With no intervention this time, one of 15 hatched. 14 were so close to hatching, one little guy had his beak poked through. But then the first born thought she could fly, and walked rite off the edge, exactly what we were worried about before. I came into the coop, who knows how many days later and mom is sitting in the middle of the floor, w her chick and there are 10 stone cold eggs up in the roost. Lots of time left in summer for more chicks still.
Looks like Momma Hen will have to raise this one cause we are leaving for Victoria in about a week.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
New Addition To The Possum Fleet
Found a Bobcat wrecker sort of place in New Septra Alberta. But they didn't have much. Only a burnt Bobcat, that already had the motor replaced, they wanted $9000, for. A rusty piece that needs sand blasting and paint. Everything else everywhere is over $10,000, especially if your looking at diesel.
I finally materialized what I specifically wanted. A complete bobcat, that needs motor work, for $1500. It was a little south of Calgary, so we had to pull an all nighter going to get it. It is great working for yourself, took the next day off.
The Bobcat still sits on Rons trailer, I have to try to get it hauled out to Andrew, and unloaded before I go to Victoria.
This was an unbelievable great deal. I had planned to make a little 10hp unit, that wouldn't be worth as much as the materials cost to build. Plus very upset the designer will not sell plans, but only a "kit" with the more complicated pieces of steel cut out for you, for as much as I paid for this Bobcat. Plans and some steel, cost $1500, then you have to spend another $3500 to have a running home built machine.
The machine I bought is a bobcat 632. Originally a water cooled 30hp 1600cc gasser. Its safe working load is 1000lb, but tipping weight is 2000lb. That is a lot of weight. Can you imagine moving 1500lb of dirt by hand, this thing can do it in one scoop. It will be a money machine if we get another snowy winter. They couldn't get enough snow clearing machines this last winter, if you owned a bobcat and wanted to work, you were doing 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Vegtable Oil Hybrid Tour Of Victoria
The ol VW had some problems this week. I have put over 6000 diesel free kilometers on it in the last few months, bringing the total kilometers up towards 600,000. And would you believe, no fuel problems at all, besides the odd leak, and clogged filter every 2000km. But the back wheel nearly fell off this week. In Fort Saskatchewan, 75km from home in Edmonton, the back wheel went all wobbly Saturday evening.
We were acctually 5km out of the Fort, when we got the wobble, so we turned around and went back to Fort Saskatchewan, with hopes to make it to Nappa before they close. We made it to Nappa, and got what they said were the correct bearings. We thought of doing the Nappa parking lot bearing change, but the job goes much faster with Beer, and a bigger selection of tools than the VW holds, helps too.
Because most of the roads are strait, and there isn't many lights, the wheel would get a nice gyro effect and roll really well, until I hit pot holes, slowed below 50km/h or turned a corner. After a few pot holes, corners, and stop lights, the rear wheel cylinder blew out. Would you believe the 96 VW has only a single brake fluid reservoir? I updated the 57 with 1969 brakes, that had a double reservoir, cause running out of brake fluid sucks. (I did notice VW has a fluid level sensor, that either doesn't work on mine, or the warning light was behind my electrical tape collection on the dash)
The brakes died just before Nappa closed, and they didn't have any wheel cylinders. So I drove the 75km without brakes.. There was only one sketchy hill stop start, which I obviously couldn't stop at, but only do an impatient style shuffle forward and back riding the clutch, praying I don't stall, and fortunately no down hill stops, that would have been bad. I was ready to sacrifice the VW at any moment, to the ditch, pole, or what ever meant not hitting another car, but the drive went really well.
Now I really only want to drive a standard diesel. Made me really happy about putting all this money into the old diesel Ranger, because its perfect. I pretty much work out of my cargo trailer these days, so my van is somewhat obsolete, except that the poor VW can't haul the trailer. And I will use the van without the trailer all winter, but we'll have the diesel possum van finished, as soon as I get some time.
So family fun works out, in Victoria, for Aug 4, 5, and 6th. I have been telling all my custies (customers), I will be gone that week, and it seems to be going over pretty well. I am more upset that I can't, so far, carry enough WVO (Waste Vegetable Oil) to make it all the way there and back, therefore I might have to break my 6000km diesel free run. But a couple of jerry cans would get me there, and I am sure I can collect some there, or even along the way. Maybe I can scab a tank on the roof, I have a couple of days yet.
