We're getting even more rain

A lovely follow up rain today. The forecast was for showers, but we really had rain periods. What a great start to the season.

Ok well yesterday was sheep feeding day and for a change it was a little different. That's because we moved 2 of the mobs of ewes onto fresh stubbles. The mob that was up at the 5 roads paddock, and since then was moved onto the windmill and sheepyard paddocks, has now been moved across the road to Wendlebournes (that's the name of the property/block). They now have the run of a wheat stubble there, and a pea stubble. And because of the move they weren't actually grain fed.

The other mob to move was the mob on the southern paddocks at Glackens. They were moved onto the middle paddocks there, also fresh wheat stubbles. They still were grain fed. And the mobs at dad's and on bob's were fed as normal. I'm not sure if I mentioned in an earlier blog that the ewes over on bob's have been good enough to let themselves through to neighbouring paddocks there, so they are also running on number 2 and 3 as well as 4, where they're supposed to be (naughty sheep!).

Today, having previously organised registration for the truck I took it into the engineering place in town to see about getting the cracks in the aluminium tipper welded/fixed up. Looks like it will be a slightly bigger job than I first thought, there's a few more cracks than I'd noticed, and a few of them are more serious. The semi tipper trailer is made of aluminium which naturally moves and flexes under the weight of a load, and if the stresses are too much it starts cracking... and that's what's happened. If it's any consolation the guy did say that's she was looking good for a tipper that old (it's a 1980 model). The prime mover is a 1987 Kenworth K120. Monday morning it's going back in to get the work done. It might take a coupla days.

That's a view of the tipper from the rear with it tipped right up. This picture was taken last year when I was unloading the fertilizer. That's where the cracks are, in there.

I'm working on making new seeding boots for the air seeder bar. The boots are the bits that bolt onto the tynes (the diggers) that the seed and fertilizer drops out of and is placed in the ground. I'll have to get a photo of one, cause like they say... a picture says a thousand words. Actually now I think of it I have got a picture of one set of seeding boots we used.

Well they are old ones I put on when we first got the bar a few years back. They didn't work. I actually think it was the design of the points. They are 2" shares but as you can see angle along way forward. We have a lot of limestone in our country, real solid stuff, and as the tynes move back over the rocks and then spring forward they tended to hit the bottom of the boots bending them and snapping the mounts off. Hence they were scrapped for old rubber ones I had. The new ones I'm making will have a closing plate that will ensure the seed wont fall too deep into the furrow, and all the seed will fall to a uniform depth. I trailed one I made up last year and it's seed placement looked good. So this year I'm working on making up a full set for the whole bar. Actually using the old ones I took off, but with comprehensive alterations. Once again when I get a few finished I'll take a picture. This afternoon I was cutting out the closing plates, the mounting brackets and chopping up the old boots ready to be made into new boots. So all the bits are ready I just have to weld them together now.

What you can see here is the manufacturing of the mounting brackets for the new boots. I started by centre punching and drilling holes (5/8" holes I think they are) at 1" spacings in a piece of 25mm angle iron (or 1" if ya like... I really shouldn't mix my units should I). Then cut them into 1" pieces with the angle grinder, as seen above.

I have to make an admission here. See I was quite paranoid, and very careful in taking these pictures. The reason is, and if I just come out with it and admit it now then I wont ever have to worry again, that my workshop is extremely messy. I really needs a good clean out. I tried not to include any mess in the photo's, and I didn't do too bad. There is some mess in the pics... but nothing compared to the rest of the shed.