Stormin

Jonathan. There's a load ready and waiting for you at Dunc's when your ready.

Just after Christmas the log store was getting a bit depleted. So I reluctantly order a load of logs that where duly delivered. A week later, talking to a farmer neighbour I mentioned this. "You needn't have ordered any", he said. "There's a tree I want down and you can have it". Typical! This was a fair sized sycamour. Maybe 2-3 ton. What surprised me when I started to cut into it, the amount of water that came out of it. Anyway a few hours work and a few trips with the Sears/Roper and Saxon trailer and log splitter at home, the 2' x 4' x 8' wood cage is nicely full. Due to it being so green, it's being left to dry out for next winter. I've had a bit of a trim since that photo was taken. And Carol is just posing. Not long after that, my mate Dunc landed down from over the border in Scotland. 10' x 5' trailer in tow. Full of seasoned timber. And all for me. Some of that is now cut and logged and stored ready to use. About three weeks ago, the same farmer's son was felling dykes/hedges down the side of a field. I could go and get as much wood that I liked. Oh! I liked alright. I can't remember just how many loads I brought home. Maybe 8-9. Decent sized stuff as well. Problem now is, my little wood yard is full and nowhere else to store more. And there's another stack for me waiting over the border.

I've been making a couple of attachments for the Sears/Roper recently. First was a front tow hitch out of some scrap lying around. May not look pretty, but functual and cheap. Secondly a rack for the rear of it. I did make a tote box for the front to carry my chainsaw etc, but on really rough ground it would hit large bumps or ground out on deep holes. So I decided to make a rack to carry it behind the seat. Again made from scrap and an old scrap gate. Box trial fitted. Finally some paint thrown on with a brush. Later I had an idea. I was bored BTW. A seat was lying on the shelf, so let's fit it to the rack. Not ideal but good for a laugh. Certainly strong but best not pull any wheelies.

All the Best, Ian.

You MADE the split pins!!

Superb work, Richard.

You don't look a day older now, Chris.

All the Best, Jonathan. I'll maybe give you call next week and arrange a visit.

Works well. Had a darn site more snow than we did. Built my snow plough/dozer blade some years back. Not had enough snow to use it since.

That's something I'd like. A tractor with a loader.

Fired up the sawbench today and cut up anything of 5" diam' off the tree I recently felled. 2-1/2hrs later a good pile of logs stashed away. If it's a decent day tomorrow, I may tackle the big stuff with the chainsaw.

Put an Isuzu 2.8 td in mine. Big Alli Sport intercooler. Disco transfer box. Ran it on bio diesel as well.

That is the only fault with the 90's. The rad is so big takes ages to warm up. But I wish I still had mine.

With the cold snap we're having this week I got down to the field. Got a load out Monday before my chainsaw gave up the ghost. Lost compression. It has done a lot of work over the last 13 years. Yesterday I treated myself to a new one. Same make but slightly longer bar and heavier chain. Left the old one to be sorted if possible. Be handy to have two. This afternoon back to the field a tackled the trunk. New saw went through like a knife through butter. Brought two loads home. Just realised I need to renew my membership. Can't post photo's till I do. Job for later.

I'll hazard a guess at ten. And NO! I can't name them.

Nice work there, Joseph.

Sure that's not you riding it, Jonathan? Looks a bit like you.

It'll come as no surprise, HVC committee has unanimously decided that the annual ploughing match and rally will not be taking place this year. Neither will the annual Allonby Charity ploughing match.

Oh go on! Rub it in.

I went down yesterday and as you'll know Jonathan, there was a thaw overnight. The ground in the field had turned rather soggy. Stand still and you started to sink. We did get another load out, but using the chainsaw was a bit risky when your feet got stuck in mud. Forecast is for more cold weather on the way. If the ground freezes again I'll go back. Otherwise I'll wait for the ground to dry out a bit. Not desperate for logs anyway. Nice lad brought me a load today. Keep me amused splitting them. Something that happened yesterday when I got in the field, the Sears lost it's steering. The connecting rod from bottom of steering column to the front came adrift at the back. The joint had parted company with it's socket. Lying in a soggy field tying to tie it up with cable ties was not much fun. I did walk home for a tarp and ties. Today I took it off and centre punched the edge of the socket with the joint in place. Refitted it the other way round, so the dodgy joint is now pointing down. I'll get a couple of hemi ball joints and modify the rod one day. You can't half go off people.

She's a beauty. I agree with not bringing up to concourse condition. Do that and you get afraid to bring it out of the garage. Thanks for the write up.

Things didn't go quite as planned yesterday. First of all I will say I did take my camera this time. Unfortunately I didn't check the battery was fully charged. Though the snow, such as it was, had thawed, there was a slight touch of drizzle in the air. Water on frozen ground can be interesting. Didn't set off to the field till after lunch. Where the bridleway joins the farm track, there is a bit of a drop. Normally not a problem but it had been rutted by a tractor at some time and some lumps off earth left sticking up. Now frozen solid. Trying to pick the best way down, as the front wheels dropped off the lane, the tote box on the front dug in and came off. Next the rear axle got high sided on righthand side. Front wheels in the gully, one rear wheel in the air spinning merrily, nothing was going anywhere. Unhitched the trailer and put the tractor in 1st high box. By lifting the tractor rear end and pushing best I could, managed get the tractor on to the farm track. Trailer back on and tote box, chainsaw etc in the trailer proceeded to the field. The tree I was going to fell, was at one side of a gateway between two fields. The ground had been nicely paddled by cattle and sheep and now frozen and starting to thaw, made walking rather dodgy. The tree had grow from out the side of the bank. The only way I could get to cut it was off the bank. Also I couldn't get to it to cut a notch out the side I wanted it to fall. Though with it leaning into the field anyway, that was where it was going to drop. It wasn't the best of jobs, or safest I've done due to the trees position, but by being very careful it dropped right where I expected and wanted. I was cutting some of the limbs up, trailer length, and loading them and twiggy stuff into the trailer, when Carol arrived and assisted with the loading. With the tote box etc balanced on top of the load of wood, the slow journey home down the rough track was made. Depending on the weather, rain forecast for tomorrow, it could be the end of the week before the jobs finished. If it doesn't kill me first.

Spoke to a farmer neighbour on Friday, at a distance naturally, and mentioned I'd had to order some firewood. First time for 4yrs. "Needn't have done that", said he. "There's a tree you can take down in a field". Typical! Yesterday I gave my chainsaw a check over and ran it briefly. Checked over the Sears/Roper and fuelled it up. Attached the tote box, then loaded that with all I'll need. This afternoon it'll be "TIMBER!"

Got a drill sharpener myself, though I doubt I would get away with using it in the house. Workshop is a bit chilly for working in. With the lockdown restrictions, my farm work and trips over to Scotland are curtailed. Jigsaws have been rooted out. More books read and a daily 2-1/2 approx. mile walk round the block. I'm even doing the washing up. Sometimes!

Funny isn't it. My fathers first car was a 1935? Morris 8 saloon. He changed the three speed gearbox for a four speed. Gave one or two MG drivers a surprise on the hills.