A quick old video, didn't require much editing (time), of my VW graphics.
We were acctually 5km out of the Fort, when we got the wobble, so we turned around and went back to Fort Saskatchewan, with hopes to make it to Nappa before they close. We made it to Nappa, and got what they said were the correct bearings. We thought of doing the Nappa parking lot bearing change, but the job goes much faster with Beer, and a bigger selection of tools than the VW holds, helps too.
Because most of the roads are strait, and there isn't many lights, the wheel would get a nice gyro effect and roll really well, until I hit pot holes, slowed below 50km/h or turned a corner. After a few pot holes, corners, and stop lights, the rear wheel cylinder blew out. Would you believe the 96 VW has only a single brake fluid reservoir? I updated the 57 with 1969 brakes, that had a double reservoir, cause running out of brake fluid sucks. (I did notice VW has a fluid level sensor, that either doesn't work on mine, or the warning light was behind my electrical tape collection on the dash)
The brakes died just before Nappa closed, and they didn't have any wheel cylinders. So I drove the 75km without brakes.. There was only one sketchy hill stop start, which I obviously couldn't stop at, but only do an impatient style shuffle forward and back riding the clutch, praying I don't stall, and fortunately no down hill stops, that would have been bad. I was ready to sacrifice the VW at any moment, to the ditch, pole, or what ever meant not hitting another car, but the drive went really well.
Now I really only want to drive a standard diesel. Made me really happy about putting all this money into the old diesel Ranger, because its perfect. I pretty much work out of my cargo trailer these days, so my van is somewhat obsolete, except that the poor VW can't haul the trailer. And I will use the van without the trailer all winter, but we'll have the diesel possum van finished, as soon as I get some time.
So family fun works out, in Victoria, for Aug 4, 5, and 6th. I have been telling all my custies (customers), I will be gone that week, and it seems to be going over pretty well. I am more upset that I can't, so far, carry enough WVO (Waste Vegetable Oil) to make it all the way there and back, therefore I might have to break my 6000km diesel free run. But a couple of jerry cans would get me there, and I am sure I can collect some there, or even along the way. Maybe I can scab a tank on the roof, I have a couple of days yet.
A quick old video, didn't require much editing (time), of my VW graphics.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Possum Fleet Needs A Skid Steer Loader
Looked at the skid steer in Millet. (Love the VW for road trips, 40 liters of fuel, no big deal, not coming out of my bank account.) The bobcat was both better and worse than I expected. It had bigger tires than I expected for a 16hp bobcat, and the whole thing is bigger than other "small" bobcats. I liked the size, but it came with extra weight, which I am not set up to haul at this point.
The bad is its potentially pre hydrostatic drive (invented in 1970). Even worse than the skid steer chain clutches, which he says are brand new, it has the cursed CVT sled type belt clutch. We burn up enough belts just towing a dune buggy with another dune buggy, could you imagine pushing dirt all day? Shure you never replaced the belt scooping cow shit out of the barn, but digging is a different story.
Even offering to let him keep his $1000 in new over priced Onan parts, and his pile of thick black grease covered engine parts, he won't take $2000 for the bobcat chassis. I can't believe he paid so much for virtually no motor parts at all, but he won't take less than $3000 for everything.
So it is looking like I might be building a bobcat, after the backhoe is finished. It would just be a small unit, for snow removal and filling bigger trenches I do for underground cables. It is either that, or I can go to the states and buy a small running skidsteer for about $3000, they seem to have too much value in Alberta, with all the acreages and money here. In fact I constantly think I should get a big flat deck trailer capable of hauling 3 skidsteers, and haul 3 into Canada from the states. That could make me $10,000 easily, but it would cost me $10,000 for the truck and trailer for sure, so first trip I don't make anything. Plus I hate borrowing money in the first place
The bad is its potentially pre hydrostatic drive (invented in 1970). Even worse than the skid steer chain clutches, which he says are brand new, it has the cursed CVT sled type belt clutch. We burn up enough belts just towing a dune buggy with another dune buggy, could you imagine pushing dirt all day? Shure you never replaced the belt scooping cow shit out of the barn, but digging is a different story.
