Now that the Fall season is rapidly approaching, it is time to get the Bush Hog rotary cutter into shape, as there are many acres to be cut in the upcoming months.  After greasing and inspecting the various components of the rotary cutter, the most common maintenance task is to sharpen the blades of the cutter. 

During the course of cutting pastures and fields the blades of the rotary cutter will become worn and dull, primarily from impact with rocks (see previous post entitled Dang Rocks!).   You can see what a worn rotary cutter blade edge looks like in the following photograph.

Before working underneath the rotary cutter, I would like you to take a look at the upper link assembly of the three-point hitch, which is the means of attaching the cutter to the tractor.  At the top of the link assembly you can see a bolt which acts as a pivot for the upper link arm.  This bolt is prone to breakage.  When it breaks, the entire rear portion of the rotary cutter comes crashing down to the ground.  If you happen to be underneath this rotary cutter (which weighs 1247 pounds) when this bolt snaps, it would certainly ruin your day!

To prevent the possibility of an accident occurring when working under or around the rotary cutter, I use several heavy-duty axle stands to support the implement, as shown in the photograph below.

Once the cutter is properly braced, the next step is to remove the two blades from the flywheel.  In the next photograph you can see that the manufacturer has provided an access hole for the blade bolts at the top of the cutter.  This is a sturdy and massive 1-3/4″ bolt, which requires the use of a heavy duty socket set.

In order to even begin to budge this bolt, brains must take precedence over brawn, and so you see me resort to the use of a “cheater” bar to coax the retainer bolt into submission.

Eventually, the nut for this large retainer bolt will loosen and come off, but the bolt itself will be firmly stuck in the flywheel of the rotary cutter.  At this point, a sledge hammer and a length of galvanized pipe can usually persuade the stubborn bolt to part ways with the flywheel.

The photograph below gives a good indication of the size of the rotary cutter blades.  Each blade is 5/16″ thick and weighs in excess of 20 pounds.  The blade on the left is the blade that has just been removed from the cutter, and the blade on the right is a sharpened replacement blade.

Sharpening the blades is a simple matter of running the cutting edge along the surface of a grinding wheel, as shown below.

 

While it is not necessary for the two blades on the opposing sides of the flywheel to be exactly equal in weight after sharpening, they must be reasonably close to avoid unnecessary vibration and premature wear to the rotary cutter gearbox.  To achieve this result, I use a simple self-devised method.  I hang each blade from the end of a bungee cord and measure the amount of stretch that the bungee cord undergoes.  When the cord stretches an equal distance for both blades, than I know that they are approximately the same weight.

The photograph above shows the sharp edge that is obtained from grinding the rotary cutter blades.  It is not as clean looking and smooth as a kitchen knife, to be sure, but it is now plenty sharp enough to tackle the grasses, weeds and brush in the pastures and fields scattered around our property.

Now that the blades are reasonably sharp and balanced, the only thing left to do is re-assemble the blades onto the flywheel of the rotary cutter.  This is a simple task, however it is now that you are required to venture underneath the implement to install the blades.  I always double-check the axle stands before sliding underneath the cutter, and as the photo below shows, I make it a point to coat the bolt with a good anti-seize compound before re-assembly.

Now that I have finished sharpening the rotary cutter blades, it’s time to fuel the tractor and go bush-hog some fields.  Adios, amigos.

In a post of two days ago entitled Feeder Maintenance – Part II, the issue of back strain while loading the feeders with heavy sacks of corn was raised.  In the comments that followed that post, Tjilpi (a practicing physician who knows all about such things) pointed out that hoisting the full drum of corn up to the top of the feeder was possibly causing pressure on my spinal disks.  My joking reaction to Tjilpi was “I figure that whatever compression damage I’m doing by hefting the bags onto my shoulder is being offset by the extension damage I’m doing by pulling on the hoist.”  Tjilpi suggested that the act of pulling down on the rope was actually causing compression of the disks, rather then the extension damage that I had assumed would be occurring.

