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Originally Posted By ColtRifle: 15kw to run a well pump? Something's not right there. How deep a well and what HP is the pump? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By ColtRifle: Originally Posted By cucamelsmd15: Originally Posted By Pavelow16478: Originally Posted By cucamelsmd15: You're right. My fault in the comparison was not taking a direct btu to btu comparison. I was still factoring in the HSPF when looking at the electric. Reworking the numbers, $2.68/gal of propane is the break even point. I would hedge on maintaining cheap LP longer than cheap electric. Generator should run a backup propane unit but it will take a big one to run resistance heating elements. Yeah, thats pretty much where Im at. Fans only draw a couple of amps. Propane draws nothing. Heating the house for a couple of amps? Sure. Ive pretty much decided on something like an 8kw genset. I can run pretty much any of the lights (mostly LED/CFL that have minimal draw), but the big items are the fridge/freezer and deep freezer. HVAC fans after that. It would take a minimum of 15kw for me to run the well pump, and 8kw seems to be the breakpoint of "affordable" vs "outrageous" in terms of cost. Edit: Oh, the one point I glossed over throughout all of this... our gas logs are vented. Which means a GIANT chunk of those btus go right out the vent. Im seriously considering switching it out for a ventless insert. 15kw to run a well pump? Something's not right there. How deep a well and what HP is the pump? I took it as 15kw to run the well pump on top of everything else in the house. |
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Heh, I thought I put that in the OP, but I guess not.
Well pump is a 1.5hp that's hung at 600ft currently on a 675ft drill depth according to the drill card. RLA on the motor is in the 60 amp range. At 240 volts, that's 14.4kw to get it started, although that quickly drops to 10-11 running amps. |
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Originally Posted By cucamelsmd15: Heh, I thought I put that in the OP, but I guess not. Well pump is a 1.5hp that's hung at 600ft currently on a 675ft drill depth according to the drill card. RLA on the motor is in the 60 amp range. At 240 volts, that's 14.4kw to get it started, although that quickly drops to 10-11 running amps. View Quote Say what? Have you seen it actually draw that? |
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I have seen many 4500 watt generators start and run 1hp well pumps with no issues.
If yours is 1.5hp you should be able to easily run it on a 5500 watt generator. |
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My 8750 genset ran whatever we wanted last winter with strategic flipping of breakers on the high usage items. I ran the well pump whenever needed, however ours is not as deep as yours.
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Originally Posted By TimberTodd: Say what? Have you seen it actually draw that? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By TimberTodd: Originally Posted By cucamelsmd15: Heh, I thought I put that in the OP, but I guess not. Well pump is a 1.5hp that's hung at 600ft currently on a 675ft drill depth according to the drill card. RLA on the motor is in the 60 amp range. At 240 volts, that's 14.4kw to get it started, although that quickly drops to 10-11 running amps. Say what? Have you seen it actually draw that? No, that's the RLA stamped on the housing. I should know, because I pulled that fucker two months ago. |
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In other news, tonight's project was clearing out the barn insulation. I got the lower half done pretty quickly. My dad will help me wrap up the upper half tomorrow and haul it to the dump.
I discovered the source of a lot of my water ingress problems in the process, as well as the most rat shit I've ever seen in my life. |
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Insulation... fun!
We had to do that to the shop/2car+space above... then of course finish it out years later and pay to re-insulate it all animal free Are you going to re-insulate and add interior walls? |
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Yep. 2" of spray foam on Friday, then framing out the lower half over the winter.
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Does a one-footed duck swim in a circle?
GA, USA
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Post pics as it happens!
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Always Out Front.
