Stewart Creek Somethings

Double yolker!

I finally finished my stretch of days at various jobs and it is time to spray some weeds.  I am not opposed to herbicides it is just that getting ready to spray is always an ordeal.  Everything always magically breaks down over the winter.  This winter was no exception, stuff was broken.  I could not start the mule.  So off to town to buy a new battery.  It is not so simple as just putting a new battery into the slot.  I had to pour acid into the various cells, wait one hour and then charge the battery.  I installed the new battery and could not get the mule to start at all.  There were two flat tires and some animal had rubbed the brake light off the underside of the mule.  I could not get the mule into neutral.  I had to drag the mule out with the tractor and a chain.  Once I got the mule out in the open I was able to get it out of gear and mess with the shifter till the neutral switch was correctly aligned so the starter would kick in.

  Once I got it running I pumped up all four tires and then drove it over to the house to fill it up with gas.  I left it running while I filled it up with fuel.  I went down and filled the tank up with water and then spent another hour cleaning spray nozzles and making adjustments.  Once that was all done I was ready to spray!  I filled the tank 1/2 full and added some 2-4-D, 8 cups and 150 ml of surfactant.  Unfortunately, about five minutes into spraying I realized my back was getting wet.  I looked back and there was a crack across the whole upper third of the tank.  It was toast.  I finished spraying and the next day went looking for a new tank.  D and B had one 25 gallon tank left, so I scooped it up. At home I pulled it out of the box.  It was not the same tank, mine had the pump mounted on top and three holes drilled.  This new one only had the fill hole on top and one exit hole on the bottom of the tank.  It had the pump mounted to the long side of the tank.  I was going to have to make a ton of modifications and hope the pump worked mounted sideways.  I had seen a 3 point 55 gallon sprayer at D and B.  It was calling my name! I consulted the boss and back into town I went.

They had a floor model set up and it was missing a Y valve so I could add a wand, which was absent also.  There was no inline filter set up.  I spent 1.5 hours finding the correct fittings to add the necessary pieces and then waited 30 minutes to get the boxed sprayer loaded.  I had to go back into the store and get a pin for the hitch because it did not come with one.   I went home and promptly tore into it and installed the Y valve and wand setup.  Next I put on the inline filter and ran out of daylight.  I figured I would get it all finished the next morning.