Notwithstanding the fact that he resides in the Southern Hemisphere, where even gravity sometimes behaves in an unpredictable manner, I respect Tjilpi’s learned opinion on the matter, and figured that I had better self-treat my compression damage from loading the corn feeders.  And so it is that you see me in the basement in the following photograph, defying Newton’s laws of gravity as I hang fearlessly upside-down in Retta’s inversion chair.

After spending sufficient time in the inversion chair to stretch out my spine, I figured I had better end the session before bursting a vein somewhere in my cranium, which would have really ruined my day :)

Perhaps you recall seeing this picture before on the Ranch Ramblins blog.  I used this photograph in a post entitled Fescue To The Rescue, which extolled the virtues and cautioned about the vices of fescue grass.  The picture was taken on June 8, 2006, and at the time of the photo this fescue/clover field, as well as several others, were in prime condition to be cut, dried and baled into large round bales for winter feeding of local cattle.

Early this past spring, I had made arrangements with a neighbor for baling this hay.  The deal was a sweetheart deal from his point of view, as I offered him all of the hay and asked nothing in return.  And what do I get out of the deal?  About 20 fewer acres of grass that I need to cut using my own time, tractor and fuel.  It was my hope to photograph the cutting, raking, drying, baling and hauling process, and to document these activities here on this blog.  Alas, the best laid plans of mice and men sometimes go awry, and thus it was with this particular endeavor.

For reasons that most likely revolved around health concerns (this neighbor has had more than his share of medical problems) and recalcitrant equipment (40+ year old tractors, sickle-bar mowers, and hay rakes), the hay field went uncut.  By the time I had realized that the neighbor wasn’t going to bale the hay, as previously arranged, it was too late to find someone with the time and equipment to bale these hay fields.

Last week I took the bush hog to this particular field, as you can see from the picture above.  From a selfish point of view, I should be happy that things worked out the way that they did.  Leaving the shredded fescue and clover to decompose in the field will be healthy for the grass in the long run, and the fescue was laden with seed, some of which will germinate next season as conditions warrant.  The overall result will probably be healthier hay fields than would otherwise be the case had my neighbor baled the hay.  On the other hand, with the persistent draught that has beset this region, hay prices have shot up through the roof, and I can’t help thinking that some local farmer, who might be struggling to make ends meet, would have loved to have 20 acres of fescue/clover hay for the taking.

Hopefully, next season I will have haying photographs to share with you.

If you have been a regular reader of this blog, you may recall that we utilize game feeders here at the ranch on a year round basis.  Notwithstanding the temporary feelings of angst regarding wildlife feeding (detailed in the previous post Birds Of A Feather), we have enjoyed the benefits that having feeders provides us, namely, regular visits from the local wildlife.

Having game feeders operating reliably full-time has proven to be more of a challenge than I would have previously thought.  In a previous post entitled Feeder Maintenance Time Again, I pointed out my experiences providing a reliable source of power to the feeder units.  One of today’s chores was to replace the batteries in two feeders and refill them both with deer corn, so I thought I would take you along to see what this is all about.

The feeder pictured above is a tripod mounted plastic drum which utilizes a block-and-tackle hoisting mechanism.  The drum holds three bags, or 150 pounds of deer corn.

In the photo above, you see the actual feeder timer and motor assembly, all housed into a neat, compact package.  The 6 volt alkaline battery that we are replacing hangs from two alligator type clips on the end of a short set of wires.  In fact, the wires are so short that it is actually quite difficult to attach the alligator clips onto the battery terminals.  After finally managing to attach the clips to the battery, it becomes a comical sight to watch me try to push the battery back up into the housing and attach the bottom cover plate with the four tiny sheet metal screws provided.  It usually takes me several tries, with frequent interruptions as I search for the small parts that invariably drop to the ground (dang gravity).   If only the people who design these things were required to actually use them in the field, this probably wouldn’t happen.

