New Trailer

I bought a new trailer. I put it in the back yard, but when I went to haul it around front in the little 11hp lawn tractor, I almost went over backwards. I figured I would put a trailer ball on the new hydrostatic 20hp, and I would be able to move it with no problem. Then I thought it would kind of make a funny video with the 11hp popping into gear, doing a wheelie, dumping the trailer off its hitch and returning to 4 wheels on the ground. So I set up for the video, and the 11hp moved the trailer fine, it was somewhat terrifying just about going over backwards anyway.
The trailer is a 2008 6x12 fully enclosed. At 1/10 the cost of a new van, it puts out the same impresion with some good advertising on it. I will start to look like an employee, in my old truck. This trailer will also be helpful for any move we might do. I haven't figured out what I can possiby use the dune buggy for at jobsights, but I wil take it with me everywhere, until I fill the trailer more than half full of electrical goodies.
I think I will paint the name on my trailer myself. If I can find time to go to the sticker place, and see how much it would cost for them to make stickers, I will, but I am sure it will be hundreds of dollars.

Looked closer into new motors for the Dodge, and motor producers agree that I need a different, more expensive engine to run prpane. That just about doubles the cost because I needmore expensive parts in the motor, and it increases the chances
that my heads are not rebuildable, and I won't get core rebates for em. Thats all interesting because from what I read online you can just throw a propane manifold on anything, and that was happening I am sure.

I am looking at a maintanence gig in smoky lake, not sure exactly what it involves yet, but it is looking like 1 hour every day, plus the 1 hour retrun drive. That works out to about $55 an hour, at $40k a year. The wage is acceptable, and it allows for hiring someone to do it at times that I am in mexico and such. There isn't much electrical invoved, it is more like stoking the coal furnace, and changin filters n stuff. Checking all the systems are working. There are
lights everywhere that need replacing but most all of em require scafold to get to, being 20' in the air, and over bleachers n stuff. The job would also allow for me to make electrical offers or proposals on the side, and get great advertising
w my trailer in a busy parking lot up there.

Whats new

What all is new...
Ron has sold his house out here in Andrew, for $240k, which is more than $100k less than they were asking for it initially. Brand new house, brand new garage, and full 9'basement. He was just wining to me about putting his brand new 20hp lawn tractor on Kijiji for $250 cause he doesn't want to move it. Well I gave him $250 rite there. I think he is throwing in a bunch of other bonuses with it too. I'll see tomorrow. I may well make chains and a blade for this lawn tractor, we'll see when I get it in the light, I just saw it in the dark garage over a beer.

Work is slowing rite down, think I might need to advertise or something, if I want to keep working through the winter. I have been trading my one min Bollinger band stratagy for one week, and it does alright. I make more money doing Electrical, but that is all relative to capital. My intention was to make a fancy web site about the trading, wile I traded, because my attention is only needed a couple times an hour. But I get too distracted by facebook and email and never get anywhere w the web site.

I have to decide if I want to be driving into the city every day to do electrical work, and what type of work I want to focus on, where I should advertise. I should look in Lamont, then I could drive in to work with Michelle every day, that would be fun.

I made another drawer in my truck that slides the whole box out, and a small roof over the box to keep most of the snow off. So now I don't have to climb in my truck for anything, which is so nice, almost nicer than a van.

Friend of a friend can't make the last payments on his $15,000 2008 Yamaha V Star, thats a nice bike. I might be able to save his credit and take the bike for the $3000 he owes, which is really exciting, love the bad economy.

We need to go shopping for snow tires. We had a big snow fall already, but it is starting to melt now. Hopefully we are ok for another month or more. I got the sled out. I had put it away w a broken fuel line. I replaced the fuel line, the thing fired up first pull. I love that little sled. I need a 3 car garage these days just for the toys, and my new lawn tractor can't stay outside.

I ordered the air bag to fix my truck suspension, on Ebay, and mistakenly left Katys dads address on my paypall. I eventually got them to send the package to me, but they left Katys dads name on the package. I am putting the energy out there that I won't have to sign for it. I went and checked and they said that they won't give it to me w/o his signature if it is required. Maybe I can pay them $100, is that legal? It will be a real headache and cost me $100 more if I have to order another one just to get it here before my drive to Mexico.

