How'd it go today?

Are those axels hollow? My chipper had one like that, solid now.

Broke one on my trailer once doing a tight u turn, a little bit over loaded with palms. Couldn't complain though, it was about 25 years old and carried a few loads. Got a new solid square one made up and back on the road next day.

Raining this morning, but fairly warm so went and got a hair cut.

Now it's not warm and my neck is cold. :(
 
Ouch on the axle Brian.

I'm worried about that on my tiny chipper. Layed out my box. Needs to go higher or I won't be able to back into my driveway. Figured out a pivoting mount. 5/8" shaft slides in. Need some aluminum square tubing to follow the steel frame. Add some support to the bottom and tipping side.
 

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Today we wrapped up a 1 1/2 day job we started yesterday afternoon. Yesterday was pruning a pin oak and thinning a swamp maple out front. Today was big iron day with the grapple truck to crane out leaders and logs. We took down a large co-dominant ash in the back yard, as well as a lanky sweet gum. Also pruned a hackberry, black walnut, and a Kentucky coffee tree. I trimmed a magnolia out front, topped a blue spruce, and bucked up a failed red bud in the back, fallen in the last storm. Only about 1/2 a load of chips, since there wasn't a lot of brush, but a good load of logs. Done by 4, homeowner was impressed.

Trying out the non-carabiner method with the chipper winch (tying off with either running bowlines or daisy chain hitch) -- went fine, but didn't have to use it much since the grapple set most brush right on the table.
 
20094m1101_147.jpg



Along with the pile of hang gliding spiders we found scores of these little guys.

Aphodius Distinctus


Very active fall dung beetles.


Very pleased to see them in such numbers.
 
Today was National Siberian Elm Appreciation Day

We appreciate how much money we get for taking them down. 2 jobs today, each removing 3 Siberian Elms = 6 removals + a defunct mimosa on the last one. We had the log truck with us for craning duties, since the 3 trees were tight access between properties (neighbors shared the bill for today). First two were lanky undergrowth Siberians, easy pickings & chippings. 3rd tree was the big 'un, lots of picks, shave the brush & chip, load the logs. Called in for the power company to do a loop drop and moved out back, tight access with a garage outbuilding, fence, overhead mains, etc. But we got it down safely (3' DBH), 20' to main fork. Full load of chips, full load of logs. We have a local firewood guy who takes Siberian elm logs from us, since we don't want it for our own firewood processing (sticking with just maple, ash, oak, & Osage).

2nd job was easer access, most picks could be grabbed with the grapple, but we did sling out a couple of the main trunks and a couple over the house roof. Also picked up some extra $$$ for busting up a concrete slab & removing it. Longer day, but definitely makes us appreciate $iberian Elms a bit more!
 
Cory, we thought that the dung beetles were all finished up for the year.


Took some fecal samples and found that a few were wormy. Knowing that, we decided to give them the medicine for worms and parasites.

Since the beetles were gone we figured we were safe.

After we saw all of those beetles working yesterday we changed our plan and will add medicine to the mineral they eat later.
 
Help a city slicker out: the medicine hurts the beetles, the beetles help the soil, so you are delaying the meds a bit for the sake of more beetles/better soil?
 
Six big oak floppers logs to stay on site and the rest burned, good easy money. Sancho and his tracks ran circles around a tire machine with 6 times the power. Never underestimate the little guy. In fact I had to pull out the tire machine twice.
 
Sancho FTW!!


Learned about fixing my electric trailer brakes and all, then find out that anymore, you just buy the whole assembly for the price of shoes and a magnet. Two wires to snip and reconnect.


Well, my solder fix held up long enough to determine the hydraulic brake pump for my chip truck Lucas Girling brakes is shot. I didn't test it when parking, before disassembly. $250 for basically a power steering pump. But, like the chipper that just needed an minorly expensive part, $185, to keep it going, overall it is dependable, easy to fix, and does as asked, if a bit slower than a newer more powerful model.

