Reality sets in.

Being a farmer/rancher isn't easy.

Having a tractor is no panacea.

We planned on having all weekend to play with the tractor and get used to it. But first, we each had a list of small things that needed to get done. And another list of larger things to get done. It was beautiful weather - fall is in the air. The days were very warm, but not roasting, and the nights were very cool.

Due to our experience last trip, Rob had bought a whole assortment of tools for the tractor and implements. Since the tractor is Chinese, and the implements are American, that meant two sets of tools. We had several hours on the tractor, and we now had a grease gun, so we tried to find all the places that needed grease. It appears that (contrary to our request) they had not greased the tractor before shipping it to us.. or at least, not well. So it took a lot of grease. We actually had to go buy more.

It took a while, but Rob finally got the brush hog completely set up and ready to go, but we figured that with the dry grass, we needed to be sure there were no rocks that could spark, so we decided not to use it yet. So he then worked on the box blade and tried it out.

Now that his birthday present was ready to play with, Rob worked on putting together the 25 gallon boom sprayer that was Loretta's birthday present. And he mounted it on the ATV. Loretta decided to spray the poison oak with Roundup, and then planned on spraying the entry and well site with pre-emergent so we wouldn't have to weed-eat those places. The instructions for the basic operation on the boom sprayer were easy. The instructions on how to set the pressure and how much would be sprayed were not. We probably spent an hour discussing it, and finally just decided we'd follow the directions on the bottle, and then Loretta would just go around in circles until it was all gone. So off she went.

And promptly got the ATV stuck.

So, it was Rob to the rescue, with the tractor. And promptly got the tractor stuck. (You'll have to read the rest of the story below).

Not only that, but in addition, the lower stabilizer link arm broke on the tractor. So Rob had to take that and the post-hole digger home to work on them.

All in all, though, we got a lot done. Rob did a ton of work on the road, and the worst of the ruts are under control. It still needs to be packed down, but at least we aren't bouncing around.

(As always, click on the picture to get a larger picture that you can see better)

A good look at the tractor, with loader and box blade.	Loretta with her new boomless sprayer. She really hates using this stuff, but we really have to have this under better control, especially since we aren't here full time. We can't mow the bank with the brush hog, it's too much to weed-whack, and we can't let it get tall. It (supposedly) only lasts a year, so by the time we move here, it should be gone. (slideshow).	A good look at the 3 point hitch. Now maybe you can understand our frustration at having almost no instructions.
Last trip, we got the supports put together on the brush hog. But, as you recall, Rob had to bore out the holes on one of the supports. Now we also need to install the driveline. (slideshow)	Ah, brush hog is complete, and Rob carries it back to it's parking place. (Check out the video at the end to watch him figure out the controls)	A new den has appeared right next to the camp. It looks like it's big enough for a medium size animal. It's primarily under the bush, but they did dig out quite a bit of dirt. Hmm, wonder if it's that skunk we smelled the other night?
Greasing the tractor.... it's not as easy as it may look. (slideshow)	Rob is ready to rock and roll. (slideshow)	Rob grades the road and well site. (slideshow)
Fall is in the air. It's no longer 102° during the day, and it falls to 56° at night. Loretta decides it's time to start winterizing the camp. (slideshow)	Fixing the tractor and post-hole digger. (slideshow)
Here's a short video of Rob trying to figure out the PTO controls with the brush hog.

Links to other photo pages:

2006
Camp Repairs5    Grading the Road    Finish the Road    Clear Homesite Circle    Start Hydraulic Ripper Installation    Waterfalls & Rainbows    Chain Saw Loretta    Easter 2006   

2005
New ATV-New Year2005    Home Layout     Kyle Comes to Camp     Loretta Kills Road Weeds     Ryan Visits     Starting Counter Top     Finishing Cabinet     Easter 2005     Wesley's Spring Break     We meet the Architect     Finishing the Tree House     Our First Fire     Memorial Day 2005     Water Witching     Preparing the Well Site     Grading the Well Site     Digging the well     Our New Tractor     Labor Day 2005     Rusty comes to Camp     Smoothing the Road     Our own Water     Fire and Rain     Tractor Maintenance     Customize Tractor     New Backhoe     Thanksgiving 2005    Changing Oils     Solar Chargers & Toothbar    Rainy New Year Weekend   

2004
Three Rivers Home Page     Animal Friends     Then and Now     First Pictures     Rattlesnake Campout     Easter 2004     Building the Road     South Camp Construction     Building Decks     Finishing Decks     The Stair Master     Done at South Camp     Labor Day 2004     Leapin' Lizards     Tracking Bear and Deer     Securing the Camp     Our First Rain     Loretta's Family visits     Coco and the Boardwalk         Start the Treehouse     Frame the Treehouse