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Multi part update, part 1:
Upon further investigation, there is a giant sinkhole under the road. I had quotes over the past week, 2-3 of which are at $10k. Basically, the pipe is rusted out the entire way through and needs replacing. Any water is currently eroding the soil under the pipe. None of the quotes thought it was a "must fix now" situation since its likely been like that for some time at this point. The long term fix is relieving 36" of asphalt, bringing in an Ex to do the digging and get the old pipe out. Put in some rip rap, a new 18" PVC pipe, fill with crush 'n run, then backfill with dry dirt and patch up the asphalt. Heres the interesting thing... One of the guys is hell bent on having a PE sign off on it. Its a private road. I just dont see then need for paying a PE to the tune of $200/hr to sign off for a private road. The other issue is funding, since the association currently has about $5800 in the coffers by last count after the excavation. We did decide to raise dues for the 38 homes on the private road to $240/yr in the last association meeting. |
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Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
KY, USA
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Originally Posted By cucamelsmd15:
So, with the spray foam of the barn pending at the end of this month, preparations for that have begun in earnest. Unfortunately the barn, while having good bones, hasnt been that well maintained and has a few issues that need resolved. http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj240/cucamelsmd15/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20160911_155108479.jpg This was after a fair bit of reorginization/tossing of crap. And with all the toys in: http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj240/cucamelsmd15/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20160911_160640739.jpg Now for the issues: Insulation is obviously coming down with the spray foam happening. But, I found multiple rats nest in it today, plus multiple nest in boxes and my damn toolbox. The main issue is this: http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj240/cucamelsmd15/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20160911_160142794.jpg The siding isnt sealed to the pad, and that needs to be rectified prior to spray foam. My initial thought is to buy a few rolls of this: http://www.lowes.com/pd/Amerimax-6-in-x-50-ft-Aluminum-Roll-Flashing/3032677 Fold it in half to make an L shape, a line of liquid nails on the concrete and then self tappers from the outside to hold it. A piece of gorilla tape over the top or the like to keep the spray foam from blowing through. Or something like this: http://www.lowes.com/pd/Peel-Seal-Instant-Waterproof-Repairs-6-in-x-25-ft-Aluminum-Roll-Flashing/1018733?cm_mmc=SM_FB+-_-LumberAndBuildingMaterials-_-SpecialtyMetals-_-1018733%3APeel_&_Seal&CAWELAID=320011480005823699&kpid=1018733&CAGPSPN=%7Bifpla%3Apla%7D%7Bifdyn%3Adyn%7D Basically just needs something for the spray foam to hit and not blow through, and to keep bugs/rodents out. Thoughts? Theres another issue that needs to be dealt with. I fixed part of this when I added the gutters, so this is finishing the job more or less. This is the side of the barn facing west. As you can see, the hillside washes right into it. http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj240/cucamelsmd15/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20160911_155748091_HDR.jpg Theres about an inch of pad above the dirt in this photo, so every decent rain, it washes into the barn. http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj240/cucamelsmd15/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20160911_155802350.jpg This is the side facing east. Its been washed out as well and the pad is unsupported. http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj240/cucamelsmd15/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20160911_155919760.jpg My initial thought is to do a three sided french drain and drain it to the east side, then backfill the east side with gravel up to the bottom of the siding. Set the drain about 6-8" deep and cover it with gravel and call it a day. Last issue is the floor. http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj240/cucamelsmd15/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20160911_155119122.jpg I think once the foam is done and its not getting wet, Ill look at renting a scrubber for a weekend. Its concrete, so I could do the epoxy treatment after that, but at that point, Im looking at late fall/early winter in NC, so the drying time becomes longer. Logistically, Id have to store stuff in the attached garage, which isnt a huge deal. View Quote Don't know whether this would be useful to you, but.. When we had our garage poured (it was a slab poured INSIDE an existing detached garage built in about 1920) the guy poured the concrete, then he came back a few times. Sometimes he came back to look at it and said, "I'll be back later this evening." Then he hand-trowed the concrete to a finish that is like what you think would be some sort of clear finish applied to the floor. It is freaking AMAZING how shiny and perfect this finish is. I don't know what anybody could do, since the concrete is already cured. Certainly you are too late to apply the sort of finish I got from this guy just troweling it four or five times. But I just noticed that our Kroger store (huge grocery chain) has taken up all its industrial tile and has had the concrete polished on all three stores in our town. This makes a surface impervious to spills of all kinds--including oily ones-- and WAY better than any sort of top coating or other finish. It might be that you could have this floor polished by a pro and get something WAY better than you could get otherwise. |
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe |
Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
KY, USA
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Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe |
Does a one-footed duck swim in a circle?
