[AT] Potato diggers - Slight variation

[Indiana Robinson]

On 1 Jan 2006 at 3:46, Greg Hass wrote:

> First of all, Happy New Year to everyone.  Grant's post reminded me of 
> something that has been on my mind quite a bit recently. I have some 
> problems quite similar to his, one being limited funds 
and the other 
> farming only a little over a hundred acres.  I have no 
idea how many on 
> this list farm at all, particularly how many farm small 
acreages.  As I 
> have mentioned in previous posts, all of the machinery I 
own except for the 
> corn planter and skid steer is 30+ years old.
> 
> I am generally on the lookout for various machines, but 
the problem 
> is:  where I can I find them?  I used to be able to find 
some at auctions, 
> however the auctions that have the equipment I need have 
pretty much run 
> their course and auctions now are mostly large farm 
auctions.  Our local 
> machinery dealers have refused for quite a while to take 
any of this small 
> type of equipment on trade.  It is now rumored that our 
local John Deere 
> dealer (whom I do not patronize and who bought the 
dealership from the 
> previous owner 2 years ago) will not take any equipment 
over 5 years old on 
> trade.  Three miles from me is a local machinery jockey 
in his mid-30s who 
> handles just the type of equipment I need.  However, he 
is so crooked that 
> not even a flame wrench can straighten him out, which is 
sad because our 
> area could really use this type of dealer.
> 
> My only alternative seems to be fence row hunting, which 
is difficult 
> because many of the fence rows are not visible from the 
road.  For 
> instance, my field cultivator and crop sprayer I got from 
a cousin who had 
> them sitting in tall weeds out behind the barn for 15+ 
years.  Both 
> required several hundred dollars in repairs to get them 
in working order 
> but at least now I have fairly decent, usable machines.  
My roll-over plow 
> I heard about by accident.  A guy a couple of miles away 
had purchased it 
> on a deal with a used tractor and never used it.  It had 
been sitting there 
> for over 10 years.  The problem with this type of 
acquisition is that in 
> all of these cases I had been looking for the equipment 
for 3 or more years 
> before I found it.  Should I need a machine in the near 
future they are 
> almost impossible to find quickly.
> 
> At the present time I am looking for a flail chopper.  
For those not 
> familiar, they were a machine 5-ft. wide that cut hay 
with swinging flails, 
> threw it into an auger, which in turn augered it into a 
set of knives which 
> recut the hay then blew it into a wagon to feed the 
cattle on a daily 
> basis.  I do not have livestock, but on my limited 
acreage such a machine 
> would do a good job of cutting up the cornstalks so they 
wouldn't pug my 
> plow.  Twenty years ago there were hundreds of them in 
our area so the 
> problem now is to find one.  I have never heard of an 
online service with 
> listings of this type of equipment, although it would 
probably be handy.  I 
> know here's no magical anser to the problem.  I guess I 
just needed to vent 
> a little going into the new year.
> 
> Greg Hass  



Hi Greg:

	Son Scott bought a regular Brady stalk chopper (I think it 
was called a 4 row) at auction a year or so ago and started 
to fix it up but we are switching to all hay and horse 
pasture. Right now I don't plan to plant any corn this 
year. I think it is missing one half of the PTO shaft and 
it needs a smallish (famous last words) repair to one end 
of one shaft where a drive pully mounts on it (pulley loose 
on shaft). The chopper probably had paint on it at one 
time...   ;-)
	Scott just walked in and I asked him if he wanted to sell 
it and how much. He shrugged and said $50.
It is this type but not as wide and has less paint (copy 
and paste):
http://www.agdealer.com/pages/view-
listing.cfm?ID=238364&ClientID=124

	He is also selling a Ford 4-16" semi-mounted plow but he 
has more in it. Wants $250. He is getting rid of some of 
the stuff he bought a few years ago and generally looks to 
just get his money back. We were thinking of renting some 
more ground together and were setting up to cover ground 
fast with two sets of equipment but his job has rapidly 
grown to the point that he has trouble coming up with 
enough time for such things now. I am not interested in 
more ground if he can't do it with me. His job pays a "lot" 
more than farming...   ;-)
	I need to thin some stuff too but I haven't decided just 
what yet.


--
"farmer"

Francis Robinson
Central Indiana, USA
robinson at svs.net

	I have created a local Shopsmith users list for my area. 
It is described as follows:
This is to be a list for Shopsmith owners and want to be 
owners in the general area of Indiana. If you are across 
the line in OH or IL that is fine too. I don't want to draw 
a hard line but I hope for all members to be within a 
reasonable driving distance of each other. This list is for 
sharing woodworking tips and stories and Shopsmith tips and 
stories but also is to be used for the buying, selling and 
swapping of Shopsmith tools, accessories and parts between 
members of this list. 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndianaSSlist/