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Walk-Behind Precision Planter
Slurrystore Farm Shop
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“Under Canopy” Wheel Sprayer Kit (Page 28)
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Rare Breed Numbers Less Than 100 (Page 6)
Mini Combine Built For Small Fields (Page 10)
Offset Unroller Mulches Rows (Page 35)
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“Made It Myself” Shop Air Filter
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Garden Tractor “Rotisserie”
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Lift Assist Kit For Pickup Tailgates
Dead Crow Decoys (Page 3)
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IN THIS ISSUE: Ag World® 3 Microwave Zapper Kills Weeds
17 Rolling Chicken Coop Parks Anywhere
6 Piebald Deer Add Color To White-Tail Herd
18 They Turn Clippings Into Big Bales
8 How To Make Trees Out Of Concrete
20 Composter Made From Cement Mixer
13 He Still Farms With Antique Equipment
25 Bunk Silo Turned Into Farm Shop
John Beran uses this one-row planter on his Deere 212 garden tractor. A pair of grounddriven rubber wheels are used to chain-drive fertilizer and seed metering units.
He used the transaxle and rear wheels from a Massey-Ferguson garden tractor and a 6 1/2 Briggs & Stratton engine to build this self-propelled, walk-behind planter.
Home-Built Planters For Small Fields, Large Gardens John Beran, Lenox, Iowa, r e c e n t l y s e n t photos of two home-built, one-row planters
Vol. 37, No. 4, 2013 Harold M. Johnson Founder
Editor/Publisher Mark Newhall (mark@farmshow.com) Senior Editor Bill Gergen (bill@farmshow.com) Contributing Editors Jim Ruen (edgecom@acegroup.cc) C.F. Marley (ph 217 563-2588) Dee Goerge (dee_goerge@yahoo.com) Lorn Manthey (redoakridge@mac.com) Office Manager Anne Lash (anne@farmshow.com) Circulation (circulation@farmshow.com) Peg Nagel, Shelly Mende, Mary Lunde, Sue Romnes, Krista Wetschka FARM SHOW (ISSN #01634518) is published 7 times per year (bimonthly plus one special “Best of FARM SHOW” issue published in December) for $23.95 per year ($27.95 in Canada) by Farm Show Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1029, 20088 Kenwood Trail, Lakeville, Minn. 55044. Periodicals postage paid at Lakeville, Minn., and Madelia, Minn. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to FARM SHOW, P.O. Box 1029, Lakeville, Minn. 55044 (ph 952 469-5572; fax 952 469-5575; email: circulation@ farmshow.com; website: www.farmshow. com). Single copy price is $5.95 ($7.50 in Canada). Publication No. 469490.
he made to use in his big garden. One planter is sleeve hitch-mounted on a Deere 212 garden tractor. The other is a selfpropelled, walk-behind unit. “We use a Precision Planting finger pickup seed metering unit on both planters for field corn, sweet corn and popcorn (www. precisionplanting.com), and a Kinze brushtype metering unit for milo/grain sorghum and soybeans (www.kinze.com),” says Beran. “We developed these planters in 2001 and have used one or both every year since then. We’ve also used them to do some custom planting. Both are easy and fun to use,” says Beran.
Tractor-Mounted Planter The tractor-mounted planter has a fertilizer unit as well as a seed metering unit that lets Beran spread fertilizer and plant at the same time. A pair of ground-driven rubber wheels are used to chain-drive both units. “The chain goes first to the fertilizer unit and then to the seed unit,” says Beran. The drive wheels are followed by a closing wheel off a White planter. A small springloaded closing unit off a Deere planter is located just behind the openers and used to bring soil in over the furrow. Different size sprockets are used to change seed rates, which determines the seed spacing. The fertilizer unit uses small plates that slip under an agitator wheel, and the size of the holes in those plates determines how much fertilizer drops down. “When I come to the end of the row I pull a lever on the tractor to raise the planter. A spring assist system installed under the tractor helps lift the load,” says Beran. “A hydraulic lift and 3-pt. hitch would make the planter even easier to use. He used sheet metal to build both the seed and fertilizer hoppers. The fertilizer box holds about 10 lbs. “The boxes aren’t very big because with the manual lift system we need to keep the weight down,” he says.
unit,” says Beran. “We apply fertilizer prior to planting or to side dress small growing plants.” He built a frame that rests on the transaxle to support the engine. “I put the engine in front because it helps balance the weight which makes the planter easier to turn at the end of the row,” says Beran. “A pair of heavy irons run across inside the unit’s front bumper to provide added weight.” The planter is equipped with a chisel-type opener, which can be moved up or down by changing the position of 2 bolts. A pair of small rubber wheels on back are used to chain-drive the seed metering unit. The wheels are locked together so there’s only one chain driving the seed metering unit. A handlebar-mounted throttle is used to control engine speed.
“The transaxle has three forward speeds. I generally go in second gear, which is a nice speed for walking with the engine at not more than half throttle,” says Beran. “The tractor-mounted planter can plant about two acres per day and the self-propelled unit one to two acres, depending on the operator. Most of the time I use the selfpropelled planter because it’s so handy. I don’t have to hook up anything to a tractor, and it’s small enough that I can work in small areas. And, it gives me plenty of exercise. I just enjoy using it.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, John Beran, P.O. Box 56, Lenox, Iowa 50851 (ph 641 333-4578; jcberan@lenoxia.com).
“Tube Trap” Captures Pest Birds
By Klaire Bruce Jim Criger of Springfield, Mo., had a problem with starlings in his barn. He solved it by building a simple, homemade trap that takes advantage of the birds’ nesting habits. “Starlings were tearing my barn apart,” says Criger. “During the spring nesting season they began to fly into the barn and destroy the insulation to use it as nesting material. It was either the birds or the barn. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40032660 I picked the barn.” Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses To: Dycom Mail Svcs. The trap is constructed from a 10-ft. length 495 Berry St. of 4-in. dia. pvc pipe, with a cap on both ends. Winnipeg, MB R3J 1N6 Email: circulation@farmshow.com A hole saw is used to cut a 2-in. dia. hole near the top of the pipe, and a small wooden dowel FARM SHOW does not accept advertisor pencil is inserted just below the hole to ing and focuses exclusively on new products and product evaluations. serve as a perch. A rectangular hole is cut into the bottom FARM SHOW does not charge for new of the pipe. A piece of hardware cloth is then products or services featured in the magazine. Anyone with a new product or service wrapped around the pipe and over the hole of interest to farmers - whether inventor, to create a sliding door, allowing the birds to manufacturer, marketer, distributor or whatbe removed once they’ve fallen into the trap. ever - is invited to contact FARM SHOW regarding possible publication. The top inside part of the pipe is painted black so the starlings can’t tell what’s inside – once FARM SHOW Publishing, Inc., they enter through the hole, they fall to the has not tested or used any of the ideas or products described in its publications. bottom of the tube and can’t escape. FARM SHOW Publishing, Inc., does not The do-it-yourself trap is easy to install. promote, recommend or endorse the use of Beran used the transaxle and rear wheels from the ideas or products described in its puba Massey-Ferguson Model 8 garden tractor Simply stand the tube up anywhere the birds lications. FARM SHOW Publishing, Inc., and a 6 1/2 hp Briggs & Stratton engine to would naturally nest, such as against a post disclaims any and all responsibilities and liabilities in the event of personal injury, build the self-propelled planter. The seed or tree or at the corner of a building. Then tie death, property damage or losses as the hopper is off a Deere planter and was cut it in place with a rope or twine. The trap is result of the use or application of any such down to half size. A belt runs from the engine most successful during spring when starlings, ideas or products. Anyone applying or using such ideas or products does so at his, her or back to the transaxle and is controlled by a sparrows or other pest birds are nesting. Once you’ve built and installed the trap, be sure to their own risk. slip clutch. The operator holds onto a handlebar to check it daily. Printed in U.S.A. All rights reserved, includContact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jim ing the right of reproduction, in whole or in guide the planter. At the end of the row he part, without written permission. grabs a pair of rubber-covered grip handles Criger, 2986 N. Farm Road 103, Springfield, to lift the back end of the planter, which lifts Mo. 65803 (jimc417@yahoo.com). Top inside part of “tube trap” pipe is two drive wheels and disengages the seed painted black so birds can’t tell what’s metering unit. inside. Once they enter through hole at “On this planter we use a fertilizer unit top, they fall to bottom of tube July-August, 2013 that’s interchangeable with the seed metering and can’t escape. 2 • FARM SHOW • vol. 37, no. 4 • www.farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • editor@farmshow.com • 1-800-834-9665
Self-Propelled Planter
Microwave Weed Zapper Microwave energy could be the best weapon to fight weeds in years to come if an Australian engineer’s research work pans out. Dr. Graham Brodie, an electrical engineer at the University of Melbourne, developed his microwave weed zapper as a solution to Australian grain farmers’ problems with herbicide resistant weeds. “Some weed species have developed multiple resistances to different chemical groups, which means that control of weed infestations has become very difficult,” Brodie says. He has 30 years experience with microwave energy, including a project to speed up drying green timber. “The microwave treatment creates tiny steam explosions through the weed plant that causes it to die,” he explains. His prototype is set up on a 5 by 8-ft. trailer with four 2kW microwave generators powered by portable generators. “Horn antennae drape over the back of the trailer and are designed to go between the rows of the crop,” Brodie says. “It’s also possible to do a blanket ‘knock down’ before sowing or crop emergence. Because the microwave
treatment destroys the cells in the weed, it basically kills the plant.” His weed-killing machine is still in early development stages. Brodie says his next step is to develop a shielding system so the operator won’t be exposed to microwave energy, which can cause tissue heating and possible burning with long exposure. More research is also necessary regarding how microwave energy affects the soil. So far, it appears to “pasteurize” the first couple inches of soil, without significant effect on fertility and nutrients. Soil bacteria were only affected temporarily. In initial testing, application was slow (walking pace), but a more powerful 15kW unit would speed up the process to be comparable to chemical spray application, with less than a second of exposure required to kill weeds. The non-chemical method appeals to farmers, and there have been inquiries from manufacturers. “I am hopeful that a more commercial prototype system may be available in the next 3 to 5 years,” he says.
Microwave weed zapper uses four microwave generators powered by portable generators. The microwave treatment “explodes” cells in weeds, to kill them. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dr. Graham Brodie, Dookie Campus, University of Melbourne, Nalinga Rd., Dookie, Victoria,
3647, Australia (ph 61 3 5833 9273; grahamb@unimelb.edu.au).
Pair Of Planters Speeds Up Planting “It’s embarrassingly simple,” says Jeremy Bontrager of his 2-row walk-behind planter. For less than $225, he combined two 1-row garden planters that greatly reduce the time to plant 3 acres of wildlife plots. “I can plant an acre in about an hour and a half,” he says. Bontrager initially purchased one EarthWay® garden seeder. He liked it, but figured a 2-row planter would be twice as fast to plant sorghum and corn on his small Kendallville, Ind., farm. He purchased a second garden seeder and removed the bolts in the axles of both seeders. He replaced the bolts with long all-thread rods that connected the seeders and secured them with jam nuts. The rod extends beyond the wheels so he can vary the planting width from 20 to 30 in. “I married the two handles with a scrap of extruded aluminum bolted to the handles to
keep it even,” he says. A wooden platform between the planters holds a tub of seed so he can refill planters as needed. The extra weight is also helpful to operate the ground-driven seeders. The planters need well-tilled soil to work well, he says, noting his twin unit is easier to use than the single seeder was. He points out that it would work great for people who plant large gardens. Each planter can be set up to plant different kinds of seeds. “It took less than an hour to make the conversion, and it’s a good universal planter,” Bontrager says. “It’s lightweight, so when you’re done with it you can hang it from a rafter where it’s out of the way.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jeremy Bontrager, 9582 E. 300 N., Kendallville, Ind. 46755 (ph 260 349-1479). Jeremy Bontrager combined two 1-row garden planters to make this 2-row walk-behind planter. “It greatly reduces the time to seed my wildlife plots,” he says.
Decoys Keep Real Crows Away When crows first pestered Johanna Trimble in her backyard, she had no idea it would lead to a business. But just a year after launching her Perfect Murder Decoys, the Maple Ridge, B.C., entrepreneur is busy making and selling her solution to others who are bothered by crows and magpies. The weather-resistant decoys she sews are a humane alternative to an old solution — kill a crow and string it up to scare other crows away. Trimble turned to her sewing and crafting skills when she learned that pest control companies didn’t really want to deal with crows. With polyester stuffing, wire in the wings, and all-weather nylon fabric she came up with a realistic design that could be shaped and hung to appear to be a dead crow. She hung her prototype on a trellis where crows like to roost and another belly up in her yard — and it worked. “My neighbors even noticed the crows were gone,” she recalls. The crows left fairly quickly after a short “ceremony” common only to their species. “They call out a warning call, which attracts other crows. They land and then have a moment of silence like a funeral,” Trimble says. Then they fly off. To keep the decoys effective, Trimble
moves them around every couple of weeks or more often to prevent the crows from getting acclimated to the decoy and start returning. She recommends using multiple decoys to protect larger areas or where the pest bird population is high. “I noticed the number of songbirds seems to have increased. Now I hear all the little birds chirping,” Trimble says. Growers use her decoys to protect everything from small fruit and berries to vegetable crops, watermelon and nuts. Livestock farmers use them to protect small animals ranging from chickens to mink and the young of larger animals like sheep, calves and colts. The response from property owners has been great, and Trimble notes she enjoys her backyard again and doesn’t have to worry about raucous crows dive-bombing her anymore. She sells her decoys for $55 (plus shipping) through her website and at area stores. Her design is patented in Canada, the U.S., and Europe. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Johanna Trimble (ph 778 867-2769; info@perfectmurderdecoys.ca; www. perfectmurderdecoys.ca).
Johanna Trimble sews together weatherresistant decoys that look like dead crows. They can be hung or laid belly up on the ground.
Growers use the decoys to protect everything from small fruit and berries to vegetable crops, watermelons and nuts.
1-800-834-9665 • editor@farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • www.farmshow.com• vol. 37, no. 4 • FARM SHOW • 3
4-WD Road Grader Built From Scratch “It looks professional. Everyone who sees it can’t believe I built it,” says Jack Hockenberry, Orrstown, Penn., about his “made it myself” 4-WD road grader. The machine rides on 6 wheels and is equipped with a 6 1/2-ft. wide blade. The four 15-in. powered wheels on back are off a Jeep Wagoneer and are mounted backward, and the 15-in. lugged steering wheels on front are off an old Gravely tractor. “I use it on my small farm to grade my driveways and farm lanes. I built it almost entirely from scratch,” says Hockenberry, who is a retired machinist. “I started with an older Cub Cadet but soon realized it was too small and not heavy or powerful enough. The only thing left of the old Cadet is the seat and steering wheel.” The machine is powered by a 37 hp, 4-cyl. Wisconsin engine, a Ford clutch/flywheel, and a pair of right angle gearboxes. The gearboxes power two 3-speed transmissions, one off a GM car and the other off an IH Scout. “I needed to use two transmissions in order to get the ground speed low enough,” says Hockenberry. He built his own 4-WD system. The rear axle is off an old homemade tractor that he found at a salvage yard, and he used 2-in. cold rolled steel to build the front axle. The rear axle’s brake drums chain-drive the front axle. Hockenberry bought 4 big 14-in. sprockets
and cut the centers out of two of them, then slid them over the brake drums and welded them on. He welded the other two sprockets to the front axle. “The bolster suspension system from an old car is built into the front wheels, which allows the wheels to raise up or down independently so the chain won’t get loose,” says Hockenberry. The Jeep Wagoneer wheels were too narrow so he cut the centers out of the wheels, flipped them, and welded them back in to widen the wheels. The blade is the top half of a blade designed to plow snow on front of a pickup. Hockenberry cut the blade in half lengthwise and shortened it to 6 1/2 ft. wide. Then he turned the blade upside down. A pair of hydraulic cylinders are used to change the blade angle. The cylinders hook up to a homemade yoke mounted behind the blade. The blade rotates on two 1/4-in. thick steel plates located between the top of the blade, and a frame that extends forward to the front steering wheels and connects with a trailer hitch ball, which allows the blade to move. “The blade can go up or down, left or right, and move from side to side.” The Wisconsin engine belt-drives a hydraulic pump that controls all blade operations. The hydraulic controls are located alongside the steering column. “I use a key on one side of the steering wheel to start
Jack Hockenberry built this 4-WD road grader that’s equipped with a 6 1/2-ft. wide blade that can be moved in any direction. the engine, and a master electric disconnect switch behind the seat. The 3-speed Scout transmission is equipped with high and low range. “Running both transmissions in high gear would make the machine go too fast and be dangerous, so I blocked out the two high gears in the GM transmission. Now my top speed is 15 to 20 mph, and I can go slower than I can walk,” says Hockenberry. “By putting the GM transmission in low gear and the Scout transmission in low gear I can just creep along. There are two gearshift levers – one to run the GM transmission and the other to
run the Scout.” He used 4 and 6-in. channel iron to build the frame. “It turned out well and I couldn’t be happier with it,” says Hockenberry. “By removing a few bolts I can take two side panels off for access to the starter engine. I built the front steering axle from scratch, and the steering box is off an old Plymouth car.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jack Hockenberry, 14899 Cumberland Hwy., Orrstown, Penn. 17244 (ph 717 532-4464; cell 717 552-8058).
Bee Supplier Builds Beautiful Hives “Our Lincoln log beehive is popular with beekeepers who garden, and they like to go over the top with the look,” says Sheila St. Clair, co-owner of Queen Right Colonies (QRC) in Spencer, Ohio. The design is exclusive to the family business that has been selling everything beekeepers need since 1995. They currently have the largest bee equipment showroom and warehouse in Ohio. Since St. Clair and her husband are also beekeepers, they can provide practical advice to customers. “Everyone used to have bees,” St. Clair says, and interest in raising them is growing again. People recognize bees’ importance for food production and appreciate a hobby that helps the environment and produces healthy food.
QRC provides bees and all supplies needed. It stands out with its classy product line. For example, they custom-built a red Lincoln logs hive with a slate roof for the A.I. Root Company, a well-known apiary business. The roof alone costs $130, St. Clair says, but the beehive is a beautiful part of the company’s landscape. Besides slate, QRC offers wooden shake roofs and other customized details. They offer a couple of unique options besides painted hives. Pine wood hives are submerged into vats of hot paraffin to thoroughly coat them to hold their natural bright color for 15 years. QRC also dips older hives to eliminate disease (such as American Foulbrood). Or, the hives can be preserved with non-toxic copper
Naphthenate that results in a green color. The top-of-the-line hives start at $360, but St. Clair notes QRC offers a full line of supplies, including regular hives made of Cyprus and pine, starting at $75. Their hives sell to a wide variety of customers from folks who live in cities and suburbs to schools and museums to rural landowners. The St. Clair family wants to share their knowledge to grow the industry even more, and thanks to QRC hives, beekeepers can also add beauty to their backyards. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Queen Right Colonies, 43655 State Route 162, Spencer, Ohio 44275 (ph 440 647-2602; www.queenrightcolonies.com). QRC hives add beauty to rural landscapes.
Hereford Hogs Bring Color To The “Other White Meat” The “other white meat” isn’t always white, according to Hereford hog breeders. The reddish hogs produce meat that is darker red than most pork and well marbled “like pork used to be”. “Meat quality is one of the breed’s biggest advantages,” says Philip Kramer, president of the National Hereford Hog Association (NHHA). Kramer appreciates the qualities of the typical commercial breeds, but when he started his own small herd he remembered the Hereford hogs that his neighbor owned when he was a boy. He tracked down breeders of the rare breed and purchased four gilts and a boar and began attending NHHA events. Iowan John C. Schulte developed the breed. He wanted hogs to match his Hereford cattle and started crossing Durocs and black Poland China hogs in the 1920’s. Eventually he got what he wanted — a 2/3 red body with white feet and ears, at least 2/3 white face, and a white tail or tail tip that’s white. The breed has gone through ups and downs with numbers but is currently on an upswing, Kramer says. Hereford hogs are beginning to
compete with other breeds at events and are becoming more common as 4-H animals. “They’re easy to work with,” says Kramer. On the farm, their gentle nature makes them easy to care for. Kramer has 10 sows and 7 gilts. Gestating sows live in a brick shed with bedding and outdoors access, and pigs are farrowed in pens where the sows can come and go. Though they gain slower than hybrid breeds, the Hereford breed grades well. Sows average 10 to 12 pigs a litter, with an 8 to 9 weaning rate. Typically one pig per litter doesn’t meet the breed’s standard, so Kramer sells them or butchers them for his family. He notes that when his father tasted the meat, he said it was the best pork he had ever eaten. Repeat customers who have purchased his pigs say the same thing. The uniqueness of the breed and the meat quality make it ideal for people who direct market to customers. But the breed is also appropriate for someone who wants to raise a couple of hogs for personal use — and perhaps to match the Hereford cattle in the pasture. Hereford hogs have a thick hide and
Hereford hogs have a 2/3 red body with white feet and ears, at least 2/3 white face, and a white-tipped tail. Some people buy them to match their Hereford cattle. do well in the Midwest and colder climates. The NHHA has members as far north as Minnesota, South Dakota and New York. The price of breeding stock is competitive with other purebred stock. Gilts average $300 to $400. To learn more and to connect with breeders, Kramer suggests attending the 2013
NHHA National Show and Sale Aug. 23-24 in Wilmington, Ohio. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Philip Kramer, 1808 100th Ave., Algona, Iowa 50511 (ph 515 290-8636; pdkgenetics@yahoo. com).
4 • FARM SHOW • vol. 37, no. 4 • www.farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • editor@farmshow.com • 1-800-834-9665
Vegas Playground For Big Kids
®
Editor’s Notebook Mark Newhall Editor & Publisher
Secret Formula Discovered For 2,000-Year-Old Concrete One of mankind’s most durable creations was concrete poured 2,000 years ago by the ancient Romans. Many bridge pilings and harbor breakwaters made by the Romans out of concrete are still in perfectly good shape all over Europe and the Mediterranean, despite centuries of constant pounding by seawater. The most common blend of modern concrete - 200-year-old Portland cement - has a service life of less than 50 years in seawater. So an international team of researchers recently set out to analyze the mineral components of a Roman concrete breakwater sample dating back to 38 B.C. They discovered that the secret to the concrete’s long life was its mixture of lime and volcanic rock. When packed into underwater wooden forms, seawater instantly triggered a hot chemical reaction, hydrating the lime and binding water molecules into its structure, creating an exceptionally stable building material. This “secret” may be the key to creating longer lasting structures today. Bloomberg News
Black Flies To Feed Livestock Instead of irritating cattle in feedlots or on pasture, it looks like black flies might someday provide high quality protein feed. A few issues ago we told you about a South African company called AgriProtein Technologies that has set up a pilot fly-breeding farm that produces 2 tons per week of protein from flies feeding on waste from meat processing plants (Vol. 36, No. 6). Now a large-scale research project in England is going to test the viability of using black flies to convert ag wastes, including manure, to protein. Flies lay eggs in the waste products which hatch into larva. “We are looking at harvesting larva after they’ve eaten, just before pupation, when they have optimal protein and fat,” says Elaine Fitches at the UK-funded Food & Environment Research Agency (FERA) near York, England. The goal of the $5 million project is to work out how to mechanize large scale production and developing micro-scale systems for small farmers (elane.fitches@fera.gsi.gov.uk). There’s already a lot of information floating around about setting up your own small-scale fly-breeding system for feeding larva to chickens. Check out the BioPod from Robert Olivier in Texas (www.thebiopod.com; ph 214 509-6000). There are also plenty of do-it-yourself simple designs for building your own “maggot generators” online. Just do a search at Google, or check out the “black fly” video at www. farmshow.com.
New Kind Of Farm Equipment
The most popular non-casino attraction in Las Vegas is “Dig This”, America’s first heavy equipment playground. Owner Ed Munn set up a 5-acre site with plenty of space for a 10-ton bulldozer and a 15ton excavator. “No operating experience necessary. Anyone can play!” he says. A 90-minute session with either machine costs $249. It includes a short safety class and an introduction to the machine by an instructor. Operators are in constant communication with instructors via headsets. A 3 1/2-hour Mega Dig includes both machines and is priced at Vegas visitors pay nearly $449. $249 to “play with” big excaActivities include digging, vating equipment for 90 min. trenching, making dirt piles to drive over, and throwing 1,000-lb. tires around. Operators must be 14 years old or older and more than 48 in. tall. Only one person is allowed per machine (www. digthisvegas.com). A similar idea has caught on in Vancouver, Wash., to raise money for charity. On the annual “Dozer Day”, kids of all ages get turned loose with dozers, dump trucks and other heavy equipment. The event takes place in a 300-acre quarry and draws about 20,000 people each year. It’s organized by the Nutter Foundation (www.nutterfoundation.org). Maybe a similar idea would work with farm equipment?
Abe Lincoln’s Patent I noticed a mention in a magazine article recently about a patent taken out by Abraham Lincoln. That was news to me so I decided to go online to check it out. At Google Patents (www.google.com/patents) I was quickly able to bring up Old Abe’s patent for a “Method To Buoy Vessels Over Shoals”. The patent drawings show a system of floats along the sides of a river barge that were designed to lift it off sandbars or other debris if it got stuck. I did a little research and discovered that Lincoln got the idea while on a riverboat trip home to Illinois in 1848. His boat got stranded on a sandbar. The crew and passengers used loose planks and empty barrels to float the boat back into deep water. Soon after, Lincoln created a scale model of his idea for a system that could be built onto the sides of existing boats and lowered down into the water when needed. Apparently, Lincoln displayed a lifelong fascination with mechanical things. When he was a traveling lawyer in younger days, he would frequently stop at farm houses for dinner. Often, he would head out to the barn with the farmer and go over every piece of farming equipment, asking detailed questions and speculating about whether it could be improved.
Liberty Quotes “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.” Abraham Lincoln “Tax reform is taking the taxes off things that have been taxed in the past and putting taxes on things that haven’t been taxed before.” Art Buchwald “The state represents violence in a concentrated and organized form. The individual has a soul, but as the state is a soulless machine, it can never be weaned from violence to which it owes its very existence.” Mohatma Gandhi “Beware the greedy hand of government, thrusting itself into every corner and crevice of industry.” Thomas Paine “A general state education is a mere contrivance for moulding people to be exactly like one another; and as the mould in which it casts them is that which pleases the dominant power in the government, whether this be a monarch, an aristocracy, or a majority of the existing generation; in proportion as it is efficient and successful, it establishes a despotism over the mind, leading by a natural tendency to one over the body.” John Stuart Mill “When you run in debt, you give to another power over your liberty.” Benjamin Franklin “Avoid occasions of expense - and avoid likewise the accumulation of debt not only by shunning occasions of expense but by vigorous exertions to discharge the debts, not throwing upon posterity the burden which we ourselves ought to bear.” George Washington “Three groups spend other people’s money: children, thieves, politicians. All three need supervision.” Dick Armey
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A New Way To Count
“It’s a simple system that takes up less space,” says Dick Steckler, Houston, Mo., about his simple counting system for keeping track of repetitive processes or other jobs. “Most people make 4 vertical hash marks and then a 5th struck through the 4. So at a glance you know it represents the number 5. “A better method lets you count to 10 in the same amount of space. Make a square that consists of 4 corners, 4 sides and 2 diagonal slashes for a total of 10 marks. “Do the corners first, making a dot for each corner. Then do each side, connecting the dots. And finally, draw the diagonals, making an X through the box. “This square takes up the same amount of space as the hash mark method. One way I use the idea is to mark rechargeable batteries, where there’s not much room to write, to see how many recharges I get out of them. “I learned this trick from a statistics professor when getting my masters degree in engineering. It saves a lot of space, especially if you’re counting up into the hundreds.” Editor’s Note: If you find errors in this issue of FARM SHOW, please know that they were printed on purpose for those who look for them. We try to print something for everybody.
The Fence
There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the fence. The first day the boy drove 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his temper, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, “You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound is still there. Make sure you control your temper the next time you are tempted to say something you will regret later.” Author Unknown Ole shouted frantically into the phone, “My vife is pregnant and da contractions are only tew minutes apart!” “Is this her first child?” asks the doctor. “No!” Ole shouts. “Dis is her husband!” Ole saw a sign in the window of a local restaurant that read “Unique Breakfast” so he walked in and sat down. The waitress brought him his coffee and asked him what he wanted, “Vhat’s your Unique Breakfast?” Ole asked. “Baked tongue of chicken!” she proudly replied. “Baked tongue ov chicken? Dew yew know how disgusting dat is? I vould never even consider eating anyting dat came out ov a chicken’s mouth!” he fumed. Undaunted, the waitress asked, “Well, what would you like then?” “Yust bring me a hard-boiled egg,” Ole said. Three Boy Scouts told their Scoutmaster that they had done their good deed for the day. “What did you do, boys” he asked little Ole. “Ve helped an olt lady cross da street,” Ole replied. The Scoutmaster was mystified. “It took all three of you to do that?” “Yep,” Ole said. “She didn’t vant tew go.”
German farmers have started compacting silage in big bunk silos with road compactors, such as the Hamm 50-ton sellpropelled roller. According to FARM SHOW “scout” Andrew Sewell, reporting from England, bunk silos have gotten much A traveler entering a small country store noticed a sign bigger as farm-based biogas on the door warning, “Danger! Beware of dog!” Inside, he electric generating plants have saw a harmless old hound dog asleep on the floor. caught on. There are more than German farmers are start“Is that the dog folks are supposed to beware of?” the 7,200 such plants in Germany, ing to use Hamm 50-ton traveler asked of Ole, the store owner. self-propelled compactors “Yep, dat’s him,” came the reply. most using corn and hay silage as to compress silage in bunk The traveler couldn’t help but be amused. “He doesn’t “fuel”. The result is bunk silos up silos. look dangerous. Why the sign?” to 30 ft. deep. To pack those deep pits, farmers are starting to “Vell,” Ole answered, “before I posted dat, people kept use 50-ton vibratory rollers that pack up to 20 percent more tripping over him.” silage into the silos. “Talk low, talk slow, and don’t say too much.” John Wayne 1-800-834-9665 • editor@farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • www.farmshow.com• vol. 37, no. 4 • FARM SHOW • 5
Money-Making Ideas To Boost Farm Income If you’re looking for new ways to add to your bottom line, take a look at the money-making ideas featured here and on the next page. If you’ve found or heard about a new income-boosting idea, we’d like to hear about it. Send details to: FARM SHOW Magazine, P.O. Box 1029, Lakeville, Minn. 55044 (ph 800 834-9665) or email us at: editor@farmshow.com.
Brown and white Piebald deer stand have a “Cow” factor that attracts customers, says breeder Gary Nelson.
Photo courtesy Jeannette Beranger/ALBC
Efforts are underway to preserve rare Choctaw hog breed. Unique to southeastern Oklahoma, they now number less than 100.
They’re Trying To Save This Rare Hog Breed Piebald Deer Add Color To Whitetail Deer Herd “When the fawns are born, it’s like an Easter egg hunt. You don’t know what color they will be,” says Gary Nelson of the piebald deer in his whitetail deer herd. The brown and white deer — sometimes with blue eyes — stand out in the herd and have a “Wow” factor that attracts customers. “A piebald steals the spotlight from other deer on a farm. Visitors are drawn to them,” he adds. Nelson and his brothers own and operate Wild Rivers Whitetails in Fence, Wis., and have 40 piebald bucks and does in their mostly brown whitetail herd. In the business of raising deer and offering hunts for 19 years, they share their knowledge about genetics, breeding and deer behavior on TV through “Wild Rivers Whitetails” on the Pursuit Channel. Piebald deer aren’t the result of inbreeding, Nelson emphasizes to dispel a common misconception. Genetic research indicates it’s a dominant gene, and when a piebald is bred to a brown deer there is a 50/50 chance of getting a piebald. In many
cases, with twins, one is brown and one is piebald. He also noticed that if there is white hair around an eye, that eye is often blue. If the other eye is surrounded by brown hair, it can be brown. Piebald deer are raised like other whitetail deer, and there are no problems with mixing them with other deer. The Nelsons breed their piebald deer with brown whitetails because brown deer have better antler development, which is important to game farm owners and hunters. “Most of the piebalds are purchased as fawns,” Nelson says. “A lot of the value is on the marking of the deer. Just a white star on the forehead is not worth as much as a deer with a mottled pattern all over its body. Doe fawns sell for $1,500 to $5,000. Bucks are 50 percent higher.” There has been growth in the market, with a relatively strong demand for piebald bucks on hunting ranches. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gary Nelson, Wild Rivers Whitetails, N20549 Lafave Dr., Fence, Wis. 54120 (ph 715 3362949; www.wildriverswhitetails.com).
Modern Day Medicine Woman Ima Sue Guire has herbal remedies for coughs and arthritis, and she gives away the recipes. The granddaughter of a Cherokee medicine woman, she says she inherited the talent to work with herbs to make tonics like cough syrup. “I put raspberries and dehydrated elderberries together and then let them drain,” she says. “After 24 hrs. I cook them down, add honey and the next night some lemon juice. It will stop the flu in 24 to 30 hrs. and stop the cough in three doses.” Guire says she has a bad case of arthritis, as did her mother before her. She explains that she was in intense pain, and nothing over the counter or prescribed would relieve it. “I asked God what to use,” she says. “I woke up with the recipe and wrote it down.” That remedy includes eucalyptus, myrrh, frankincense, cayenne, cloves, cinnamon,
rosemary and several other essential oils. She mixes it up with either clear aloe vera gel or, when she can get it, emu oil. “I shake it up and rub it on the joints,” says Guire. “The emu oil is really good at taking the other ingredients into the joints. I’ve had three back surgeries in the past year. I rub this on, and it takes away the pain.” Guire doesn’t believe anyone should make money on such a talent. She will give the complete recipes for both tonics away for free, but only to those she meets in person. “God gave me the recipes, and I share them,” says Guire, who is nearly 80 years old. “I do ask that people sign an affidavit promising not to sell tonics made with the recipes or the recipes themselves.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ima Sue Guire, 8240 Unicorn St., Las Vegas, Nevada 89131 (ph 702 490-0128).
Rare Choctaw hogs, unique to southeastern Oklahoma, are centuries old, but now number less than 100. Efforts are underway by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) to preserve the breed. “Jim Stephens, Antlers, Okla., has offered to let us set up a breeding group on his ranch to be run by Brian Rickman,” says Jeannette Beranger, ALBC. “Stephens already hosts more than 100 Choctaw horses that belong to Rickman. We are raising funds to buy the pigs and cover costs like fencing, feed and other items.” Currently three people are known to keep the hogs on their farms, hunting and processing them for their own use. Originally, the Choctaw hog was brought to Mississippi from Spain. Later they were brought to Oklahoma by members of the Choctaw tribe when they were relocated from the east. Choctaw hogs are described as “smart, hardy and agile”. They are self-sufficient in foraging and mothering. “The biggest boars are around 250 to 300 lbs., and sows get to 200 to 250 lbs.,” says Beranger. “Litters of 8 to 10 vigorous piglets are pretty normal with high survivability in captivity.”
Beranger says the free ranging pigs are under pressure from feral hogs moving into the area and from crossbreeding. The ALBC, with the help of old-timers in the area, have identified those most likely to be purebred. “To be considered Choctaw hogs, they must have small mule feet and wattles and be spotted or solid, not striped,” says Beranger. T h e A L B C e ff o r t w i l l i n c l u d e documenting the animals going into the program, checking health status and maintaining genetic diversity. Eventually, it’s hoped that breeding animals will be available for sale. “We are hoping to get pigs on the ground and available for sale in a few years to stewards who will maintain and grow the breed,” says Beranger. “Right now we need funding to set up the breeding farm. We hope this effort will be as successful as the Ossabaw hog program has been. Lots of people are raising them now.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, ALBC, P.O. Box 477, Pittsboro, N.C. 27312 (ph 919 542-5704; www.albc-usa. org).
Shop Specializes In Roadside Signs “We bring our sign shop to our customer,” says Rick Cottier, one of the four owners of Waldo & Associates, Inc., in Perrysburg, Ohio. The full-time printer for roadside stands, greenhouses and nurseries switched from silkscreen printing to digital printing about 5 years ago. As a result, signs on Coroplast (4mm corrugated plastic) and rigid vinyl (15 mil) are faster and less expensive to make. Cottier notes that it’s easy to customize the colorful signs with a UV-ink rated to last at least 3 years without fading. Prices start at $6.95 for an 8 by 24-in. onesided sign. Add $2 for a 2-sided sign, and another $1 if you want to add your logo. “We get a lot of repeat business once our customers see the quality, durability and value that our signs offer,” Cottier says. While geared to roadside stands and garden centers that need signage for products, Waldo has a growing market of people who sell at farmers markets. “We look at signs as being your best sales people,” Cottier says. “They work 24/7 and never complain.”
Waldo & Associates is a full-time printer of signs for roadside stands, greenhouses and farmers markets. The signs can be as simple as a name and photo of an item, or it can be artistic or informative with details such as growing requirements. “We have a graphic designer who works on custom products,” Cottier says. The digital printer makes banners up to 67 in. wide. The long-lasting banners are also reasonably priced, $73.13 for a 2 1/2 by 7 1/2-ft. vinyl banner, for example. Waldo has more than 300 designs on hand and also offers magnetic and Sintra 3mm polyvinyl signs, holders and other accessories. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Waldo & Associates, Inc., 28214 Glenwood Rd., Perrysburg, Ohio 43551 (ph 800 4684011; www.waldoinc.com).
6 • FARM SHOW • vol. 37, no. 4 • www.farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • editor@farmshow.com • 1-800-834-9665
Money-Making Ideas To Boost Farm Income
Coffin Couches Offer Eternal Comfort Here On Earth A couch made of a coffin wouldn’t fit every home’s decor. But Vidal Herrera has discovered that many folks will fork over $3,500 or more for his unusual furnishings. Herrera is a retired deputy medical investigator in East Los Angeles who owns a private business that performs 750 postmortem procedures annually. Secondly, he runs MorguePropRentals.com, renting autopsy tables and other equipment seen on television series such as Body of Proof and Hawaii Five-O, as well as in movies. It was after the champagne flowed at an after-movie party that a set director asked Herrera if he could make her a coffin couch. He played along and said he could, but didn’t take her seriously until she called a couple weeks later and asked if it was finished. Four years later, www.coffincouches. com continues to receive orders from all over the U.S. and the world including Korea, Germany and Japan. He purchases coffins that can’t be sold because they have minor damage such as scratches and dents after being shipped by container from China.
He creates each design based on customer tastes and relies on several neighbors to do the welding, carpentry and upholstery and painting to finish them. “We remove the lid, and use them as window awnings,” he explains. “Then the front is cut off, and all of the padding is removed.” A steel frame is welded to the bottom to support up to 900 lbs. Padding and upholstery are tacked to a plywood frame that is placed inside. Steel legs are bolted to the underside. Many designs include Harley-Davidson, sports teams or business logos. The coffin furniture appeals to people who like tattoos and motorcycles, as well as folks just looking for unique pieces. For example, the White Knight Cow couch was designed for a former Iowa native who now lives in L.A. “The pink one is very popular with the ladies,” he adds, noting he’s sold couches to beauty salons and a fortune-teller. Pin striping, embroidery and silver or chrome–plating are just a few of the options Herrera has included on the customized couches. “We will be offering matching coffee
Customized “cow couch” was designed for a former Iowa native who now lives in Los Angeles.
Coffin’s lid is removed, the front cut off, and a steel frame welded on bottom. Padding and upholstery are tacked to a plywood frame, and steel legs bolted on. tables, end tables and recycled embalming machines to be used as lamps,” he adds. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Vidal
Herrera, 5134 Valley Blvd., East Los Angeles, 90032 (ph 323 226-9018; www. coffincouches.com).
Camelina Oil Competes With Olive And Flaxseed Oil Camelina oil is an American-grown alternative to olive oil. A Minnesota family is among a few small businesses in the country who grow and process camelina and say it’s actually a healthier choice than other oils. With twice as many Omega 3’s as Omega 6’s, it’s more nutritious than other coldpressed oils. And, loaded with Vitamin E antioxidants, camelina has a much longer shelf life than flaxseed oil, its closest nutritional competitor. Camelina oil stays stable for as long as two years without going rancid. Phil Batalden was impressed by the oil’s nutritional makeup. So 3 years ago when his daughter, Kathleen Batalden Smith, and her husband, Justin Smith, returned to the farm, he asked them, “If I grow it, will you sell it?” After going through a learning curve, and some unusual weather, they successfully grew camelina seed, and the young couple started promoting their oil in 2012. “We sell
it on our website, in 20 stores in and around Minnesota, and we are expanding to the West Coast,” Batalden Smith says. “The feedback we’ve gotten is good.” The 8 1/2-oz. bottles sell for $12.99, and the oil can be used for all types of baking and cooking. “It’s a bright gold oil that’s quite beautiful to look at,” Batalden Smith says, adding it has a high smoke point (450 degrees). It works equally well for sautéing and roasting vegetables and in salad dressings and baking. The website even includes information about using the oil for skin and hair care. She and her husband developed the Omega Maiden Oils logo and run the business, from filling bottles to marketing to shipping. Currently another organic processor presses the oil for them. Camelina seeds net about 30 percent of their weight in oil, and leftover meal (high in protein) is fed to the farm’s cattle. Batalden Smith says her father planted 40 acres of camelina seed this year. He likes
A Minnesota family is among a few small businesses in the country who grow and process camelina. They say it’s actually a healthier choice than other oils. how it fits in with his crop rotation and that it’s drought resistant and a competitive weed suppressor. Typically the grain is swathed in mid July and combined with a pickup head. Camelina requires few inputs and fits well in the organic farm’s plan for sustainability. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Kathleen Batalden Smith, 37574 Co. Rd. 11, Lamberton, Minn. 56152 (ph 507 8226100; kathleen@omegamaidenoils.com; www.omegamaidenoils.com).
Camelina oil is sold in 8 1/2oz. bottles and can be used for all types of baking and cooking.
She’s Turning Rocks Into Money Old, worn farm discs find new purpose in Jean Kruft’s Rock Spring Fountains. “I provide all the parts. The customer puts it together and adds the rocks,” says the owner of the Wigwam gift shop in Lake George, Minn. Once owned by professional wrestler “Baron” von Raschke and shaped like a wigwam, the gift shop has been a popular tourist tradition in the heart of Minnesota lake country since 1952. The kit includes a disc blade, a 5-gal. bucket, a small circulating pump, plastic tubing and one rock with a hole drilled through the center of it. Setup is easy. Dig a hole to bury the bucket leaving the lip a little above ground to avoid dirt from falling in. Place the pump at the bottom of the bucket, and fill
the bucket with water. Connect the tubing to the pump, and run it up through the hole of the disc placed on top of the bucket and then through the rock with the hole that is on top of the disc. Cover with clean rocks. “I just plug it in and let it run,” Kruft says. “The discs work well because of the concave to drain the water back in the bucket.” Though the pumps are small and inexpensive, Kruft notes she is using the same ones for a second season. She adds water every couple of days to replace water that evaporates. Customers buy her do-it-yourself bubbling fountains to create water features in their home gardens and cabin landscaping. They can personalize them with rocks they’ve
Disc sits on top of bucket of water (left). Water is pumped up through rock with hole drilled through it. Other rocks are piled loosely around disc and bucket (right).
collected on vacations or picked from their fields. Kruft sells the disc fountain kits for $28 at the Wigwam from Memorial Day through Labor Day. “I would ship them if people wanted me to, but I also like the idea of people making
their own,” Kruft says. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jean Kruft, The Wigwam of Lake George, 37324 Co. Rd. 4, Lake George, Minn. 56458 (ph 218 699-3129; jkruft82@gmail. com; www.wigwamlakegeorge.com).
1-800-834-9665 • editor@farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • www.farmshow.com• vol. 37, no. 4 • FARM SHOW • 7
Money-Making Ideas To Boost Farm Income
Start Your Own Business Making Concrete Trees You’ve never seen anything like these “concrete trees” that take hanging flowerpot stands to a whole new level. Earl Senchuk teaches artists and nursery growers how to make a profitable sideline business. From a distance they look like live trees — except the foliage is wrong. Instead of green leaves, the “giant plant stands” sprout all kinds of flowers and blossoms, growing in pots hanging from the branches. They require minimum maintenance because watering systems are built into the trunks of trees which are up to 13 ft. tall. It’s a perfect blend for Senchuk, an artist and a biology graduate, who also makes heated planting beds and greenhouses to lengthen growing seasons (featured in FARM SHOW’s Vol. 37, No. 3). The Marquette, Mich., artist/inventor makes the trees out of steel rod and concrete. He starts with a large pipe base adds 1/2-in. cold steel rod branches and limbs to create the skeletal shape of the tree. He welds on 1/8-in. steel struts for dimension to support plumbing and metal mesh, which is then covered in mortar. After a base coat, Senchuk uses his artistic talents to create knots, crevices and bark
texture with a second coat of mortar. Birch, with its peeling bark, is the most challenging and time consuming, he says. Because of their size (8 ft. and up), they are impractical for shipping, Senchuk says, so he doesn’t market his trees nationwide. However, he teamed up with Vertical Artisans.com to develop a webinar program for $495, to teach others so they can make and sell trees in their areas. “The Living Tree Art training program includes a 120-page instruction manual with many drawings and photographs showing every step of the way and 35 videos in parallel to each step. Periodic webinars allow you to ask questions directly while learning new tricks from other Vertical Artisans,” Senchuk says. Anyone with basic MIG welding skills and an artistic eye who is willing to work can make the trees, he says. He also has a marketing suggestion. “I offer the use of one of my Living Tree Art sculptures for free to a well landscaped business location where I know that the tree will do well and look well for the entire season,” he explains. “The business agrees to supply and maintain the flowers, and the
Flowers and blossoms grow in pots that hang from branches. Watering systems are built into the tree trunks. tree is for sale. There is virtually no work for the business to have to do because the tree, for the most part, takes care of itself. The business almost always ends up buying the tree art before someone else can.” The trees are labor intensive and take about two weeks to complete. Prices start at about $3,000 (8 ft.). Senchuk says he usually only makes a couple of trees a year, in addition to his other work.
“If the idea appeals to anyone who has the welding wherewithal and interest to learn how to make Living Tree Art, click on the link on my home page or go directly to the www.verticalartisans.com website,” Senchuk says. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Earl Senchuk, 207 W. Arch St., Marquette, Mich. 49855 (ph 906 361-1391; info@ earlsenchuk.com; www.earlsenchuk.com).
Richard Reames produces chairs, tables, tree houses and other natural art from living trees.
Furniture, Art Made Out Of Living Trees Richard Reames is a unique furniture builder who produces chairs, tables, treehouses and assorted other natural art from living trees. He’s so devoted to the trade and topic that he’s a frequent speaker and author of two books. He teaches how to shape, graft and train a living tree or woody shrub to grow into a usable form. For more than a decade, Reames has applied bending and grafting techniques to thousands of young trees while creating “arborsculptures” at his Oregon nursery and studio and in the yards of his clients. “My growing works of art continue to live and grow thicker and taller with every season,” Reames says. “By using live trees for the things that we traditionally killed trees for, we can preserve the large living trees and plant even more to reap all the benefits of live trees.” He started his unique business after being inspired by the tree sculptures of Axel Erlandson, who operated a roadside attraction called “The Tree Circus” near Santa Cruz, Calif. from 1947 to 1963, which featured 55 unique, shaped and grafted trees. He explains that arborsculpture, a term that he coined about 20 years ago, is actually centuries old. Historical illustrations show the practice being done in several countries as early as the 1500’s. “It takes several years to get results from our work,” Reames says, “but just look at
He trains trees to form a living chair by attaching growing stems to a wood frame. your own life. How fast does 5 years go by? If you start an arborsculpture now, in 5 years it will be thick, tall and fantastic.” Reames has produced several growing arborsculptures at his Oregon home and for several clients. He now has almost 20 years of experience in arborsculpture, and his seminars and books are designed to teach others the art of clever growing designs. “My goal is to help people manipulate living trees or woody shrubs into something beautiful, functional, or both,” says Reames. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Richard Reames, 1607 Caves Camp Rd., Williams, Ore. 97544 (ph 541 846-7188; www. arborsmith.com).
John Taylor tears down old steel buildings, then bundles and sells the used steel to farmers.
He Markets Used Steel To Repair Farm Buildings John Taylor knows that everyone can’t afford new steel roofing and siding to repair old farm buildings. At the same time, he sees a lot of steel buildings that aren’t being used on Wisconsin farmsteads. Two years later, after blending those thoughts into a business plan, he operates a thriving enterprise acquiring and re-selling used steel. In 2012 alone, he supplied roofing and siding to more than 100 satisfied customers across Wisconsin. “A lot of farmers want to get rid of older steel buildings and put up larger ones, or they buy property that has a building they don’t need, so there’s no shortage of material available in the countryside,” Taylor says. “I started this business after a few neighbors asked me to take down their buildings, and I couldn’t use the material myself, so I decided to sell it. It wasn’t long before I had people calling me to take buildings down, and calling me to buy used steel for their own farms.” Taylor says that all of the steel he acquires is structurally sound and in good usable condition. “Some of it has rust spots, some of it’s discolored, but it all has a workable life remaining,” John says. “I sell a lot of product to people who are re-roofing old barns, or they’re building a lean-to onto a building and need a small amount of product. Or maybe they’re building a small shed for livestock.” Taylor’s used steel is priced considerably
less than new material and he takes pride in the fact that his customers are saving a good amount of money by purchasing his steel. “Most of the guys using used steel for re-roofing are getting the job done for half the price of new material, or less,” Taylor says. He says that one of his customers in Baraboo, Wis., roofed a 50 by 75-ft. barn with 28 ga. used steel for less than $2,000. The price included delivery of the product to his farm. The farmer installed the used steel right over the old shingles and, with careful placement of the purlins under the steel, was able to use the same fastening holes. New steel would’ve cost him more than $4,500. Taylor says with enthusiasm, “He saved the barn, and he saved a lot of money in the process.” In addition to roofing, Taylor’s customers are buying used steel for machinery storage, privacy fences, interior liner panels in existing buildings, and for woodsheds. Taylor stresses that all his inventory is sold on an as-is and first-come, firstserved basis. He keeps a current listing of available products on his website. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, John Taylor, Wisconsin Steel Corp., N5042 County Road V, Fond du Lac, Wis. 54937 (ph 920 923-1716; www. wisconsinsteelcorp.com).
8 • FARM SHOW • vol. 37, no. 4 • www.farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • editor@farmshow.com • 1-800-834-9665
Money-Making Ideas To Boost Farm Income
He Built His Own Stagecoach
A couple of years ago, Brian Kimble had a good reason for watching old episodes of Gunsmoke, Bonanza and The Lone Ranger. He was researching stagecoaches and taking photos of screenshots. With the photos in hand, he took measurements off his granddad’s old hitch wagon and drew up plans to build his own stagecoach. “I just wanted one. I have always had horses, but I couldn’t afford to buy a stagecoach,” says Kimble. He was surprised to learn that just the blueprints for a stagecoach started at $5,000. He started with an old running gear he bought at a farm sale, and took the wheels to an Amish business to have them reconditioned with rubber strips. He purchased 4 by 6-in. beams and added an oak tongue to rebuild the running gear for his base. He purchased 2-in. angle iron and 15 sheets of 3/4-in. plywood to build the frame and body of the stagecoach. “There are 400 bolts in it,” Kimble notes. Windows are set in 1/2-in. angle iron
frames, and the interior is completely covered with maroon upholstery. “The biggest challenge was making the front driver’s seat because it’s narrower than the wagon,” Kimble says. After making sure everything fit, he took it apart twice to sand and polyurethane the wood and paint the angle iron. Kimble says he was grateful for all the sanding his cousin, Gary Newell, did. “I like the natural wood look. It’s like a piece of furniture,” he says, noting he purchased quality plywood finished on one side. “The coach is identical to the one on the Lone Ranger show,” Kimble says. Burlap covers the back storage area, and iron railing surrounds the storage area on top. Kimble mounted a couple of horseshoes behind the driver’s seat to hold the reins when he parks the stagecoach. He finished it in time for a wedding last June. The happy couple and friends were inside the stagecoach, and the bride’s father sat next to him in the driver’s seat holding a double-barrel shotgun. (Important note:
After doing a lot of research, including looking at photos from old episodes of Gunsmoke, Bonanza and The Lone Ranger, Brian Kimble built his own stagecoach. “People ask me where I bought it,” he he contacted the sheriff department to get says. permission.) He spent $7,000 to build it, and plans With a stagecoach, Kimble has another excuse to work with his Belgian horses, to take it and his beloved horses to more Barney and Belle. They have no problem events in the future. pulling the stagecoach with six passengers Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, inside and three people in front. Kimble Kimble’s Concrete, 1170 Co. Rd. 1225 E., Henry, Ill. 61537 (ph 309 364-2278). enjoys seeing kids’ and adults’ reactions.
She Grows Her Own “Gems” To Make Artisan Jewelry “I try to make my pieces so your eye is drawn to the seed,” says Debra Groat, who grows her own “gems” for the jewelry she makes. Her jewels are colorful heirloom dried beans and corn kernels accented by metal, glass and stone jewelry parts. With a passion for jewelry since she was 5, Groat recognized an opportunity in 2000 when she shelled heirloom beans that her brother had grown. “I couldn’t get over how gorgeous they were, and that they had a history behind them. I thought if I could make them into jewelry it would be a wonderful way to show them off,” she recalls. She had been dabbling in making jewelry for a couple of years and started experimenting with the seeds. Thirteen years later, she has a rainbow of 63 varieties of beans and several varieties of corn in jars in what appears to be a wellstocked pantry. In fact, they are on shelves with other jewelry parts in a roomy work studio over her home’s garage.
Just getting the seeds in the jars, requires a lot of time and labor, Groat says. After going through the work of planting and growing them, she handpicks the beans and corn and spends many hours in the winter shelling bushel baskets of dried beans. She packages them and freezes them for a minimum of three weeks to kill eggs or insects on the seeds. Then they are thawed and stored in jars for another 5 to 6 mos. to dry. After that, Groat drills a small hole through the center, and then lets them dry for another month. It’s a technique she developed after much experimentation to ensure the seeds don’t crack, flake or shrink later. When fully dried she handpicks the “gems” to create earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Among her customers’ favorites are the Cherokee Trails of Tears bean necklace with black onyx and antique gold tones and a Hopi Blue corn drop necklace. “Most of my customers are gardeners, people interested in organics and heirloom seed or people who care about the
Colorful heirloom dried seeds are accented by metal, glass and stone gems.
environment,” Groat says. In addition to the natural beauty of the pieces, they also appreciate the short history she includes. Brockton, Christmas Lima, Jacob’s Cattle, Painted Lady Scarlet runner, Magpie and Red Calypso are just a few of the heirloom beans that Groat uses. Keep them dry, and store them in a sealed container and they will last the same as other jewelry, she says.
Groat sells her pieces at events and art shows and through her website, named after her business name, Saverine Creek Heirlooms. Pieces are photographed on the website and range from $24 to $135. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Debra Groat, Saverine Creek Heirlooms, 3352 Klender Rd., Rhodes, Mich. 48652 (ph 989 879-1026; www.saverinecreek.com).
Set Up Your Own On-Farm Storage Business Looking for a sideline business on your farm? Creating a self storage business is easier than ever, if you live near a city or recreation area, says Pat Watson, VP of self storage systems at Flexospan. The Sandy Lake, Penn., business has been manufacturing steel buildings since 1969 and self storage buildings for more than 20 years. By using prefab parts, Flexospan can custom engineer a building to whatever size and configuration a customer wants. The partitioning system makes it easy to change the size of the units, which typically start at 5 by 10 ft. “We roll form everything here. So we can send replacement parts right away,” Watson says. Plus they can match parts when customers want to expand. Exterior steel comes in 15 colors. Built with heavy 24-ga. steel, the company stresses quality material and engineering. Watson says she works with customers to come up with the right design, materials and roofing system for their location and zoning requirements.
The company’s design includes heavy gauge steel load bearing walls so no support posts are needed. Interior walls are fastened from both sides for increased security for renters, and there are no gaps at the top of walls to ensure privacy. When all the parts are made, Flexospan workers load them on one of the company’s trucks to deliver to the customer’s site. Due to cost of transportation, Flexospan sells only to customers who live east of the Mississippi River. They also have crews to erect them, but about 30 percent of customers put up their own buildings. Prefab parts bolt together and steel is screwed on. “If they have any questions, we give them technical support from our engineering department,” Watson says. “We are hands-on and take pride in what we do,” she says. “We’re here to help customers grow their business.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Pat Watson, Flexospan, P.O. Box 515, 253 Railroad St., Sandy Lake, Penn. 16145 (ph 800 245-0396; www.flexospan.com).
By using prefab parts, Flexospan can custom-engineer a building to whatever size and configuration the customer wants. The partitioning system makes it easy to change the size of units.
1-800-834-9665 • editor@farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • www.farmshow.com• vol. 37, no. 4 • FARM SHOW • 9
Boaz Mini Combine is designed to harvest grain from small plots. It’s ideal for small landholders who want to raise an acre or two of grain.
Mini combine has twin cutter bars - one mounted on the gathering reel to clip the grain heads, and the other mounted near ground level for cutting straw.
Mini Combine Harvests Smaller Farm Fields You can harvest grain from small plots for your family’s personal needs with a Boaz Mini Combine. It’s easy to plant small plots of grain and seeds for personal use. However, commercial combines are too big, and harvesting by hand is slow and hard. One of the few alternatives to large commercial combines or refurbished old, smaller combines has been research plot harvesters. “Research combines are very expensive, but the Boaz is reasonably priced and designed for small grain plots,” says Eddie Qi, EQ Machinery. “It’s made in China and assembled here in the U.S. Most of the parts can be found off-the-shelf if repairs are needed. Other parts will be available by order.” Qi heard about the Boaz from a friend and began importing them. He says reaction to the small combine has been positive with small farms, religious communities and local groups buying and sharing the combines. “It’s ideal for the small landholder who
wants to raise an acre or two of grain for a few animals or his family, a baker who wants to raise his own grain for making flour, or for those who simply want to control their food supply,” says Qi. “It’s popular with people who want organic, non GMO grain.” The Boaz has a very simple, yet unique design with twin cutter bars. The forward cutting bar is mounted on the gathering reel to clip the grain head. The height is controlled by a hand-operated hydraulic lift. A second cutter bar with mechanical height control is mounted near ground level ahead of the drive wheels for cutting straw. A threshing system mounts over the front drive wheels. The operator sits on an open-air seat over the rear dolly wheel. The engine mounts ahead of the operator’s legs and between the front and rear wheels. Controls are similar to a two-wheel, walk behind tractor. The Boaz features a 3-speed forward plus reverse transmission. Steering is accomplished with the aid of brakes on the front wheels and foot pedals on the dolly wheel.
Simple Trap Catches Wasps In Wall If you’ve ever had problems with wasps nesting inside a wall, you’ll be interested in this wasp trap designed by Dick Johnson of White Bear Lake, Minn. “It’s for anyone who can’t afford an exterminator or tolerate chemical sprays or powders,” says Johnson. “It keeps wasps from entering the wall, and any wasps that are already inside the wall and want to leave will see daylight and think it’s an exit. As they try to leave they get trapped and drown in soapy water.” The trap is designed to screw in place over the wasp’s entrance/exit hole. It makes use of an ordinary plastic peanut butter jar, plastic pop bottle, and plastic electrical box. The upper part of the bottle is cut off to serve as a funnel. A large hole is cut into the peanut butter jar cover and then the cover is fastened to the electrical box. The funnel is held secure by two 5-in. long wires bent into a U shape and inserted up through holes in both the cover and electrical box. The funnel is then taped in place. Pour about 2 in. of water into the jar and add some liquid dish soap and then screw the jar into the cover. “Wasps inside the wall enter the trap, thinking that they’re exiting,” says Johnson. “Also, returning wasps are prevented from entering the wall.” Johnson sells detailed plans at www. gizmoplans.com Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dick Johnson, 1936 Elm St., White Bear Lake, Minn. 55110 (busi1@usfamily.net).
Trap screws in place over wasp’s entrance/ exit hole. It makes use of a plastic peanut butter jar, pop bottle, and electrical box.
Top of pop bottleand jar coverfasten to side of electrical junction box.
The grain and straw heads are augured to the feeder housing and then into an axial flow threshing chamber where the grain is separated from the straw. Grain and non-grain materials fall through a sieve. A manually damped vacuum on the cyclone separator pulls the chaff off. The grain falls into a bag on a platform beneath the separator. “The grain needs additional cleaning for storage or sale,” says Qi. “We suggest running it through a stationary seed cleaner.” The combine weighs only 948 lbs. It’s 11 ft. long, 5 1/2 ft. wide and 4 1/3 ft. tall. It has a rated cutting width of 2 1/2 ft. and a feeding capacity of less than a pound per second. It’s powered by a 13 hp, EPA certified, gas engine. “It has a loss rate of less than 2 percent for wheat and a crushing rate of less than 2 percent,” says Qi. “It’s intended for small plots and will harvest less than a sixth of an acre an hour.” The Boaz Mini Combine is priced at $4,999. It’s designed for wheat, oats, rye,
barley and other small grains, as well as sunflowers and other small oil seeds. “It hasn’t been tried on beans, but I hope to test it on them this year,” says Qi. Qi hopes to introduce a slightly larger combine, the Boaz 1.0. It runs on tracks and is nearly 3 times the weight with twice the cutting width and feed capacity of the Boaz Mini Combine. It claims significantly increased productivity of under 2/3 acre per hour, higher quality output and less grain loss. “The Boaz 1.0 has a 22 hp diesel engine, but it didn’t meet EPA certification,” explains Qi. “I am looking for an affordable 25 hp diesel replacement and would appreciate any suggestions FARM SHOW readers might have.” To see the Boaz Mini Combine in action, check out the video at www.farmshow.com. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, EQ Machinery, P.O. Box 777, Medford, Mass. 02155 (ph 781 577-2298 or 857 523-0975; info@eqmachinery.com; www.eqmachinery. com).
Modified Mower Makes It Easy To Gas Ground Squirrels After losing his winter lettuce crop to ground squirrels, Jeff Hoard got serious about controlling them. The off-the-grid inventor made quick modifications to a walk-behind mower. Now it serves double duty as a ground squirrel gasser. “They would come into the garden and dig up seeds or clip seedlings,” says Hoard. “We grow lettuce under hoops with plastic over it all winter. I throw carpet scraps over it when it gets down below freezing. The ground squirrels got in and ate it all.” This past summer, Hoard decided to try gassing them. He mounted a pipe flange over the muffler exhaust of the old mower. “I wanted the mower to work the way it always had,” says Hoard. “The flange didn’t interfere, but it let me channel the exhaust into the ground squirrel tunnels.” He first attached a 3-ft. length of copper pipe to the flange and a length of flexible hose to the pipe end. The copper pipe dissipated the exhaust heat, which otherwise would have melted the hose. “I insert the hose end into the tunnel and step down the dirt around it to seal the exhaust in,” explains Hoard. “The mower puts out enough exhaust pressure that it blasts any back fill out of the way; yet it doesn’t seem to affect the engine any.” Hoard doesn’t expect any problems with ground squirrels this winter. This past fall he treated tunnels within a 300-ft. radius of his winter garden bed. “I don’t see any running
Jeff Hoard’s push mower serves double duty as a ground squirrel gasser. A length of flexible hose is inserted from mower’s exhaust muffler into tunnel (above). Pipe flange attaches to exhaust.
around,” he says. “It seems to have cleaned them out.” Hoard shares his “creative scrounging” ideas and projects on his Hillbilly Heaven CD available at his website. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Hoard Manufacturing, HC 61, Box 6108, Austin, Nevada 89310 (hmranch@wildblue.net; www.hmranch-hoardmfg.com).
10 • FARM SHOW • vol. 37, no. 4 • www.farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • editor@farmshow.com • 1-800-834-9665
Skid loader-mounted tree shear has stationary, V-shaped guide arms on top with a pair of curved metal grapple arms below them. Cutting blades are at bottom.
After tree is cut off, St. John lowers it to the ground for stacking or to cut up with chainsaws.
Grapple-Equipped Shear Cuts And Carries Full-Grown Trees Cutting and hauling trees away is a fast and easy job for Ross St. John, Ebenezer, Sask., who built a skid loader-mounted “V” cutter tree shear fitted with grapple arms. It lets him cut and haul away trees up to 45 ft. high. “It works fast. We’ve cut up to 10 cords of wood in just 3 hrs.,” says St. John. The unit is equipped with stationary, V-shaped guide arms on top. Below them are a pair of curved metal grapple arms that overlap around the tree. The cutting blades are at the bottom. A pair of 4-in. cylinders are used to open and close the blades, and 2 1/2-in. cylinders control the grapple arms. All the cylinders are hooked up in series. To operate, St. John closes the blades against the tree, which causes the grapple arms to automatically wrap around it. Once that happens the blades automatically cut the
tree off at ground level. He then hauls the tree to an opening, where he lowers the tree and tilts the skid loader arms at the same time to lean the tree forward. Opening the grapple arms allows the tree to flop down onto the ground. “It works slick. I’ve used it on poplar trees up to 45 ft. tall,” says St. John. “Such tall trees can get a little top heavy, so when setting them down I have to be careful the skid loader’s rear wheels don’t lift off the ground. Most of the trees I cut only have a few dead branches on them, and flopping the tree down on the ground usually breaks them off. “Commercial tree shears sell for $15,000 or more, but I was able to build mine for less than $5,500 using mostly scrap metal. I used 3 by 8, 3/8-in. thick box iron to build the
base and old 1-in. thick by 2-in. wide field cultivator shanks to make the grapple arms. Each arm rotates on a 3/4-in. dia. pin that came with the shank. I got the steel blades from a welder friend who got them free from a local company. The blade was too long for my use so he cut it in half to make 2 blades. I used 1-in. thick metal to reinforce the edges of each blade.” St. John recently had a stroke, which has slowed him down a bit. “I can still build stuff but I’m not too good at using it any more, so my tree shear is now for sale,” he says. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ross St. John, P.O. Box 36, Ebenezer, Sask., Canada S0A 0T0 (ph 306 783-5639 or 306 641-4255; stjohnross@yahoo.ca). He can cut and haul away trees up to 45 ft. high.
Chicken House Truss Bridge Ron Wrisinger needed a shortcut to his mailbox, so he built a walking bridge out of chicken house roof trusses. Combined with recycled fence, highline wire and other salvaged parts, he built an impressive bridge, as attractive as it is strong. About the only new parts were native oak used for the flooring. “It took a lot of donated parts and help from neighbors to complete, but we got it done,” says Wrisinger. “Even with new lumber, I have only $250 in it. You could buy new trusses, and it would still be an inexpensive bridge.” Knowing he wanted to build a bridge, a friend offered him 40-ft. trusses from a chicken barn he was tearing down. Wrisinger needed two pair to make the 80-ft. span. He also got the angle iron that had run from the foundation to support the trusses. These he cut up for uprights on the bridge and for crossbars. Wrisinger butt-welded each pair of trusses and welded the uprights to them about every 6 1/2 ft. He welded 3-ft. lengths of angle iron between the bottoms of the trusses at 4-ft. intervals. Where the span pairs met, he added braces at an angle to the spans and the upright, reinforcing the connection. Pipes from a friend’s recycled cyclone fence were welded to the bottom of the trusses and to the sides of the angle iron uprights to add more support. Longer lengths of pipe were screwed into standard fence connectors and welded to the uprights to form the handrail. To further reinforce the span, Wrisinger ran recycled highline cable through the uprights, end to end. “I hooked the cable to the uprights at one
end and put tensioners on the other end and tightened them up,” says Wrisinger. “A friend who is an architect advised me not to go more than 3 ft. wide based on the strength and length of the trusses. He said the narrow width would help avoid side sway.” Wrisinger figured the narrow width would also keep ATV’s off the bridge. “Some people down here would drive their ATV’s on their mother’s grave,” he says. Wrisinger bought native oak for the flooring and treated 2 by 4’s for supports underneath the flooring and over the metal crossbars. Even the flooring was a good deal. “It was reject flooring returned to the local lumber mill and only cost me 10¢ a board foot,” he says. “I ran it through my planer to get it to size (1/2-in.). It wasn’t kiln dried, but I plan on using asphalt sealer on it with sand sprinkled in it for grip.” “I did all the work in front of my shop and then with the help of a couple of friends, we moved it into place,” recalls Wrisinger. “We centered a camping trailer under it and pushed it down until the trailer was in the creek. Then one friend set his truck up on high ground across the creek and hooked on to the bridge with his winch to keep the end up off the bank. At the same time, my other friend pushed it across with his backhoe.” One end of the bridge rests on a concrete stanchion that previously supported a car bridge. “I bolted it down to bedrock,” he says. “Neither it nor the bridge are going anywhere.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ronald Wrisinger, HC 73 Box 23CC, Dogpatch, Ark. 72648 (ph 870 446-2781).
Needing a shortcut to his mailbox, Ron Wrisinger built this walking bridge out of two 40-ft. chicken house roof trusses.
Retired Farmer’s “Wheelchair”
“I had a lot of antique stuff laying around. I decided to use some of it to make what I call a retired farmer’s wheelchair,” says Leo Kramper, Dakota City, Neb. The 3-wheeled, all-steel chair rides on steel wheels and is painted Deere green and yellow. “I use it around the fire pit in our back yard,” says Leo. “We needed an extra chair when family members and friends gather around. It’s a reminder of how we used to farm.” The 2-ft. tall wheels in front are off an old hay sweep that was used to feed hay into a stacker. They’re connected by an old pipe, which serves as the axle. The seat is off a horse-drawn cultivator, and the small 8-in. wheel on back from a harrow carrier. A metal brace rod extends from the small wheel up to the seat. “When people come over and I tell them what it is, they start laughing. But they all
Leo Kramper’s 3-wheeled, all-steel chair is built from antique stuff and “is a reminder of how we used to farm.” think it’s kind of unique that I’m keeping these parts alive,” says Kramper. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Leo Kramper, 1967 Hwy. 77, Dakota City, Neb. 68731 (ph 402 987-3254).
1-800-834-9665 • editor@farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • www.farmshow.com• vol. 37, no. 4 • FARM SHOW • 11
BUYING TIPS YOU CAN USE Randomly selected farmers “tell it like it is” in nominating their “best” and “worst” buys. By:
Mark Newhall Editor Bill Gergen Senior Editor
Tony Berry, Olmstead, Ky.: Tony’s disappointed with his 2009 New Holland 7090 round baler. “We used this machine to make about 200 bales before the belts on the outer sides of the baler started flipping over, and it was difficult to turn them back over into their normal position. To prevent the problem, we had to slow down our ground speed and move from side to side as fast as we could in order to keep the belts from flipping over. “Later on we were told the outside belts had stretched more than the inside belts, which caused the slip clutch to slip when baling somewhat moist hay. When that happened we had to dump the bale even though it wasn’t tied. After two years I finally traded for a Deere 568 baler and am well satisfied with it.” Robert Thompson, Tonasket, Wash.: “My 1995 Kubota L35 equipped with a loader and backhoe has been almost troublefree and is extremely maneuverable. It’s rated at 35 hp but does the work of a much bigger machine.” Dale Kreitzer, Cresco, Iowa: “I’ve found that Voltman Batteries does an excellent job of rebuilding power tool battery packs (ph 877 816-7728; www.voltmanbatteries.
Farmers Nominate Best, Worst Buys
Ernest F. Gribi, Mineral City, Ohio: “In December 2011 I bought a used 2008 Toyota 4-WD, 4-door CrewMax pickup with about 71,000 miles. It handles and rides nice and is quieter than a car. I’ve owned several American-made pickups in the past, and there’s no comparison. This pickup is well built and sturdy. It’s rated as a 1/2-ton pickup but has some of the same specifications found on American-made, 3/4-ton models.”
Jim Cook, Zearing, Iowa: Jim’s vintage 8300 Deere grain drill still gets the job done on his Iowa farm. He made a couple improvements to improve performance. “I added a large hydraulic cylinder to improve depth control. It mounts between the tongue and a bracket on the front of the drill so we can apply extra down pressure. I also mounted a hitch stand on the tongue to make it easier to hitch and unhitch.
“We often use this drill to overseed or fertilize alfalfa fields. When we do, we pull three harrow sections behind it to work the seed or fertilizer into the ground. Works great.” James Logsdon, Mount Sterling, Ill.: “I recently bought an inverted skidsteer log splitter from Split-Fire, and I was so impressed that I ordered a self-contained unit as well as a 3-pt. mounted model, and then com). I sent in two 19.2-volt Sears Craftsman became a dealer (ph 877 548-3473; www. batteries for rebuilding, and they work great. split-fire.com). These machines come with a The company has a quick turn-around time. 2-way splitting system that splits on both the The cost was not much less than buying new forward and reverse stroke. It greatly reduces battery packs, but at least the batteries aren’t the amount of time you spend splitting wood. going into the landfill.” “These splitters offer unrivaled safety due L. Don Shumaker, Richfield, Ohio: “My to a ‘log stop’ that prevents the wood from Paslode cordless framing nail gun is one of flying out. They have a low friction slider the best tools I own (ph 800 222-6990; www. system that’s self-lubricating and highly paslode.com). I’ve used it to help construct resistant to abrasion along all four sides. small buildings and to repair wooden horse Many useful options are available, such as log fences. It speeds up the building process and lifters that lift the wood up from the ground is a tough, reliable tool. It’s more versatile to the splitting bed; extended stroke lengths than air compressor-powered nailers.” of 24, 30, 36 or 48 in.; and an extended Jake Wakefield, DeSoto, Iowa: “My splitting knife that adds 3 in. to knife height. Cleary building is a best buy (ph 800 373- These splitters are used quite often by rental 5550; www.clearybuilding.com). I get a companies because of their safety features lot of use out of this building and use it and long life.” for woodworking, welding, painting and Jim Cuddeback, Washington, Iowa: “I Send your nominations to: horseshoeing, and also to restore antique continue to find new uses around the farm for FARM SHOW, P.O. Box 1029, trucks. I even have a ‘hideout’ area inside the our 2011 Deere Gator 825i utility vehicle. I Lakeville, Minn. 55044, or use building that’s heated with a wood stove. It’s built a 10-ft. spray boom for it that mounts the survey form on our website at a well constructed, sturdy building. One of on the rear bumper and mounted a 65-gal. www.FARMSHOW.com, my favorite things about it is that the trusses barrel in the bed. I use the boom to spray are ‘saddled’ in triple 2 by 6 columns, which weeds along fence rows and field edges, and or E-mail your comments to: results in extra space for overhead storage. also to spray weeds in my CRP acreage.” Editor@FARMSHOW.com “I couldn’t be happier with my Kubota Melvin Braun, Mooresburg, Tenn.: 3130 loader tractor. I bought it after reading “My 1998 Valtra Velmet 70 hp, 4-WD a “best buy” report in FARM SHOW. This turbocharged tractor and 2006 Kioti CK30 30 tractor does everything I want it to. It runs hp, 4-WD tractor both work great. For years great and always starts in cold weather.” I had an old Deere 430 2-cyl. tractor and I Michael C. Burns, Glen, Miss.: “Four loved it, but then the pto on it broke while I years ago I bought a TroyBilt pole chainsaw was bush hogging. I traded the tractor in after attachment at Lowe’s for $100. If I want I can looking for parts for almost two years without use this attachment with different weedeater success. The tractor itself still ran good.” brands. It cuts through big branches as well Jim Bartels, Rochester, Minn.: “We as small ones. That makes it easy to cut field purchased CinchChix nets that fit over round edges and yard trees without having to use a hay bales, allowing us to ‘slow feed’ our ladder and chainsaw, which takes longer and horses. Instead of feeding the horses twice isn’t as safe. For lower branches it’s easier a day, now we can just set a bale out every to use without the extra extension pole. The 10 days (ph 651 277-2449; www.cinchchix. shoulder strap is handy.” com).” 12 • FARM SHOW • vol. 37, no. 4 • www.farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • editor@farmshow.com • 1-800-834-9665
OPINION
Tell Us About Your “Best or Worst” Buy
Farmers Nominate Best & Worst Buys John Janisch, Beldenville, Wis.: “After 16 years of faithful service from my Americanmade, 18-cu. ft. Whirlpool refrigerator, it quit working. I replaced it with another Whirlpool model. It was made in Mexico and I had to wait three weeks for it to arrive. After I got it, I filled it with milk, eggs, cheese, and meat, etc. I’m a semi truck driver so I’m not home every day. Returning from a 2-day run a couple of weeks later, I found the refrigerator running but the temperature inside both compartments was only about 68 degrees. “I called the appliance store where I had ordered the refrigerator and they sent out a mechanic the next day. He had to send for a part, and I asked him if there would be any compensation for my food loss. He said no, so I called the company’s headquarters in Michigan and asked about compensation if there had been expensive animal semen or heart medicine in the refrigerator. I got the same reply. I’m done with this company.”
“I’ve noticed improvements in power, starting and fuel economy.” John Kurki, South Range, Wis.: “I’m well-pleased with the Genesee electronic ignition kit I installed on my Ford 9N tractor (ph 918 274-8000; www.geneseeproducts. com). I’ve noticed improvements in power, starting and fuel economy. The company also offers electronic ignition kits for other tractor brands.” Scott Kiewatt, LeSueur, Minn.: “A few years ago I bought a used 2003 Drago 8-row, 36-in. corn head and mounted it on my Case IH 1680 combine (ph 888 789-2723; www. dragotec.com). This corn head is a great improvement over the IH 884 model I had been using. It’s equipped with self-adjusting stripper plates that adjust according to the size of the stalks, which saves a lot of corn. The head has paid for itself in just a few years.” Herbert Gosser, Fifty-Six, Ark.: “I’m well-pleased with my 2005 Kubota M68 4-WD tractor. It handles all my farm chores with ease and does a great job pulling my baler. No problems. Last year I bought a used 2006 Kubota M68 2-WD model and I like that one, too.” Steve Hart, Elizabeth, Colo.: Steve’s happy with his 2001 Bobcat 773G turbo skid steer loader. “I operate a small one-man business using this skid loader and a dump trailer, and mostly haul manure. The only problems were with a leaky lift cylinder seal and an alternator that had to be replaced. Otherwise this loader has operated flawlessly. I use several attachments with it and it has never let me down. It has more than 4,000 hrs. on it. I’d buy another one in a heartbeat. “I’ve had a lot of problems with the carburetor on my 2002 Yamaha 660 Grizzly 4-wheeler. I had to take it back to the dealer numerous times, and it always let me down when I needed it the most. I finally sold it and bought a 2010 Yamaha 550 EPS fuelinjected 4-wheeler. I’m well-pleased with it.” Reuben Weaver, New Holland, Penn.: “My Deere 4200 4-WD compact tractor is fuel efficient and a real workhorse. It’s also easy to get on and off. I have leg problems and needed a tractor with a flat deck transmission, which makes the tractor easy to mount. I use a make-shift hand control to operate the hydrostatic transmission. The tractor also has cruise control, power steering, and an adjustable seat and steering wheel. It starts easy in cold weather.” Coleman Wells, Vilonia, Ark.: “I think it’s
the best fence fixing tool ever made,” says Coleman about his 2010 Texas Fence Fixer (ph 800 621-8546; www.texasfencefixer. com). “I use this tool to tighten up stretched barbed wire. With a 1 1/2-ft. length of barbed wire and a fencing pliers, I can fix a strand of stretched barbed wire in only a couple of minutes.” Nick Forrest, Miami, Okla.: “Overall, I like my 2007 Mahindra 7010 4-WD loader tractor equipped with a cab. On a scale from 1 to 10 I’d give it a 7. It’s dependable, has good hydraulics, and a nice quick-tach loader. However, the tractor’s rear hitch isn’t heavy enough, and I was advised by dealers not to test it. Also, the tractor’s heater/air conditioning system has never worked well which I’m told is a common problem in the company’s 10 series tractors. Overall, though, it’s a good tractor.” On the negative side, “My 2000 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 4-WD pickup equipped with an automatic transmission and 6.0-liter gas engine has always had issues. The rear main seal went out of the transmission while the pickup was still under warranty. The dealer refused to honor the warranty ‘due to its obvious use as a work truck due to the diesel tank in the bed’.” John Slater, Olin, Iowa: John’s the satisfied owner of a 2012 New Holland CR6090 combine. “It has a lot of power and tremendous capacity in soybeans. Threshes very clean in both corn and beans.” Domenic L. Maiani, Fitchville, Ohio: “My wife and I love our 2011 Kubota RTV 1100 utility vehicle. We use it with a hydraulic-operated dump box, snowplow, and a heated and air conditioned cab. It always starts right up, even in the coldest weather.” George Tyler, Louisa, Va.: “We like the 2010 HeatStar Blue Flame 20,000 btu propane heater we bought at Farmtek (ph 800 327-6835; www.farmtek.com). We keep it as a backup heater in our greenhouse for when we lose power. It always starts even though we only use it a couple times a year. We grow more than 300 orchids and other tropical plants, so it’s important that we have a dependable backup heater.” Mark Midler, N. Mankato, Minn.: Mark likes his Miller 150 Tig suitcase welder. “I’ve used this welder to build a trailer and a dragster. It operates off either 110 or 220 volts and burns hot enough that I can use it to weld steel tubing and other thick metal. On heavy material I just make more than one pass.” Pete Lauska, Allegan, Mich.: “Our 2010 Cub Cadet LTX 1046 garden tractor is well built and works great. No problems.” Ben James, Jacksonville, Fla.: “This car has been 100 percent trouble-free,” says James about his 2007 Subaru Forester. “It’s an all-wheel-drive vehicle so I don’t have to shift in and out of 4-WD. It has a lot of traction, and one time I used it to pull a Jeep Wrangler out of soft sand. “I’ve had a lot of electrical problems with my 2005 Dodge Caravan. It seems like there’s always something going wrong with it including problems with the electric door locks, the blower speed control, and the headlights and interior lights. I’ve also had to replace two alternators. However, this van does have a comfortable ride.” David Howard, Lake Forest Park, Wash.: “I’ve put hundreds of hours on my 2005 Mantis rototiller with no problems, other than replacing the ignition coil. I seldom use my heavier rototiller because the Mantis is so convenient to use.” Robert Nehman, New Albin, Iowa: “I like the Johnny Bucket Jr. front-end loader I bought for my Cub Cadet garden tractor (ph 414 328-1898; www.johnnybucket.com). The loader has a self-contained lifting system. I
“I bought my 1960’s 2-row, model 40 Deere combine used in 1982 and have harvested with it ever since,” says Roy Noel.
He Farms With Antique Equipment Roy Noel farms with antique equipment many collectors would envy. “I bought my 1960’s 2-row, model 40 Deere combine used in 1982 and have harvested with it ever since,” says Noel, who recently turned 78. The old combine harvests corn planted with a model 50 Deere tractor and a 2-row model 290 Deere corn planter built in the 1950’s. He still cultivates with a 2-row cultivator on the 50. All of it was bought when Noel and his wife Ruthann bought their 102-acre farm in 1970. At the same time, they also bought a sickle mower and loader for the 50 John Deere, a 1958 model 330 International, and a Case one-row corn picker built in 1945. All of it remains under roof, has its original paint and is ready to go. If his “newer” combine ever fails him, he can turn to the Case. “It still runs, though I haven’t used it since I bought the 40,” says Noel. “I did put some new gears on the shucking rolls and replaced a couple of sprockets, chains and belts over the years.” The model 40 has required some work as well. Noel has replaced the paddles that feed corn back from the snapping rolls and a driveshaft for the pulley that runs the separator. He notes that finding parts is getting more difficult. “I had to make some brass bushings for use it to carry endless loads of dirt around my property and garden. It’s well-built and has never failed me, is made of heavy steel and can handle loads of up to 200 lbs. I also use it to grade my driveway and to plow snow.” Dustin Jarshaw, Newfolden, Minn.: “My 2002 Honda Rancher 4-WD ATV has almost 11,000 miles on it but still starts and runs like new. I own two Honda ATV’s and both have earned their keep. I cut a lot of wood for heating our house and use these 4-wheelers to pull logs out of the woods and to pull my trailers.” Simon Gordon, Irvington, Ky.: “My 2011 Deere D140 riding mower is equipped with a cleanout on the mower deck and an hour meter that lets me know when it’s time to do service work. It’s a good mower.” Elliot Godwin, Sidney, Ohio: “I bought my Deere 185 garden tractor used for $500. It always starts and runs good. I’ve used it to pull 800-lb. loads uphill with no problems.” James Tostenson, Fremont, Wis.: “I use my 2011 Kubota RTV 500 utility vehicle every day to do chores. It starts good at temperatures down to 20 below, but it shifts hard. This utility vehicle works well for a
Noel plants corn with a 50 Deere tractor and a 2-row, 290 Deere corn planter built in the 1950’s. it,” says Noel. Careful maintenance combined with keeping all his equipment under roof has contributed to its longevity. Much of it is stored under or in Noel’s picture-perfect barn built in 1923. He feels working older equipment still has value. For example, the planter is equipped with a threespeed transmission for planting different populations. “Hybrids are bred to be planted at higher populations, so the last few years I’ve been planting around 30,000 kernels per acre,” says Noel. “The old combine handles the higher populations well, though it can bog down, and I have to stop to let it clean out.” He’s quick to add that like all of his well cared for equipment, “it still does a good job.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Roy H. Noel, 14 Dutch Run Rd., Piketon, Ohio 45661 (ph 740 289-2851). small machine, but if it wears out before I do I’ll buy a larger model.” On the minus side, he lists his Ventinox stainless steel chimney liner. “The pipe might be good enough, but the dealer didn’t install the correct size and the workmanship is shoddy. It has caused us a lot of problems.” Barry Nestle, Alvin, Texas: “I bought my Kubota BX32 compact tractor new several years ago and love it. I use this tractor almost every day. I bought several attachments for it and built quite a few others. I’d recommend Kubota tractors to anyone.” Roy Richters, Jr., Utica, Neb.: “Last year I traded my M&W Dyna Drive grounddriven rotary cultivator for a new Dyna Drive. Both are best buys (ph 877 408-3297; www. mw-gear.com). I use this one-pass machine ahead of my planter. It leaves the soil tilled like a rototiller and seals in the moisture, without drying out the soil or compacting it. Everett Medlin, Wyandotte, Okla.: “In December of 2000 I purchased a new 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 pickup equipped with Michelin 265/75 R16 tires. At about 82,000 miles I finally replaced the tires because the Continued on next page
1-800-834-9665 • editor@farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • www.farmshow.com• vol. 37, no. 4 • FARM SHOW • 13
Farmers Nominate Best & Worst Buys Continued from previous page tread was almost down to the wear bars. I replaced them with new Mastercraft tires. After 32,000 miles, one of the tires threw the tread completely off, causing almost $3,000 damage to the pickup. They’re the most expensive tires I’ve ever bought.” Dan Hyer, Lancaster, Wis.: “It has about 86,000 miles on it but has required only routine maintenance,” says Dan about his 2000 Ford F-250 pickup equipped with a V-10 gas engine. “This pickup has a lot of power and gets about 14 mpg on the highway empty.” On the “worst buy” side, he lists his 2005 Ford F-350 pickup equipped with a 6.0-liter Powerstroke engine. “This pickup had so
“This pickup had so many breakdowns that I was afraid to leave town with it.” many breakdowns that I was afraid to leave town with it. I used it to haul hay and farmrelated equipment. The engine blew up 3,000 miles after the warranty expired, and I had to spend $8,000 to replace it with a used engine.” D o n D a n c e , B e r r y, K y. : D o n ’s disappointed with his 2005 Volkswagen Jetta TDI equipped with an automatic transmission. “These cars should have come from the factory painted lemon yellow. Mine has had problems with the compound flywheel, hood opening switch, trunk opening switch, and turbocharger. European owners got a factory recall for the compound flywheel failure, but there was no recall for U.S. owners. I’ve spent thousands of dollars on various repairs. Major problems with this car show up all over the internet. Volkswagen dropped the ball on this redesigned model.” Richard D. Imhoff, Ruthton, Minn.: “My Whirlpool Duet Sport front-load washer broke down just two months after the warranty had expired. It cost $360 to repair and took the repairman three months to find the problem, which turned out to be with the circuit board. “Our Whirlpool gas range hasn’t worked much better. “On the other hand, our 2011 Polaris 800 Ranger utility vehicle has been trouble-free. It’s a good machine.” Philip Ivey, Lizella, Ga.: Philip’s impressed with his 2006 King Kutter 48in. wide rototiller (ph 205 487-3202; www. kingkutter.com). “This unit has seen its share of rough ground and rocks but has been trouble-free so far. I use it on my Kubota BX2350 tractor and built a roller to go behind it. I also own two large Kubota tractors that have been trouble-free.” Dennis Althoff, Superior, Mont.: Dennis is impressed with his Stihl 660 chainsaw and Stihl light guide bar. “I make my living felling timber in Montana and Idaho and have used several chainsaw brands over the past 37 years, but Stihls are the best. I really like their new Light guide bar. Besides the 660 I also own the company’s 460, 044 and 036 models. They’re all great saws. “My 2004 Dodge pickup equipped with a 24-valve Cummins diesel engine and 6-speed manual transmission has a lot of power and gets 24 to 26 mpg. I installed a BD exhaust brake on it, which I really like.” Joe Hicks, Lillian, Ala.: “I’m well pleased with my 2012 GM K1500 Z60 crew cab pickup. It gets more than 18 mpg on short trips and 22 mpg on the highway. I drove this pickup in our local Christmas parade and got
several compliments on its looks.” Bruce Short, North Anson, Maine: “I bought my 2002 Ford F-250 4-WD diesel pickup used with only about 65,000 miles on it. It starts and runs great with no problems. I’ve used this pickup to haul several 1-ton loads and it still gets 17 mpg. It doesn’t seem to matter how much I put in the pickup or tow behind it.” William Hostetler, Apple Creek, Ohio: William’s the satisfied owner of a 2012 Toro hydro drive, 52-in. walk-behind mower. “I like it a lot better than my belt-driven model. I have a big hill to mow, and belts kept tearing. Now I don’t have to worry about that.” Leo C. Viens, Middlebury, Vt.: “I bought my Deere 318 garden tractor used in 1986 and it still runs like new. It has about 1,400 hours on it with no problems. I use it to mow my lawn and to blow snow, and with a blade to push rocks and dirt. I change the oil twice a year.” Larry Schmidt, Lake Andes, S. Dak.: “I’m well satisfied with my Toro Z Master commercial zero turn riding mower. All I do is put gas in it and keep the blades sharp. I use it a lot but have had no problems.” David E. O’ Brien IV, Seguin, Texas: “My CinchChix round bale net is durable and greatly reduces hay waste. It’ll pay for
itself in one year (ph 651 277-2449; www. cinchchix.com). “Ramm vinyl fencing is tough, durable fencing that’s horse-safe and easy to install (ph 800 434-8456; www.rammfence.com).” William Nelson, Glasgow, Ky.: “”My 1992 Toyota 2-WD pickup has about 251,000 miles on it but is still going strong. I’ve replaced the clutch, fuel pump, and MAF sensor, but it has never needed any engine or front-end work or had any electrical problems. The engine doesn’t burn oil and the air conditioner blows ice cold air. I work this pickup hard.” Jack Brandon, Bumpus Mills, Tenn.: “I use SealLube leak stop in my Ford 801 tractor. It’s designed to stop oil seal leaks in engines, transmissions, power steering and hydraulic systems. I use this tractor every spring to till my 1/2-acre garden, and in the past the tractor would blow out two quarts of oil just doing that work. But it stopped leaking oil instantly when I started using SealLube. And, the tractor’s oil pressure doubled (ph 800 434-9192; www.seallube. com).” Gary Sampson, Freedom, N.Y.: “Our 1998 Toyota Avalon had about 87,000 miles on it when we bought it in 2004. At that time I added Cenpeco 10-30 motor oil (ph 800 553-1891; www.cen-pe-co.com). I changed the oil at 15,000-mile intervals, and at first I switched the filter every 7,500 miles. Then after making two oil changes I started changing the filter only when I changed the oil. At about 150,000 miles the car used one quart of oil between changes. I’ll put Cenpeco motor oil up against any synthetic oil on the market today.” Arthur Swartz, North Pole, Alaska: Arthur nominates his 1979 Ford F-250 XLT 2-WD pickup equipped with a 400 cu. in., V-8 engine as his “best buy”. “I drove this pickup for 32 years and used it to pull a camper trailer. It started in temperatures down
Dried Manure Bedding Improves Herd Health, Saves Money
“We’ve been happier with it than we thought we’d be,” says Paul Huneke of the Doda manure separator that he uses to recycle cattle manure into bedding for his family’s dairy herd. “We have fewer treated cows and the somatic cell count lowered.” High somatic cell count issues using sawdust bedding was one reason Huneke and his two sons became interested in using waste for bedding. In addition to improved herd health, the system saves money buying sawdust, and labor hauling out two big loads of sawdust every month. There’s also less waste going into the lagoon. The Hunekes had a pipe going to the lagoon from the barn on their Goodhue, Minn., farm. They intercepted the pipe and installed a 12,000-gal. tank that feeds the Doda manure separator. The separator squeezes out the liquids and blows the solids (resembling haylage and smelling like forage) into a stacking room. “The separator runs about 3 hrs. a day and shuts down on a timer,” Huneke says. Instead of letting it heat and compost, the Hunekes use the material (about 65 percent moisture) within two or three days, spreading it with a skidsteer in the freestall barn daily. The material not used for bedding is hauled to fields with a box spreader. The only additional labor is cleaning the separator every 150 hrs. Screens are removed, powerwashed and bolted back on in about 45 min. Huneke says he thinks there are fewer somatic cell count issues because the material doesn’t stick to the cows’ teats like sawdust does, and the cows are in their own natural environment. Demand for sawdust has grown, so wood comes from varied sources that may include treated wood and to 60 degrees below zero and never left me stranded. It had more than 200,000 miles on it at the end.” Danny R. Holder, Kernersville, N.C.: “In the last three years I’ve purchased Honda GCV 150 and GCV 190 engines, and I think they’re the standard by which all other engines should be judged. They start easy and are powerful enough to operate my log splitter and other small equipment.” Fred Lovitt, Williamsburg, Ky.: Fred’s disappointed with his Century Livestock poly hay ring. “Someone had a good idea for this feeder, but the manufacturing quality is poor. The holes for the bolts don’t line up.” Alfred J. Geiger, Jacksonville, Fla.: “My old Deere 520 tractor still runs like a charm, and the best part is that it’s going up in value. If I ever have to replace the clutch I can do so in less than 10 minutes. The power steering on this tractor is good for my arthritis, and the power lift is good enough to handle more modern implements.” John R. Clouser, Wolsey, S. Dak.: “I can service my 2010 Toyota Corolla XLE by myself. Everything on it is easy to reach. It gets more than 40 mpg.” Dean Steward and Janet Gabrielson, Dewey, Ariz.: “We’ve used our Deere 790 mid-sized tractor on a thousand jobs during the last few years - everything from cleaning pens to doing road work, lifting shop projects, mowing, and hauling firewood. No problems.” Timothy J. Newman, Moorhead, Minn.: “My 2011 Kubota BX24 tractor-backhoe works great. No problems and it’s easy on fuel.
Manure from barn drops into separator which runs about 3 hrs. a day.
Dried solids are blown into stacking room. wood with unknown pathogens. With a loan, Huneke says his bill is $700 less each month compared to when he purchased sawdust. He estimates a 5-year payback on the cost for his 250-head herd, and notes larger dairies would have a faster payback. “We’ve been using this separator since January with no major problems,” Huneke says. “It didn’t add any labor and will save us labor on manure handling. Our manure hauling should be reduced by about 15 percent.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Paul Huneke, 25409 Co. 16 Blvd., Goodhue, Minn. 55027 (ph 651 380-9205; ph4937@ sleepyeyetel.net). “Our old Ford 9N tractor still starts good and does a great job.” John Austin, Sixes, Ore.: “I’ve owned my Kawasaki Mule for several years and it’s very useful, dependable, and powerful. I once used it to pull a tractor off a neighbor who was trapped under it.” Mike Gobble, McDonald, Tenn.: Mike likes his 1984 Deutz 6507 60 hp tractor equipped with a Bush Hog front-end loader. “This tractor is easy to repair. It starts slow in cold weather but runs forever.” Carl Smith, Ft. Worth, Texas: “I’m well pleased with my 2003 Dodge 2500 diesel pickup. It performs great and is fuel efficient. The air conditioner went out soon after I bought it, but otherwise this pickup has been trouble-free.” Ron Hageman, Onalaska, Wash.: “I bought a used 1994 Ford Ranger pickup equipped with a 4-cyl. engine. It had about 155,000 miles on it and used one quart of oil every 2,200 miles. Then I started using Slick 50 engine treatment in it, and now it has more than 315,000 miles on it but only uses one quart of oil every 7,000 miles. I’m not a dealer for Slick 50. It just works for me.” Bruce Graham, Tyler, Texas: “Crown T-105 solar system batteries are my best buy (ph 419 334-7181; www.crownbattery. com). I bought 16 of these batteries last July and am well pleased with them. I had been using 16 Trojan batteries, which required more water maintenance and didn’t recharge as fast. These batteries are specifically made for solar and wind generator systems.” Ted Bowler, Moorpark, Calif.: Ted’s happy with his Bosski ATV tandem axle
14 • FARM SHOW • vol. 37, no. 4 • www.farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • editor@farmshow.com • 1-800-834-9665
Farmers Nominate Best & Worst Buys dump trailer which he read about in FARM SHOW (ph 208 455-8433; www.atvwagon. com). It measures 73 in. long by 45 in. wide. An electric motor, operated off the ATV’s 12volt battery, drives a screw jack that cranks the bed up or down. A wireless option gives you the freedom of dumping the trailer bed without always going back to the ATV. “I’ve used this trailer for several years to haul mulch, dirt and other materials on a daily basis,” says Ted. “I’ve used the dump feature thousands of times and, although parts do wear out from time to time, replacement parts are readily available and reasonably priced. Company support is great.” Chuck Norman, Pine River, Minn.: “My 2011 Stihl MS 250 chainsaw is easy to start and to operate. It has a recoil starting system that works well and eliminates hand cranking.” Roger W. Meihak, Forest Lake, Minn.: Roger says his 1981 Kubota L 275 4-WD tractor has required only routine maintenance.
“It has a handle on it so once I drain the oil and gas, it should make a good boat anchor..” “Parts for it are easier to get than I thought they’d be.” On the minus side, “My Honeywell 2000I inverter-generator is almost impossible to start after it sits for a few weeks. It still works as a generator, if I can get it started. But the inverter part runs at full speed all the time. It has a handle on it so once I drain the oil and gas, it should make a good boat anchor.” Eric J. Jacobson, Lloydminster, Alberta: Eric’s the satisfied owner of a 2010 GM Sierra 1500 4-WD, 1/2-ton pickup. “So far everything on this pickup works perfect, with no design flaws. “The Honda GX200 5 1/2 hp engine on my Johnson transfer auger won’t start in cold weather and the company can’t seem to fix it. I took it to the dealer and contacted company headquarters. The problem is a poor fitting choke valve. If anyone has a solution for this problem, please let me know.” Ty Waterman, DeFuniak Springs, Fla.: Ty’s disappointed with his Deere LA145 garden tractor. “After less than 200 hours I had to change two mower arbors, and the electric clutch and the wiring harness twice. This mower is difficult to get running in the spring and fails at least once mid-season every year. Repairs can take a week which results in lots of downtime. To top it off, the dealer told me, ‘Well, after all, it’s just an entry level mower.’” Lee deVries, Crawfordsville, Ore.: “My best buy is the Farmall Cub carburetor repair service offered by Mike Finch (ph 248 6844029). Recently I bought a Cub Low-Boy tractor equipped with a 5-ft. Woods bellymount mower at face value, not knowing much about it. I quickly realized the tractor didn’t have enough power for the mower and could barely operate it in low gear. “The mower was in good shape so I decided to find a good Super A to put it on and was going to sell the Cub. Then I read an article in FARM SHOW about Finch’s carburetor repair service. So I boxed up the carburetor and mailed it off to Mike. About a week later it came back, and what a difference it made. Now I can mow nicely with the tractor in second gear. He saved me a lot of trouble and expense.” William Deterding, Cambridge, Neb.: “The Pirelli tires that came on our 2011 Ford F-150 pickup are my worst buy. These tires
have been kept properly inflated and rotated, yet with only about 30,000 miles on them they’re cupping out and wearing extremely poor. The Ford dealer and Pirelli customer service departments are full of excuses, and it’s not hard to guess why.” Charles Hardenburger, Haddam, Kansas: “I was sold a new Buhler baler with the promise of a bright future, but the truth of the matter is the baler was out of production by the time I got mine home to the farm. As a result, I received very poor service from the dealer and none from Buhler.
Tom Goodman completely refurbished this “best buy” Terramite T5C loader backhoe, which he bought used with 1,700 hours on it. “It’s a tough, compact machine,” he says.
“Best Buy” Terramite Backhoe/Loader
“Neither the dealer nor Buhler carry an inventory of parts for this machine, and neither are able to service it. In fact, no one at the Buhler plant seems to have any knowledge of the baler. When I called them with questions on how to set the machine, they referred me to another farmer who owns one.” Mike Kellett, Sublette, Kansas: Mike’s impressed with his 1952 International Harvester refrigerator. “This unit has run day in and day out for more than 60 years, costing a grand total of $1.80 in maintenance and repairs. My grandmother, a fanatical bookkeeper, recorded in the farm ledger, ‘April 3, 1963. New light bulb for refrigerator, $1.80 from Bob Wright at Southwestern Bell.’ Bob, a family friend, knew of her penchant for quality and provided an aircraft warning bulb from an AT&T microwave tower. It’s still working to this day.” Arnold G. McCormick, Dayton, Ohio: “MotorKote lubricant works great on bearings and old engines under load (ph 888 771-5656; www.mrmotorkote.com). It also does a great job on hydraulic equipment.” Lynn Lilienthal, Grand Island, Neb.: “The custom knife I bought from Sharp Decision Knives is my best buy (ph 402 8492616; www.sharpdecisionknives.com). Last summer my 4-wheeler got stuck. Another 4-wheeler came along and tried to pull me out, but the winch cable snapped and we had to cut the cable to rethread it into the winch. We had no tools except for a pliers and my new Sharp Decision knife. We laid the cable across the hitch and used the pliers to pound the knife through the cable, with no damage at all to the knife’s edge. “When I called company owner Jon Moore and told him what I did, his first response was ‘I think you voided the warranty on this one’. But when he saw the knife in person, he was as surprised as I was. Jon makes his knives from high carbon steel, and also makes his own Damascus steel for the knives.” Roy E. Sapp, Independence, W. Va.: “I’m well pleased with my 2012 Kubota L3200 4-WD tractor equipped with an HST-type transmission, 2540 front-end loader and BK976 backhoe. This machine has great power and the backhoe and loader are easy to remove. You just pull 2 pins to detach the backhoe and pull 2 more pins to remove the loader. It’s also equipped with a 3-pt. hitch for hooking up to implements.” Eldon Reese, Janesburg, Mo.: “My 2008 Howse 10-ft. mower cost less than half as much as a Deere or some other brands. I do custom work and have hit tree stumps, trash, pieces of steel, and iron posts with this unit. The sheet metal on it is getting beat up, but
Late last fall Tom Goodman of Malone, N.Y., bought a used 2000 Terramite T5C loader backhoe with about 1,700 hours on it. He says it’s his “best buy” (Terramite Corp., Charleston, W. Va. ph 304 7764231; www.terramite.com). “This is a tough, compact machine,” says Goodman. “It’s built from 1/4-in. thick steel and weighs about 3,100 lbs. The front loader can lift 1,750 lbs., and the backhoe has 750 lbs. of pressure. The backhoe extends 8 ft. 4 in. “The loader backhoe was in pretty good condition when I bought it but needed some tender loving care, and I needed a winter project so I completely refurbished it,” says Goodman. “I also added my own personal touches.” The machine is powered by a Kohler Command 20 hp engine that drives a hydraulic pump. “It has a hydrostatic transmission with one pedal that controls both forward and reverse,” says Goodman. He disassembled the rig into more than 100 pieces, cleaning and painting as he went. “I bagged and tagged everything to make things easier for reassembly,” says Goodman. “I painted the transmission red and the torque motor black. I also spent a day cleaning and painting the rear end. I painted all the control levers black as well as the front and rear wheel hubs, adding a touch of red here and there.” The hydraulic hoses were in good shape, but Goodman had to replace two couplers that were leaking a bit. He also replaced the front bearings, races and seals. “It looked like someone had used an impact driver on them,” he says. He also bought a new tie rod end for the power steering ram, and he ordered a complete new set of decals. it still does an excellent job cutting. I try to keep the blades sharp so it’ll work good on my 50 hp tractor. No problems with the seals or bearings.” He’s not as happy with his 8-ft. Bush Hog mower. “I can’t keep the seals in the gearbox from leaking oil, and the pto shaft twisted off at least twice. Also, the rear wheel carrier has been repaired many times. Since I got the Howse model I seldom use this machine.” Larry D. Miller, Ashland, Ohio: “My Cyclone Leaf Vacuum is a joy to operate (ph 888 531-7253; www.cyclonerake.com). I vacuum about 4 tons of leaves each fall, and for 25 years I’ve struggled with them. This leaf vacuum not only does the job well, but it fits perfectly on my Deere X465 riding mower. It’s so much fun to use this unit that I look forward to the fall and leaves filling my yard. The machine gives meaning back to ‘Made in America’. A great company and a great piece of workmanship.”
He removed the cage and cut it down 2 in. so the machine would fit into his garage. He also welded a crack in the fender where the cage mounts and another one in the hoe bucket. “There were no cracks anywhere else on the machine, which shows you how well it’s built,” says Goodman. Before painting the rig he wrapped all the hoses with tin foil to keep from getting paint on them. “It was a little time consuming but worth it,” he says. The previous owner had installed a makeshift roof over the cage made out of an old 55-gal. plastic drum, but Goodman thought it looked tacky so he removed it. “I might use 10-ga. steel to build a new one someday,” he says. He also installed a new seat that swivels forward and back. “This is an amazing machine that’s incredibly powerful. I plan to do a ton of work with it that I couldn’t do with a bigger rig,” says Goodman. “It’s small enough that I can get back in the woods where a big loader backhoe can’t go. I have a small acreage and used it recently to dig some holes around my house. I’ve also used it to pull out some big rocks that I didn’t think it could handle. I’m really impressed with it. If it lasts another 1,700 hours I’ll be very happy.” He says company service is also great. “Getting parts for this machine is no problem. In fact, when I called the company for bearings and seals they gave me the parts numbers so I could buy them locally and save money. They did the same thing for the decals.” Base unit price for a new Terramite compact loader backhoe is $21,295. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Tom Goodman, 83 Cty. Rt. 28, Malone, N.Y. 12953 (ph 518 483-0724). Carl Jeffries, Ardmore, Ala.: “My Belarus 572 65 hp tractor is dependable, with only minor breakdowns that were easy to repair. The dealer always explains how to make any repairs over the phone and this has saved me hundreds of dollars. This tractor costs much less than other brands. I love it.” Stephen Till, Bellevue, Iowa: “I’m well pleased with my Bobcat 325 excavator and 763 skid loader. I’m a professional grave digger and an installer for 7 different monument companies, so my business depends on good equipment. My old saying is, ‘good equipment doesn’t cost, it pays.’” Jack V. McMurry, Farson, Wyo.: “The 1976 Deere 4430 tractor I bought used 6 years ago has been trouble-free. The hour meter on it doesn’t work, but it must have at least 15,000 hours on it. I own three other Deere tractors - 80, 730, and 750 models - and all work great.”
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Homebuilt Cab For Gator ATV “I priced a new cab for my 550 Gator from Deere and they wanted almost $2,500, which I thought was way too much money,” says Illinois handyman Roy Viel. “I drew up plans on my own and built the cab myself for less than $500. It turned out real nice.” Viel started his project by building a wood frame for the front and rear of the roll cage opening. He ran the top and bottom frames parallel to the roll bar. The frames attach to the roll cage and each other with brackets that Viel bolted to the shoulder and seat belt harness mounting points. Viel used three sheets of exterior good grade ½-in. plywood for the doors and window frames and one sheet for the rear panel. Each door bolts to the rear of the frame with box hinges. The doors close securely with a paddle latch that Viel adapted from an old truck tool box. Each door has a window made out of 1/8-in. Lexan plastic. Viel also put round porthole windows in the side panels similar to those on his vintage Thunderbird car.
The lower part of the front windshield was a Deere accessory, and Viel made the upper part from Lexan. The windshield is supported by a center divider that mounts to the roll cage on top and to the cup holder on the bottom. To provide a small amount of heat inside the cab, he raised the base of the seat up with 2 by 5-in. rectangular steel tubing. That lets the engine send heat right into the passenger compartment. In the summer, he removes the cab doors and back window to provide plenty of fresh air. He finished off his project with a front bumper that he made from 2-in. black pipe and a rear view mirror from an old car. Viel says it took him about 50 hrs. to build the homemade cab. “But it’s time well spent for a retired guy. There’s a fresh air factor to the overall design, but I’m okay with that because I know I won’t suffocate. The big part is that it keeps the wind out,” he says. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Roy Viel, 11445 Edwardsville Rd., Winnebago, Ill. 61088 (ph 815 298-9477).
Roy Viel built a new cab for his Gator 550 utility vehicle for less than $500. All cab panels bolt to existing holes in the vehicle’s roll cage.
Poultry Litter “Gasified” To Produce Power, Fertilizer Marc Marsh and his wife Melanie have a poultry operation that produces about 1,200 tons of poultry litter annually. Instead of spreading it all on farm fields, they teamed up with the U.S.D.A.’s Farm Pilot Project Coordination (FPPC) program in a 7-year quest to build a poultry litter gasification system. FPPC engineer Preston Burnette says the system can produce about 20 to 30 kilowatts of electrical power annually. Other byproducts are clean hot air that can be used to heat the production barns, and poultry ash, which Marsh can use to fertilize his turf grass and market to other producers. The ash is high in phosphate, potash, calcium and micronutrients. Gasification of Marsh’s litter takes place in equipment supplied by BGP, a Canadian company. Litter is auguered into the gasifier at the rate of 200 lbs. an hour. A gas-fired furnace heats the litter to temperatures approaching 700 degrees, at which point carbon monoxide, hydrogen and carbon
dioxide are produced. Some of that gas can be mixed with propane to fuel the furnace while the remainder is sent into a secondary chamber where it ignites in a controlled environment. Heat from that chamber passes through an exchanger that brings water to a boiling temperature of 220 degrees F. The boiling water circulates through an Organic Rankine Cycle turbine, where it boils a refrigerant that’s used to power a turbine to create electric power. BGP says its proprietary gasification method renders all biomass waste into sterile, contaminant-free material. “It’s a complicated process, but it’s an efficient process,” says Marsh. “We think once the bugs are worked out it might prove to be economically feasible for an operation this size.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Marc Marsh, M Marsh Farms, Inc., 2434 Brocks Mill Rd., Cheraw, S.C. 29520 (ph 843 5370374).
Marsh Farms’ poultry litter gasification system can produce up to 30 kilowatts of electrical power annually. Clean, hot air is used to heat the poultry barns.
Nifty Way To Mount Heavy-Duty Bale Spears “It’s built heavier than most commercial bale spears and is also much more versatile to use,” says Glen Schweppe, Syracuse, Neb., who recently sent FARM SHOW photos of a skid loader-mounted bale spear system that he built. He started with a heavy-duty, skid loadermounted attachment plate and welded lengths of 2 by 5 steel tubing onto the perimeter and across the middle. He used a hole saw to cut 3 holes into the tubing both on the top and bottom. Then he welded six 6-in. long bushings into the holes. Each bushing extends out the back side of the attachment plate. To mount the 3 bale spears he bought, Schweppe pushes the spears through the bushing and out the back, then inserts a 1/2-in. bolt through the holes already in each bushing. “It’s really handy to use. I can quickly change the position of the spears anywhere I want depending on my bale loading needs
by removing the spear from its bushing and inserting it into a different one,” says Schweppe. “I can use the 3 spears in any configuration that I want. I can put all 3 spears at the bottom, or use 2 spears either on the top or bottom to form a triangle that will keep the bale very stable. Or, I can use only 2 spears. My bolt-on spears work a lot better than commercial screw-on bale spears, because if you change the spears on them too often the threads will give out. “Another advantage is that the welded-on tubing gives the attachment plate a lot of strength, which allows me to use spears rated at 3,200 lbs. It’s strong enough to use on my loader tractor, which is equipped with a conversion plate that lets me use skid loader attachments on my tractor.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Glen Schweppe, 13555 S. 32nd Rd., Syracuse, Neb. 68446 (ph 402 269-2602; gs85827@yahoo. com).
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To mount bale spears, Schweppe pushes spears through welded-on bushings and out the back, then inserts a 1/2-in. bolt through holes already in each bushing.
Portable chicken coop was built using the running gear from an old wagon and wood scavenged from an old building.
Coop’s interior is wired with lights and an outlet for heaters. There’s a feeder at one end and water at the other, with chicken wire on the doors providing ventilation.
Rolling Chicken Coop Can Be Parked Anywhere “Last spring my wife and I decided to raise some Cornish Cross meat chickens for our own use,” says Robert Bedwell, Brazil, Ind. “We didn’t have a good spot for a permanent chicken coop so I decided to build a portable one. It allows us to keep it close by while raising a batch, and then park it out of the way when not in use. “I had a running gear from an old wagon and used 2 by 12’s for the sills and 2 by 10’s
for the floor, all of which were scavenged from an old building. Various 2 by 4’s, plywood and used metal roofing all found their way from various corners of the farm to our ‘Chickenmobile’. “Chicken wire on the doors gives plenty of ventilation. I made plywood inserts for cold weather protection. The height above the ground makes care much easier and reduces predator problems. I wired it with lights and
an outlet for heat lamps or heaters so it can be used year round and plugged in anywhere. There’s a feeder at one end of the 8 by 12-ft. area and water at the other. Birds stay inside at all times although you could rig up a ramp for them to come down to a fenced-in area. However, the 30 Cornish Cross breed we raised are ready for butchering at 6 to 7 weeks so they were fine in litter made from ground corn cobs and wood shavings. I think we
could raise 50 birds in there with no problem. “All I had to buy were screws, hinges, latches and a little paint so the total cost of the project was less than $100.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Robert Bedwell, 2500 E. County Road 900N, Brazil, Ind. 47834 (ph 812 986-2185; bedwell@ ccrtc.com).
Rolls Shred Silage To Boost Milk Production Dairymen can get better fermentation and improved digestibility of silage by replacing OEM rolls with Fiber-Tech rolls from Horning Mfg. The rolls fit most large self-propelled forage harvesters. For pulltype units, Horning makes replacement processors with Fiber-Tech rolls for even better shredding. “While research is still underway, early numbers suggest a positive payback, and innovative large operators are buying the rolls and processors,” says Nathaniel Horning, Horning Mfg. “The longer cut produces better fermentation and improved digestibility.” Horning Mfg. introduced conventional processors for forage harvesters in 2000. They then introduced dual cut rollers with a saw-tooth spiral cut for more ripping action in 2007. The Fiber-Cut rolls are even more
aggressive, with more threading on the cutting surface and an advanced saw-tooth design. The more aggressive rollers tear the stalk lengthwise and pulverize kernels more than a conventional processor will. Horning reports that milk production can vary from 2 to 3 lbs. per day between corn run through low grade and upper grade conventional processors, depending on crop conditions and the system. He adds that replacing conventional rolls with Fiber-Tech rolls produces a large gain over low-grade rolls and a gain, though less significant, over upper grade processor rolls. Horning says replacing rolls on current processors with Fiber-Tech rolls enhances shredding. However, for the longest length he recommends the replacement Fiber-Tech processor, now available only for pull-type
harvesters. “Fiber-Tech processors run at a higher speed differential than conventional processors and have the more aggressive rollers,” says Horning. “They’re built heavier than standard processors to handle the higher speed,” says Horning. He explains that replacing the rolls alone with Fiber-Tech rolls improves forage processing, but not as much as replacing them and running at a higher speed. The heavy-duty, high-speed processor is made with 3/8-in. steel frames with ductile cast housing and spring-loaded rolls. Chrome-plated replacement rolls for existing processors are $2,000 to $4,800 a pair, depending on make and model. The replacement processor kits with everything included for installation in pull-type
Horning Mfg. says its replacement rollers for forage harvesters are more aggressive than conventional processors. harvesters run $6,000 to $7,000. Horning also sells conventional processors and rolls. They stock more than 2,000 processor rolls for all makes and models. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Horning Manufacturing LLC, 1647 Union Grove Rd., East Earl, Penn. 17519 (ph 715 229-2206 or 717 445-9317).
“No-Throw” Brush Cutter The No-Throw brush cutter designed and built by Frank Guest and a former co-worker does it all. Mounted to a backhoe, it cuts brush or chips it in place. The 6 curved knives grab and hold branches and trunks as they are cut. “The knives grab a branch or sapling and slice it against eight 1-in. thick cutting bars,” says Guest. “The head can pass from side to side across the face of a brush stand and from top to bottom, letting the chips fall in place. With it, there’s no need to cut brush, run it through a separate chipper and then blow it back in place. And you can stand right alongside the cutting head.” The 36-in. high, 17 1/2-in. wide cutter head was designed for use on Case IH backhoes. It has two hydraulic motors, one geared very low for cutting larger stems and a faster motor for lighter brush. Guest says the low-geared motor easily cuts a 4-in. ash sapling. The blades feature 10-in. long cutting edges and are spaced 15 in. from blade tip to blade tip. Twin hydraulic cylinders can tilt the head up to 45° to either side for easy trimming of branches.
"We built one unit in 1992," says Guest. "I was doing work for Ontario Hydro at the time and wanted a cutter that wouldn't throw the brush as it cut it.” The No-Throw cutting head never went into production. It has been in storage in the years since until Guest decided to offer it for sale. "We had about $60,000 invested in the concept and prototype, but a recession hit, and though various shops looked at it, nobody did anything with it," says Guest. "I'd like to see someone build it. It was designed for a 20-gpm system. With modern, higher power hydraulics it would work even better." Guest encourages anyone interested in buying the prototype or taking it into production to contact him. He says it’s easily scalable and could be made considerably larger. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Frank Guest, 6068 Line 5 North, Victoria Harbour, Ont., Canada L0K 2A0 (ph 705 835-3623; guestlogging@hotmail.com).
Mounted on a backhoe, the NoThrow brush cutter cuts brush or chips it in place. Unit’s 6 curved knives grab and hold branches and trunks as they’re cut.
Easy Access To 37 Years Of FARM SHOW! We recently rescanned all the back issues of FARM SHOW. They’re available at our website along with a comprehensive database of the more than 25,000 “made it myself” ideas we’ve featured over the past 37 years. Go to www.farmshow.com and check them out!
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Todd Graus (right) and his 2-man landscape crew produce up to 150 tons of grass clippings per season, compressing the clippings into high quality silage.
Battery-powered BioPac’r compactor is loaded by hoist into pickup bed.
Compactor Turns Lawn Clippings Into Silage Bales Lawn clippings headed for the landfill may soon be headed to feedlots instead. Green Turf Landscapes’ BioPac’r compresses 3 to 4 pickup loads of grass clippings into one. With the bagging attachment, the compressed clippings quickly turn into high quality silage. “It eliminates trips to the landfill and gives lawn care companies a product they can sell,” says Todd Graus, owner of Green Turf Landscapes’ Yellowstone Compact & Commodities Corp. (YCC). “Colorado State University (CSU) researchers have told us the lawn clipping silage produces higher gain than traditional feeds. We think it may be worth $100 per ton.” Graus says his two-man landscape crew produces 135 to 150 tons of grass clippings in a season. “Using the BioPac’r, they save about $15,000 in labor from reduced landfill trips and make more than $6,000 worth of silage,” he adds. Graus says his prototype is designed to fit in the back of a full-size pickup. It has a compression chamber that is 30 by 40 in. and about 70 in. deep. The chamber is loaded from the top. A
rear-mounted compression plate operates on screw rods driven by sprockets and a chain. A very high torque, 24-volt motor running off two car batteries powers the drive. “I wanted an easy-to-maintain mechanical drive with no potential for oil leaks,” says Graus. “The battery-powered unit is self contained, and the batteries only need to be charged up once a week. We are considering offering an option for a solar panel-powered trickle charger.” He also wanted an easy-to-handle compressed product. If it’s to be made into silage, the compressed grass block slides into an attached bagger. Graus is working with a plastics company to make a bag strong enough to carry the weight of the compressed grass. If the grass is going to the landfill, the operator simply backs into position and unloads the compressed bale off the end of the pickup bed. “We can take the BioPac’r in and out of the pickup with a standard engine hoist,” says Graus. “The prototype weighs 1,200 lbs., but we hope to get it down to 1,000 lbs.” Graus points out that proper compression
is the key to handling lawn clippings. Too much pressure and the high moisture grass liquefies. Not enough pressure leaves too much air in the grass, letting it heat and rapidly mold. Graus is confident he has it just right and considers that pressure level a trade secret, one he hopes to soon put to use on a larger scale. “We are getting bids from several manufacturers for building the BioPac’r,” says Graus. “We hope to get the price under $12,000 and perhaps as low as $10,000.” Graus is also getting ready to capitalize on the availability of a new feedstock. He started YCC to sell both the BioPac’r and to serve as a silage broker for landscape firms making silage. “I will try to find buyers and sellers and get them together,” says Graus. Part of his work will be to ensure quality control. He has developed a pesticide residue kit for grading silage safety. The CSU researchers assured him that any pesticide residue on the grass clippings is broken down by the biological action during the fermentation process. That has been borne out.
“After three weeks, you can’t find anything,” he says. “As a market develops for the grass silage, we hope it will encourage reduced use of pesticides on lawns. We have found that our customers are less concerned about weed escapes when they know the grass is going to feed cattle.” The BioPac’r can also serve double duty compressing solid waste, notes Graus. “It can crush beer cans and compress bagged loose trash just like a commercial garbage truck does,” he says. “It could be used as a satellite solid waste station.” Graus says one Midwestern state is considering installing BioPac’rs at landfills in the state. Lawn waste would be compressed and bagged for sale as biofuel or simply compressed to take up less space in the landfill. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Yellowstone Compact & Commodities Corp., 3510 South Park Dr., Jackson Hole, Wyo. 83001 (ph 307 203-2736; info@biopacr.com; www.biopacr.com).
ATV Cart Folds Out For Big Loads The Backpacker Cart from McConkey, Inc. rides on the back rack of an ATV when empty. Fold it out, and the two-wheel cart can haul an 800-lb. load over rough terrain. “When you are ready to use it, you just lift it up and back up,” says Gordon McConkey, McConkey, Inc. “It unfolds as you go. Set it down on the ground, slip in the tongue pin, and it’s ready to go.” The cart was originally intended for use as a big game cart for hauling deer, elk, moose or bear out of the backcountry. McConkey wanted something light, durable and easy to use. “We make the cart out of hardened aircraft aluminum, except for the steel wheels and high speed bearings,” says McConkey. Total length of the cart is 78 in. The main frame is 52 1/4 in. long and 32 in. wide with 6 cross slats. Each wheel is mounted in an independent wheel frame at either side of the bed instead of riding on an axle under the bed. This gives the cart a full 13 in. of ground clearance. The wheel frames give the cart a total width of 49 1/4 in. and a wheelbase of 43 in. This allows the cart to track directly behind ATV wheels. The design offers several other benefits as well. The angled wheel frame protects the wheels from trees, rocks and other obstacles on or off trail. They also make it possible to lower the bed to the ground for easier loading.
The front ends of the wheel frames are attached to the midpoint of the bed with spring-loaded pins. Lever arms that extend forward from the wheel frames attach at the front of the bed. At the rear, the wheel frames are mounted to an axle that runs the width of the bed. Release the lever arm and spring loaded pins and pivot the wheel frames out of the way. This allows the bed to drop to the ground. Once the cart is loaded, rotate the wheels back into position to lift the bed off the ground. The lever arms attached to the wheel frames provide the extra leverage needed to replace the wheels. With the springloaded pin, lock the bed back in place. Returning the cart to transport position is simple. Pull the tongue and lever arm pins, and flip out two hanger brackets at the front of the bed. Slide the lever arms into holders on the wheel frames and pick up the back end of the trailer. Grab the side rails, walk forward and fold the cart back into place, hanging it on its brackets on the ATV rear rack. The ATV Backpacker Cart is priced at $669 plus shipping in the continental U.S. Call for quotes for Alaska, Canada and other countries. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, McConkey, Inc., P.O. Box 1362, Seeley Lake, Mont. 59868 (ph 308 641-2058; www. atvbackpackercart.com).
18 • FARM SHOW • vol. 37, no. 4 • www.farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • editor@farmshow.com • 1-800-834-9665
When empty, Backpacker Cart rides on the rear rack of an ATV. To use it, you just fold it out and hook it up to the ATV. Works great for hauling logs, etc.
“No Footing” Groundscrew Anchors
All-Tie Anchor Post has a 4-bladed spear point with a sliding pounder on the post that’s used both to pound in posts and pull them out.
Anchor Post Has Its Own Pounder No post driver is needed with the All-Tie Anchor Post. What started out as an idea for grazing horses has grown into an all-purpose anchor for animals, signs, boats, fences and more. “I wanted to graze my horse in different areas,” says Nathaniel LeBaron, Good N Useful Supply. “I made one, and it worked great. It evolved into a smaller one for goats that can also be used for dogs.” LeBaron is now making multiple anchor post models, differing in size, material and even the basic design. He offers three sizes of the original design and three sizes of a new compact version ideal for taking dogs to a park or other open areas. He also makes a stainless steel version for use around saltwater, with more styles to come. “It keeps evolving as people find new uses for it,” says LeBaron. “I started only 10 months ago and just got a patent pending in late December.” The basic design is a 4-bladed spear point with a post extending up from the point and a sliding pounder on the post. The driver is used both to pound in posts and to pull them
out. The pounder is multi-purpose. The hand holds on either side end in points that serve as hooks for hanging food or water buckets or for looping ropes and leads. Rings at the bottom of the handles make it easy to adjust rope lengths and to secure loops. Because the pounder slides over the post, it also swivels. This reduces the chance that a rope or lead will get wrapped around the post as the animal grazes in a circle. “The post has now evolved to people using several in the same area at one time,” says LeBaron. “We are introducing a new design with a removable pounder so they can buy several posts, but only pay for a single pounder. This will be ideal for temporary pens and fencing.” Prices range from $125 to $275 on the four compact models and $90 to $250 for the four original models. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Good N Useful Supply, 1342 Industrial Rd., Bldg. #2, Cedar City, Utah 84721 (ph 435 8681586; www.goodnuseful.com).
“Our new screw-in anchors eliminate the need to dig post holes and pour concrete. They work great for putting up everything from fences to decks, barns and sheds,” says Ed Ayala, Eco Foundation Systems, Sacramento, Calif. The Groundscrew anchor consists of a hollow, tubular galvanized steel tube with large threads at the bottom. The tube screws into the ground by hand or by fastening it to an auger drive attachment on a skid loader. The post bolts onto a steel plate welded onto the top of the tube. Many different types of Groundscrews are available to accommodate different kinds of posts; everything from 4 by 4’s to round steel posts to steel I-beams. Larger Groundscrews up to 6 ft. long can be used for building foundations. “They eliminate the need to dig holes and use concrete as a foundation for the post,” says Ayala. “Unlike with bulky concrete footings, there’s no concrete mess to clean up, no water spillage, and no finish grading to complete. It only takes about 3 min. to drive each Groundscrew into the ground.” Groundscrew anchors were invented in Germany, and for years Eco Foundation Systems has been installing the system in the U.S. to set up large solar panel installations. “They work great for that because they go in and out of the ground without disturbing the landscape. As a result, there’s unimpeded air flow around the solar panels,” says Ayala. “Now we’re expanding into agriculture and construction.” He says Groundscrews work great for putting up temporary fencing because both the Groundscrew anchors and the fence posts can be easily lifted out and moved to another location. “They work great for horse owners, who are constantly setting up arena fences and need a quick, temporary way to put them up and take them down,” says Ayala. He says it’s easy to keep posts perfectly vertical at all times. “We offer an adjustable foundation system that uses a black plastic ring with an off center hole in the middle. By turning the ring you can plumb round posts up, regardless of how the Groundscrew went in,” says Ayala. He adds that the Groundscrew system is
Galvanized steel tube screws into the ground. Post bolts onto a steel plate welded to top of tube. far stronger than helical piles and adaptable to many more applications. Groundscrews retail for about $40 to $55 for most fencing applications. Larger screws for building foundations retail for $90 to $125. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Eco Foundation Systems, 1545 36 th St., Sacramento, Calif. 95816 (ph 916 913-0603; Ed@ecofoundationsystems.com; www. ecofoundationsystems.com).