GA, USA
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Originally Posted By cucamelsmd15: Multi part update, part 3: This weekend was my little girls 4th birthday party. More on that in a sec... I started off Saturday by doing a little chainsawin': http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj240/cucamelsmd15/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20161001_115406914.jpg Also, this guy was born this week: http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj240/cucamelsmd15/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20161002_190843225_HDR.jpg One other heifer the neighbors have is due any day now. Back to the birthday party... We had about 8-10 families from my daughters school class, plus family here for the party. Figure about 40 people or so. Interesting part #1, we were in the front yard doing kids games, when I hear yipping from behind the house. Ran inside and grabbed the 300 and went to investigate to find a coyote chasing a rabbit up the walking path I have cut around the back 5 acres. One of the neighbors lost 3 of their chickens and a rooster a few weeks ago to a coyote, as it were. Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord, and apparently the Good Lord speaks 300 Blackout on occasion. I turned around to see a few kids and parents peeking around the house, about half horrified and half intrigued at the coyote I had just splattered across the field. Interesting part #2, our driveway has a turnout that has a solid 12" dropoff. Well, one of the ladies decided to try and drive over it in her Infiniti. Tractor, 6x6 and some spare wood to the rescue, and I got her backed up onto the concrete pad and off to the races. Other than some cosmetic underbody damage, she got lucky. I guess I probably need to see about doing something with that, either a poured concrete slope or gravel in case someone tries it again. This is the wrap to my weekend: http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj240/cucamelsmd15/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20161002_190807502_HDR.jpg View Quote |
Always Out Front.
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Been a quiet couple of weeks. Photosuckit is down or Id upload some pics.
Bushhogged the back 5 today. I had forgotten how much that sucks. We have had a TON of deer on the game camera lately, right under where I have my stand. A spike, 6pt and 8pt and a ton of doe. Neighbors set up a game camera next to the chicken coop since they had eggs disappearing, and turns out, its a fox. Ive caught him on my camera too. Fox season opens around Thanksgiving, so he will get his due soon. More to come when I can host photos again. |
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Oh fuck me.
I knew when we bought the house that the HVAC was original from '99. I knew that it would need to be replaced at some point. I did not want this to be that fucking point. Upstairs heat pump starts out making a solid 22-23* delta on the coil and steadily drops to.... nada. Its also squealing like a stuck pig. No problem, I figure its a reversing valve thats gone bad, as is somewhat common in heat pumps. I go out, do the usual diagnostics. Hmmm, not a reversing valve. That points to a compressor. Call up a work acquaintance and he is kind enough to loan me his gauges for the price of a frosty tall one. Stick the gauges on it anddddddddd... nada. Ill call the local company I used when we had the house purchase and the checkup this spring, but Im not holding my breath on this being cheap. |
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Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
KY, USA
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Originally Posted By cucamelsmd15:
Oh fuck me. I knew when we bought the house that the HVAC was original from '99. I knew that it would need to be replaced at some point. I did not want this to be that fucking point. Upstairs heat pump starts out making a solid 22-23* delta on the coil and steadily drops to.... nada. Its also squealing like a stuck pig. No problem, I figure its a reversing valve thats gone bad, as is somewhat common in heat pumps. I go out, do the usual diagnostics. Hmmm, not a reversing valve. That points to a compressor. Call up a work acquaintance and he is kind enough to loan me his gauges for the price of a frosty tall one. Stick the gauges on it anddddddddd... nada. Ill call the local company I used when we had the house purchase and the checkup this spring, but Im not holding my breath on this being cheap. View Quote Awww, shoot. |
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe |
Originally Posted By cucamelsmd15: Stick the gauges on it anddddddddd... nada. Ill call the local company I used when we had the house purchase and the checkup this spring, but Im not holding my breath on this being cheap. View Quote Maybe you will get lucky and it is just a seal where you connect the gauges. My heat pump was losing refrigerant. The tech spent an hour checking every little area and could not find the leak. Then he noticed the caps for the refrigerant ports had bad/no o-rings. The ports shouldn't be leaking anyway but in case they did the o-rings would prevent a leak. He topped off the unit and replaced the o-rings. I've been going on a year now and the unit has been working fine. That is a cheap fix to check first. They have some type of refrigerant detector probe that they can use to pinpoint the leak. I would make sure they at least try that first before replacing the unit. |
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Boredom comes from a lack of achievable, yet challenging goals. If you're bored, it's likely you haven't created new goals for yourself lately, you've become complacent.
