Another beautiful week of autumn weather. At the start of the week we had a much needed one inch of rain here at the farm. I understand that the amount of rain received was variable with some getting only a quarter of an inch where some received an inch and a half. There must have been quite a wind with the rain as many fields of cereal crops got laid down. There will be a Pepsi challenge to get the swather under the crop so it can be harvested. Farmers, stock up on guards and sections, hope you have a good pickup reel.
The three-day rain I had marked on the hoar frost consisted of cloud banks building up ever night then moving away. Someone got a shower but it was not us! The next hoar frost rain I have marked should come Monday/Wednesday. By the time you read this, you should be wet. We will see, I only record the hoar frost. The Big Guy decides on the rain.
Harvest is starting for some people as some canola fields are getting swathed. The sprayers are running desiccating the wheat in preparation for straight cutting. Harvest will soon be here, ready or not. If this hot weather keeps up, all the crops will be ready.
On the Home Front, with all the machines pulled up in front of the house it looks like a used machinery lot. My wife is not impressed! I can't help it. The shop is on the end of the house and that is where all the tools and welder are. She tells me the next house will be different!
Alvin and Mathew have been busy changing oil, blowing out filters. I have been on the road hauling parts home. First, I had to replace the muffler on my JD 8970 4WD. That was a trip to Unity. The tractor has a system that sucks the dirt out of the air cleaner. When you find your air cleaner filter full of soot, you know that thing is not sucking anymore, its putting soot in your air cleaner. It means the little pipe inside your muffler is cancered out. The cure, a very expensive new muffler.
Besides the tractor muffler fix, we have bought a used pickup reel to put on the Westward swather. I also had to replace the wobble box on the knife drive. I hope that will be the end of the big expense on that one.
The JD 2360 swather has a hydraulic leak on one of the drive legs. It has dripped away all winter, I guess, because it is almost out of hydraulic oil. There seems to be an oil demon on the farm this year as every piece of equipment is trying to empty the oil barrel. One of the back tires on the JD swather kept going flat, Mathew took it off and Quinny at Rhinehart Tire found air escaping between the beads on the face. That usually means the end for that tire. I don't want any troubles. We put on a new tire.
Both JD 9600 combines have been up to get their oil changed. When they were up here at the shop, Alvin and Mathew replaced four pickup belts on the combines. They got wrecked with trying to pick up and combine the crop left out over winter. One of the combines has also developed an annoying problem with not letting the unloading auger come out. I know what the problem is, we have a little goober in an orifice somewhere that is blocking the oil flow. There is a bank of electric over hydraulic poppett valves on the left side. We had a couple of the suspected culprits out and with the air compressor, blew out the housing. When we did it last time, the auger came right out like nobody's business, folded it back in and it wouldn't come out again. I know we are on the right track, just have to do it again until Mr. Goober goes away.
All these machines were up in front of the shop so it was a full yard.
I also got my diesel tank and gasoline tank filled up and it just about flattened my bank account.
In world news the Arab states are killing the people left and right. Egypt has army rule and clearing a square of people, shot and killed 900 protesters. Lebanon has had car bombings. Syria has civil war and someone using chemical weapons, gassed and killed 1,800 innocent people. The government is blaming the rebels, the rebels are blaming the government. These are not places anyone wants to be
Joke of the week: My brother is a devout Edmonton Eskimo fan. I am telling him that Saskatchewan Roughriders have a ghost team. The Eskimos can't see the "Sheets" go by. Ha Ha Ha! Game day Sunday!