Pedal-Powered Wire Winder Winding up two strands of electric fencing at a time is easy with Larry Kropf’s pedalpowered wire winder. Similar to a stationary bike, it quickly pulls in and wraps up a quarter mile of fence at a time. “Another fellow and I ran sheep, and we used lots of temporary fencing,” says Kropf. “We used 17-ga. wire as it was less expensive than poly wire. The pedal-powered winder pulls two wires in at once.” The winder looks like a bicycle because most of the parts came from one. Kropf recycled various pieces of bike frames, often repurposing them or reversing their positions. The main frame is mounted on angle iron to two 2 by 4-in. skids. A saddle recycled from an old tricycle sits on the bike seat tube. The top tube that normally runs from the seat to the handlebars was removed. A support pipe angles back from the seat tube to the rear of one skid. The drive is reversed with the rear hub sprocket mounted forward of the seat. A shaft extends through the hub to bearings on support plates at either side. The flat bar plates (approximately 2 by 8 in.) extend forward from a joint of tubes that extends up from the front skid cross bar and forward from the bottom bracket shell.
“We welded pieces of 2-in. dia. pipe to the shafts to hold the wire spools,” explains Kropf. “We designed it to use with welding wire spools made from cardboard composite. Plastic spools didn’t work nearly as well.” He also mounted the head tube that normally holds the handlebars, to the front of the frame. However, instead of handlebars, he mounted a pipe with a cross bar at its top through the head tube. A smaller pipe extends forward from the bottom of the “handlebar” pipe. Wire guides are mounted to a crossbar at the forward end of the lower pipe. “If the wire isn’t wrapping evenly, I can adjust the position of the guides by turning the handlebar pipe,” says Kropf. “We also mounted a short crossbar just ahead of the frame. It acts as a stop so the operator doesn’t accidentally turn the handlebars too far to either side.” The one thing the wire winder didn’t have was a brake to maintain tension on the wires when the operator stepped off the bike. The oversight was handled by attaching a vice grip to lock the spool shaft in position. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Larry Kropf, 62641 Lower Cove Rd., Cove, Ore. 97824 (ph 541 910-1016).
Larry Kropf says his pedal-powered wire winder makes it easy to wind up 2 strands of electric fence at a time (upper left). Unit’s main frame mounts on angle iron skids (above). Handlebars are used to “steer” wire evenly onto spools (right).
1-800-834-9665 • editor@farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • www.farmshow.com• vol. 37, no. 4 • FARM SHOW • 19
Matthew Buvala says his Fence Cart makes moving bulky 4-ft. electric fence netting an easy job.
As cart is pulled, the netting slips off the cart tangle-free and ready to be raised.
Cart Makes Setting Up Net Fence Easy It took six prototypes, but the work was worth it, says Matthew Buvala about his Buvala Fence Cart. His patent-pending invention saves him time and labor every time he moves fence for his rotational grazing poultry operation. The retired Navy veteran started raising chickens in 2001 in Pepin, Wis. He appreciated the concept of rotational grazing, but hated moving the bulky 4-ft. electric fence netting each week. “This cart is such a labor-saving thing.
You’re not carrying the fence around and getting it tangled up,” Buvala says. It took trial and error to get the right dimensions and angles, he says. His cart is made of square tubing, with 20-in. tires in the back and a swivel castor in the front. The fence cart can be pulled by hand or with an ATV. Put the first post of the fence in the ground and secure it on top to another post. As the cart is pulled, the netting slips off the cart tangle-free and ready to be raised.
To put the fence back on the cart, lay the fence on the ground and start at the end, so that the castor wheel runs down the middle of the fence. Pull it forward a couple of posts at a time and slip the posts on the arms of the cart. The cart holds two rolls of 160-ft. netting with standard posts. “This works great for anybody that does rotational grazing for sheep, goats, chickens or small cattle,” Buvala says. He recently learned that it’s a great help for farmers with
disabilities. He adds that he can also have a wider version built for 6-ft. deer netting. The carts are manufactured at a local shop, Pepin Farm Implements. Buvala sells them for $479 plus shipping. Check out his website to view videos of how the cart works manually and behind an ATV. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Matthew Buvala, Buvala Farm LLC, W9031 Sand Rd., Pepin, Wis. 54759 (ph 715 495-7927; cbuvala@centurytel.net; www. buvalafarm.com).
Company Restores Gas Tanks To Like-New Condition Russell Casperson used the drum off a portable cement mixer to build this electricpowered, 6 cubic yard composter.
Giant Composter Made From Old Cement Mixer Rather than use a pitchfork to turn compost material in a stationary bin, Russell Casperson built an electric-powered, 6 cubic yard composter from the drum of a portable cement mixer. His monster drum is turned by a single phase, 3/4 hp electric motor. “I’ve been a gardener for nearly 48 years, which I really enjoy, but making compost was never one of my favorite jobs,” Russell says. “My brother heard about an old 1949 cab-over Kenworth cement mixer for sale, so we bought it. I wanted the mixer, and he wanted the truck.” Casperson located a logging truck chassis and wheels at a local salvage yard to mount the drum. Now it sits in the tall grass of his back yard, convenient to his large vegetable garden. To rotate the drum he connected the electric motor to two 60:1 reduction gears. That reduces the 1,700 rpm output of the motor to a snail’s pace, rotating the drum once every 2 1/2 min. “It’s the perfect speed to mix all the stuff I put in there,” Russell says. “I throw in about 1,500 lbs. of hay, maybe 300 lbs. of fish scraps from a local processor, and add a few pails of nitrogen.” The motor is set on a timer so it churns only at night. That way the
odor doesn’t bother the neighbors. Russell’s back yard compost cooks for about 6 mos. He empties the big tub by reversing the rotation and the paddles lift it out the back into his loader bucket or a trailer. He spreads the contents about 4 to 6 in. deep on his garden, then tills it in for a lush, fertile seedbed. “The compost smells real sweet when it’s done and boy does it grow vegetables,” Russell says. “The beets are about double the size that people normally grow, potatoes are huge and delicious, and carrots are very sweet.” The only tell tale sign of what the compost is made of are a few spines from large halibut carcasses or a partial skull from a really big salmon. Asked if the mixture smells during the composting process, Russell says “at first some of the neighbors complained, so I run the mixer only at night. The game department came out once and thought I was baiting bear, but I showed them I was just making garden compost.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Russell Casperson, No. 1 Russell Road, Hagensborg, B. C., Canada VOT 1HO (ph 250 982-2755).
Gas Tank Renu dealer Mike Tesch of Shakopee, Minn., says restoring gas tanks on antique and older tractors is a growing business. He’s worked on tanks for Allis Chalmers, Farmall, Fordson and several other old tractors. “The process Gas Tank Renu uses to restore truck, car and tractor tanks is considerably more involved and technical than radiator repair,” Tesch says. “That’s because of the chemicals used and the 400-degree oven used to blast tanks back to bare metal.” Typically the tanks that need restoring have varnish buildup and leaks. Tanks are first flushed, then baked in Tesch’s 10-ft. wide oven before being sand-blasted inside and out. Repairs are done with welding or soldering, and finally tanks are sealed with a polyvinyl coating. “Baking the coating on is the key,” Tesch says. Tesch’s dealership was started by his parents and Tesch has owned and operated the business since 2008. The dealership has restored tanks as small as 1 gal. and as large as 150 gal. The maximum size that can be restored is limited by the gauge of the metal and the capacity of his oven, he says. The cost to restore a gas tank depends on time and materials needed. A ballpark
estimate can be given up front, and a tighter price given once the tank has been sandblasted. Some tanks can be restored in one day, while others require 3 to 4 days of work. Restored tanks are guaranteed for 2 years for 3/4-ton vehicle and larger tanks, and lifetime for tanks from less than 3/4-ton vehicles. The Gas Tank Renu process works on both gas and diesel tanks. Tanks needing repair are generally delivered or shipped to Tesch’s dealership, he says. “My folks ran a service station and radiator-repair business and they added this service in 1990 because it seemed like it would be a good fit,” Tesch says. “It’s turned into a very good business.” The Gas Tank Renu–USA business was started in Michigan in 1988 and has grown to 65 dealers in the U.S. and Canada - the largest unified system of repairing fuel tanks in North America, according to the company website. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gas Tank Renu, 12727 Greenfield, Detroit, Mich. 48227 (ph 800 932-2766 or 313 837-6122; info@gastankrenu.com; www.gastankrenu. com).
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Any shape or size gas tank from 1 to 150 gal. can be restored to “like new” condition with the Gas Tank Renu process, says dealer Mike Tesch.
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Dean Holbert raided his junk pile to build Leonard the Longhorn. Its body cavity contains a remotecontrolled audio system that makes Leonard bellow like a bull.
Bob Grimm built this working replica of a steam locomotive. It rides on rubber tires instead of rails so he can drive it on the road in local parades.
“Go-Anywhere” Rubber-Wheeled, Steam-Powered Locomotive By Lorn Manthey, Contributing Editor Bob Grimm is one of those guys who likes to work on projects that are unique and BIG. In 2007, he started building a working replica of a steam locomotive. The finished outfit measures 40 ft. long, 8 ft. wide, 12 ft. tall and weighs more than 10 tons. Grimm’s machine rides on rubber tires instead of rails so he can drive it on the road in local parades so people experience railroad history in an entirely new way. “I thought about making it smaller at first, but the more I penciled stuff out the more it made sense to make it almost full size, just like a real locomotive,” Grimm says. He’s had a fascination with steam engines since he was a kid. “I grew up on a farm and the train track ran nearby. I remember locomotives chugging by with the steam pouring out, the whistle blowing and the sound of wheels on the rails. It was a real thrill to watch them.” Grimm drew up his plans based on pictures of a Baldwin steam locomotive. His son, who’s the equipment manager at the Black Hills Central Railroad in Rapid City helped him with several details. “I wanted to make the engine look as realistic as possible,” Bob says, “so I took my time and did a lot of research before getting started.” Grimm’s locomotive is built on the same principle as an old time steam engine. It has a boiler mounted on a large chassis with four large driven wheels and two sets of smaller wheels in the front. Wood is burned in a firing chamber to heat water and produce steam. The steam flows into a high pressure slide valve that drives two pistons. The piston control rod is hooked to the cross head, which is connected to the drive rod and coupling rods that drive the wheels. The valve can be rotated to power the machine forward or backward. Exhaust steam leaves the piston chamber in a loud “choo” sound and blows white puffs as it billows up the stack and out the top. The faster the piston moves, the quicker the exhaust billows and the faster the locomotive moves. Grimm built the chassis for his rig from the frame of an old tandem axle semi tractor. He removed the front wheels and axle, then made a special frame that sits below and outside the main frame to mount four steerable wheels. He converted the rear tandem axles to extra large single wheels fitted with 42-in. tires. The rear wheels have large reciprocal plates connected together with a 2-in. thick metal rod. “There’s a piston on each side, so the
wheels are timed and pull in unison,” Grimm says. The front of the frame has two steerable wheels that let him turn the locomotive in a wide arc around corners. Steam is generated by a wood-fired Ellsworth boiler. He located pistons from an old steam pile driver and built all of the components that connect the steam power system to the wheels. “I was able to machine some parts on my lathe, but the large and difficult ones I had done by a local machine shop. I fabricated most of the other metal work myself and had the shop do some of the more difficult cuts,” Bob says. Even the lubrication is similar to a real locomotive, with the crank pin and crosshead bearings holding small cup-shaped reservoirs for oil. Included in the overall design is a fully functional engineer’s cabin that has wood sides, a metal roof and scroll-cut windows. The engineer steers the front wheels with a 2-ft. dia. steering wheel and tends the steam boiler by observing functional gauges and regulating the pressure with hand valves. A large bell and steam whistle are mounted on top of the boiler. Grimm built a replica cow catcher on the front of the locomotive and also mounted a large headlight in the middle in front of the boiler. A trailing axle supports a tender on the back of the locomotive that holds the 500-gal. water tank and wood supply to feed the boiler. “It looks and sounds like a real locomotive,” Bob says, “and that’s exactly what I was trying to achieve.” After he finished building the steam components he tested the system with an air compressor and the power transfer worked fine. He fired the boiler and set the relief valves at 100 lbs. to guard against too much pressure. Bob says the “street speed” for his locomotive is maximum 5 mph. Frequent stops during a parade aren’t a problem because the locomotive has a special brake system and the wheel drive mechanism easily disconnects from the transmission. Grimm says that even though building his locomotive took more than 7 years and well over 2,000 hours of labor, he never lost interest and always knew he’d get it done. “It was a huge undertaking,” Bob says with modesty, “something that I hope people will appreciate for a long time.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bob Grimm, 128 St. Francis St., Rapid City, S. Dak. 57701 (ph 605 342-1976 or cell 605 389-1426).
Scrap Iron Bull Really Draws A Crowd What has 186 railroad spikes, about a ton of old tools, and bellows like a bull? It’s Leonard the Longhorn, says Dean Holbert, whose imagination and wire welding skill shaped the bullish sculpture. The 81-year-old Kansas farmer was inspired by the memory of a Longhorn bull his family had 40 years ago. Though he had only tackled one other sculpture – a cactus made of truck drive lines and saw blades – he was determined to make the bull. He started with a frame made of oil well sucker rods. Then he raided his junk pile as well as neighbors’ junk piles for wrenches, horseshoes, traps and other metal he could find to shape Leonard. Before he could weld them on, however, he had to take care of one thing. “The wire welder can’t deal with rust,” Holbert notes. So, he bought vinegar – 10 gallons of it with 5, 10 and 20 percent acidity. The higher the acid content the fewer days he needed to soak the parts. “It made the parts smell good,” he says. “You can’t believe how much black junk was left at the bottom of the vinegar.” After wire brushing, he spot welded items to the frame. His son, Gary, usually stopped in after work to hold bigger pieces while
Holbert welded them in place. Dump rake wheels transformed into ribs over a set of numbered Deere wrenches. Railroad spikes formed the horns. Holbert polished and lacquered a spade for the bridge of the nose, and welded 1 1/2-in. ball bearings for eyes. While Leonard is mostly made up of tools, he also has a rat trap, cast iron frying pan and shears inside him, too. Holbert added a few surprises inside too. “I welded a door off an old wood stove ahead of the hip,” he explains. “It opens up and you can look inside the stomach – an old flat air tank. For intestines, I used the downspouts off an old grain drill. I pounded a heart out of metal and painted it red.” The cavity also contains an audio system to make Leonard bellow like a bull when Holbert activates it with a remote control. The Longhorn sculpture was taken to a few events last year including one in Oklahoma City and another at a Kansas City barbecue. Kids loved turning and spinning parts that Holbert included just for that purpose. “A car dealer in Oregon wants to buy him. I can’t sell him. He’s family,” Holbert says. “But I might rent him out.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dean Holbert, 826 Milo Rd., Concordia, Kan. 66901 (ph 785 243-0950).
How To Reach Us To submit a “Made It Myself” Story Idea, New Product, Shop Tip, “Best or Worst Buy”, or other information, send a note along with photos, drawings and literature, if available. We’ll get back to you later if we need more details. Send to: Editor, FARM SHOW, P.O. Box 1029, Lakeville, Minn. 55044 (ph 800 834-9665; fax 952 469-5575); email: editor@farmshow.com. You can also submit information at our website: www.farmshow.com. To change your address, renew your subscription, take out a new subscription, order videos or books, or for other information regarding your subscription, contact: Circulation Department, FARM SHOW, P.O. Box 1029, Lakeville, Minn. 55044 (ph 800 834-9665; fax 952 469-5575; email: circulation@farmshow.com).
1-800-834-9665 • editor@farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • www.farmshow.com• vol. 37, no. 4 • FARM SHOW • 21
Mini-Trucks Built With Lawn Mower Parts Larry Stockton has a passion for building detailed scale model trucks from parts off riding mowers. “I use axles, motors and steering from riding lawn mowers, and the rest is largely salvage,” says Stockton. “The semi was my first project.” What he created was an amazingly realistic mini-semi. The tractor is 7 ft. long, and the trailer adds 12 ft. Stockton stripped down the mower, lengthened the frame and built the tractor around it, complete with working lights, air intake, side mirrors and chrome stacks with heat shields. “I bought the lights new, but the lower halves of the exhaust pipes are steel pipe from a driveshaft. The upper chrome parts are pieces of bed railing from an old pickup. The exhaust stack heat shields are the real thing from the scrap yard,” he says. Stockton sized everything to match the width of the lawn mower. The biggest challenge was adding the extra belts and pulleys needed to connect the 12 hp engine and drive on the stretched frame. “I used pieces of tread plate to dress up the tractor and trailer, including the box on the trailer,” says Stockton. “The trailer bed is made from plywood panels with steel trim.” The cab has an open back, giving Stockton access to the original steering, clutch and 6-gear transmission. He fabricated a hand brake for the rig. His seat rides just ahead of the trailer.
“I used the mower rear end for the lead drive axle, but all the other axles to the rear are drag axles, just lawn mower wheels on steel rod axles,” says Stockton. “I give kids rides around my yard with the trailer and have had it in the local Christmas parade twice.” Stockton’s 9-ft. wrecker is equally accurate in detail with air intakes on the sides and forward tipping hood. Like the semi, it contains axles, motor and steering from a riding lawn mower. The metal cab and body were fashioned from a 300-gal. fuel tank. “I flattened it out, hammered it down, cut it apart and put it back together,” says Stockton. “I do a lot of woodworking and decided to do wood trim, bumper and steps.” Stockton used steel pails for the air canisters and tread plate for trim. The exhaust stacks are made from the same driveshaft and heat shield as the semi, but without the chrome. Steering, clutch and brake are operated from the open rear of the cab. The driver side panel behind the stack opens to give him access to his seat. The boom is made from 2 by 3-in. steel tubing with a small boat-type, hand powered cable winch. Winch saddles are made from old truck mud flaps. “I still don’t have working lights, but otherwise it is about finished,” says Stockton. “People laugh when they see what I do with these things, but I enjoy it,” says Stockton. “I used to work on classic cars, but they have gotten so expensive. This doesn’t cost much,
“I use axles, motors and steering systems from riding mowers, and salvage material,” says Larry Stockton, who created this amazingly realistic mini semi tractor/trailer.
Stockton’s 9-ft. wrecker has air intakes on the sides and a forward tipping hood. The metal cab and body were fashioned from a 300-gal. fuel tank. and it’s fun.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Larry Stockton, 8472 Co. Rd. 6890, West Plains,
Mo. 65775 (ph 417 293-2200; rabble_5@ hotmail.com).
World’s First Motorcyle On Display At Ohio Museum More than 130 years ago two German engineers, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach, converted an old greenhouse near a home in Stuttgart into a workshop that had family members and neighbors puzzled because no one knew what they were working Beryl Buffington likes to add motors to his carved toys, including a combine, dozer, on. Within a year the two geniuses had tractor, and sawmill. He starts with photos he finds on the internet and in Farm Collector magazines. created a horizontal test engine featuring a hot-tube ignition system. Less than two years later, in April 1885, Daimler applied for a patent on what is A replica of the first motorcycle ever built considered the prototype of today’s modern is on display at the Motorcycle Hall of gasoline-powered engine. The upright Fame Museum in Ohio. The original woodengine had a float-metered carburetor and powered cycle was destroyed in a factory fire in the early 1900’s. an enclosed aluminum crankcase with a vertically-mounted, air-cooled cylinder. manufacturer and eventually merged with a The bore was 2.3 in. and the stroke was 3.9 company started by Karl Benz in 1926 to in. It weighed 132 lbs. and, with a cylinder form Daimler-Benz AG, best known today displacement of just 264 cubic centimeters, for Mercedes automobiles. “This is my baby. It even sounds like a real driven motor to make the differential in the Unfortunately, the original Daimler it produced about 1/2 hp at 650 rpm’s. The Model T,” says Beryl Buffington about his back. Reitwagen vehicle was lost in a factory fi re intake and exhaust operated automatically. A 1905 Kelly Springfield steamroller has amazing motorized toy pickup. He reaches Six months later, Daimler threw open the in 1903. Several reproductions have been behind the front bumper, flips a switch, and a toy remote racecar motor that Buffington doors of their shop and rolled out a wood- made in the past 100 years, and one of the the toy he built sputters to life and starts geared down to 14 rpm’s with pencil framed contraption held together with bolts, most exacting replicas is located in Ohio’s to move. sharpener gears. A 1954 Deere M Crawler brackets and angled braces. His gasoline Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum. It was A little larger than 1/32-scale, it’s one runs off a lawn sprinkler motor. engine sat on a pallet-like box between angled built by William Eggers, a woodworker from of 3 motorized toys Buffington carved “The challenge with a motorized model side supports with a curved leather saddle on New York City who started William Eggers out of 1/8-in. thick cellular vinyl from is to get it laid out so it moves and yet looks Motorcycles after he retired. Eggers builds top. Two spring-mounted outrigger wheels old advertising signs. It’s flexible to cut, like it’s supposed to,” Buffington says. He provided balance to what became known as custom motorcycles, bicycles, trucks, tractors shape, sand and glue together – right down puts together the mechanical parts first, and the world’s first motor-powered riding cycle. and specialty products. to details such as oil filters, throttles and then builds the toy around it. His Daimler replica and thousands of It was called the Daimler Reitwagen. In All his models – motorized and nonbrakes. November, 1885 Daimler’s 17-year-old son other motorcycle artifacts are on display Finished with genuine implement paints, motorized – represent many hours of work had the thrill of his life when he drove the at the Motorcyle Hall of Fame Museum in the pieces look like metal, but their feather- and attention to detail. vehicle on an 8-mile round trip over roads suburban Columbus, Ohio. The facility “The most challenging of the nonlight weight gives them away. celebrates heroes of the track, road, trails and made for horses and buggies. It was the As a retired lumberyard owner, the motorized models is a 1650 Oliver tractor halls of government who have helped elevate first ever official road trip for a motorcycle, Woden, Iowa, man has more hoarded with a front-mounted, 4-row cultivator,” with a top speed of 7 mph. Later the young motorcycling through the past 100 years. The material to work with these days. His stash Buffington says. man described it as a “hot ride”, which Museum continues to develop educational He starts with photos he finds on the includes hundreds of battery-operated undoubtedly referred to the fact that the top of exhibits and programs for motorcycle motors from handheld sprayers, remote internet and in Farm Collector magazines the engine heated the leather seat and started enthusiasts from around the world. toy motors and gears from old computer to design his models. Some take 80 to 90 Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, his pants on fire as he returned home. hrs. to complete. printers. In the next 15 years Daimler and Maybach Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, 13515 Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Beryl The battery-powered sound and motion Yarmouth Dr., Pickerington, Ohio 43147 (ph improved their engines and installed them in for the pickup come from the gears from Buffington, P.O. Box 111, Woden, Iowa 614 856-2222; www.motorcyclemuseum. boats, buggies and even flying airships. They an old printer and a worm gear he extended 50484 (ph 641 926-5380; berylsharon@ never pursued the motorcyle design. Daimler org). with heavy copper wiring that goes to a belt- wctatel.net). Motor Company became a prominent engine 22 • FARM SHOW • vol. 37, no. 4 • www.farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • editor@farmshow.com • 1-800-834-9665
He Adds Motors To His Carved Toys
Deere Tractor Tanks Built For War Though John Deere has a deserved reputation for building quality tractors and implements, the company’s 1940 tractor tank was not one of them. Two prototypes of steel-encased Model A’s equipped with a pair of turrets and machine guns never made it past the Army’s testing grounds in Aberdeen, Md. That was a wise decision, says Brian Anderson, who knows exactly what the tractor tank was like because he had one made in 2005. Raised on an Iowa farm and a Marine veteran of the Vietnam War, he was fascinated by the tractor/military tie when he read an article about the Deere tank. Friends Leo Milleman and Curt Clark, both physicians, shared his interest, and as tractor collectors and members of the Two-Cylinder Club decided to have replicas built – Anderson’s with a narrow front and his friends’ model with a wide front. The one condition was that they first find the authentic era machine guns. After locating and buying (disabled) 1919 A4 .30 caliber machine guns, Anderson hired machinist Lynn Jorgenson and restorer Paul Lehman to start with a 1940 Deere A tractor and build a replica of a tank based on a short description and nine B&W photos. The project took 8 mos. of full time work, and Anderson’s narrow front tractor tank was completed in November 2005. Then Jorgenson and Lehman had the wide front
model built in 2006. “It’s not just a tractor with a lot of steel,” Anderson says. “It has hydraulics with 125 working pieces that were all made by hand.” The replicas were built as accurately as possible – right down to finding the original paint to match the prototypes. “The original versions had 3/8-in. steel, on the 4,200-lb. tractor,” Anderson says, which was too much weight for the 28 hp tractors. The replicas are built with 3/16-in. steel (weighing 5,500 lbs.), and the restorers ground edges smooth unlike the jagged edges on the original prototypes. Anderson and the physicians have copies of the original Aberdeen Army test results, which indicated many flaws in the design. Besides poor visibility, the turrets didn’t have enough room for ammo boxes and when machine gunners shot, the hot casings fell back on them. “The gunners had to be real small to fit, and it had to be deafening in those steel turrets,” Anderson adds. When they cut a hole in the floor for the casings to fall through, the snow and mud flew up inside the turrets. According to an elderly farmer who said he helped build the prototypes, gunners also had to be careful not to shoot the rear tires. The driver between the gunners had visibility challenges too, along with poor maneuverability because of the front axle
Brian Anderson was fascinated by the armored tractor tanks John Deere built in 1940. So he and his friends built their own replicas, complete with machine gun turrets. castor and a steering wheel that went out of control when the tank hit a pothole. From the little information he could find, Anderson says the original prototypes were built within a few months at the direction of C.D. Wiman, the great-grandson of John Deere. Wiman thought the tractor tanks could be built at low cost ($6,500 to $8,000) and quickly (100/day) to help the military with training and secondary campaigns, and they could pull equipment to the battlefield.
Officials quickly rejected the tractor tanks when they were tested in February 1941. Despite, or perhaps because of, their short-lived history, the replicas draw plenty of attention when taken to events and tractor shows. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Brian Anderson, 57000 245th St., Ames, Iowa 50010 (ph 515 232-8958; brian@knapptedesco. com; lmilleman@mchsi.com).
The first powered road grader ever was built by Adolph Ronning in 1924. Arnold Zempel found it disassembled in Ronning’s daughter’s shed and put it back together.
Minnesota Inventor Built First Powered Road Grader
Whenever you see a power road grader her father’s history. A 2003 photo shows her Bill Buck got started breeding mini Longhorn cattle about 20 years ago, when there was only one other breeder in the U.S. Now more than 50 people raise them. moving dirt, gravel or snow, Arnold Zempel driving it for the first time. of Montevideo, Minn., would like you to “Ronning didn’t reinvent the wheel. He credit Adolph Ronning, a prolific inventor just rearranged everything and improved on who was born in 1893 and grew up on a things,” Zempel says. He used a Fordson tractor and Russell Junior Grader and Boyd, Minn., farm. He created and patented a one-operator mounted it on a channel frame that rested on FARM SHOW last spoke with Bill Buck 11 be when they’re babies, and very people years ago about breeding mini Longhorn friendly. We’ve had schools and day care powered road grader at a time when other a yoke on the front axle. manufacturers made township graders Zempel couldn’t find all the parts so he cattle for small acreage farmers (Vol. 26, kids out to see the herd and the kids can’t pulled by horses that required two men – made some of them based on photos from No. 4). He had gotten started about 10 years stop petting them.” The calves weigh about 25 lbs. at birth earlier on a hobby farm he owned near Dallas, one to drive the horses and one to operate the Ronning archives. The grader is just one of a multitude of Texas. Buck and another person in Louisiana and stand about 18 in. tall. Mature females the grader. Ronning didn’t have the money to manufacture it himself, and companies inventions and patents Ronning developed were the only miniature Longhorn breeders weigh about 300 to 400 lbs. and bulls weigh just under 500 lbs. Both stand about 3 ft. tall weren’t interested in investing to retool for to make work easier, Zempel says. Ronning in the country at the time. “There’s been a lot of progress since when fully grown. Ronning’s design. initiated one of his most significant pieces Most people who buy animals from Buck So, Ronning hired Central Machinery in of equipment with his brother, Andrean, then,” Buck says, noting that, “we’ve gone Minneapolis to build a few of the graders, and before he graduated from high school. The from two miniature Longhorn breeders 20 and others raise them as pets. Heifer calves he demonstrated one of them at the Minnesota horse-drawn silage harvester later developed years ago to more than 50 people raising at 6 mos. sell for about $3,000 and bull State Fair in 1924. Instead of manufacturing into several patents for a motorized silage registered animals today. We’ve got an calves bring $2,000. “I’ve sold very special it, he sold licenses to 22 companies, who harvester, which reduced labor by 50 percent industry association, show events, official bulls for $5,000 and a heifer for as much as paid him $12.50 for every grader they sold. or more and is the origin of silage equipment breed registration, people promoting the $8,000,” Buck says, noting that even though breed and a steady market for the offspring.” the miniature Longhorns are about half the Suddenly Ronning’s design was everywhere used today. Buck expanded his herd through line size of full-size animals, they eat about two Zempel adds that Ronning had hundreds with different names on it. Townships appreciated the power unit because of the of patents including World War II inventions, breeding, which required three generations thirds as much feed. “In 20 years I’ve sold animals in probably labor savings. such as a wobble-stick control in the M46 to produce male and female offspring that In 2003, Zempel became part of Ronning’s General Patton tank that earned Ronning a would in turn produce miniature cattle. 20 states, including northern states,” says history when he reassembled the grader citation for his valuable contributions to the Those progeny, along with offspring from Buck. “They like the cold.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Bill and other breeders, have grown into a thriving that debuted at the fair. He discovered it war effort. disassembled in Ronning’s daughter’s shed Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Arnold association of producers. “People who raise Sandy Buck, 3021 South Branch Rd., Krum, near Montevideo. Adair Ronning Kelley Zempel, 150 60th St. S.E., Montevideo, Minn. miniature Longhorns just love them,” says Texas 76249 (ph 940 482-7173; imranch@ Buck. “They’re small, docile, cute as can iflash.net; www.imranch.com). readily agreed to Zempel restoring part of 56265 (ph 320 269-8003). 1-800-834-9665 • editor@farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • www.farmshow.com• vol. 37, no. 4 • FARM SHOW • 23
Mini Longhorn Breeder Still Going Strong After 20 Years
“Hit And Miss” Horse Buggy By installing an old Deere hit and miss engine on back of an old 2-seater horse-drawn buggy, George Feltz was able to convert it into a self-propelled rig. The engine, located just behind the seat, drives one of the buggy’s rear wheels. The rig is complete with a foot-operated brake and clutch, and a hand-operated steering tiller that’s connected to the buggy’s front axle. It has a red and gold canopy on top, a couple of flags, a patriotic bow, air horn, and candle lantern lights on each side. A large sign on one side says “The Good Old Days”. “It makes a colorful sight,” says Feltz, of Stevens Point, Wis. “I bought the buggy last year from a neighbor and put the hit and miss engine on it, knowing that I’d probably never buy a horse. It’ll go 6 mph down the road. I occasionally take it to antique tractor shows and drive it in parades. The engine makes a unique sound, so it really looks and sounds different. People smile and start clapping when they see us coming.” The horse buggy came with 2 seats and 42in. high wood wheels on back. Feltz removed the back seat and bolted the 1 1/2 hp engine backward onto the floor in its place. A 3-in. dia. rubber drive wheel is bolted onto the engine’s flywheel and keeps tension on the buggy wheel to drive it. A footoperated clutch is used to raise or lower the drive wheel about 4 in. The clutch is connected to a hinged metal rod with a “knee” in the middle that’s attached to the front end of the engine. The hinge system makes use of a small metal wheel that serves as a pivot point for the clutch, allowing the hinge to move forward or backward as the engine is raised or lowered. “Pressing down on the foot pedal causes the engine to lift up which disengages the
George Feltz converted an old 2-seater horse-drawn buggy into a self-propelled rig, by installing an old Deere hit and miss engine on back.