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Looking great so far. I was actually in NC this weekend. Family and I are considering relocating there.
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So, not 100% sure yet, but it looks like its a bad control board. Problem is, they arent sure if they can find a dual fuel control board for my unit thats now 17ish years old or so. |
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Awesome thread is awesome. And proves that nothing in life is easy...
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Do you like BACON?! I made my own...you can, too; it's VERY easy! http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=10&f=19&t=629065
How about dry italian pork sausage?! http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=10&f=19&t=628430 |
Originally Posted By KeepShooting: Awesome thread is awesome. And proves that nothing in life is easy... View Quote Thanks! Funny related story: I relayed the pulling of the 600ft deep well pump, including showing her the pictures to a friend of mine. Her response was "that seems like entirely too much work for somewhere to live". I kinda shrugged and said "if it were easy, everybody would do it". |
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Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
KY, USA
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Glad you got your heat working. It's been cold as heck here.
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Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe |
So with us forecast to get 6-8" of snow this weekend, Ive been scrambling to make sure we are prepared.
So far, Ive made sure all the vehicles are gassed up. I, actually last week, finally broke down and bought a 4x4 truck. Got a good deal on a year end 2016 F150, so getting out should no longer be an issue in a pinch. That said, my main priority tonight is getting the sway link on the tractor fixed so I can swipe the neighbors straight blade to plow the road if needed. Its got a tank full of fresh diesel. Ill stop and get gas and kerosene on the way home. Gas for the ATV so I can tow the kiddo around on her sled, kerosene for the heater for the barn. Ive had really good luck with nothing freezing in there up until now, but with the next three days not forecast to break freezing, and the fact we are usually 4-5* below forecast for the nearest town which could potentially mean temperatures of 0 or below for us. Ill do a cursory check of heat pumps tonight. I need to see how we are doing on propane usage and make sure we arent going to run the tank dry over the next couple of days. Thats become a real concern seeing how cold the forecast temperatures are. My other concern right now is the water piping from the water heater in the garage that runs under the breezeway of the house back into the crawlspace. That space is open air, but the pipes are insulated. My main concern is having them freeze on the really cold nights. I know conventional wisdom is to drip a faucet, but being that its a cold supply and hot return, it seems to me that I would need to drip the hot water at the kitchen sink (first fixture after it reenters the house), correct? |
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Alright ARF, settle an argument for me...
I have a bunch of rip rap inbound to line the ditches along my driveway and to line a couple of other areas where the water needs some slowing down and/or Im tired of mowing/weed eating during growing season. So, my Dad says scoop and dump with the tractor. I say hand place pieces so they are good and locked together. What says you? Also of interesting note, I have hundreds of tiny holes, say, golf ball size, that have popped up in my yard. Id like to know whats making said holes so I can kill it and/or prevent it from happening again. Ill see if I can snap a pic tonight. |
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Beautiful. You are living my dream lol. Hopefully someday I will get to move to the NC country
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Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
KY, USA
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Originally Posted By cucamelsmd15:
Alright ARF, settle an argument for me... I have a bunch of rip rap inbound to line the ditches along my driveway and to line a couple of other areas where the water needs some slowing down and/or Im tired of mowing/weed eating during growing season. So, my Dad says scoop and dump with the tractor. I say hand place pieces so they are good and locked together. What says you? Also of interesting note, I have hundreds of tiny holes, say, golf ball size, that have popped up in my yard. Id like to know whats making said holes so I can kill it and/or prevent it from happening again. Ill see if I can snap a pic tonight. View Quote Either way, it's going to be a weed fest. Dumping will use more rock I'm guessing, but deeper rock will act as a weed control of a sort. Do you plan to use herbicide? Or a batwing bush hog? or what? |
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe |
Originally Posted By Kitties-with-Sigs:
Either way, it's going to be a weed fest. Dumping will use more rock I'm guessing, but deeper rock will act as a weed control of a sort. Do you plan to use herbicide? Or a batwing bush hog? or what? View Quote Seriously though, I plan on spraying it regularly. The driveway gets a pretty regular dose to keep the grass from growing on it, and the ditches get sprayed by proxy. |
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Ok kids, learn from my mistakes...
