Senile Texas Aggie - comic relief for the rest of you

Baymule said:

It's hot for us too, but I guess we can take it better. It gets hot and stays hot for several months. Maybe we're just used to it.

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The equivalent would be if the forecast said it was going to be 116F for a few days....Average temps here are mid to upper 70s...average there are mid 90s

Bruce said:

Thanks for the empathy @Baymule

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You're mighty welcome! Anything for my friend!

Mid 70's here might be considered a bit chilly. Nice, but a breeze might raise up goose bumps.

We went outside this morning and worked until 11:30. Soaking wet, dirty and hot, (yes we do get hot) we came in, showered and now DH is taking a nap. I'm doing laundry, cooking a pot of purple hull peas and just made deviled eggs. Got to strip the bed, remake it, do another load of laundry.

I expect you've seen this or will since you follow Tractor Mike but since you were asking about sprayers:

Bruce said:

I expect you've seen this or will since you follow Tractor Mike but since you were asking about sprayers:

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Holy cow! Yes, I do watch Tractor Mike but I had not seen this video. I wish I had, as will be evident soon.

Yesterday I bought a cheap sprayer at Tractor Supply that will fit in the Gator side-by-side. I couldn't see spending $400 or more for something I wasn't sure I would use that much, so I bought a County Line spot sprayer, which I have yet to install. After I got home, I spent the rest of the day rounding up brush and trees and then burning all of it. I finally cut the last part of the pine tree that was on the pond dam that blow over earlier this year. (I counted 55 rings in the trunk.) I didn't even have time to log into BYH or watch any YouTube videos such as Tractor Mike.

Today my Beautiful Gal and I decided that it was time to tackle the brush pile behind the shop that we had been planning on chipping into mulch. So I hooked up the chipper and we got after it. For about 45 minutes we were really getting the wood chipped up. But then, in the process, I did 2 things that each deserve a Zinger™ award. First, I fed in a tree that was close to the limit of the size that the wood chipper could handle:

That itself was OK. Where I screwed up was failing to adjust the feed rate, which I had set at the fastest speed. Because the tree was so thick and the amount of wood being chipped off was so large, the flywheel came to a complete halt. The wood was jammed in there and the PTO could not turn to drive the hydraulics to reverse the feed. So back to the shop we went.

Here is where I did the second thing worthy of a Zinger™ award: I decided to remove the housing for the top of the flywheel to see if I could unjam the wood from it. I attempted to remove the nut from the bolt holding the flywheel cover in place. I couldn't budge the nut using a 15/16" wrench. I got my 1/2" drive breakover bar and a cheater pipe and tried to remove the nut. I broke the breakover bar! Since I needed to get some offroad diesel for the tractor and to check on the rotary mower to see if it was fixed, I decided to get a bigger ratchet and socket at an auto parts store while out. So I bought a 3/4" drive ratchet and a 3/4" drive 15/16" socket, along with a 1/2" drive breakover bar to replace the one I broke.

When I got home I attempted to remove the nut using the 3/4" drive ratchet and socket. This time the nut rounded off on the corners! What the ...! Finally, I bent down to get a really good look at the nut to see why it would not come loose. That's when I noticed that the nut had been welded to the frame of the chipper. I was supposed to loosen the bolt, not the nut! Once I loosened and removed the bolt, I was able to remove the flywheel cover. By banging on the flywheel in the direction opposite from the direction used to cut the wood, the stuck wood became slightly looser. I set the feed rate to 0 and the direction of feed to be reversed. Then I started the tractor and engaged the PTO. The flywheel was able to turn. Then I set the feed rate to full speed and the stuck wood popped right out. But by that time, I was drenched in sweat and decided to quit for the day. So we will tackle the wood chipping tomorrow.

Senile Texas Aggie

The T.M. video was new yesterday so not surprised you hadn't seen it. I don't know what time it was posted. I usually refresh all the YouTube channel pages I follow starting about 9 PM to see if anything new was posted (though I suppose I could just check the alerts).

I didn't go to his "sales" page to check the price on the sprayer since I don't have need of one. Based on the prices he mentioned for some optional things, it isn't cheap. It does look like a very good one, probably not quick hitch compatible given the shape.

I think you only get 1/2 Zinger™ for the flywheel nut, the only thing you broke was the breakover bar. Rounding a welded nut causes no damage. And now you have a 3/4 drive for those bigger machines. I got some larger size wrenches, 1/2" drive ratchets and sockets from DW's uncle when he and his wife moved to the retirement community years ago. I didn't have great need for them but they've proven most useful now that I have a garden tractor and a real tractor. I think a thank you to Uncle Charles every time I use them.

STA, the best jokes are the ones we tell on ourselves, thanks for the giggle. The only way to never make a mistake is to sit naked on the floor in an empty room forever. Since that doesn't sound like very much fun, getting out there and breaking stuff is vastly more interesting. At least you realized it before you broke the welds loose.

I'm impressed that he was able to break the breaker bar!

That takes real talent.

One thing is for sure....ya won't make that mistake again.......I certainly have many examples of somewhat the same "experience".....when the "lite goes on"....it is habitual to look around and see if anyone "witnessed" it.....