An old Ford Model A car starter wired to a car battery is used to start the engine. drive wheel, and letting go of the foot pedal causes the engine to drop back down and engage the drive wheel,” says Feltz. An old Ford Model A car starter wired to a car battery is used to start the engine. “Normally you start a hit and miss engine by hand cranking it, but since the engine was recently overhauled it wasn’t broken in yet and the sleeve and pistons were still tight. I had a bad back so I made the electric starter,” says Feltz, who notes the photos were taken by his grandson Jarred. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, George Feltz, 6280 5th St., Stevens Point, Wis. 54482 (ph 715 341-0162).
Clarence Hoffman built this 1/3-scale steam tractor. He custom-ordered the boiler but made everything else, with many parts coming from other tractors.
Big And Little Steamers Pull Threshing Machines
As the owner of the only old steam tractor with a certified boiler in a 100-mile radius, Clarence Hoffman’s George White steamer attracts attention when he fires it up to do a little threshing. But even more impressive may be the smaller, one-third size steamer that Hoffman built, which is also capable of running a threshing machine. The 81-year-old Ebenezer, Sask., farmer and his family save an acre or two of rye and oats to thresh each year. They make it a celebration with food and about 50 folks who come to watch. “We do it just for fun on the farm,” Hoffman says, noting that he’s threshed every year for the past three decades. The George White, with 1917 stamped on the boiler, was found about 75 miles away when he purchased it in 1977. The steam tractor was built in Brandon, Man. The tractor was in running condition when he purchased it, and about the only parts that need changing occasionally are the tubes (47 of them) in the barrel of the boiler. When it came to building his 1/3-scale
steamer, Hoffman custom-ordered the boiler but made everything else. Many parts came from other tractors: differential gears from a Deere A, clutch from a 1020 McCormick, steering system from a W6 International, flywheel from a pulley on an Oliver 80 and a steering wheel from a separator blower, for example. Creating the engine frame was a challenge, Hoffman says. He worked on the steamer from 1997 to 2000. When it and the George White steamer aren’t being used or taken to shows, he keeps them protected from the weather in sheds. Hoffman is proud of keeping the steam engine and threshing tradition alive and sharing it with others. In 2008, when his farm received its Century Farm award, his family celebrated by threshing grain – just as it was done 100 years ago when the family purchased the farm. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Clarence Hoffman, Box 119, Ebenezer, Sask., Canada S0A 0T0 (ph 306 782-7414).
Modified Golf Carts, Garden Tractors Benefit Hard-Working “Wheelers” By Dee Goerge, Contributing Editor
Here’s a non-profit group every FARM donated riding lawn mowers, the wheelers got SHOW reader can appreciate: The Innovation really motivated as they realized they could Institute pays workers in wheelchairs to have some fun with them. Some rigs are modified to make it easy for modify golf carts and garden tractors so other people in wheelchairs can drive or ride on a wheelchair-bound person to slide into the them at camps or in rural areas. It lets them seat and work the controls. Others are fitted get outside without having to ride in a truck with sidecars so a person in a wheelchair can be rolled up onto it. or van and have a lot of fun. “We make golf carts wider and longer,” Harrold Andresen, who founded Innovation Institute in 2003, says his disabled work Andresen says. “And we add air suspension crew, who call themselves “wheelers”, love so it drops to the ground, allowing a person modifying the used vehicles. Like anyone, in a wheelchair to easily roll on board and they just want the opportunity to work. Right get secured next to the driver.” The response has been overwhelming. now, there is only enough money for them to work one day a week. On Wednesdays, Parents and camp staff see the kids not only Andresen takes the day off from his auto having loads of fun, but also connecting with repair business to work with them in his auto the drivers. “This is a realistic income-producing repair bays. He pays them an hourly wage and project,” Andresen says. Used golf carts are helps with their transportation costs. Recently, the “wheelers” have been readily available. There are only three basic modifying golf carts to allow people in models, so it’s easier to learn how to fix and Harrold Andresen trained wheelchair-bound work crews to modify golf carts so folks with disabilities can easily ride on them. wheelchairs to roll right onto the carts, modify them than the innumerable makes and models of riding mowers. which were loaned out to children’s camps In order to build a fleet for use at camps in Texas last year. The kids grinned with delight as they were given rides while sitting and other events that include people with next to someone who also happens to use a disabilities, the Innovation Institute needs regular monthly donations (tax deductible) wheelchair. Churches and others who work with people to pay workers, or sponsorships that will in wheelchairs have expressed interest in the cover the full cost of modifying a used golf modified rigs — for practical transportation cart. The Institute also welcomes donations of used golf carts and riding mowers, and and for just plain fun. Andresen reworked 16 of the 20 bays in of parts and materials for refurbishing and his auto repair shop to adapt to workers in modifying them. Check out Innovation Institute’s Facebook wheelchairs. From workbenches to vises and tools, everything is designed for use by the page at www.facebook.com/Innovation. Institute.Duncanville. “wheelers”. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Andresen also holds workshops teaching auto repair and welding with the goal to give Innovation Institute, 1219 Crestdell Drive, the wheelers steady work. They started out Duncanville, Texas 75137 (ph 972 709-5391; Garden tractors are fitted with sidecars to carry wheelchairs. Tractor controls are repairing wheelchairs and other devices used koolschool@sbcglobal.net). modified so disabled drivers can operate them. by the disabled. After the Institute received 16 24 • FARM SHOW • vol. 37, no. 4 • www.farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • editor@farmshow.com • 1-800-834-9665
Trench Silo Turned Into Earth-Sheltered Shop After he quit milking cows and switched to cash crops, William Benson built a 30 by 60-ft. earth-sheltered shop with a 14-ft. high door inside his old concrete trench silo. His friend and mechanic Steve Dionne recently sent FARM SHOW photos of the building, which the men built entirely by hand. The entire shop is contained inside the walls of the old silo and is earth-sheltered on 3 sides. “The silo was originally dug into a hillside and had slanted-out walls with concrete supports,” says Steve. “The shop remains at an ideal year-round temperature of 60 degrees regardless of the outside temperature. We can’t believe how nice it stays in the dead of winter. Even with a windchill of 30 below it’ll still be warm and cozy inside the shop. A propane heater mounted on the ceiling is hooked to a 100-gal. propane tank, but we don’t use it very often. The shop is built so tight we could probably use it as a tornado shelter.” The trench silo originally had 12-ft. high walls, but the men added 4 ft. to support the shop’s 16-ft. high joists. “Over the years the pilasters that support
the walls had cracked so we installed 8-in. channel irons over them,” says Steve. “The I-beams are bolted vertically to the silo walls and spaced to match the supports behind the walls. We welded shorter lengths of channel irons together on top to form hooks that run up and over the supports. The vertical I-beams go 3 ft. down in the ground.” The men ordered wood trusses to fit from a local lumber yard and used 1/4-in. lag bolts to attach the trusses to the silo’s concrete walls. The shop is set up for welding and has running water, 220-volt electricity, and an electric/hydraulic lift to work on cars. “We can use the lift to raise 4-wheeled trailers and replace wheel bearings and remove transmissions,” says Steve. “There are two air compressors inside, with black steel pipes along the walls serving as air compressor lines. “The silo’s floor slopes down toward the front, away from the shop so if we use water to wash something off it’ll run off toward the front apron. We even have a TV antenna mounted on top of the roof so we can watch Green Bay Packer football games,” he notes.
William Benson built this 30 by 60-ft. earthsheltered shop inside his old concrete trench silo. The silo was dug into a hillside and had slanted-out walls with concrete supports.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, William Benson, 7812 Benson Rd., Dane, Wis.
53529 (ph 608 592-4789 or 608 438-3516; Sdionne@soderholmfoods.com).
Oil Well Pipe Used To Build Solid, Inexpensive Shed
Sonny Barcus is proud of the 24 by 24-ft. workshop he built for less than $3,000. On the outside it looks like a typical metal shed with an overhead door. The inside framing reveals how he saved money. “I used 1 1/2-in. oil well pipe that I bought for 20 cents/ft.,” Barcus says. “And I split an I-beam from an old house trailer to weld pieces to screw boards to.” He built the walls flat on the ground, welding pipe studs 4 ft. apart. He did the same for the rafters. Then, using a tractor, ropes and bracing to lift and hold the walls in place he welded the sections together. The 1/2-in. plywood on the wall was recycled from pallets. Barcus “decorated” with calendar pictures of cars and tractors. The windows came from an old school bus appropriate because he was a tour bus driver. “I’m happy as heck with it,” Barcus says, noting he spends a lot of time in the building working on a variety of woodwork and fixit projects. With 13-ft. walls, he can bring in tall equipment to work on.
Sonny Barcus welded the building’s walls together on the ground and then lifted them into place with a tractor. Since he built it, the price of steel has come up he notes, so his timing was good, as was his talent for finding materials to recycle. Also key to keeping costs down were his friends Jeff Watson, “Buckwheat” Fortney, Mark Frick and Brian Babcock who poured the concrete in exchange for a good meal. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Sonny Barcus, 18810 C.R. 18, Warsaw, Ohio 43844 (ph 740 202-5375).
Center Pivot “Cleats” Boost Traction You’ll never have to worry about your center pivot getting stuck if you attach these new steel “cleats” over the tires, says Nebraska inventor John Hladky. The cleats consist of 3-in. high, 3/8-in. thick sickle section-type points welded onto a steel plate that covers the width of the tire. The plate is hinged to a pair of 6-in. deep side plates that bolt on through existing slots in the pivot wheel rim. Three models are available for different tire sizes. “They cost a lot less than tracks that cover the entire circumference of the tire,” says Hladky. “I came up with the idea because I got tired of having to use my tractor to pull out stuck center pivots. The cleats really help in heavy, slick clay soil because once the tire’s lugs get full of clay they start spinning. As the tire goes forward the entire weight of the center pivot squeezes down on the cleats, forcing them into the clay to move the tower forward. In real severe situations you could install two cleats per tire.” The cleats come off with two bolts so
“Install these pivot cleats on your center pivot’s tires and it’ll walk right through wet areas,” says Nebraska inventor John Hladky. they’re easy to remove. And they don’t add much weight to the tire so there’s no danger of twisting the shaft on the center pivot’s gearbox, says Hladky. Pivot cleats sell for $155 apiece. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Hipke Welding, LLC, 90077 Park St., Spencer, Neb. 68777 (ph 402 589-1501 or 866 791-6456; www.eagledesigns.net).
A steerable wooden sled with thin metal runners is used to make straight, evenly spaced furrows in Darwin Keiper’s garden.
Sled Makes Perfect Garden Rows “I always try to work smarter in my garden, not harder,” says Darwin Keiper of Pocono Lake, Penn. “I wanted to make straight, evenly spaced furrows at the correct depth for optimal growth. I looked for anything around my garage that could help. Finally it came to me - my childhood Flexible Flyer. It’s a steerable wooden sled with thin metal runners, and I use them to make the furrows.” Keiper sets rows of wooden boards down the length of his garden for use as walkways and to suppress weeds, planting into garden beds between the boards. “I start out by rototilling and raking the planting beds until they’re even,” says Keiper. “Then I place the sled at the far end of the bed, tie a rope to the top of the sled, run the rope to the other end of the bed, and pull the sled toward me. It results in perfectly straight, evenly placed rows.” To make deeper furrows, Keiper places a 5-gal. bucket with some dirt in it on top of the sled. “The more dirt I add to the bucket, the deeper the furrows. After a little trial and error I was able to get the desired depth for the kind of seed I was planting,” he notes.
“I stand at one end of the garden and use a rope to pull the sled toward me,” says Keiper. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Darwin Keiper, 998 Route 940, Pocono Lake, Penn. 18347 (ph 570 972-4597; jakeiper@ptd.net).
1-800-834-9665 • editor@farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • www.farmshow.com• vol. 37, no. 4 • FARM SHOW • 25
The Bowmans jobbed out the construction of the beaters to an auger specialist. Flighting on the 36-in. dia. beater was made from 3/8-in. steel.
After renting a vertical beater spreader, Abram Bowman and his son, Mervin, decided to convert this converted late model International 575 spreader.
By Jim Ruen, Contributing Editor
Manure Spreader Retrofitted With Vertical Beaters Abram Bowman and his son, Mervin, wanted a vertical beater manure spreader but couldn’t justify the cost. So they mounted vertical beaters on a late model, 10-cu. yard, International 575. “We had rented a vertical beater spreader, and it did a much better job than horizontal beaters do,” says Abram Bowman. “It chopped materials up fine and spread more evenly over a larger area. There are all kinds of options for new vertical spreaders, but they are expensive.” Since the Bowmans have a custom manufacturing business on their farm, they decided to convert a horizontal beater spreader to vertical style. If it worked, they would have a better spreader and possibly an addition to their business. They began by stripping off the old beater, trimming the sides to a 15° angle and reinforcing the spreader body to handle the
strain. "We welded a heavy 4 by 4-in. steel beam (at the 15 degree angle) to each side," says Bowman. "We also added 6-in. wide steel side extensions to both sides to make the box more rigid, offer more load transfer across the box, and increase capacity." The Bowmans jobbed out the construction of the beaters to an auger specialist. The flighting was made from 3/8-in. steel with each beater 36 in. in diameter. "We mounted hammers at the edge of the flighting," says Bowman. "They are fixed, but will shear off if they hit something too hard. You can run it with one or two missing, but not more, as the beaters have to be carefully balanced end to end and side to side." The beaters were mounted in a framework of 12-in. channel iron attached to the rear of the spreader. A gearbox mounted on the side drives a sprocket at the top. Heavy-duty, #80 roller chain drive powers the beaters. Drive
sprockets and chain were boxed in with more channel iron. "Because of the angle of the framework, we needed to put a double yoke on the beater driveshaft before it entered the gearbox," says Bowman. "We also added an override clutch to the beater shaft as the beaters continue to spin when you stop the pto. We added shear bolts as well for protection should we hit a rock or something." Other changes to the spreader included converting the apron chain from pto drive to hydraulic. The hydraulic motor offers infinitely variable unloading speeds. Bowman says they have had quite a bit of interest in their spreader, which is doing all they hoped it would as a manure handler. The key, he says, in deciding to do such a project is the condition of the existing spreader. "You can spend $5,000 to $7,000 to convert one," he says. "If you’ve got a good spreader
Because of the angle of the framework, they had to put a double yoke on the beater driveshaft before it enters the gearbox. box and apron chain, you can avoid spending from $30,000 to $60,000 on a new vertical spreader." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Lebanon Ag Service, 8450 Line 3, RR 3, Listowel, Ont., Canada N4W 3G8 (ph 519 291-6802).
“Mighty Midget” Forklift “Several years ago I was loading hit and miss engines onto a trailer at a show by hand, which was a lot of work. I decided to build a small forklift that I could take to shows and still use around my small shop,” says Alan Schoonmaker, Walworth, N.Y. The forklift he built measures only 5 ft. long by 3 ft. wide and is powered by a Briggs & Stratton Vanguard 14 hp engine coupled to a 3-speed transmission. It rides on big turf tires. The front ones are 23 in. high by 8 1/2 in. wide while the back ones are 16 in. high by 8 1/2 in. wide. The mast can lift loads up to 44 in. high and handles up to 1,000 lbs. “It’s small enough that I can maneuver in tight places, yet low to the ground so it’s very stable. I don’t have to worry about tipping over,” says Schoonmaker. “With the big tires on front I can use it outside without worrying about getting stuck. “I built it small on purpose because I wanted to use it in my shop which is quite small, measuring 70 ft. long by 25 ft. wide and with only a 9-ft. high ceiling. I had been using an old Clark forklift, but it was too clumsy and tall, says Schoonmaker. “It’s also easier to transport. I can load it on a double axle trailer along with a couple of my homemade tractors or some farm engines, and once I’m at the show I can use the forklift to unload everything from the trailer. “I also use it to load 12-ft. logs onto my bandsaw mill. It also works great for handling logs when cutting firewood or doing other chores around my place.” He started with the rear end off a 1970’s Cub Cadet garden tractor. The forklift is powered by a Briggs & Stratton 14 hp vertical shaft engine, which shaft-drives
a hydraulic motor that powers a gearbox. The transmission is operated by stepping on a forward/reverse, foot-operated pedal. “I like being able to use a foot pedal instead of having to fiddle with a gearshift lever. Makes it easier to move back and forth,” says Schoonmaker. The engine shaft-drives 2 pumps. One pump operates the tractor and the other one – originally designed for a pickup-mounted snowplow – operates a pair of hydraulic cylinders that are used to raise and lower the forklift and also tilt it forward and backward. He made the forklift’s frame out of 2-in. sq., 1/4-in. thick tubing. A 275-lb. weight on back slides into the frame tubing for better balance when needed. “By pulling a pin I can slide the weight out in couple of different locations,” says Schoonmaker. “For example, if I have an unbalanced load I can slide the weight back which lets me lift more and also makes the rig easier to steer.” The channel iron rails off an old appliance hauling cart form the forklift’s sides. A hydraulic cylinder chain-drives the mast to raise it up and down. Schoonmaker made the forks out of 3-in. wide, 3/4-in. thick bar stock. “It’s a handy tool and was a fun project to build,” says Schoonmaker. “It’s built low to the ground for stability. It can only lift 44 in. high but I wouldn’t want to go higher than that since the machine is only 3 ft. wide. “I already had most of the material that I used to build the machine and spent a total of between $1,000 and $2,000. I paid $200 for the engine and bought the steering wheel and some other parts at a tractor supply company. The steering shaft is enclosed in a piece of
Alan Schoonmaker recently used his home-built forklift to haul 800-lb. loads of tile down to his house during a remodeling project (above). Wheelhorse garden tractor parked in front of forklift shows how small it is.
square tubing and is chain-driven to the rig’s rear steering wheels. I used rectangular tubing to build the hydraulic reservoir and mounted the gas tank on top of it. “I bought the seat and many of the hydraulic components from Surplus Center in Lincoln, Neb. (ph 800 488-3407; www.
surpluscenter.com). They deal in overages and end-of-the-line stuff.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Alan Schoonmaker, 4385 Hall Center Rd., Walworth, N.Y. 14568 (ph 315 945-9401; ahs_sbr@juno.com).
26 • FARM SHOW • vol. 37, no. 4 • www.farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • editor@farmshow.com • 1-800-834-9665
Custom Cabs For Small Tractors, ATV’s Jodale Perry manufactures a wide range of cabs and sun shades for utility tractors and ATVs. Cabs fit all popular brands: Deere, Kubota, Case IH, New Holland, Toro and Jacobsen, says Kevin Peters, general manager of Jodale Perry, Morden, Manitoba, Canada. “Customers tell us that our cabs are easy to install, user-friendly and very quiet inside, with low-decibel ratings,” Peters says. The best way to purchase a Jodale Perry small-tractor or ATV cab, according to Peters, is to go to the company website (www.jodaleperry.com) and use the “Build Your Own” tool that asks for the make and model of the tractor or ATV. After filling in the blanks, including the options you want, the tool tells you the cab price. The website
also includes a dealer locator for U.S. and Canada dealers. All Jodale Perry cabs are sold through dealers, and the price that appears on the website is the price you will pay from a local dealer, Peters says. Cabs are made from glass, steel tubing and ABS plastic. Cab colors match the tractor brand and model it’s going on. The company’s Boxer brand ROPS cabs offer curved-glass windshields and customfit “high style,” with sound-system and airconditioning options. Boxer brand cabs have a plastic roof, steel-framed doors with a slam latch and are easy to install. Peters says “Boxer cabs are designed to drop on to the machine, with the only installation
Jodale Perry custom-builds cabs to fit utility tractors, commercial lawn mowers and ATV’s. “Customers tell us our cabs are easy to install and very quiet inside,” he says. required being the mounting assemblies and floor mat.” Prices for Boxer cabs range from $4,000 to $11,000, depending on make, model and cab options. Most customers, however, choose to have their local dealer handle mounting and installation, Peters says. The company’s Cabrio sunshade, with a solid welded tubular frame and plastic roof
and universal mount, is priced at $399. Cabrio sunshades offer weather protection and ROPS protection, with roof colors to match tractor brand. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jodale Perry Inc., P.O. Box 909, Morden, Man., Canada R6M 1A8 (ph 204 822-9100; www. jodaleperry.com).
Big Bale Mover Fits On 3-Pt. Hitch Three years ago, FARM SHOW featured Lonnie Fast’s Hay Baby, a handy attachment for ATV’s to move big round bales (Vol. 34, No. 2). Recently he modified his invention so that it works on compact tractors with 3-pt. hitches. “I found out a lot of people have the tractors, but they can’t pick up a bale because there’s not enough hydraulic power,” Fast says. Because most compact tractors have a 3-pt. hitch, the side arms of the hitch hook directly onto the hay mover. He attaches a pulley on the middle arm for stability. Because there are fewer parts, the 3-pt. version of Fast’s product line costs less, $1,495, than his tow-behind hay movers. It has the same features - a wider axle than the compact tractor for good balance and safety, a low center of gravity to negotiate hills and a design that puts minimal weight on the tractor’s suspension when moving bales up to a ton in weight.
With a $300 conversion accessory, any of Fast’s transporters can be used to haul round or big square bales (3 by 8 or 4 by 8). Fast, who owns a 50-acre cow/calf operation in Fairmont, W. Va., created Hay Baby to move big round bales without tearing up the ground. “I’ve used one for years and fed hundreds of bales,” Fast says. “I haul bales out in the summer to a fenced area, then in the winter to feed our cattle.” In addition to the 3-pt. version for compact tractors, he developed a 3-pt. hitch system attachment for ATV’s and UTV’s so they can handle Cat. I implements that don’t require pto’s. The system sells for $175. Check out videos and photos on his website. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Fast Hay Movers Inc., Lonnie Fast, 7 Fast Lane, Fairmont, W. Va. 26554 (ph 304 282-1210; lb@fasthaymovers.com; www. fasthaymovers.com).
Lonnie Fast recently modified his Hay Baby, designed for ATV’s to move big round bales, to also work on compact tractors with 3-pt. hitches.
Instead of spending the money for a new truckmounted hay cube feeder, Robert Sutterfield bought a used 3-pt. mounted model and rebuilt it. Arrow points to small solar panel that powers the feeder.
“Cool Minder” Reduces Debris On Mower, ATV Radiators “Give your fan a brain.” That’s the slogan for ProManPTO’s latest new product that greatly reduces debris accumulation on radiators. The Cool Minder is an automatic fan reverser for ATV’s, garden tractors and zeroturn mowers. Just unplug the radiator fan connector and slip in the Cool Minder adapter, says Kirk Jones, president of ProManPTO. “It has a little sophisticated microelectronic brain,” he explains. “When the fan first kicks on it blows backward to knock stuff away from the radiator. Then it winds the fan down and kicks on for a cooling cycle in the other direction.” The microchip repeats the process and keeps the radiator clean and working efficiently, even when driving through tall weeds and dry vegetation. The $89 unit is fully encapsulated and waterproof. It’s available in models to fit Polaris, Honda, Yamaha, Deere and Suzuki ATV’s and UTV’s as well as many mower models. “It’s a pretty big issue across all kinds of equipment,” Jones adds. “We are also getting ready to introduce a 24-volt version for larger, more powerful fans for off-highway vehicles.” Cool Minders are available through ProManPTO’s website and will be for sale through distributors in the future.
Solar-Powered Cube Cake Feeder
Automatic fan reverser for ATV’s, garden tractors and zero-turn mowers greatly reduces debris accumulation on radiators. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, ProManPTO LLC, 3030 Enterprise Court, Suite D, Vista, Calif. 92081 (ph 855 7766261; www.promanpto.com).
Robert and Genieve Sutterfield have been cattle ranchers in eastern Oklahoma for 56 years. During winter months, they feed their 200 mother cows hay cubes twice a day at a couple different pastures to supplement dry baled hay. When their old cube feeder went on the blink the Sutterfields decided there had to be a better solution than spending a couple thousand dollars on a new truck-mounted unit. Robert checked the auction listings and found a serviceable 3-pt. model for just $300. He spent a couple weeks taking things apart, rebuilding the frame and creating secure mounting brackets in his shop. Then he mounted the rebuilt cuber onto an old flatbed trailer that they can pull behind either a truck or a tractor. “I don’t have a lot of money in this feeder, in fact only about 20 percent of the cost of a new one,” Robert says. “The 40 hrs. or so that it took me to build it wasn’t taking me away from anything else, so I figure I’m way ahead of the game.” Robert rigged up a 12-volt self-contained electrical system to run the feeder instead of hooking it into his truck or tractor electrical power. The battery has enough juice to run the old 12-volt starter motor that has a belt, which drives the conveyor auger. To turn the
auger on and off, Robert wired a solenoid switch into the system on a piece of flexible cable that he can bring into his pickup or tractor cab. “It’s a lot easier to feed the cattle when I don’t have to get out and turn the feeder on and off,” Robert says. The re-built feeder is about 5 ft. long, 3 ft. tall and holds about 600 lbs. of cubes. When he’s done using the feeder in the morning, Robert hooks up a small solar panel to the battery. “That little 16-in. square panel keeps the battery fully charged, even on a slightly overcast day,” says Robert. He figures that one pass through the feeding yards twice a day only uses about 20 percent of the battery power, so even in the winter when there’s less sunlight the battery has plenty of power to run the cube feeder. His home-built cube feeder and trailer even looks like a new one thanks to the fresh coat of paint that Genevieve put on. “Out in this country we can weld and cut and come up with ideas to build things that work just fine without costing a lot,” says Robert. “This little rig should work for a long time and make our cube feeding a lot easier.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Robert Sutterfield, 29850 S. 160 Rd., Henryetta, Okla. 74437 (ph 918 652-9706).
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Layby “Wheel Sprayer” Kit Controls Under Canopy Weeds “My new wheel sprayer kit lets you spray herbicides beneath the crop canopy using your existing toolbar. Works great on corn, cotton, and soybeans and is built heavy to last,” says custom sprayer Leslie Estes, Portageville, Mo. The kit is designed to fit 4 by 4, 5 by 7, and 7 by 7 toolbars and can be mounted on any row spacing. It consists of a series of diagonal metal arms, each equipped with a rubber wheel at the bottom and a head piece on top that clamps onto the toolbar. A single nozzle is located midway between the rows, about 2 ft. ahead of the wheel and 8 in. off the ground. As an option 2 more nozzles can be added, resulting in an extra spray nozzle on each side of the wheel. The nozzles are located about 4 in. off the ground and direct herbicide into the row. The arm has a bushing welded on the inside, which allows the arm to pivot up or down according to the ground contour. A chain and turnbuckle on back is used to keep all the arms level. “I originally designed the kit for cotton, but corn growers are also finding it useful,” says Estes. “After corn gets anywhere from knee to waist high, it’s too tall to spray over the top because the canopy blocks the spray from reaching the weeds. Also, spraying herbicides down onto the crop can stunt it. By spraying underneath the leaves you get good herbicide coverage everywhere, and you don’t have to worry about damaging the crop. One customer even uses my layby rig
Photo shows a 12-row layby rig on 38-in. rows set up with Estes’s aftermarket kit. It lets you spray herbicides beneath the crop canopy using your existing toolbar. on his soybeans after they get tall and bushed out.” The spray nozzle is mounted on a stainless steel pipe and goes through a 1-in. block. An adjustable set screw allows you to raise or lower the nozzle. “This type of layby rig isn’t totally new. But no one else offers an aftermarket kit that lets you save money by using your own
toolbar, and no one else builds a unit as strong as mine,” says Estes. “The arm I use is made from 1 1/2 by 3 by 3/16-in. thick steel tubing. The wheel is a standard cultivator gauge wheel equipped with a double stem bearing.” The aftermarket kit sells for $300 per row, which doesn’t include plumbing. Estes also came up with an optional “upside down” nozzle for the kit. It’s designed to control
insects hiding under cotton plant leaves by spraying insecticides from the bottom up. It works good to control red spiders. It also works good to control rust on soybeans,” says Estes. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Leslie Estes, 460 West State Hwy. T, Portageville, Mo. 63873 (ph 573 379-0750; lesliestes@ me.com).
Hand-Held Power Brush Preps Cows Dairymen can eliminate piles of towels with this new hand-held brush that’ll wash, disinfect, stimulate and dry teats in one easy step, says Keith Engel about the new FutureCow™ prep system. It uses GEA Farm Technologies’ chlorine dioxide cleaning solution that can be customized for low, medium and high mastitis control. “The big advantage is consistency – in stimulation and cleaning,” Engel says, noting that operators only need to forestrip to check for mastitis, and then use the FutureCow brush unit to handle all other pre-milking tasks. With a little training, milking employees learn how to slip each of the cow’s teats into the FutureCow unit, while pulling and releasing the trigger for cleaning and drying. In a short time, the teat is washed, stimulated
for milking and dried, ready for the milking unit attachment. The handheld unit is hooked up to a line that glides along a stainless steel aircraft cable track. The line delivers GEA’s ready-to-use cleansing solution to each brush unit. More than 100 FutureCow Prep Systems have been installed in the U.S. on dairies with herds from 150 to 3,000 cows. The system includes an air-operated pump, tanks and blending device, track, and brush units. The cleaning products, replacement parts and brushes are priced at a flat rate per cow. GEA Farm Technologies professionals are available 24/7 for troubleshooting. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, GEA Farm Technologies, 1880 Country Farm Dr., Naperville, Ill. 60563 (ph 877 973-2479; www.gea-farmtechnologies.com).
Hand-held brush uses a chlorine dioxide cleaning solution to wash, disinfect, stimulate and dry teats in one easy step.
“Easy On” Forklift For Deere Garden Tractor William Gorge, White Marsh, Md., needed a forklift on his small acreage. So, he built one to go on front of his 1995 Deere 330 23 hp garden tractor. It mounts on a Deere snowplow mounting bracket already on the tractor. “It’s as easy to install as the snowplow and takes less than 5 min. without any tools,” says Gorge. “It attaches with two steel pins and a couple hooks at the bottom. I didn’t have to make any modifications to the tractor or the snowplow mounting brackets at all. In fact, I don’t know why Deere doesn’t make a forklift for their garden tractors to go with their snowplow mounting bracket. I think it would sell like hotcakes.” He says he uses the forklift a lot to haul everything from bags of wood pellets and concrete to engines. “It’ll lift up to 43 in. high and can handle loads up to 500 lbs., although I do need wheel weights when I lift that much. I had been using a bigger
self-propelled forklift, but I go on the road a lot and it was a hassle hauling it around on trailers,” he says. He used 1/2-in. thick by 3-in. wide flat stock to make the forks, which are attached to a carriage and raised up or down by a hydraulic cylinder. The carriage rolls on masts that he made from 2 1/2-in. mechanical tubing and is connected by motorcycle chain to the cylinder. The masts are welded to the snowplow mounting bracket, which consists of a 1/4-in. thick steel plate that slides onto the tractor. “The tractor originally came with a bellymounted mower deck, and my forklift uses the same hydraulic system that raised and lowered it,” says Gorge. “I also added a small hydraulic pump on a homemade bracket that bolts on between the masts. The tractor came with two quick disconnects for hydraulic hose on front, and the hydraulic cylinder plugs into them.
Forklift mounts on a snowplow mounting bracket on Gorge’s Deere garden tractor. Forks are attached to a carriage that’s raised up or down by a hydraulic cylinder. “The forks have slots cut into them on top and can be manually slid out on the carriage up to 18 in. apart.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, William J. Gorge, 5730 Allender Rd., White Marsh, Md. 21162 (ph 410 256-5671).