Over the past few months, some of which Ive talked about here, Ive learned a few lessons the hard way. Today, you get to learn by proxy. Breaking a sway link on a 3pt arm is an inconvenience, yes. Those are easily acquired with $58 and a week of your time. I have a spare set in the barn now. Popping a whip hose on the loader means the tractor stops where it sits. Lots of compact and even midsize tractors now have common sumps for transmission and front/rear remotes. What that really means is the tractor pisses itself in hydraulic fluid if one turns loose. IF, and thats a big IF youre lucky, you can have one made by your local NAPA or Oreillys. The first one I tried didnt have the right fittings. Second one did. Needless to say, I now own a complete set of whip hoses and junction block hoses. Ive come to realize that in a pinch, theres certain things that you cant just "run to the store" to get. Some are showstoppers, some less so. But, in planning for inevitability, I keep more of those things "in stock" now than a normal person would. Also as a sidenote, reseating the bead on an ATV tire you just patched with parts cleaner is incredibly fun. |
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Originally Posted By cucamelsmd15:
Ok kids, learn from my mistakes... Over the past few months, some of which Ive talked about here, Ive learned a few lessons the hard way. Today, you get to learn by proxy. Breaking a sway link on a 3pt arm is an inconvenience, yes. Those are easily acquired with $58 and a week of your time. I have a spare set in the barn now. Popping a whip hose on the loader means the tractor stops where it sits. Lots of compact and even midsize tractors now have common sumps for transmission and front/rear remotes. What that really means is the tractor pisses itself in hydraulic fluid if one turns loose. IF, and thats a big IF youre lucky, you can have one made by your local NAPA or Oreillys. The first one I tried didnt have the right fittings. Second one did. Needless to say, I now own a complete set of whip hoses and junction block hoses. Ive come to realize that in a pinch, theres certain things that you cant just "run to the store" to get. Some are showstoppers, some less so. But, in planning for inevitability, I keep more of those things "in stock" now than a normal person would. Also as a sidenote, reseating the bead on an ATV tire you just patched with parts cleaner is incredibly fun. View Quote Isn't living out in the country fun I'm lucky enough to live within 20 minutes of 2 places that could make me pretty much any hydraulic hose under the sun. Came in handy a few years ago on the farm when they bought a new Deere 12/24 row planter. Put Dawn hydraulic row cleaners and downforce cylinders on it. Had several dozen hoses made because me being the engineer I am got to redesign the entire thing because the farmer didn't like the way it was supposed to be Ether is more fun |
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Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
KY, USA
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Originally Posted By cucamelsmd15:
Herbicide. I buy the active ingredient in Round Up by the 5 gallon bucket. Seriously though, I plan on spraying it regularly. The driveway gets a pretty regular dose to keep the grass from growing on it, and the ditches get sprayed by proxy. View Quote I would dump, then, and make the rock as deep as I could afford. First because the cost of the rock will be offset by the savings in buying less chemical, since the rock lasts a long, long, long time, and also (and more important IMO) because glyphosphate, over time, becomes less and less effective, and putting it in those ditches is equivalent to putting it in the groundwater. And yes, I do know it's stated to be inert under almost all unpleasant circumstances, and what it's SUPPOSED to break down into is harmless. However, having actually READ a lot of those studies and sat in on meetings of chemists and university biology and agronomy professors discussing it, I would use it in moderation as much as is possible. YMMV of course. |
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe |
Nice.
