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We just got back from a road trip to chicago from montana. Not a place i would recomend to go. The closer we got the more crowded the land and the highways got. People are people but the drivers got crazy even 30 milles north of chicago. I did get to hot rod our honda suv tho......that traffic was 0 to 80 to 0 - and you better accelerate at a high rate to get on a freeway. We are used to 80 mph roads and freeways just not with solid semi's on the road and somebody following so close I can't see their headlights

If things get tough and shortages occoure I will feel blessed to be living in our uncrowded more self reliant place.
 
montanabill said:
We just got back from a road trip to chicago from montana. Not a place i would recomend to go. The closer we got the more crowded the land and the highways got. People are people but the drivers got crazy even 30 milles north of chicago. I did get to hot rod our honda suv tho......that traffic was 0 to 80 to 0 - and you better accelerate at a high rate to get on a freeway. We are used to 80 mph roads and freeways just not with solid semi's on the road and somebody following so close I can't see their headlights

If things get tough and shortages occoure I will feel blessed to be living in our uncrowded more self reliant place.
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We used to drive through Chicago going from Texas to Michigan. Bumper to bumper 70mph!😮🤔
 
This time of year, I like to reflect on the past year and trending events affecting my homestead. I think it's important to strive to keep evolving and changing, hopefully for the better. I must add that caveat, because consequences for good intentions don't always work out to be good?

And a recurring theme has long been and especially impacted me negatively this past year -independent working. And special emphasis on extremely dangerous farm work that is done completely alone. At risk of debilitating injury or worse, being trapped for days before anyone notices that you are missing?

And my numerous attempts to hire help? Mostly frustrating failure. But the saving grace of hiring "custom" help, albeit sometimes economically failing?

So much for keeping a long story short? Anyway, I find a cross road to either upgrade equipment or think differently. So I've come to realize how much more stress, work, and danger of independent farm work I do for small hay bales. And I have decided that it is no longer worth it. So I can sell off five big equipment pieces. I will still maintain four other big equipment pieces for contributing to production of big bales, but reducing my responsibility from nine to four given the absence of available help is making perfect sense.
 
Pearl said:
We used to drive through Chicago going from Texas to Michigan. Bumper to bumper 70mph!😮🤔
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I have a good friend who was born and raised in Detroit. I remember his father saying "People in Detroit don't drive. They aim." IMHO all of the big cities are like that. Boston was always the worst. You expect at least three people to run the light when it changes, and you can expect to get bumped from the rear when you are in a traffic jam.
 
FarmOR said:
And special emphasis on extremely dangerous farm work that is done completely alone. At risk of debilitating injury or worse, being trapped for days before anyone notices that you are missing?
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A friend of mine in Medford Or. was found under his tractor dead. It rolled over and trapped him under it.
He had been there for 2 days.
 
FarmOR said:
And a recurring theme has long been and especially impacted me negatively this past year -independent working. And special emphasis on extremely dangerous farm work that is done completely alone. At risk of debilitating injury or worse, being trapped for days before anyone notices that you are missing?
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It's on my mind every time i get on a tractor. 2 yrs ago i almost rolled a tractor, scared the crap out a me. I got off and walked the ground first, knew it was possible, even planned my escape route if it did start to roll which saved me. Like you, i have years of experience and the lessons that teach. Still, i'm not as quick as i was 10yrs ago or even 5yrs. If a tractor starts to roll you have to be quick.

Friday i bush hogged on top of a 15ft embankment. I was scared, which scared me even more. Never been afraid of that place, bush hog it every year. From experience i knew every possibility, but doubted my ability to react quickly enough if the tractor started the roll, that's what scared me.

Then there are freak accidents. A decade ago I had a rotary hay mower come apart while i was running it. the cutting heads turn at about 5k rpm. It was like a handgranade going off! shrapnel flying every where. A 3inch blade hit me in the back, after going through a metal fender. But it hit flat on my shoulder blade instead of an edge. Just bounced off... but... :oops:

If you have concerns... maybe you should heed them... Always go with your gut!
 
FarmOR said:
So much for keeping a long story short? Anyway, I find a cross road to either upgrade equipment or think differently. So I've come to realize how much more stress, work, and danger of independent farm work I do for small hay bales. And I have decided that it is no longer worth it. So I can sell off five big equipment pieces. I will still maintain four other big equipment pieces for contributing to production of big bales, but reducing my responsibility from nine to four given the absence of available help is making perfect sense.
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You and many other farmers. We have started buying round bales instead of square because they are so expensive and most farmers around here want you to pick them up in the field on the day they bale them, which is hard and our truck isn't in good enough shape anymore .
 
Pearl said:
We used to drive through Chicago going from Texas to Michigan. Bumper to bumper 70mph!😮🤔
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Worst traffic : I-95, 90 mph traffic in Florida bumper to bumper until the next accident and then it all stops

Cities I have hated driving through: the entire interstate system from south of DC to north of NYC ( DC , Baltimore, Delaware, Philly, Newark , NYC)
I have driven through Chicago and it wasn't as bad as that
Oh wait and then there is Houston with its spaggetti roads
 
SLC said:
Farming has traditionally been one of the most dangerous occupations. I rolled my tractor once, Had a seat belt and roll bar so OK.
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In my previous life, working for the man while saving for the farm, I witnessed and partook in a few life threatening circumstances. One in particular shook me so severely that it changed my life. I began participating in safety efforts; joining safety committee, attending safety seminars and unabashedly acting as a safety "nazi".