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They Put Up 9,000 Bales A Day With 30-Bale Accumulator Ray Sponcil and his farm crew make 60,000 to 80,000 bales of wheat straw a year for sale to horse farms in Kentucky, plus several thousand bales of hay. They needed a faster way to handle them. Ray’s father, Ollie, solved the problem by building three 30-bale accumulators to fit their New Holland 5070 balers. Now they can bale, transport and store 9,000 bales a day. “At one time, we had four 10-bale accumulators and handlers in the field,” recalls Sponcil. “I off-loaded the bales back at the barn with a 30-bale handler and had so much time between loads that I could have double-cropped soybeans while I waited.” The 30-bale handler was built by Dave Steffen, Steffen Systems, Salem, Ore. “Dave was the only one who would build what we needed,” says Sponcil. “He put two 15-bale handlers together, and we built the brackets for our telehandler.” After using the big handler to unload, Sponcil decided they needed bigger accumulators as well. He made a scale model for a 30-bale unit out of Erector set parts and then went full size. The accumulator worked even better than expected. A paddle on the baler flips bales on a cut edge as they come off the baler. A grab chain channels them to the accumulator platform and between a press arm and a guide bar. As two bales move into place end to end, an electronic switch is triggered. The press arm pushes the pair and the guide bar back before resetting. As each set of bales is pushed back, the guide bar, which also is attached to 557
chain, moves to the rear. At the same time, a second bar called the unloading bar also mounted to the drive chain is moving forward above the bales. When the platform is full, the guide bar has reached the rear of the platform, and the unloading bar has reached the front. This triggers hydraulic cylinders that tilt the platform so the rear edge touches the ground. Within seconds, a hydraulic motor on the chain drive kicks in, and the unloading bar pushes the load of bales off and onto the ground as the tractor and baler continue forward. “Although we didn’t plan it, the first time we ran the accumulator, we realized the tilt cylinders require so much hydraulic fluid that there is a slight delay before the unloading bar starts pushing the bales off,” says Sponcil. “This helps keep the bales from dropping. They slide onto the ground in such a tight bundle that you can’t pull a bale out of the center.” When his son started using the first accumulator, Sponcil was surprised to discover it packed 32 bales into the space of 30. Likewise the 30-bale handler picked up 32 bales, and they stayed compact and tight, fitting on a 30-bale per layer wagon. In fact, they are so tight that you can only pull bales loose at either end. “We can load 160 bales (5 layers) on a wagon in less than 5 min. and pull two wagons to the barn at a time,” says Sponcil. “We had one guy tie down at the field, and another untie loads at the barn. Now we are
Ollie Sponcil built three 30-bale accumulators to fit their New Holland 5070 balers. going to 40-ft. semitrailers that hold 320 bales, with sides that eliminate the need for tie downs. They move the bales faster between field and barn.” Sponcil built 4 of the big accumulators and sold one. He also had a second handler built for use in the field. It replaced the four 10-bale handlers used previously. “The combination of accumulators, handlers and semi trailers lets us put up straw bales about five times as fast as before,” says Sponcil. “Now I have trouble keeping up with the balers.”
While each accumulator has been refined a bit, they all follow the same basic design. Sponcil says they have minimal interest in building accumulators for sale. “If we did build to sell, we would be asking at least $40,000 for the accumulator due to all the hydraulics and electronics,” he says. “We would be more interested in selling the design to a manufacturer.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ollie Sponcil, 11168 Bonner Rd., Greenfield, Ohio 45123 (ph 937 763-2392; osponcil@yahoo. com).
Perennial Onions Never Go To Seed “These onions taste like the ones I remember.” Stanley Jobe hears that all the time about the Family Heirloom Onions he grows and sells from his Roans Prairie, Texas, farm. “They have a sweet but spicy taste and the flavor holds up in cooking,” Jobe says. “They’re good in stir fry and Cajun dishes.” The multiplier onion variety dates back more than 100 years to family friends who were Cajun and lived in Louisiana. The onions reproduce from bulbs and never go to seed. In the South, they’re planted in August about 6 in. apart and are ready to eat by late fall. For onions to eat the following year, he leaves some in the ground until June or July, then harvests them and hangs them to cure. In August, some of the bulbs can be replanted. Though they can be left in the ground yearround, the bulbs get smaller and smaller, Jobe says. Jobe and his wife, Jill, have nearly 4 acres of land that they rotate to plant onion bulbs in August. It’s very labor intensive, and he’s been trying to have equipment made with no success so far. The onions are planted by hand, and Jobe cultivates every 3 or 4 weeks, plus does hand weeding. He’s considering using pre and post-emergent herbicides to control weeds in the future. The onions need plenty of water to grow, which has been a challenge in the drought area. At harvest time, he loosens the soil with a shovel, pulls the onions and lets them dry a couple of days before hanging them upside down inside. He has sold bulbs to customers as far north as Illinois and Washington, where he recommends planting the bulbs in the spring after the ground thaws. With good water and soil they can grow to maturity in 10 months. But they can be harvested as early as 60 days and used like scallions. “If planted in potassium and calcium-rich soils they become round bulbs. Other soils produce smaller bulbs,” Jobe says.
Overhead gravity box feed bin sets on a 12-ft. high steel frame and is covered by an Ag Topper clamp-on steel
Family Heirloom Onions reproduce from bulbs and never go to seed. “They have a sweet but spicy taste,” says grower Stanley Jobe.
Though the onions are labeled for Zone 5 or higher, Jobe says he thinks they will grow in colder zones. “Save a 10-ft. row and you’ll have plenty to plant,” he says. Each bulb typically multiplies up to 8 or more bulbs. He sells 7 oz. of onion bulbs for $13 and 16 oz. for $18, including shipping. A 7-oz. bag has between 25 and 40 bulbs, depending on the size. Jobe sells the bulbs wholesale to local stores and through his website - through September or until his supply runs out. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Stanley Jobe, Jobe Gardens, P.O. Box 36, Roans Prairie, Texas 77875 (ph 936 874-3023; stanley.jobe@gmail.com; www.jobegardens. com).
Overhead Feed Bin Built From Gravity Box “I built an overhead feed bin out of an old center dump gravity box. It’s easy to use. I just drive my flatbed truck under it and load feed into a hopper on back,” says Steven Kreitman, Bassett, Neb. Kreitman bought the 10-ft. long gravity box used. It sets on a 12-ft. high steel frame made from 4-in. I-beams and 4-in. dia. pipes off an old Valley center pivot. Kreitman made clamps out of angle iron and 1/2-in. bolts to attach the box to the I-beams. The box is covered by an Ag Topper clamp-on steel lid (ph 888 310-1265; www. toppsmfg.com). The company custom builds steel lids to fit gravity wagons, fertilizer spreaders, tender trucks or any other box as a permanent alternative to a roll top. The box came with an 18-in. sq. opening and a slide gate that was opened and closed by turning a wheel on one side of the box. Kreitman’s hopper only holds 500 lbs. so he used 1/8-in. thick sheet metal to partially cover the opening, then made 2 small openings that are covered by slide gates. By turning an 8-ft. long metal rod he can open and close an 8 by 12-in. opening from the
ground to fill the hopper. The other opening is only 6 in. sq. and is used to “top off” the load. Kreitman climbs onto the pickup’s flatbed to open and close it. “It holds about 9 tons of feed,” says Kreitman. “I paid $750 for the Ag Topper cover and another $750 for the gravity box. The I-beams came from an old beam-type scale. I thought I would save money by building it myself, but my cost per ton of storage was almost equal to commercial-built units that hold 20 or more tons. “I really like the Ag Topper all-weather lid. I can partially open it from the ground by pulling back on a lever, which makes it easy to fill. “The only limitation is that the box’s sides aren’t angled steeply enough so all the feed doesn’t always run out. At the end of the season I have to climb inside and shovel out any leftover material. I placed a ladder alongside the box so I can climb to the top.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Steven Kreitman, 45128 WPA Rd., Bassett, Neb. 68714 (ph 402 684-2201).
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Darrell Buchholz used cement blocks to build this swimming pool at a fraction of the cost of a commercial-built pool.
Buchholz documented building materials needed, location planning, and each step in the construction process.
Build Your Own Cement Block Swimming Pool Building your own swimming pool with cement blocks isn’t hard, according to Darrell Buchholz. He built one for a friend, and now sells plans for others to do the same. “I built a pool for myself using pressure treated wooden sidewalls, but I live in sandy soil, which is more forgiving for wood-based walls,” says Buchholz. “A friend’s mother wanted to put one in, but couldn’t afford a commercial installation. I offered to do it for her. I took lots of photos and based my plans
on it.” Buchholz says both the wood and concrete block pools are doing fine after several years of use. Liners will wear out and have to be replaced within 10 to 15 years. Since posting his plans for sale on his website and sites like Gizmoplans.com, he has sold several hundred sets of plans. Plans can be downloaded for $19.95 or may be special ordered on CD or paper, but at a higher price.
“You do need some familiarity with masonry and plumbing, but you don’t have to be a professional,” says Buchholz. “My plans are for do-it-yourselfers.” The plans include the building materials needed, location planning and layout and each step in the construction process. There are plenty of color pictures and diagrams detailing layout and footings to building the cement block walls and more. He also includes detailed explanations of installation
of hardware and liner, all the way to filling the pool and installing a deck. “I emphasize planning and being conscious of future possible changes,” says Buchholz. “Installing changing rooms or making other changes requires forward planning for electrical and other aspects of the plan.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Darrell Buchholz, 374 4th St., Montello, Wis. 53949 (ph 608 215-7871; darrell@deb-design.com; gizmoplans.com/diy-swimming-pool).
Son’s 4-H Project A Great Addition To Farm When Jeff Lee dumps a truckload of grain, he can thank the 4-H contest that inspired his son Ray when he was 16 years old. Ray converted a conventional bed 1982 GMC 3500 to a lift bed that’s also equipped with hydraulics and a winch. With son Ray now working at Iowa State, Lee keeps the truck busy hauling hay, grain and scrap metal. Ray started by stripping off the old bed and building a subframe for the hoist and a new shorter 10-ft. bed. The short bed left room for an 18-in. sub bed behind the cab to mount hydraulic reservoir tanks, a spare tire and exhaust stacks. There’s also enough room to fit a return line filter system from an old backhoe. For hydraulic power, Ray added a transmounted pto with a direct mount 20 gpm, 2,500 psi, Parker closed-center, pto driven, variable displacement hydraulic pump from an old utility line truck. His dad says the closed-center system ensures there’s no lag in the lift as with an open center, where the lifted bed will drop slightly when the pump activates. The closed center system comes to pressure and starts moving with no hesitation or drop. Lee says his son also had to do some cutting and rearranging on the original truck frame to make room for the old wagon hoist he installed. Mounting the hoist was complicated by a gooseneck hitch with a flipover ball. It sticks up through a removable plate in the bed when needed. “He had to install the hoist backwards to clear the gooseneck hitch bolster,” says Lee. “Getting it right was probably the toughest part of the whole project. There isn’t any unused space.” The closed center system uses solenoidoperated, hydraulic valves. Lee’s son installed three separate hydraulic circuits. One runs to the hoist and one to the rear of the frame for auxiliary uses. The third runs to the gooseneck hole in case they want to use
a hydraulic gooseneck dump trailer at some point. “With three valves, it would be messy controlling them all with cables,” says Lee. “Ray used regular industrial solenoid valves that he bought off eBay.” To control the hydraulics, Ray installed a mechanically linked 8-ball shifter in the cab for the pto. To operate the hoist, his dad simply hits a solenoid switch installed in a panel on the dash, along with switches for the other two circuits. He can also use a remote cable for them. “We keep a 30-ft. cable with a pendant control in a toolbox on the side of the truck,” says Lee. “We have a 6,000-lb. Ramsey winch on a flatbed trailer. The cable and pendant control plugs in behind the cab and gives me lots of options when loading the trailer.” While nearly all components were salvaged from other equipment, Lee says his son built the actual lift bed using half new and half salvaged steel. One chunk of 1/2-in. thick, 10-in. I-beam ended up as a rear bumper on the truck. On the front end, he mounted a pusher rack made from heavy pipe with a 2-in. receiver hitch at its bottom. Other improvements to the truck included a total rebuild of the 4-barrel, 350 cu. in., 4 bolt-mains motor with 4-speed Muncie manual transmission. Ray installed a brake controller cut-out switch for backing up. He also installed numerous field lights, repaired body damage on the old truck, reupholstered the seat, and had the truck repainted. “When Ray took it to the fair, the judge didn’t believe he could have done all the work, but he did,” says Lee. “He got a special honor prize.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jeffrey R. Lee, 5023 Monroe Rd., Tipton, Mich. 49287 (ph 517 431-2655; tiptonfood@aol. com)
Ray Lee converted a conventional bed 1982 GM 3500 pickup into this lift bed model that’s also equipped with hydraulics and a winch.
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He stripped off the old bed and built a shorter 10-ft. bed. That left room for an 18-in. sub bed behind the cab to mount hydraulic reservoir tanks, a spare tire and exhaust stacks.
Closed center system uses solenoidoperated, hydraulic valves. To control the hydraulics, Ray installed a mechanically linked 8-ball shifter in the cab for the pto.
“Ballast Hitch” Great For Compact Tractors Greg Parnow wanted a way to easily add rear ballast to his compact tractor without losing use of his hitch. His Heavy Hitch does both and more. “I have a long, steep driveway that needs to be cleared of snow in the winter, and I needed ballast to counter the front-end loader,” explains Parnow. “I also wanted to be able to use my receiver hitch-mounted salt spreader.” With the help of his father-in-law, Parnow came up with a few designs. After a handful of prototypes, he settled on one that does everything he wanted. After using it for a while, he made a second and offered it on eBay. “It sold quickly, and I made a few more, and they sold as well,” explains Parnow. “I added a website, and sales took off. I quit my job and started selling them full-time. Sales have really taken off.” The versatility and ease of use makes it easy to see why the Heavy Hitch is in demand. With its 3-pt. quick-attach hitch pins, Parnow can pick it up fully loaded. Offsetting is just as easy. “I can hang up to 600 lbs. of weight on my hitch using standard suitcase weights,” says Parnow. “Yet, when I set it down on its storage cart, my 7-year old daughter can push it across a concrete floor.” The weight frame includes a standard 2-in. receiver hitch. An optional second receiver hitch can be installed top/center on the frame for use moving gooseneck trailers. “I just back under a trailer and raise the
Heavy Hitch on my 3-pt. to engage it,” says Parnow. “If I’m just moving it around the yard, I leave the jack stand in place and set it down where I want to leave it.” Other options include a sleeve hitch adapter. It lets Parnow use his hitch with older style, sleeve hitch tillage equipment like a Brimley Plow. It includes two, 5/8-in. Allen screws. They secure the implement side to side. A connecting pin locks the implement in place. Parnow’s Heavy Hitch fits any ASAE standardized quick attach, including John Deere’s iMatch and other brands. It comes in black, John Deere Green and Kubota orange. Models are available for Cat. 0 and Cat. 1 hitches. An upgrade model is available for use with 70-lb. suitcase weights. The Cat. 0 Heavy Hitch starts at $189. The Cat. 1 model starts at $219. The stand with wheels sells for $149. Parnow also offers a toolbar ($79) that fits the standard receiver hitch. Off-the-shelf coulters, chisel plow shanks or other tools can be attached as desired to create a customized tillage tool. Parnow does offer a variety of clamps as well as disc hillers, sweeps, ripper shanks and other tillage tools. “When used with weights on the Heavy Hitch, you have instant down pressure on tillage tools, even if you don’t have down pressure capability on the tractor’s 3-pt.,” notes Parnow. Other options include a chain hook receiver hitch ($20) on the Heavy Hitch, pallet forks
Parnow’s 3-pt. mounted “Heavy Hitch” accepts up to 600 lbs. of suitcase weights and comes with a wheeled storage cart. Weight frame includes a standard 2-in. receiver hitch. An optional second receiver hitch can be installed top-center on the frame for moving gooseneck trailers.
Wheeled storage cart, (left) makes storing the weighted frame easy. ($249) that fit on the lower bar of the Heavy Hitch frame and a pickup bar ($39) for picking up and hauling trash cans. “We call the trash can pickup our Hitch’N Can,” says Parnow. “It makes it easy to take the garbage can out a long driveway.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Heavy Hitch, S3516 Falcon Dr., Fountain City, Wis. 54629 (ph 507 450-8151; toll free 888 337-8999; info@heavyhitch.com; www. heavyhitch.com).
LED’s Light Up The Night For Farming
LED lights developed for off-road drivers to race at night, work just as well for farmers in fields after sunset, says Baja Designs. When a Nebraska farmer tested Baja Designs’ lights on his tractor, the neighbors noticed - one saw the lights 1 1/2 miles away. Most of them were placing orders soon after, says Trent Kirby, marketing manager. The 21-year-old company has made a name for itself in off-road racing with its nearly indestructible lighting systems. “We know our lights can be used in the agriculture market and provide cost savings,” Kirby says. “They allow farmers to farm at night longer with less eye strain and half the power draw.” Baja Designs is one of the few companies that have LED lights with a color temperature of 5,000 Kelvin, which is a pure white light resulting in less eyestrain. They have a lifetime warranty (49,000 hrs.) and are protected in housing made of aircraft grade aluminum. All lights are made in the U.S. “They have O-ring seals, and that’s been a huge factor for farming owners. They are IP69K-certified, meaning they are waterproof and can be pressure washed at up to 1,450
psi,” Kirby says. Another advantage of Baja lights is their ability to change beam patterns (spot, high speed spot, driving/combo, widecornering, wide-driving and flood) for different applications. Instead of purchasing another light, it’s just a matter of changing the reflectors ($4 to $5). Likewise, lenses can be changed if they get cracked, pitted or cloudy ($10 to $15). All products work well, but two specific models in Baja’s product line adapt well on tractors and farm equipment. The OnX is an LED light bar that ranges from 8 to 59 in. wide ($395 to $2,395). The Squadron is an auxiliary light ($299.95) that works best as a pair mounted on each corner. “The bracket has easy and versatile adjustments to aim the light wherever you need it,” Kirby says. The stainless steel brackets for both systems bolt to the tractor/equipment, and Kirby notes the company is working on creating a magnetic base. The lights plug into a tractor’s auxiliary plug, via a separate harness or into a cigarette lighter for farmers
Developed for off-road drivers to race at night, LED lights work just as well for farmers, says Baja Designs.
who want to use the lights on multiple tractors. “The lights are not DOT-approved, but in the majority of states, you can have up to two auxiliary lights if they are tied into the high beams,” Kirby says. He adds that he has two Stealth LED light bars on his Silverado set up for highway driving. Besides visibility, farmers appreciate fuel savings because the lights have less draw. An LED light bar draws 42 watts, compared to a
halogen light that uses 125 watts. Other companies sell LED lights, Kirby says, but Baja Designs products are highly engineered with reflectors designed in-house using the LED’s to their full capacity. The lights are available through the company’s website, and Baja Designs is actively pursuing agriculture dealers. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Baja Designs, 185 Bosstick Blvd., San Marcos, Calif. 92069 (ph 760 560-2252; www. bajadesigns.com).
“Mixing Mate” Paint Lid You can mix and then pour paint accurately, with no spills, with the new Mixing Mate paint lid that attaches to any 1-gal. paint can. It also provides an easy way to rescue old paint. The unit comes with a crank on top attached to an auger-style paddle, which lifts paint from all parts of the can and thoroughly mixes it. It locks onto the can with a pair of cam locks. You rotate the crank a few times to mix the paint, then press a thumb-operated lever and grab the pistol-grip handle to pour. A slide opens on the paint spout, and uncovers a bleed hole to let air in so the paint pours out smoothly. Release the lever and the cover slides across the top of the spout to seal it.
A built-in ring on the unit forms a tight seal on the can to keep paint from getting on the rim. As a result, the can’s lid seals back tight onto the can. There’s no mess and no wasted paint. When you’re done painting, you simply undo the cam locks and lift the unit out of the can. The auger and handle come apart, which makes them easy to clean. The 1-gal. model sells for $19.99 plus S&H; a model for 1-qt. paint cans is also available and sells for $14.99 plus S&H. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Rockler Woodworking and Hardware, 4365 Willow Dr., Medina, Minn. 55340 (ph 800 279-4441; www.rockler.com).
Mixing Mate paint lid comes with a crank on top attached to an auger-style paddle, which thoroughly mixes paint from all parts of the can.
1-800-834-9665 • editor@farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • www.farmshow.com• vol. 37, no. 4 • FARM SHOW • 31
Reader Recipes
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Scalloped Dandelions 2 tbsp bacon drippings 2 tbsp flour 3/4 cup water 2 cups water 2 cups milk 1 tbsp vinegar Salt to taste 2 tsp sugar 1 cup dandelions, chopped 1/4 cup minced onion 2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced Heat bacon drippings in skillet. Blend in flour. Cook, stirring until flour is lightly browned. Add water, milk, vinegar, salt and sugar. Continue cooking, stirring until smooth and thick. Remove from heat. Fold in dandelions, onion and eggs. Serve at once.
Root Beer Float Pie 1 8-oz. carton frozen whipped topping 3/4 cup cold root beer 1/2 cup milk 1 oz. package instant vanilla pudding mix 1 9-in. graham cracker pie crust In large bowl, whisk root beer, milk and pudding mix for 2 min. Fold in half of whipped topping. Spread into graham cracker crust. Spread remaining whipped topping over pie. Refrigerate for at least 8 hrs.
Laundry Detergent 1/2 cup washing soda 1/2 cup borax 1 bar high-quality soap 15 to 20 drops essential oil of your choice Chop soap bar into small pieces and place in food processor, along with washing soda, borax and essential oil. Process mixture into fine powder. Store in airtight container and use 2 to 4 tbsp per load in hot or cold water. You can add 1/4 to 1/2 cup white vinegar to rinse cycle to increase softness and remove odors.
Hooked handle turns gearbox at one end to bring gutter up to catch rain and let it down to drop leaves.
Flexible “Let-Down” Gutter Handyman Carl Perkins of Eden Prairie, Minn., doesn’t like climbing ladders to clean out gutters. That led him to invent this patented flexible “let-down” gutter. He displayed a small scale model at the recent Minnesota Inventors Congress in Redwood Falls, Minn. “I can bring the gutter up to catch rain and let it down to drop leaves using an electric drill from the ground,” says Perkins. The gutter consists of a 10-in. wide length of plastic that clamps onto a house’s fascia board. A shaft that runs behind the trim board is connected to a right angle gearbox fastened to one end of the fascia board. Short lengths of cable coil up onto the shaft every 3 ft. and are attached to the gutter’s outside edge. To raise or lower the gutter, Perkins attaches a long metal rod with a hook at one end to an electric drill. Then he inserts the hook into a metal loop attached to the gearbox. Operating the drill in forward brings the gutter up and reversing it brings the gutter down. “I have a handyman business in which I clean a lot of gutters. I came up with the idea because I don’t like heights, and I got tired of having to climb up and down ladders all day long using a hose to remove leaves from the gutter,” says Perkins. “When the gutter is brought down everything in it falls out so I never have to climb up and clean the gutter by hand. If anything is sticking to the gutter when it’s hanging straight, I can use a hose to spray it down. The gutter could also be made out of metal, which might last longer.” He says people with metal roofs like the idea because formed gutters can easily be torn off by ice and snow sliding off the roof. “My let-down gutter is out of the way until you need it,” he says. Perkins says he plans to make a full-size gutter out of plastic and metal to test the system out. He’s looking for a manufacturer. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Carl Perkins, 6600 West 175th Ave., Eden Prairie, Minn. 55346 (ph 952 456-2775; imhdick@gmail.com).
Vertical wooden “prop board” fits into groove cut into underside of table top.
Picnic Table Rolls On Wheels By C. F. Marley, Contributing Editor “My picnic table is made from 2 by 10 wooden boards so it’s quite heavy. It used to take 2 people to move it around,” says Dean Wallace, Oconee, Ill., who solved the problem by putting retractable caster wheels on it. “The wheels allow me to move the table easily by myself,” he says. The 3-in. caster wheels are mounted on 2 by 6 boards that are attached to the table legs with hinges. A vertical wooden “prop board” is attached to the center of each board with hinges. The top of the prop board fits into a groove cut into the underside of the table top whenever the wheels are dropped down on the ground. “The pressure of the prop board coming down holds the wheels in place. Once the table is where he wants it, I lift up one end of the table and use my knee to kick the prop board down out of the groove. The table then rests on its legs,” says Wallace. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dean Wallace, P.O. Box 171, Oconee, Ill. 62553.
New Products For The Farm, Ranch Home Air-Powered Sausage Press
After making thousands of pounds of sausage with his hydraulic sausage press (featured in FARM SHOW in 1995), Tim Brodt upgraded to an air-powered system last year. The Zehner, Sask., sausage maker says, “It’s actually surprising that at 60 to 70 psi it will push just about anything through it.” He likes not having to worry about maintaining a hydraulic pump, and unlike the old stationary press, the new one is portable. With the air compressor outside it’s also quiet. Brodt used plastic cutting board material to create the plunger and the housing for the air-powered pneumatic cylinder. He followed the basic design of the sausage press at the organic market where he works Air-powered sausage press is as meat manager. portable and quiet. At the rate of about 100 lbs. of meat in 45 min., he made about 500 lbs. of sausage last fall. “You don’t need another person around to hand-crank the press. You can make sausage by yourself,” he says. Total cost to build the press was about $250, and Brodt says it’s comparable to commercial presses that cost $3,000 and up. “I am quite happy with it,” he says. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Tim Brodt, General Delivery, Zehner, Sask., Canada S0G 5K0 (ph 306 781-4635; tbrodt@sasktel.net).
“Pretty In Pink” Work Gear
“People are just crazy for pink these days, so why not offer it?” asks Cheryl Mohn in reference to Udder Tech’s new line of pink waterproof gear. She notes that customers have been asking that pink be added to the royal blue and black options of waterproof work wear for dairy farmers, veterinarians and people in other ag industries. Made of machine-washable, lightweight, waterproof nylon, the pink line offers the same features as the other lines. The bibbed overalls (starting at $50), have inner zippered pockets for cell phones and chest Beer Dip pockets for medicines and syringes. Jackets 2 8-oz. packages cream ($45 and up) with detachable hoods ($10) cheese, softened for adults, aprons ($16), children’s bibbed 1/3 cup beer or nonalcoholic beer overalls ($24 and up) and hooded jackets 1 envelope Ranch salad ($21 and up), and calf blankets ($35 and dressing mix up) also come in pink. Once table 2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Mohn notes that the fabric is a bit too Udder Tech’s new pink line of is in place, cheddar cheese. prop board is warm in hot summer months. But for places work wear is made of waterkicked down In a large bowl, beat like Minnesota, Udder Tech’s product line proof nylon. out of groove. cream cheese, beer works well nine months out of the year to keep people clean and dry while doing Table then and dressing mix chores and handling livestock. rests on its until smooth. Stir in Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Udder Tech, Inc., 27605 Pillsbury Ave., legs. cheddar cheese. Serve Lakeville, Minn. 55044 (ph 888 438-8683 or 952 461-2890; www.uddertechinc. with pretzels. com). 32 • FARM SHOW • vol. 37, no. 4 • www.farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • editor@farmshow.com • 1-800-834-9665
Giant “Rite Tractors” Still Going Strong By Jim Ruen, Contributing Editor After 94 and 40 years, respectively, Dave Curtis and his Rite tractors are still going strong. One of the biggest tractors, nicknamed the Earthquake, will be on display this summer at the Half Century of Progress Show in Rantoul, Ill. It’s one of 38 200 to 750 hp tractors built by the D.L. Curtis Co. since 1973. The last one was built about four years ago, according to Curtis. “We built 38 of them, and they are all still running,” he says. Curtis and his brother Jack were first covered in FARM SHOW more than 36 years ago (Vol. 1, No. 3). Their Rite tractor was described as the first to offer an Allison automatic, infinitely variable speed, mechanical transmission. The articulated, 400 hp Model 404 weighed 45,000 lbs. and measured 15 ft., 11 in. wide with duals. “We used all standard components,” recalls Curtis. “People could order what they wanted. We used late model, low hour components to reduce costs, but added new technology as it was introduced. We had computers on the later models.” The tractors commonly featured big Cummins diesels with Detroit or Caterpillar engines optional. They used Spicer drivelines, Clark or Caterpillar axles, Budd-type wheels
and conventional or the then new clutchless transmissions. Over time, most were built with the Allison automatic transmission. Years ahead of their time, the tractors allowed the operator to “dial” in the desired speed. The transmission shifted up or down to maintain that speed. The Curtis Rite tractors featured custom cabs and Curtis designed transfer cases. Tractor cabs and hoods tilted out of the way for ease of service. They also had a patent on the hinge, which eliminated vibrations previously common in articulated tractors. The Earthquake is one of a handful of 750 hp Rite tractors built. It later received a power boost bringing it to 850 hp. Originally purchased for use in Oregon, it’s now in Ohio. “We’ve invited Dave Curtis and hope he can attend the show,” says Darius Harms, show chairman. “People will be able to get up close to the Earthquake.” Though he currently offices at home, if Curtis is at the show, he will be ready to take orders for more tractors. The price will be a bit higher than the $171,000 quoted for the 750 hp tractor in that first FARM SHOW article. “I’ve still got a good crew ready to build another one if someone wants it,” says Curtis.
Rite tractors were introduced 40 years ago. One of the biggest models, nicknamed the Earthquake, will be on display this summer at the Half Century of Progress Show in Rantoul, Ill. “A new Rite 750 would be about $450,000 Curtis, 3401 5th Ave. N., Great Falls, Mont. today with all new components.” 59401 (ph 406 453-7707; cell 406 590-7707; Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dave ritebycurtis@msn.com).
He Turns Sawdust Into Nutritious Cattle Feed Instead of buying hay to feed his beef cattle last winter, Bob Batey fed them a blended feed of corn, vitamins, minerals and 70 percent sawdust. The 85-year-old inventor/entrepreneur is patenting the easy and inexpensive method he uses to treat sawdust to make it into a digestible and nutritious feed, and he’s devising a plan how he can share it with others. Between January and April he fed more than 50 tons of sawdust to his 40+ cow and bull herd at a cost of $1.40/day/cow. “My cattle gained weight through the winter,” Batey says.
Despite some skeptics who say sawdust has low feed value, Batey’s veterinarian confirms that the Angus and Charolais cattle are healthy and happy from the sawdust blend, and calving season went well. According to Wisconsin and Missouri lab testing, the sawdust has 13 to 14 percent protein. Batey ran informal tests of his own, putting out bales of hay, then filling the feed bunk with the sawdust blend. The cattle moved from the hay to the feed. He first recognized sawdust as a feed option in the 1970’s when he watched cattle eating the sludge runoff from a paper mill in
Lift Assist Kit For Pickup Tailgates
Indiana. The farmer who owned the cattle was upset about it and told Batey he was thinking of suing the mill. When the farmer mentioned his cattle had been eating it for two years, Batey recognized an opportunity and suggested the farmer buy more cows instead. Batey started experimenting and used nitric acid and heat to treat sawdust. In order for it to be digestible, the lignin that is wrapped around the cellulose of the wood has to be broken down. Once freed, the cellulose provides high food value. Batey fed his cattle sawdust through the late 70’s but, when feed was cheap, he discontinued the project. Later, he built his own sawmill near Mount Pleasant, Iowa. With high hay prices last year and sawdust available from the sawmill, Batey decided to experiment with sawdust feed again. He came up with a simple solution, but until the patent is finalized, he isn’t giving away details. He does say that any wood – except walnut
– is safe for cattle. It must be finely ground, like the sawdust from a band saw. “Grinding up tree limbs would be even better than sawdust. The cambium would provide more food value. It would have to be ground up fine and kept at high moisture,” Batey says. He adds that his treatment would also work on cornstalks. His method has attracted the attention of Iowa State University extension beef specialists who are working with cornstalks. While Iowa typically has plenty of feed, Batey says feeding sawdust – that is often wasted – is an option that would work anywhere cattle feed is in short supply. “I don’t plan to keep this a secret,” Batey says. He welcomes letters from people who are interested. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Robert Batey, 2841 Kentucky Ave., Mount Pleasant, Iowa 52641 (Robert@bateyltd. com).