Maybe a super nice rock fire pit for relaxing? How is the view down towards the house and also towards the house? Maybe a nice rock step walkway up that slope with landscape lighting? Frame out w railway ties some soft even mulchy tent camping spots around the fire pit for a place to practice camping or sleep outside? Stack a cord or two up back there? |
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"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle." - Edmund Burke.
Get to your pubs and associate. |
Originally Posted By cucamelsmd15:
Discussed the firepit idea with the wife. Thumbs up of approval. Bad news is, despite by best efforts, Ive managed to get some patchy poison oak/poison ivy. Ill be so glad when Im done with this shit. Went and picked up the disc today: http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj240/cucamelsmd15/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20170311_134541342_HDR.jpg Got it adjusted, and the sun was out, so I figured why not? http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj240/cucamelsmd15/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20170311_141256786_HDR.jpg I made a bunch of passes on it, probably 5-6 to get it good and broken up. I need to hang a PVC pipe or something behind to smooth it after. We are going to have a few more nights of freezing temps, so hopefully that will help kill the grass off and bust up the last few clods left. Ill fertilize and disc again prior to planting in April. I have to say, for $1300, I like the disc and I dont have to deal with the soil compaction issues from the rototiller again. View Quote Nice disk! Need a rolling basket behind it |
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Looked it up.
Welp, there goes some more money. Actually, on a quick google search, this guy built one. http://www.mytractorforum.com/119-home-made-tractors-implements-accessories/653441-homemade-cultivator-w-rolling-basket.html Pretty sure I could emulate that design... |
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Originally Posted By cucamelsmd15:
this was all overgrown briars Now the question is, what do I do with it? View Quote Sounds like a perfect spot for primocane thornless blackberries and raspberries. With primocane plants they will produce at the end of summer on 1st year branches. You can mow it flat at the end of the year if you want. Or trim them up and the older branches will give you a crop early summer and the new branches a later crop. Two crops, no thorns, and if you get tired of managing them just mow them off in the fall. |
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Boredom comes from a lack of achievable, yet challenging goals. If you're bored, it's likely you haven't created new goals for yourself lately, you've become complacent.
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Originally Posted By cucamelsmd15:
Looked it up. Welp, there goes some more money. Actually, on a quick google search, this guy built one. http://www.mytractorforum.com/119-home-made-tractors-implements-accessories/653441-homemade-cultivator-w-rolling-basket.html Pretty sure I could emulate that design... View Quote We had a drag behind ours. The rolling basket would be better. The drag was just that, multiple bars with some spikes on them that would bust up any clumps and it was dragged behind the disc. Why not solve both problems and just go with a rotary tiller? http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/countyline-rotary-tiller-5-ft-w?cm_vc=-10005 |
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Boredom comes from a lack of achievable, yet challenging goals. If you're bored, it's likely you haven't created new goals for yourself lately, you've become complacent.
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Cost, first of all. The County Line is cheap, it shows in the gearbox. I had looked at a Land Pride and Mahindra, as well as a couple of others, and for a 6ft I was looking in the $2500+ neighborhood.
Secondly, erosion. I had it last year with my garden because of the orientation of the slope with heavy rain. Lastly, soil compaction. Soil should have structure, as Ive learned. Its necessary for water penetration, aeration and keeping the microbes alive that make stuff grow. That, and Ive never seen my gas gauge move so fast as the one time I used a rototiller. |
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So the tiller doesn't aerate the soil? It seems like it would fluff it up pretty well. Does the lack of structure cause it compact more? I had my friend use his 5' tiller on part of my back yard and the results were great so far. The ground was very hard despite recent rains. He had to make 4 to 6 passes just to get it tilled about 6 inches deep. I doubt a disc alone would have been able to get down that deep. If you used your hand to move the dirt how deep would you say your disc was able to get? We always used a plow, let the dirt dry a bit, and then came back with the disc and drag to break it down and smooth it out.
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Boredom comes from a lack of achievable, yet challenging goals. If you're bored, it's likely you haven't created new goals for yourself lately, you've become complacent.
