…asking if she needed anything while D is laid up. L is a strong, smart, proud woman but she’s also in a hummingbird’s weight class and (like D) has had serious illness and injuries in the past couple of years. She’s more likely to accept help from me than anyone else, I think, but I really expected her to reply with a polite refusal.
Instead she sent me a list. 😀 Because what she also is, above all really, is orderly – and just because her life is falling apart is no reason for the homestead to do so. So Tobie got a Jeep ride this morning, and I helped her fuel the tractor (and they had worked out this elaborate procedure for raising a 5-gallon jug to the height of the filler tube which told me that D hasn’t actually been able to pick one up for years, probably.) Then she wanted to turn on the water system’s heat tapes, which involves removing a big heavy steel lid from the pump vault and that really is a two-person job.
And last, she wanted help fixing some trim on the horse trailer, which hasn’t moved in a while but will be needed in a couple of weeks because D&L really are fostering out their horses. Arrangements have already been made, quite to my surprise. It has to wait because (get this) one of the two people who run the adoption outfit fell off a horse and is recovering from injuries.
How did our ancestors even survive the age of horse power? The first introduction of alternative transport modes must have come as a huge relief to a lot of people.
“How did our ancestors even survive the age of horse power?”
Not well, it seems. In the year 1870, the average lifespan in the USA was 39.41 years.
Tellin’ ya dude, theres gonna be a FOR SALE sign out there real soon.
I think most horses were used to pull wagons and carts. Riding horses was for warriors.
Hope they get better. Good to hear they understand horses are a no no at their age. My Grandfather switched to mules as he got too old for horses. Said most people think mules are stupid. Its just the opposite. Horses will let you walk them into something they shouldn’t be doing then they freak out and you are now a rodeo demonstration toy. A mule will take a look at where you want to go and say fuck you, I’m not going in there.
Forgot to add, IF they by chance decide its time to move away and plan on selling their place, how about putting the word out here.
Second the mules. They did get bad press at one time but they are the smarter critter. Sound like some one is getting close to the end of their string for sure. But glad they are still keeping it going. Do as much as you can for as long as you can. The alternative is not.
You are a good man, Joel.
Tractor fuel…there are a number of pumping options, including the “Rawles Special,” a 12 volt fuel pump on plywood with hoses, cables and battery clamps. Hand crank pumps abound for 55 gallon drums, and farm owners routinely have a 125 gallon tank in the pickup bed with a pump and gas station-type nozzle.
As for the pump vault lid, no one thought to use the tractor? If it has a bucket, the hydraulics are right there, if not there’s probably a hydraulically powered 3-point hitch.
This is making me wonder how many “Hollywood Cowboys” got injured back in the years where TV and movie westerns were popular.
And, Zero is right – they’re going to sell and move to a city. The fostered out horses will get new owners, and D&L will live someplace 15 minutes from doctors and a hospital; the injuries D suffered won’t be fatal, but they are life changing, and Petite Class individuals always have trouble managing a deeply rural property except in the movies.
Replace the heavy well pit cover with a light one made from wood.
“12 volt fuel pump on plywood with hoses, cables and battery clamps”
If it’s for gasoline, proceed with extreme caution. One spark…..
It’s for diesel, but I agree that I’d be more comfortable with a hand pump were that necessary.
I got my hands on a horizontal 50 gallon propane tank, and with a bit of hole-saw work, mounted a filler cap and a fitting for one of the hand-crank pumps. (JB weld took care of the connections.) I have to lift the 5 gallon cans to fill the supply tank, but filling the tractor is fairly easy. The only issue is that the auto-shutoff on the nozzle doesn’t work with hand-crank pumps. (That and the seal on the first pump died after15 years. Still, the pumps are fairly affordable.)
The bonus is that the gas-gauge on the tank works well with diesel.