Lac La Biche

In Lac La Biche for the weekend for our third year anniversary. We trailered the bikes up and ride around to check out the cottage country. Michelle is a champ on her little bike. We went to a real estate agent to get the low down on the area, and seems like we talked to the rite guy. He is contracting with an investor to move hundreds of homes into a new development. He said they were investing in the neighborhood of 650 million dollars. Again not impressed with the one and only local Master Electrician. He wants a quote for service hookups, permits and all. Another case where my own backhoe would make me more money, and get the job done rite away, and on schedule. A different job in Mundare is getting frustrating, dragging on, because they still haven't got a backhoe to come, they won't take responsibility for the wire not getting run over and whatnot, but they want power now. So they get no power, and I don't get paid until they get the backhoe and I finish my job.

The Suggestion was made to just rent a digger. That would be a great solution in Edmonton, but in Andrew, Mundare, Lac La Biche, Fork Lake, and other rural areas, your traveling 4 hours plus return to the nearest rental place. There is only 12 usable hours in the day really, using 1/3 of that time for rental equipment is no good. Plus my backhoe will have extra lights added to extend the day.

So its looking like I am going to buy this unit if its still available when I get back. This unit will make instant cash this spring roto tilling gardens. People can't get the local guy to do their small patches, cause he is too busy. I am thinking I will build a hoe attachment at this point. There is one thing I didn't like about building a hoe, that was all the pins and bushings that need to be made on a lathe. But I have found plans where they also sell the pins and bushing "kit" for $200 ish, ready to go. Then I have it all worked out in my head, I have an $800 hydraulic pump on the 57 dump truck i can pull. I get this john deer tractor for free, it has some blown out gears, but I get the engine(for a future pickup), all the hydraulic rams, and even the front end loader steel might make good hoe arms. Hopefully the little 14 diesel hp tractor pto can handle the dump truck pump, and then I have my backhoe materials practically paid for, just need hosed, and valves. Thats the plan anyway, plans rarely get followed. I will start with the tractor, move on to hoe plans, figure out gpm, and psi of pump vs cylinder diameters, and see how it goes.