First Real Snow

The snow we got yesterday pretty much melted rite away, but not today. In fact it is still coming down, at 9:30am. Friend from the city just called to say the roads are a nightmare, going 5km/h everywhere. Think I will stay home today, keep the house warm, and trade the Japanese Yen.

Egg nog is in stores already, and I bought a carton out of habit. Then I was totally disappointed w nog n coffee. Did I mention our Espresso machine exploded? So I thought I could will Wallmart to have a cheap espresso machine for me, but it didn't quite work like that. I was in the city yesterday anyway, so i looked up the biggest wallmart on the computer. They had a machine for $60, double what I wanted to pay, but half what the local wallmart sells the cheapest one for. I bought it up and for the first time in years, I read the instructions, which was VERY interesting. We are supposed to "descale" the machine w vinigar, every month basically. A moment of clarity, thats why machines bung up after a year, then we have to CLR em and that probably corodes more than it should. So even our more expensive stove top unit that was sent to Katy in the states, will likely need the descaling after 40 uses. I am enjoying an Egg nog latte today anyway.

I would like to tell Katy there is no rush on the new stove top espresso machine now, but there is still the tentative plan to tow the camper to Mexico for Christmas and the camper is what I bought the stove topper for. That trip will be made solo by me, and I can see if I limit my driving to 8ish hours a day, break it up a bit, and sleep in the camper bed, if I can get away w/o swollen feet. The trip home will still be somewhat of an issue, as I won't take the camper back. This is one place the new king cab trucks are a little better, cause there is a small bench seat in the back that one can sleep on. Perhaps I will take the rear side seats out of my truck and put foam behind the front seats to sleep on. I think the swollen feet are entirely caused by the pressure behind the knee from the front seats.

I think I will have to unpack the sled from the lean to, and see if I put it away broken, I think I did. If I remember correctly it just needs a fuel line or something.

Truck Blog?

Ok I am going to have to change the blog name to my truck blog, I just need a cool old truck to make it interesting.
I actually purchased ed new sheet metal, cut the shape of my fender and welded it on w the new welder, in Arc welding mode. My only complaint is the low amperage rods don't have much metal in em, and they have a lot of flux, so a lot of welds look good untill you sand blast the flux off, then there is no connection between the sheet metal. I ended up doing my own hybrid welding, by using the arc welder and feeding tig rods at the same time, which worded brilliantly, just took a lil more concentration to feed the arc rod wile feeding the tig rod. I have not got the gas or regulator yet for tig, so the arc flux does that job somewhat. Hopefully no welder ever reads this, ha ha.

My knee is 100% again, it bothers me sometimes at the end of a 12+ hour day climbing ladders and running around. I decided to take up running wile I am in AB, entirely for my knee, and the cardio as a bonus. I would like to cycle, but out here in the country at least, there are just too many drunk drivers, and now the first snow fall of the year, cyclists are done for the season. So I have been shopping for runners, haven't got any yet, but I believe Michelle has some, and she wants to run w me so that will make it easier.

Winter is here

First time ever, we get home from work, its freezing outside, no fire in the house, and its above 20 degrees inside. That would be mostly the new attic insulation, but also the hot tub I expect. The heat would never get through the house, like it does now, without the insulation.

Today is Saturday, and I wired a garage today. Michelle Volunteered at the Pumpkin Festival, where the largest pumpkin was 1160 LB. I was rite on w my estimate for the garage, it took the full 10 hours, to wire a 60A load center, door opener, 2 outside plugs, 3 outside lights, 4 counter top plugs, 40A welder, 8 lights, 2 plugs, and a separate light and switch over the bench, along w 4 switches at the man door. It wouldn't have taken so long if the garage wasn't so full of stuff.

I went to Chevy to see what the $8500 cash back was about. Only on new trucks, pretty much over $50k, in the range of the Sprinter Van. I was totally unimpressed w Chevy's truck, and even more w their selection. They aren't even making extended cabs any more. Wanting an 8' box, and room behind the seat, I would need to buy a crew cab, just short of 23' long. One day I will get around to the Dodge dealer to test drive a Sprinter.

I got sheet metal yesterday to repair the rust on my Dodge fenders. I just need to buy a "nibler" to cut it, then make templates and try my new welder.