[AT] Tap - tap - tap ... blow - blow...

[Francis Robinson]

----- Original Message ----- 

>    Farmer;
>    Been at Portland for the fall swap meet. Spent all my money. Bought a
> lathe, truck tire, a small press and several other smaller items. Got
> stocked up on spray lubes, multi meter and other things I needed.
>
>                        Gene
>

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

    I wanted to make the fall swap meet this year but it was not to be... I 
have some stuff I would like to sell rather than scrap out even though it 
may well be worth more as scrap. If I do scrap it I will likely give it to a 
local scout group if they are still doing a scrap drive as a fund-raiser. 
Diana and I do plan to be at the Tri-State Christmas dinner again at Fort 
Recovery OH.
    I have been busy getting a little dab of hay baled now that we have 
finally had some rain. We are still about 10" short but stuff is growing 
fairly fast now. I mowed, raked and baled with my S-MTA Farmall. The mower 
for most of it was a John Deere #5. The rake is an old Co-op PTO rake that 
uses 3 little wheels across the back. I suspect it dates back to at least 
the 1950's. It is orange and black. Son Scott bought it at an auction of an 
old farmer. It was bought new but the guy didn't like it at all. It is a 
little different to use and requires care in making sharp right turns. One 
little wheel (driver's side) is mounted solid and the other two caster. It 
reaches way out on the passenger side but barely as far as the tractor on 
the driver's side. The guy had barely used it and parked it in the tool shed 
and left it sitting for years and years. When we got it all of the rake 
teeth were still flat across the tips and were not rounded at all. They are 
now beginning to wear round. Scott bought it for $5. It is different but not 
that hard to adapt to. The baler is an IHC twine tie (I forget the number 
right now).
    We piled 51 bales of orchard grass on one of the pick-ups and took them 
to the auction at Knightstown IN on US-40 this morning just to see what it 
would do. It was the first time I ever sold hay for more than $3 a bale. It 
sold for $5.75 a bale. Prices ranged from about $1.40 (baled cornstalks) to 
about $8 for some really pretty bright green alfalfa.
    I had some former pasture ground that I rolled up with my Vermeer round 
baler. It is either a 504 or a 405, I forget which. It is supposed to be a 
4'x5' bale but a little over 4' tall is about all I put in most of them. 
Someone asked me about that hay today and I described it as "rolled up green 
stuff".  :-)
    If the weather holds up warm I could maybe get another small cutting off 
of the lots but I want to get them sprayed with 2-4-D yet this fall since 
they no longer allow spraying it in the early spring and then foraging any 
of it according to my spray guy's book. I also want to feed it and lime it a 
bit.
    I see you bought a truck tire. I need to buy a pair of new front ones 
for the old 1966 IHC Loadstar 1600. The ones on it are getting too weather 
checked to keep running.
    What kind of lathe did you buy?





--
"farmer"

When you reach the end of your rope
 tie a knot and hang on...

Francis Robinson
Central Indiana, USA
robinson at svs.net