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Originally Posted By cucamelsmd15:
Looked it up. Welp, there goes some more money. Actually, on a quick google search, this guy built one. http://www.mytractorforum.com/119-home-made-tractors-implements-accessories/653441-homemade-cultivator-w-rolling-basket.html Pretty sure I could emulate that design... View Quote We have them on the back of the big one pass tool on the farm. Work really well. Only issue we have is an occasional rock getting wedged in them preventing them from turning. They work better the faster you go I don't see a reason why you couldn't do that that guy did. Would be cheaper than buying one. Only thing I might do different is have the local shop laser out some of the parts vs making them on the drill press. |
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Originally Posted By SWIRE:
So the tiller doesn't aerate the soil? It seems like it would fluff it up pretty well. Does the lack of structure cause it compact more? I had my friend use his 5' tiller on part of my back yard and the results were great so far. The ground was very hard despite recent rains. He had to make 4 to 6 passes just to get it tilled about 6 inches deep. I doubt a disc alone would have been able to get down that deep. If you used your hand to move the dirt how deep would you say your disc was able to get? We always used a plow, let the dirt dry a bit, and then came back with the disc and drag to break it down and smooth it out. View Quote Ive got a solid 6" if not more in some places. I didnt have my plow set up that great when I turned it a few months ago, but the disc still went plenty deep. |
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Born with a low tolerance for bullshit
KY, USA
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Originally Posted By SWIRE:
So the tiller doesn't aerate the soil? It seems like it would fluff it up pretty well. Does the lack of structure cause it compact more? I had my friend use his 5' tiller on part of my back yard and the results were great so far. The ground was very hard despite recent rains. He had to make 4 to 6 passes just to get it tilled about 6 inches deep. I doubt a disc alone would have been able to get down that deep. If you used your hand to move the dirt how deep would you say your disc was able to get? We always used a plow, let the dirt dry a bit, and then came back with the disc and drag to break it down and smooth it out. View Quote I'll add...a rototiller has its uses. I have one. But it actually pulverizes the soil. [ALERT--geek-like info dump below] In extremely simplified terms, good soil, the way it forms over thousands of years, is actually not just a pile of single bits of anything. It's composed of small "bundles" of stuff. This includes bits of sand, silt, clay, bits of organic matter like leaves, grass, sticks, tons of microoranisms that move through the soil and consume those organic bits and poop out (I do mean extremely simplified, folks) other good stuff, etc. An IMPORTANT part of this is that those little bundles are chemically active. Think of them like a molecule instead of single atoms.If you remember any of basic chemistry (I know, mostly only geeks do)m molecules form largely because of the chemical attractions between the elements present. The bottom line is that the chemical "attraction" that's present on those little bundles of soil stuff is what grabs onto and holds things like Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, and the other essential plant nutrients necessary for growing things. When you rototill, you bust up the molecule into smaller particles, breaking all kinds of chemical bonds, and basically, because the particles are so small now, any pressure is going to compact that soil WAY more than it would have if the particles were in original condition and had more substance. More muscle. Those little bundles are what allow for good drainage. The tiny particles don't drain nearly as well. (Think heavy Georgia red clay, which is mostly the smallest particles you can get all packed together.) It takes thousands of years to build those little clumps into something magic. It takes only a few passes with a rototiller over a few seasons to completely destroy them. Even gardening for many decades with a plow, disk and drag will pulverize soil. The ground where I grew up was no longer as productive...it's no longer a good garden spot....after my folks gardened there for nearly 70 years. Rototilling is not the ultimate evil, but it is a tool that should be used carefully and not as a cure-all because it does the most damage per "pass" of the commonly available tillage equipment. "Aeration" is generally considered going in and making little holes (which is why the best aerators actually pull little plugs out) which allows roots and the soil bundles to sort of "spread out" which actually is "anti-compacting" if that makes any sense? When you speak of "fluffing up" the soil, the best goal to go after is to loosen the structure enough to create a decent planting medium so the tender roots can penetrate it, but to leave as many of the bundles intact as possible. Okay I'll shut up now. Sorry OP. I sort of can't help myself. [/info dump] |
Wine is sunlight held together by water~~Galileo Galilei
Well-behaved women rarely make history~~Marilyn Monroe |
No need to apologize, thats good stuff. I learned something.
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