In the photo above you can see the funnel tube (coming down from the drum) and the spinner plate that the corn comes to rest on.  Some of the previous feeders that we have owned were produced with plastic funnels and spinner plates.  The varmints of the area soon learned to chew through the plastic parts, thus allowing the entire contents of the drum to spill out onto the ground.  One manufacturer even has the audacity to sell replacement parts fabricated out of metal, even while selling new feeder units with the useless plastic parts.  Even with the metal parts, eventually the larger varmints manage to bend the spinners to the point that the corn is released to the ground, and the feeder unit fails to operate due to the bent spinner plate.  The solution to this problem is to surround the entire feeder assembly with a varmint-proof enclosure, as is shown in the photo above.  There are after-market enclosures for sale by various manufacturers.  It would be nice if they were included as a standard item on all complete feeder kits, but they are not.  A word to the wise – if you buy or build your own wildlife feeder, spring for an optional varmint guard.

In this photograph you can see that this particular feeder drum lid is held in place by a sturdy expansion hoop that is fitted with a cam-lever type closure system.  This system works great – it is quick and can be operated in all kinds of weather easily.  You can also see that the drum is made from plastic materials.  The advantage of the plastic is that it will not rust or corrode.  The obvious disadvantage to the plastic materials is that they are not resistant to the sharp, persistent teeth of varmints.  You can see in the photo above that I have had to patch up the lid with duct tape after some critter chewed its way into the drum of delectable apple flavored deer corn.  Several times.  If the people who designed feeders were compelled to actually use and maintain them, we would probably see an end to plastic drum lids.

The great advantage of this tripod feeder unit is the block-and-tackle hoist system that it incorporates.  By simply lowering the drum to ground level, it is relatively easy to fill the drum to capacity with the necessary three bags of deer corn, as you can see from the photograph above.

After the drum is filled, the block-and-tackle hoist system makes it a breeze to lift the corn-filled drum back into the raised position.  It is a simple, effective system for easing the job of filling feeders, which can be a back breaking task, as you shall soon see.

The type of feeder you see above is a stationary tripod style of feeder.  This feeder drum and lid are built entirely from metal and the feeder unit is enclosed in a varmint cage, so there is no possibility of varmints chewing their way into the corn supply.  Because the drum does not have to be hoisted up off the ground after filling, it can be built to accommodate a larger supply of corn.  Whereas the first feeder has a capacity of 3 bags of corn (150#), this feeder has a capacity of 4-1/2 bags of corn (225#), so the interval between fillings is longer.

The picture above shows the pitiful lid closure mechanism that this manufacturer employed.  To remove the lid, you must first completely remove the bolt from the lid retaining hoop.  This requires the use of a screwdriver (which I store on top of the lid for convenience) to remove the bolt, whilst stretching up to reach it’s lofty height.  In the warmer months this is merely an inconvenience, but in the depths of winter, when the thermometer indicates unspeakably low temperatures, and you are trying to remove the lid while hungry deer peer out at you from the forest edge, it is a royal pain-in-the-butt.  If the people who engineered these closures were required  to operate them regularly in January, we would probably not see these in use anymore.

I have saved the very best for last.  To fill this type of tripod feeder requires the strength, height, and stamina of Shaquille O’Neal, and not the tired, worn out body of this Ramblin Rancher, as you can clearly see from the following picture.

To get the corn into the feeder requires a sort of “clean ‘n jerk” technique, as used in Olympic style weight-lifting.  First, using your knees as best as possible, the sack is snatched up off the floor in one fluid motion, while at the same time, your body comes down into position so that the 50# sack of corn comes to rest on your shoulder.  Now that the corn is held up by your shoulder, straighten your legs to full extension, and then lift the sack as high as possible over your head, hoping to aim it well enough so that the corn ends up in the drum, and not on the ground.  If all goes well, then repeat this procedure four more times, before heading for the house to rest your aching back for the balance of the day!  If the designers of wildlife feeders were required to fill feeders with corn on a regular basis, I’ll bet these types of stationary tripod feeders would disappear.  But then again, what do I know?

