farm at times (after they built it - before that it was the old Route 40 but that was a bit farther north.). If I remember correctly, my grandma was born in that farmhouse - I guess it went from her side of the family to his at some point. They went to a little church about 2 miles away since I can remember till the day they each died. Grandpa farmed, raised chickens and rabbits, and had a feed-and-seed business out of his barn. He was also a nationally known rabbit and chicken show judge.

 

Mom & Dad both grew up in that area. We lived in Lewisburg for a while, I was born in Dayton. Dad started working for NCR's printing division, and a few years later we moved down to Washington Court House, then got a 100 acre farm near New Holland. Dad worked the night shift in the factory, and worked the farm part of the day - crops and about 100 head of sheep. Mom would take us kids out to a field with our toy tractors, drop us in some soft dirt at one corner, and work the fields too. That was my early childhood. My Dad's cousin and he were great friends and we spent lots of time with them and their kids. They had a farm off Hoke Road near Clayton, land that is now part of the Caterpillar Logistics facility. My aunt's second husband was from Arcanum. They live in a new house built where grandpa's farmhouse used to be... it was too far gone to fix up.  Lots of fond memories there, beautiful rich black fertile soil. Friendly, helpful, hard-working people. Good stuff.

   The tall thing you see is up the hill on Eaton-Lewisburg road close to the gravel plant. I am not sure what it is. The duramax plant is located on the Arlington road exit at Brookville back where the shoe warehouse was. That land used to be a turf grass farm and that is probably why it converted to commercial property..I live between 5 and ten miles from every place you mentioned in the southeast corner of Darke County. I would say that both Phillipsburg and Arcanum are each five miles away as is Lewisburg.and t

  Of course route 40 is also the National Road that makes Lewisburg have some of the older homes in the immediate area. There are two covered bridges a few miles from Lewisburg and a third that rests in the city park moved from somewhere.

 

[nyquil junkie 225]

My friction disk is worn out... The sticker shock for a new one will require a 2 drink min to get me back on my feet.

[ebinmaine 67,545]

10 minutes ago, nyquil junkie said:

My friction disk is worn out... The sticker shock for a new one will require a 2 drink min to get me back on my feet.

For the wheelhorse PTO?