Even offering to let him keep his $1000 in new over priced Onan parts, and his pile of thick black grease covered engine parts, he won't take $2000 for the bobcat chassis. I can't believe he paid so much for virtually no motor parts at all, but he won't take less than $3000 for everything.
So it is looking like I might be building a bobcat, after the backhoe is finished. It would just be a small unit, for snow removal and filling bigger trenches I do for underground cables. It is either that, or I can go to the states and buy a small running skidsteer for about $3000, they seem to have too much value in Alberta, with all the acreages and money here. In fact I constantly think I should get a big flat deck trailer capable of hauling 3 skidsteers, and haul 3 into Canada from the states. That could make me $10,000 easily, but it would cost me $10,000 for the truck and trailer for sure, so first trip I don't make anything. Plus I hate borrowing money in the first place
Friday, July 8, 2011
The Possum Hitch Fix
I have to give special thanks to the plasma cutter for this fix. Without it, I would never be able to cut the oddly shaped piece of 1/4" plate steel. Lots of trailer drama lately. The trencher trailer is almost permanently attached to the VW, but it does fit in the back yard when not in use. The enclosed Possum trailer is attached to the van, until winter. I am not allowed to disconnect it in the city, nowhere to put it in the city, so it goes everywhere. The Possum Trailer has been eating tires. The tire machine I bought 5 years ago has paid for itself 10 times already with all the tires I change. Then the trencher trailer axle fail, that was an all day affair, with lots of video to sort through, and pull the best 2 min of.
Long Weekend
I am more than a week behind publishing videos, with so much electrical work to do. So today just a short clip of Ty, who we met after the bull riding at the Harry Hill Rodeo, last weekend. He asked us to put this vid on Youtube for him.
A couple of unpublished videos include:
-The 2008 fully enclosed trailer eating tires, you should see the wear patterns on these, down to the threads w only about 4000 km on them.
-The "dump find" flat deck trailer, I paid off the dump police $50 for, completely self destructed an axle hub on the highway. Did a little highway side axle welding replacement
-Sick of my superior fabrication skills going to waste on the lawn tractor, looked at a Bobcat thats been for sale for ever, because the motor is in a pile of disassembled pieces. I will make him an insulting low ball offer on Saturday.
-To go with the bobcat, and superior fabrication skills, I picked up a huge, free rototiller attachment. I don't even know how that will work with a bobcat yet
-My Possum Van hitch has been bending every week, hauling the big enclosed trailer. So I did some glorious 1/4 checkerplate fabrication, so that it will never bend again.
-The chicken eggs that were alive, and had fully developed chicks at one point, turned into explosive eggs w just a bit of creamy goo in them.
-Getting a farm style gravity feed fuel tank, painted pink, with a big pig face on it, to store all the vegtable oil I collect. Also would allow pump free gravity fill and filtering.
-VW gone 4000km on just WVO, Waste Vegetable Oil
A couple of unpublished videos include:
-The 2008 fully enclosed trailer eating tires, you should see the wear patterns on these, down to the threads w only about 4000 km on them.
-The "dump find" flat deck trailer, I paid off the dump police $50 for, completely self destructed an axle hub on the highway. Did a little highway side axle welding replacement
-Sick of my superior fabrication skills going to waste on the lawn tractor, looked at a Bobcat thats been for sale for ever, because the motor is in a pile of disassembled pieces. I will make him an insulting low ball offer on Saturday.
-To go with the bobcat, and superior fabrication skills, I picked up a huge, free rototiller attachment. I don't even know how that will work with a bobcat yet
-My Possum Van hitch has been bending every week, hauling the big enclosed trailer. So I did some glorious 1/4 checkerplate fabrication, so that it will never bend again.
-The chicken eggs that were alive, and had fully developed chicks at one point, turned into explosive eggs w just a bit of creamy goo in them.
-Getting a farm style gravity feed fuel tank, painted pink, with a big pig face on it, to store all the vegtable oil I collect. Also would allow pump free gravity fill and filtering.
-VW gone 4000km on just WVO, Waste Vegetable Oil
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