In a previous post entitled The Catfish Pond, I described one of the ponds located on this property, and discussed the problem of insufficient water clarity in that pond.  Today’s post is about another pond on the opposite side of the ranch property.  It is a spring-fed pond, so naturally we call it the “spring pond.”  Whereas the catfish pond is plagued by insufficient water clarity, the spring pond is beset by insufficient water!  This is a recent occurrence, and one which has us scratching our heads and wondering what course of action, if any, to take.  To understand our dilemma, it is necessary to present a little background information.

The spring pond is fed by a small fresh water spring that, to my knowledge, has been steadily and reliably flowing for at least the past 3 decades.  Below is a picture of the spring as it flows into the pond, which was taken April 10th of this year.

Although this is a small spring, it has provided an ample enough flow to keep the small spring pond full year round, even through the heat and dryness of our summers here in the Ozarks.  Each spring and summer, the grasses in and around the pond will grow in abundance, and each winter the grasses and other vegetation die off, amassing as a thick organic matting on the pond floor.  Over time, this organic matter had built up to the point that something needed to be done, lest the pond fill itself in and cease to exist at all.  The photograph below, also taken on April 10th, show the condition of this small pond at the time –

After examining the pond in April, Retta and I decided that we would schedule a pond cleaning for the spring of 2007, which would entail the services of an excavator and a bulldozer to dredge and reshape the pond to it’s previous spring-fed glory.  In the meantime, I thought that I would introduce several grass carp (white amur) into the spring pond to see if they would help consume the excess grasses in the pond.  We have had success with this method of pond vegetation control in yet another pond on our property (see The Grassing of the Carp), and we were confident that the carp would work in this pond as well.

When the local farm store scheduled a fish stocking day in early May, I was the first in line at the stocking truck to order my 4 grass carp.  Returning to the ranch, I followed the recommended procedures for introducing and acclimating the carp into the spring-fed pond, and proceeded to forget about them for the time being.  On July 2, roughly two months after introducing the carp into the pond, I decided it was time to check the progress of my experiment.  Returning to the pond on July 2, this is what I found –

You can see in the photo above that the carp were doing their job, slowly but surely.  In previous years, by July the grasses would have completely covered the entire pond surface, and so it was evident that the carp were making a big difference in the vegetative mass in the pond.  Satisfied with the progress that the carp were making, I again put this pond out of my mind, and proceeded on with other tasks at hand.

It has been a little over a month since I last inspected the spring pond, so this morning (August 6) I thought it would be a good idea to mosey on over and see what was happening over there.  The first sign that something was amiss is shown in the following photo –

This creek bed is just below the outflow from the spring pond.  It has been a reliable watering hole for the animals, as it has always been supplied with a fresh supply of water from the spring pond.  As you (and George) can see, it is now bone-dry, as dry as dry can be.

Fearing the worst, I continued on over to the spring pond, and as you can infer from the following photo, I was not happy with what I saw.  From the same vantage point as the previous photographs, you can see that the spring pond has shrunk to a fraction of it’s former size, and the spring itself can no longer replace water lost to evaporation.

For what it’s worth, the carp still seem to be doing their job, as the following photograph shows that the remaining small amount of water left in the pond is clear of vegetation.

But I am doubtful that the pond will contain any water at all come September, unless something radical changes in the interim.  The following photo shows the diminished flow coming from the spring, which can be compared to the very first photo in this post, which was taken this past April.

So now Retta and I face the dilemma – what to do with this pond?  We had originally intended on hiring heavy equipment to visit our property for the purpose of cleaning out the pond.  But if the spring itself is drying out, we will probably be wasting our time and limited resources undertaking this project.  Is this spring experiencing a reduced water flow that is just a temporary aberration, or are we feeling some of the effects of global and regional temperature changes that are here to stay?  Inquiring minds want to know!

The weather has been very hot in the Ozarks and across most of the country for the past few days.  The weather map shows two domes of high-pressure, super heated air that has caused stifling heat, reminding us that summer is here in full force.

When the temperature soars to triple digits, and the relative humidity hovers in the 50%-60% range, it can feel like a steam bath.  When the heat of the day threatens to cook all who venture forth outdoors, follow the animals, for they seem to have an instinctive sense of where and how to cool off.