I had big plans for the weekend but my helper wanted to take some time off. So I decided to mow some of the weeds around the place. The Gingerman had put the new large bale fork moving tool on his tractor and had moved the bales out. There was one bale that fell apart and I needed to go in and get all of the little leftover grass out of the machine shed so the new hay could go into it. I was going to use the little John Deere but then I remembered that we have been having a difficult time with the bucket controls. They don’t want to let you go up and down. This happened a couple of years ago and a good cleaning and some lube fixed it all up. Mind you the handle has been getting more and more slack in it every year.
This seemed like an easy fix so I started in on it first thing in the morning on Friday. Two hours later I have managed to tear into the area by removing every single obstacle in the way. I then found a missing pin, replaced it and then got the thing all cleaned and lubed. I was able to move the pins without any trouble directly at the site. I did not think about turning on the tractor and testing it before I put all of the parts back. Instead, I put the entire thing back together, climbed up onto the tractor, started it and proceeded to get zero movement out of the bucket. What little movement was present before I “fixed it” IS GONE, now nothing is happening when you attempt to move the bucket controls. There is a lot of slack in the upper assembly and the tractor is 15 years old. I have to keep telling myself that so I can stay positive while breaking out the minimalist mechanic skills.
I was able to put the manure forks onto the Kubota and clean out the machine shed. Gingerman loaded in 24 large bales and we figured at a minimum we could make the space hold 44 but probably with careful arrangement we could fit 50. We do not need 50 but being able to stack them five high really makes the space usable. It does make it a little more challenging to climb up to the top and push them down. You can use your legs and push them off of the stack with some effort. I cannot reach that high with my little Kubota.
I need the little John Deere tractor to be working so that I can dig out the barn. We have had all the animals locked out of it for the last couple of months so the floor is nice and dry. It makes it a lot easier to move with the tractor. Parts of the floor will still be juicy when I dig it out but not the entire thing.
Stewart Creek Somethings 