This was my strategy to survive the chaotic corporate world so that I might arrive at my homestead one day with my full potential. All my faculties and body, mind and spirit. Because I knew that was what it would take.

Despite that effort, I had a few really close calls. But that was in a team environment. Other people around that looked out for you, especially when you were lacking sleep, sick, or otherwise just having a bad day.

I can employ all that I learned and that puts me head and shoulders above the poor typical farmer who views safety as just another obstacle. But working independent cannot be avoided and must be managed and minimized if you are to arrive at what is next with full facilities?
 
SLC said:
Farming has traditionally been one of the most dangerous occupations. I rolled my tractor once, Had a seat belt and roll bar so OK.
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I've been very thankful that my Hunny has yet to roll his tractor and neither have I. Both of ours are open. I have the canopy, but it is not a roll bar. Thank goodness you used your seatbelt, cause I know so many who wouldn't and had the roll bars!!
 
This tractor has a roll bar but I keep it folded down. When seated it’s still taller than my head so it does offer some protection.

The reason why is also in the picture. Look behind the cows. See how low those tree limbs hang down? They are just out of reach of a cow, about 7ft. I get about 60inches of rain a year and have an extremely long growing season. I have 7 pastures separated by about 45 acres of timber. I’d have spend a month each year trying to keep tree limbs cut above the roll bar. Don’t have the time.

When I first got the tractor I had the roll bar up. That lasted about a week. It was always hanging tree limbs, a royal pain in the butt. If you notice, there’s no vertical exhaust on the tractor either. Here they tend to get bent by tree limbs. The exhaust travels out the back like a car.

I have used the roll bar up a few times. When working august hay. I have a 4’x4’ piece of plywood rigged to bolt to the top of the roll bar. It makes a nice shade when temps are over 100.

20231002_Bott012a.jpg
 
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Edit to add... couldn't remember the name earlier... it's an orchard tractor. We had a 200 tree peach orchard when we bought it.

I thought about taking the roll bar off when I first got the Massey. But, folded down it still offers some protection. Plus... it's handy to hang tools on, used to hang my revolver from it too. 😁

In the upright position it was just too high. The peach trees were a steady cash crop, couldn't afford any damage to them. Each tree produced about 75lbs of fruit.

(we grew hay between the trees)

Peach Trees a (2).jpg
Peach Trees a (15).jpg
 
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Patchouli said:
@squirrelhunter glad to see you! That’s the “what’s kickin’ chicken?” dance thing ya got going there? I guess it’s squirrel season?
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Yeah it's squirrel season but it's looking like I'm only going to get out once again this year just like last year. I did get 1 though, I should have had 3 more though, I wounded 1 and couldn't find the other 2 in the tall weeds.
 
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squirrelhunter said:
Yeah it's squirrel season but it's looking like I'm only going to get out once again this year just like last year. I did get 1 though, I should have had 3 more though, I wounded 1 and couldn't find the other 2 in the tall weeds.
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Well that’s not many at all!! You only got one last year?!
I’ve never been hunting at all and I can’t shoot in city limits of course! 🫡 They are an awful bother in my city (consider it a small town) as well as the deer.
Hope you’re able to get more this year. I enjoyed reading your squirrel escapades a few years ago.
 
backlash said:
A friend of mine in Medford Or. was found under his tractor dead. It rolled over and trapped him under it.
He had been there for 2 days.
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A friend of mine (local judge) There were some call ins of a tractor going in circles all day. They went to investigate . He was square baling and the seat broke off and he went through the baler , they had to open several bales to get all the body parts . Next day tractor supply was sold out seats
 
Patchouli said:
Well that’s not many at all!! You only got one last year?!
I’ve never been hunting at all and I can’t shoot in city limits of course! 🫡 They are an awful bother in my city (consider it a small town) as well as the deer.
Hope you’re able to get more this year. I enjoyed reading your squirrel escapades a few years ago.
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I only got 1 last year and only 1 this year and the only place I have permission to hunt doesn't want me hunting on their property at all until after deer season goes out because his grandsons deer hunt. Deer season don't go out until after squirrel season is over so maybe I'll have more time next season if my health holds out.
I appreciate you liking my squirrel hunting stories.
 
squirrelhunter said:
I only got 1 last year and only 1 this year and the only place I have permission to hunt doesn't want me hunting on their property at all until after deer season goes out because his grandsons deer hunt. Deer season don't go out until after squirrel season is over so maybe I'll have more time next season if my health holds out.
I appreciate you liking my squirrel hunting stories.
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Sheesh, I hope your field ops changes! Can you get to the Hoosier National Forest? I guess you already know it is legal to hunt there. Squirrels have a long season, which you probably already know that too. So they don't want you hunting until after deer season because they suspect it would scare the deer away...
You are a great storyteller and you've been missed!
 
Fort said:
I love how you gently steer us to a thread for our random thoughts and life problems ;D

So I am trying to decide if I want to get out of my warm bed to go down my cold hallway to get my one last cabinet heater that isn't in use and use it in my master bath instead of the current heater that tripped the GFI.
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What my family used to do when they lived on the hill-farm back during the Depression, they'd can the air from hot summer days, and use it to heat the tub water. At least that's what Par told me. Can't say I believed him, but I passed the info on to a few nephews later on. Special-made cans, Par said. Described the way they were made, but it never worked when I tried to make one.
 
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