Figured out changing the bearing on my stump grinder should be easy enough. Got them delivered yesterday.



Big run of deferred maintenance and repair...my employee has been out sick all week. Last weekend he was across the state visiting his dad, who has stage III colon cancer, and forgot his medicine for ulcerative colitis, and got a flare-up upon return, ER visit, and has had a virus crop up, too.
Mini is ready to go 24/7.
 
closed up the golf course for the season today...took down signs, picked up & stored waste baskets, ball washers, and several little odds & ends.

Started to get rained on & called it a day...just a couple more mowings left and done for the year.
 
Finished the week well, fixed broken stuff, got paid.

Couple of jobs to quote early doors tomorrow then off to the coast house for the weekend.

Working my way through a Cabernet Sauvignon, watching soap opera with the missus.

Standard.
 
We were so fed up with falling beech trees, that we sceduled a dying Horse Chestnut take down for today, just for a little R&R.

Nice fall weather, nice client ( It is a fencing guy we help out now and again).
I drew the short straw and had to feed the chipper all day, but it was still nice to do something else.

After work I got inspired by Jim's post in the what for dinner thread and made a huge batch of Salsa Verde out of the last Tomatillos and Jalapenos in the tunnel.
That turned out real fine. I make two portions, an ultra mild one for the wife and on in the other end of the spectrum for myself.

All in all a fine day.

Think I'll go for a long ride on the Motorcycle tomorrow, soon that will be impossible.
 
Today was my first real job in a bucket truck, 40 feet, telescopic boom. A small one but well enough for me.
It was along a sloppy road, clearing the way and the telephonic line from elms, black locusts and some other thorny shit.

I was reluctant to use that (still I am), like the ladders, but I really appreciated the quick (relatively) and easy access to a lot of skinny limbs. I admit that I never could do all that in the day with a pole saw and/or my climbing gear.
The thing has some subtleties I have to learn, like how works the leveling system (the electronic doesn't agree with the bubble level) and the strange thinking of the security system (at some point you aren't allowed to move but you have to figure why).:?

It was an interesting experiment.
 
at least carry a throw line, if not a rappelling rope, and a way to connect to your body. Fall arrest harnesses might not be capable.
 
Jim, he does fine..He's usually inside with me.... He's really a lap cover as far as he's concerned...not all bad in the colder season...
 
Lego catamaran set to help assemble.
Movie night.
Tacos or something.
Easy slide into the weekend.
Dark earlier means easier for putting kid to bed.
Ok-to-wake type alarm clock for her is on the way, should help me to be able to sleep in a bit, when she wants to know about getting up in the morning, and not knowing what time it is.

I might use one in my bedroom, too. Sometimes I wake at 2 oclock, sometimes at 545, sometimes 720. Looking up and seeing a red light (go back to sleep, aka NFW) at 2 am would help me doze back without wondering if its close to 6am.
Sharper Image used to market a clock that slowly brightened the room, rather than just an noisy alarm. I think that might be a little more age-appropriate.


Trailer brakes, and grinder bearings in hand, to get ready for some hauling next week. Truck is ready at the mechanic's (brake line and suspension part).
 
SeanKroll said:
at least carry a throw line, if not a rappelling rope, and a way to connect to your body. Fall arrest harnesses might not be capable.
Click to expand...
I did wear my saddle and was connected to the bucket with my 26' rope. The access range was more for horizontal reach than height.
 
GP, remembering you use a hand truck, I thought I'd post this simple, extremely useful mod.

IMG_20181020_153319835.jpg

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IMG_20181020_153358159.jpg

Pretty good log for two hands. Couldn't do it with one... That is, lever the log up onto the hand truck.
One finger to roll on flat pavement, two for smooth lawn. No lifting manually to load.

I've rolled the front end of heavy logs onto the trailer, pivoted the log off, lifted the back end and slid it on.

Easy to buck the log 80%, off of the ground, with less bending, then dump with the uncut part up, if possible.
 
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