“It eliminates the struggle of opening or closing a heavy tailgate when you’re holding something,” says Brandon Parks, inventor of the GateGlide II. Like the gas spring that lifts hatchbacks, Parks figured out how to use a gas spring to slowly lower a tailgate and close it effortlessly. “It takes 90 to 95 percent of the weight off,” Parks says. The employee of Geno’s Garage, a Dodge/ Cummins parts distributor in Georgia, calibrated the gas spring to work on Dodge pickups (1994 to 2013). The $100 GateGlide II comes with directions where to drill two small holes in the tailgate and install mounting clamps on the truck bed’s sidewall lip. “I’m working on adapting it for other pickup models,” Parks says. “You have to get the gas spring right for the right weight of the Lift assist kit uses a gas spring to slowly lower pickup tailgate and close it efforttailgate and calibrate it to the pivot point.” lessly. He’s shipped the GateGlide II to a wide FARM SHOW’s growing library of books each focuses on a specific topic. variety of people in the U.S. and overseas. “It accessory mounts in the bumper with a flipopen, waterproof cover and a molded plug just make life easier for anyone who drives a pickup, whether it’s for work, travel or and cable that plugs directly into the engine heater. The plug is easy to access and hidden You’ve probably noticed that over the past few years, we’ve built up a library of books foeveryday use,” he says. cusing on specific topics from past issues of FARM SHOW. Most are the result of requests His other truck accessory also makes life when not in use. Both items can be purchased through from readers. When we enter the holiday season this fall, you might want to keep them in simpler. mind when shopping for your favorite rural tinkerer. You can get more details from the orThe Excelsior Block Heater Bumper Plug Geno’s Garage (www.genosgarage.com). Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Excelsior der envelope enclosed with this issue, or at our website (www.farmshow.com). By far our is specifically designed for Dodge (Cummins) diesel trucks (1994 to 2012). Instead of Works, Inc., P.O. Box 902, Cumming, Ga. most popular books are the two 482-page “Encyclopedias of Made It Myself Ideas”. They having an engine heater plug hanging out the 30028 (ph 800 755-1715; valhalla813@ sell for just $14.95 apiece or $26.95 for both (nearly 1,000 pages of great ideas!) plus S&H. front bumper in the winter, Park’s $50 plug yahoo.com; www.excelsiorworksusa.com). Thanks for giving us a look! 1-800-834-9665 • editor@farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • www.farmshow.com• vol. 37, no. 4 FARM SHOW • 33
Is Your FARM SHOW Library Complete?
Rebuilt Bogie Wheels “Outlast Original Equipment” Replacing worn-out rubber on a bogie wheel with cast urethane makes the wheels last longer and costs half the price of a new one. Cast urethane can be formulated as hard or as soft as needed, says John Green, Jr. at Green Rubber-Kennedy Ag. He says they’ve found a formulation that works for the idler wheels on major brand track tractors. “We’ve been doing them for about 10 years, and they hold up better than the originals,” he says. “Some of our early customers were skeptical, but they are still running those first rebuilds years later. They have saved countless dollars.” The savings are substantial. Rebuilds with urethane run $310 to $368, depending on wheel style. New replacements can run twice that. Green says rebuilding the bogie wheels was a natural move for the parts distribution company. Among the services they offer are high-speed vulcanizing, fabrication and custom urethane casting. “We’ve been in the urethane casting business for about 23 years,” he says. “We do custom rollers, sprockets and more. We
would see piles of worn out bogie wheels at customers’ farms. They would scrap them out or just dump them.” The company discovered they could strip away the old rubber and sandblast the metal to a shine, cast the urethane and send them back as good as new. Green says the material is extremely versatile, abrasion resistant and crack-resistant. “We’ve made replacement paddles for mechanical grape harvesters,” he says. “The originals are made from acrylic, are brittle and shatter. Ours are rigid, but you can bend a piece of urethane, and it will flex back.” Green says they have made wiper blades, mounting brackets, all sorts of rubber and plastic replacement items out of urethane. “If you have something with rubber that is wearing out, give us a call,” says Green. “We may have a solution.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Green Rubber-Kennedy Ag, 1310 Dayton St., Salinas, Calif. 93901 (ph 831 753-6100 or 800 273-2464; sales@greenrubber.com; www.greenrubber.com).
Worn-out rubber on bogie wheels can be replaced with cast urethane, which will make the wheel last longer and costs half as much as buying a new one, says Green RubberKennedy Ag.
T-Post “Staple” Allows Side-To-Side Movement This new T-post “staple” holds a strand of barbed wire in position near the post, but still allows side-to-side movement if it’s bumped or stretched. The patented steel post attachment is made from high-tensile galvanized wire and forms a loop in the middle. You clip the staple onto one side of the post and then use a pliers to bend it around the back side of the post. No special tools are needed. “It lets you tighten the wire without having to loosen or remove the clip, which solves a big problem when repairing, replacing, or installing barbed wire fencing,” says Richard Hendricks, Box T Brand, LLC. “T-posts don’t rot or burn and are cheaper and faster than wooden posts. But you can’t tighten the wire without having to walk the length of the fence and remove each clip. The Steel Post Staple allows the barbed wire to slip through so you don’t need to remove anything.” Hendricks sells T-Post staples for 20 cents apiece plus S&H. He says Box T Brand invites contacts from potential manufacturers, distributors, and licensees. Check out the website for more information, photos and videos. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Richard Hendricks, Box T Brand, LLC, 89195 476 Ave., Atkinson, Neb. 68713 (ph 402 3406082; boxtbrand@live.com; www.boxtbrand. com).
Kit Eliminates Net Wrap Headaches You clip the staple onto one side of post and then use a pliers to bend it around back side of post.
T-post “staple” is made from high-tensile galvanized wire and forms a loop in the middle.
Weedeater Fitted With Bicycle Wheel Spokes The spokes off old bicycle wheels work great on a weed eater in place of the original strings, says Darrel Adams, Salem, Ore. “They last much longer and are a lot tougher than the conventional plastic strings you find on most weed eaters,” says Adams, who notes that his brother Galen came up with the idea. Galen simply removes the original plastic strings and replaces them with the spokes, which he cuts to a 3-in. length. He sticks the spokes through the weedeater’s original string holes.
Kit resolves the net wrap malfunction on Case IH and New Holland balers, providing even tension on the brake arm that stops and cuts the wrap.
“Each spoke has a 90 degree bend and a knob at one end, so the spokes can’t fly out of the mounting holes as they’re being spun around. Centrifugal force keeps them on tight,” says Darrel. “You don’t want to cut the spokes too long or they could overpower the weedeater. However, if you have a weedeater with a lot of power you could probably use longer spokes.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Darrel Adams, 5356 Rodell Dr. S.E., Salem, Ore. 97317 (ph 503 540-5612 or 503 302-0369; trademill39@gmail.com).
Scott Hintz resolved the net wrap malfunction on his new Case IH 564 model round baler. His fix worked so well that he now makes and sells kits to other frustrated New Holland BR7000 and Case IH RB400 and 500 series baler owners. What Hintz and others ran into is a tendency for the brake arm that stops and cuts the wrap to fail. This usually happens toward the end of the roll of net wrap, when it could still wrap another 15 to 20 bales. When it goes out of adjustment, the netting can get wrapped around the pto. If the operator doesn’t stop quickly enough, it can take out the seal and wreck the gearbox. “The arm with the sensor wrap counts the number of rotations as the bale is wrapped,” explains Hintz. “When the preset number is reached, it’s supposed to engage the brake arm.” Hintz separates the shaft that connects the brake arm to the wrap sensor arm. This allows the two arms to work independently of each other. “My kit provides even tension on the arm and eliminates the problem,” says Hintz.
Can’t Get Enough FARM SHOW? Join thousands of your fellow readers who’ve already ordered a copy (or copies) of our latest “Encyclopedia of Made It Myself Ideas - Vol. II”. As one reader told us, it’s the “best bargain in farming”. Use the enclosed order form, go to www. farmshow.com, or call us at 800 834-9665 to order.
34 • FARM SHOW • vol. 37, no. 4 • www.farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • editor@farmshow.com • 1-800-834-9665
“Case New Holland (CNH) has had the problem since 2007, but has never changed anything to resolve it. I’ve tried to talk to them about the solution. They know what I’ve developed, but they haven’t changed a thing. “One Case IH dealer in my area has me install my kit in every baler he sells,” says Hintz. “I know of several BR7000 owners who out of frustration switched to other brands because of the company’s failure to resolve the malfunction. This is a $5,000 option that farmers and ranchers purchase, and it doesn’t work consistently.” Hintz says his kit offers an economical fix to the problem and will greatly increase the performance of the baler. He’s in the final stages of his patent approval and has sold around 70 kits. Call Hintz for pricing and for detailed instructions about installation. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Scott Hintz, 221 3rd St., Yale, S. Dak. 57386 (ph 605 599-2216; cell 605 354-3178; lhintz@ santel.net).
Stalk Chopper Mounts On New Idea Corn Picker There are still plenty of New Idea pull-type corn pickers around. Owners can save time and money by fitting them with the new Chop Rite stalk chopper unit from Miller Machine Shop. It lets you pick corn and chop stalks in one pass. The system is available for both one and two-row pickers. “The stalk chopping systems mount under the picker and are powered by a belt drive from the picker gearbox,” explains Joseph Helmuth, Miller Machine Shop. “It’s good to have some mechanical experience, and you need a welder if you are installing it yourself.” The four carrying brackets need to be
welded in place. Once the bearings are assembled, the entire unit is hung on the brackets. “A 50 hp tractor should provide plenty of power for both the picker and chopper,” says Helmuth. “It’s built for years of dependability with reversible flail knife blades with two edges and powder-coated finish. We designed it so it would be easy to service.” The one-row model 3231 is priced at $1,200, and the two-row model 3262 is priced at $2,500. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Miller Machine Shop, 2028 Beech Rd., Nappanee, Ind. 46550 (ph 574 773-2900).
Chop Rite stalk chopper mounts under New Idea pull-type corn pickers and is beltdriven off the picker gearbox.
He Specializes In Brooms, Squeegees We recently spotted an ad for a “Mean Mule Broom” in a farm publication that covers South Dakota and surrounding areas. Described as “the ultimate push broom”, it’s designed for sweeping aeration floors on grain drying bins, and for aggressive cleaning of dirt and gravel on shop floors. The broom is equipped with 4 1/4-in. long polystyrene bristles and is available with heads up to 36 in. wide. Turns out this broom is just one of many offered by Topper Tastad, a distributor out Bolt-on, one-piece Power Brace assemblies of Groton, S. Dak., who calls his company strengthen broom handle and lengthen it “Dakota Brush”. Working out of a 1992 by 3 in. Dodge Dakota 1/2-ton pickup with more than 400,000 miles on it, he sells a wide variety of One broom called the Shopkeeper is Workers on a Virginia farm use this offset bale unroller to spread hay that’s used as brooms made by Harper Brush Works out of designed to go right over grease and oil Fairfield, Iowa, including car wash brushes without absorbing them. The center of the mulch between vegetable rows. and squeegees. He also sells heavy-duty broom head is equipped with somewhat stiff, scoop shovels called the Bully that are made fine diameter polyprylene bristles that sweep by an Amish company. up dust. “This broom won’t absorb oil like a Ag extension workers came up with plans for After using the unroller, Plaksin and his “I sell only the very best products, and broom equipped with soft tip bristles will,” an offset bale unroller that’s been a valuable wife, Rachel, knew they needed to make a these companies have them,” says Topper. says Topper. addition to Waterpenny Farm in Sperryville, unit of their own. Each season they unroll “You can go to any store and buy a 24-in. He says a model called the Super Sweep Va., where workers spread hay for a mulch more than 200 bales on 8 acres. push broom. What I’m selling are big 36 and 74 works great for sweeping rough blacktop between vegetable rows. They downloaded Wilhoit’s free plans and 42-in. brooms and squeegees that are ideal for parking areas. “The bristles are finer in Round bales (4 by 5-ft.) fit perfectly hired a local welder to put it together. With today’s large farm shops. They cost more but diameter than on the Mean Mule, but still between the rows, says co-owner Eric Plaksin. labor and all new materials, the total cost was are worth it.” have a lot of flicking action to dig down into But anyone who has rolled a bale by hand $2,070. Push Brooms rough surfaces,” says Topper. knows that bales don’t always roll straight The hydraulic top link is necessary to Topper says all the brooms he sells are Car Brushes and can be difficult to push. John Wilhoit, adjust the length to keep the implement designed for a specific purpose. “Some of His car brushes come with X-shaped nylex extension specialist from the University of from dragging on the ground as the bale gets my soft, fine-bristled brooms will get your fiber bristles that offer structural strength, yet Kentucky, came up with the tractor-pulled smaller. shop floor clean enough that you can lay a also have a lot of surface to hold the washing bale unroller after he heard Plaksin and his The blueprints are available free at http:// sandwich on the floor and not be afraid to solution. The nylex bristles provide more wife speak at a farming conference. Wilhoit jokko.bae.uky.edu/ext/Specialty_Crops/ eat it. Others have rougher bristles designed surface area to hold more washing solution, even brought his prototype to Waterpenny plans.htm. to pick up gravel, and then there are those in and they rinse clean. The fiber comes in 8 Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, between. Which broom to use depends on and 10-in. straight blocks and 10-in. tri-level, Farm to demonstrate last year. The tractor straddles the garden row as the implement Wa t e r p e n n y F a r m , 5 3 Wa t e r p e n n y whether your floor is wet or dry or has heavy with or without end bristles. unrolls the bale between rows. One person Lane, Sperryville, Va. 22740 (540 987- mud, dust, or a lot of grease and oil on it.” Squeegees walks behind to make sure the hay comes off 8567; waterpenny@verizon.net; www. Aeration bin floors are difficult to sweep, “This squeegee will pick up whatever is waterpennyfarm.com). correctly. but the Mean Mule broom can handle them, on the floor, including every bit of moisture, says Topper. “With conventional push brooms as well as sand and mud. It leaves the floor the bristles get stuck in the floor’s aeration clean and dry,” says Topper. “I like to say the holes. The Mule’s polystyrene bristles are squeegee’s curved ends help ‘keep poop in a large enough to slide right over the holes, and group’, and at 3 1/2 in. tall it’s high enough resilient enough to flick the material forward to push through deep mud.” as soon as you draw the broom back. They Sells for $83. throw the material 8 to 10 ft. in front of you Shovels with each stroke.” He says his Bully and Bull scoop shovels His brooms are available with bolt-on, one- are the only aluminum scoop shovels made in piece Power Brace assemblies that strengthen the U.S. “The Bully is 5 times stronger than the handle and lengthen it by 3 in. “Grain a conventional shovel, yet it’s more flexible. elevator managers have told me you can The Bull is 8 times stronger. The top back side drive a semi truck over Power Brace brooms of the shovel is bent to keep the shovel’s neck without breaking them,” says Topper. from kinking from side to side. The shovels He also sells a smaller 9-in. wide broom can be equipped with stainless steel wear for aeration bins that’s called the Millhouse. strips. “A lot of farmers tell me they can’t It’s designed to sweep material away from find a good shovel any more. These shovels bolt heads that extend inside the bin, where are designed right and will last a long time,” the bottom ring bolts down to a flange on the says Topper. They sell for $47 to $72. bin floor. “By setting the broom at an angle it Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dakota can easily reach under the bolt heads,” says Brush, 104 N. Main St., Groton, S. Dak. Topper. 57445 (ph 800 700-2709 or 605 380-5131; A Mean Mule equipped with a 30-in. head www.topperswebsite.com). Tractor straddles the garden row as the implement unrolls bale between rows. sells for $63. 1-800-834-9665 • editor@farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • www.farmshow.com• vol. 37, no. 4 FARM SHOW • 35
Offset Unroller Speeds Up Row Mulching
Ronald Post, Celina, Ohio: “To remove a stubborn bearing from a shaft, I come in sideways with an air hammer where the set screw is. The screw will pop out and split the collar. This is a far better way than using a torch. Wear safety goggles because the pieces can shoot out.”
Robert Boddy, Bloomingfield, N.Y.: “I mounted an electric generator to the base of a push lawn mower. It makes moving the generator from place to place much easier. Real handy.” Michael Bulatko, Belington, W. Va.: “I use turpentine to loosen stuck or rusted bolts, nuts or parts. Costs a lot less than penetrating oils.” Paul Seward, Wray, Colo.: “I often use a squirt of ether to get older engines started. I’ve found that warm ether ignites much better than cold. Makes a lot of difference. Engine just comes alive right away. Cold ether is more caustic to the metal surfaces. In the winter, just keep your cans somewhere warm rather than outside in a cold shop.” Anonymous, Richmond, Va.: “Bar chain oil for my chainsaw is about $25 a gallon. So I use old motor oil. After I change oil in a car or truck, I let the oil sit for a day or so in the sun and then pour off the top 3/4 of the jug to use in my chainsaw. The lubricating properties of the oil are still plenty good for a saw.” Chad Travis, Drasco, Ark.: “I made a wheeled bucket stand for a local auto garage. It’s designed to support a 5-gal. bucket of fluid 3 1/2 ft. off the floor, which makes pumping fluid into gearcases a much easier job when the vehicle is up on a lift. One person can hold the hose in the gearcase fill hole and pump in fluid, without having to reach down to the floor. “The stand’s center support is made from
a 2-ft. length of pipe welded to an angle iron base. The bucket rests in a tray made from 1-in. angle iron and 10-ga. sheet metal. The back support is made from 1/4 by 1-in. flat strap bent in a half circle. “You just roll it under the vehicle. The raised stand makes the bucket much easier to reach than if it was on the floor.” Myron Ashcraft, Gold Beach, Ore.: “Here’s a quick, simple way to air up tubeless tires. Jack the wheel up to clear the ground. Wrap a loop of steel cable on a come-along
CORRECT around the tire and through a heavy-duty washer. Hook both ends of the come-along in opposite directions and in line with the centerline of the tire. When it goes through the washer this way it’ll form an X. “Then use the come-along to squeeze the tire until it seals to the rim. Fill the tire with 10 to 15 lbs. of air before releasing the comealong.”
Reuben Miller, Nappanee, Ind.: When he bought a load of concrete forms, the old enclosed semi trailer that delivered them came with the deal. They removed one wall and created a shelf inside the remaining shell, mounted on an angle iron frame. The heavy-
Heated, carbide cutting blade slices away rounded edges on worn tire treads to boost traction.
“Tread Cutter” Boosts Tire Traction “We don’t recommend the Tread Doctor for tractors or other big equipment tires, but it works great on motorcycles, ATV’s, cars and light duty truck tires,” says Kevin Schulte, Hardline Products. Over time, aggressive tire treads round off, reducing traction. The Tread Doctor was developed to keep knobby tires on dirt bikes sharp. However, as Schulte suggested, the device works equally well on maintaining tread on any traction tire. Its heated, carbide cutting blade quickly slices away the rounded edge, returning the sharp edge needed to grab the soil. “The Tread Doctor can extend the useful
life of your tires,” says Schulte. “With a little practice, you can cut off the minimal amount of rubber needed to regain traction.” The Tread Doctor comes with its own holding stand and runs on 110V AC. It’s priced at $59.99. It’s also available with a second brass head and 10 replacement blades for custom designing knobby patterns in the face of treads. It’s priced at $79.99. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Hardline Products, 677 Cochran St., Simi Valley, Calif. 93065 (ph 805 581-4700; sales@hardlineproducts.com; www. hardlineproducts.com).
®
Money-Saving Repairs & Maintenance Shortcuts Have you come up with any unusual money-saving repair methods for fixing farm equipment? What maintenance shortcuts have you found? Have you had any equipment recalled by the factory? Name a particularly tough mechanical problem you’ve had with a piece of equipment and how you solved it. These are a few of the questions we asked randomly selected FARM SHOW readers. If you have a repair tip, maintenance shortcut, or other mechanical experience you’d like to share, send details to: FARM SHOW, P.O. Box 1029, Lakeville, Minn. 55044 or email us at: editor@farmshow.com. Mark Newhall, Editor duty shelf works great for holding skidsteer attachments and bulky or heavy parts. They removed the wheels from the trailer. David Clark, Rome, Penn.: “My septic tank is more than 30 years old, and I was worried the tank would soon rust out and fail. I didn’t want to spend thousands of dollars to replace it. Also, according to the law here I would have had to install a new sand mound at a cost of about $6,000, as well as a new pump. So to save money I had the tank pumped out. Then I lined the entire inside of the tank with mobile home vinyl skirting which I bought at a mobile home supply store. “The skirting comes in 12-ft. long, 13-in. wide panels which slide together. I used a saw to cut the panels down to fit the 5-ft. deep tank. Then I drilled holes in the panels, slid them together, and screwed them to the tank, bypassing the tank’s metal baffles. My son handed the skirting down to me and I screwed it on. The job took about 2 1/2 hours. “It turned out the tank was still in pretty good condition, but I’m glad I added the vinyl skirting. It won’t rust or rot and should greatly extend the tank’s life. “It was a messy, smelly job, but then I’m 83 years old and my smeller isn’t as good as it used to be so it wasn’t so bad. I bought 5 sheets of mobile home skirting at $12 per sheet and paid $220 to have the tank pumped out.” Mike Kellett, Sublette, Kan.: “When the rechargeable batteries on a power tool go bad, I take the tool apart and solder a coiled cord to the contacts inside the handle. I have a oneway plug in my pickup bed that’s connected to the battery, and I also carry a garden tractor battery with the same plug to make it more portable. A fully charged battery will last for days of hard use. I’ve found that 12, 14, 16, and 18-volt tools all work well on automotive 12-volts. “I use my leaf blower constantly in the shop to dry spills, sweep in hard-to-reach places, clean out combines and tractor cabs, blow dirt off clothing, dry paint and even to discourage stray cats and other varmints that wander into the shop. I also use it to dry out wet boots, and to pull noxious fumes away from me when welding galvanized steel.” George Kronbach, Yulee, Fla.: “My 1988 Chevrolet 3500 diesel pickup would start only if I sprayed ether in the air intake.
36 • FARM SHOW • vol. 37, no. 4 • www.farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • editor@farmshow.com • 1-800-834-9665
I got tired of having to remove the air filter cover and trying to re-install it on a running diesel engine. To solve the problem, I drilled a 1/2-in. dia. hole in the air filter and then installed a tire valve without the core. Now I simply take the cap off the tire valve, insert the straw supplied with the can of ether, and spray. I don’t have to take off the air filter cover at all. “I use Amsoil products in the same pickup and installed the company’s dual remote bypass oil filter system. It traps the extremely small, wear-causing contaminants that fullflow filters can’t remove. Now I can go about 25,000 miles between oil changes. Saves time and money and the oil stays clean.” Marvin Hammer, Bartow, Fla.: “Over the years I’ve used JB Weld to repair many items, most recently a cellphone antenna that broke off from the case. I’ve also used JB Weld to repair a plastic wand that broke on a pump-up sprayer, and an aluminum condenser pipe on an air conditioner unit that was leaking.” Clinton Keeney, Creighton, Mo.: “I couldn’t find wheel weights for my Ford 4000 tractor, and I didn’t want to fill the tires with fluid. Instead, I found some bar bell weights that were the right size and welded an 18-in. length of pipe to the wheel, slid the weights on and put three bolts through the pipe and wheel rim so they wouldn’t slide off.” Allen Dilg, Gurnee, Ill. (ardilg@yahoo): “We do a lot of tractor restorations and came up with an easy way to get rid of crud in a vehicle’s fuel tank. Open the drain on the carburetor, and the fuel should run out in a full stream. If it doesn’t, find a 3/8-in. pipe plug, a coffee can, and a piece of fine brass screen measuring about 1 1/2 in. wide by 2 1/2 in. long. Place the coffee can under the fuel tank and remove the sediment bowl assembly which will let some fuel run out of the carburetor and flush out the crud. Then install the pipe plug. “Clean out the sediment bowl and reinstall the screen in the top part of the sediment bowl. Put Teflon pipe-thread sealant on the pipe threads and reinstall the sediment bowl assembly. Then after letting the gas set for a while you can pour it back into the tank. “I’ve used this method many times with
Money-Saving Repairs & Maintenance Shortcuts good results. It works a lot faster and easier than removing the fuel tank and then pressure washing it.” Ecobust, Las Vegas, Nevada (ph 888 509-2420, www.ecobust.com): This company says it offers a quiet, safe way to remove concrete. Ecobust is a powder which, when mixed with water and poured into pre-drilled holes, expands to break up the concrete into clumps. There’s no noise, vibration or dust. Just drill several 1 1/2in. dia. holes about 85 percent through the slab and fill them with the Ecobust-water mixture. The non-toxic powder can be washed away and is biodegradable. Comes in 11 and 44-lb. buckets.
Farmall Filter Adapter
1/2-in. socket drive
David R. Matthews, Welland, Ont.: “To make a universal wheel wrench, simply weld a 1/2-in. socket drive to one end of the wrench. Comes in handy for working on all kinds of farm machinery and wagons. Of course, the idea works with any size socket.” Mark Vimont, Independence, Ore.: “I was doing a job where I needed both ends of my flarenut wrench at once. Buying another wrench would have cost $19. So I just cut the wrench in two and then slid pieces of steel tubing onto the stubs. Worked great.” Curtis Footh, Stanley, N. Dak.: “I used Deere baler belting to make a loader-mounted sling. Works great for maneuvering vehicles up onto my service rack. It’s similar to the slings found on old auto wreckers and is built strong – it’ll lift a 2 1/2-ton truck with no problem.
“Several years ago I acquired some old Purolator PER-3 spin-on oil filters from a service station that was closing. I had to make an adapter so I could use them on my Farmall A tractor,” says Richard Rice, Waverly, Tenn. The threads in the PER-3 filter were 3/4-in. fine thread, while the Farmall engine fitting was 1/2-in. coarse thread. The Farmall used a partially hollow bolt to hold an old elementstyle element in place, with oil flowing through the bolt and into the filter. To make an adapter, Rice cut 9/16 in. off the threaded end of a 1/2-in. coarse-threaded bolt and 3/4 in. from the threaded end of a 3/4-in. fine-threaded bolt. Then he brazed the cut ends together and bored a 3/16-in. hole through the entire assembly. The 3/16-in. hole is the same size as the one in the bolt that held the old element-style filter in place. “You could use the same idea on other types of spin-on filters by making adapters to fit their threads,” says Rice. “A potential problem is that the face area where the filter’s rubber gasket makes contact may be a little rough and not make a tight
To make adapter Rice cut the threaded end off two different size bolts, then brazed the cut ends together and bored a hole through entire assembly. seal. To prevent that from happening, I smear some silicone on the filter gasket, which makes a good seal. I’ve used these filters for 10 years now with no problems,” notes Rice. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Richard A. Rice, 211 E. Railroad St., Waverly, Tenn. 37185 (ph 931 296-3491; cell 931 622-6285).
C.F. Marley, Nokomis, Ill.: “You can cut small squares of rubber out of a tire’s sidewall by using a wood chisel and a wood The Kwik Jak comes in handy if you spend block. Just insert a 2 by 4 under the part you a lot of time in an off-road vehicle on your want to cut. You can also use a sabre saw by farm or ranch. Small and lightweight, it can first drilling a hole through the rubber.” be tucked in a small place, ready to use should Richard Duane, 311 Congressional you get a flat tire. Drive, Stevensville, Md. 21666 (ph 410 It’s also simple to use, says Trent Kirby, 643-2899): If you’ve been online looking for project and marketing manager for Baja older Deere parts lately, you know that often Designs, Inc., the California company that the parts you need are no longer available. manufactures and sells Kwik Jak. One such part is the water pump rear cover While developed mostly for off-road plate on Deere 420, 430 and 440 tractors. racers, it’s handy for anyone with vehicles Many times the plate is rusted through. The up to small 4-WD pickups. It works like a Maryland Two Cylinder Club is making this “A pipe across the bottom with steel hooks bottle jack. Align it on the axle, adjust the part available. It’s laser cut and made in the on it attaches to the vehicle’s frame. Vertical height, and thread a CO2 cartridge into the U.S. for $36 plus $6 S&H. strips of 1-ft. wide, 3-ft. long baler belting jack. That breaks the seal, releases the CO2 MDI Products, 36 Hovey Rd., Monson, form the sides, with more belting and chain and lifts the jack. Slip in a pin to hold it in Kwik Jak uses a CO2 cartridge lift instead of a crank handle. Mass. 01057 (ph 866 213-0772; www. hooks on top. place. mo-deck.com): Grass has a tougher time Baja Design sells Kwik Jak for $299.95 Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Baja “I mounted an old motorhome generator building up under mower on a homemade wheeled cart to make a with two CO2 cartridges. Replacement Designs, Inc., 185 Bosstick Blvd., San decks treated with Moportable power unit. The generator is bolted cartridges come in a four-pack for $27.95, or Marcos, Calif. 92069 (ph 800 422-5292; Deck aerosol undercoat, www.bajadesigns.com). to an angle iron frame with a metal loop on they can be purchased from other vendors. says the company. It keeps top, allowing me to lift it into the back of my wet grass from sticking to the deck and greatly reduces the need to do any power washing or scraping to get the deck and blades clean. The product creates a Toolbox travels slick, non-stick surface on 2 aluminum rails that clamp to ideal for build-up areas, top of pickup bed. including the mower’s blower housing and Four wheel bearing chute. An 11-oz. aerosol can sells for $7.95 rollers are mounted plus S&H. under toolbox. M a r k Ya x , pickup. The gas tank is off an old outboard Valmark Tool and motor and sets inside a cradle, making it easy Machine, Solon, to keep fresh gas in the tank. An electric fuel Ohio: “I made pump is clamped to the tank’s handle and this welding cart wired to the battery. The generator is out of for my Lincoln a Dodge motorhome and has a 3,000-watt M i g w e l d e r. I output. bought a surplus 2-wheeled tank Tools are always at your fingertips with this over-center cam. cart for $26 and new traveling toolbox that lets your toolbox “Your toolbox moves easily on the rollers added two rolled roll to the back of the pickup for easy access. toward the back of the pickup bed. The rails rings made from “It brings your tools to you so you don’t are positioned so the toolbox clears the wheel tubing to hold the have to climb up into the pickup to get to wells,” says Miller. “It’s still in the prototype gas cylinder. Then stage and I don’t have anything for sale yet. them,” says inventor Orville Miller. I made supports for the welder out of 1-in. His Easy Roll toolbox kit consists of 2 I think my idea would work on any toolbox sq. tubing and bolted the welder to them. I aluminum rails that clamp on top of the as long as it clears the wheel wells.” also wanted to store welding supplies on “I made a dumpster out of an old fuel pickup bed, 4 wheel bearing rollers that Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, the cart so I bought a 16 by 24-in. electrical enclosure, made some metal shelves, and tank. It stands on wood blocks and I hinged mount under the toolbox, and a pair of metal Miller Equipment & Mfg., 1519 13th St., welded them to the cart’s frame. I use the the top 1/4 of the tank, putting a handle to pins on brackets that hold the toolbox in place Clarkfield, Minn. 56223 (ph 320 669-4628; shelves to store extra wire spools, tips, tools, lift it. Metal rails tack-welded to to top edge at the back of the bed. The toolbox locks into millerequipmentinc@gmail.com). reinforce the tank and cover the sharp edges.” position by inserting the pins into slots on an helmet, gloves and so on.” 1-800-834-9665 • editor@farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • www.farmshow.com• vol. 37, no. 4 FARM SHOW • 37
CO2 Cartridge Lifts This Handy Jack
“Easy Roll” Toolbox For Pickups
Money-Saving Repairs & Maintenance Shortcuts
Marv Rubingh converted his 23-ft. tall, 62-ft. dia. Slurrystore into a shop complete with a Schweiss bifold door and barn steel roof.
Measuring 16 ft. high and 20 ft. wide, bifold door is complete with windows and a walk door.
He Set Up Shop Inside Old Slurrystore Marv Rubingh converted his 23-ft. tall, 62-ft. dia. Slurrystore into a shop. Built in 1979, it was still structurally sound. Rubingh started thinking about converting it even before he stopped using it for manure storage. “Two years ago I bought an outside wood boiler for the house, but with enough capacity to heat the shop as well. So I decided to get to work,” says Rubingh. The conversion was relatively simple. He used a circle saw with a metal cutting blade to cut out a 16-ft. high, 20-ft. wide doorway. Rubingh reinforced the cut edge with steel columns and the top with a steel I beam. He mounted a Schweiss bifold door with windows and a walk door in the opening. Rubingh had leftover steel trusses set aside. When he measured them, he discovered they would fit the shop perfectly. To prepare for
the trusses, he cut 2 by 8’s and mounted them to the sidewalls where each of the 19 trusses would intersect the sidewalls. “I read an article in FARM SHOW that gave me the idea,” says Rubingh. “They serve as support columns under each truss. I also mounted 2 by 8’s around the circumference of the shop.” Hanging the trusses was the trickiest part of the process. Rubingh cut them to the right angle and then cut a 3-ft. long, 9-in. dia. steel pipe to use as a center collar. He used a manlift and a telescoping forklift to set each truss in place. He welded them to the collar and secured them to the sidewall. Once they were all in place, he reinforced the center with a second steel ring welded to the underside of the trusses. “We covered the trusses with barn roof
Blow-By Reservoir Keeps Engines Clean
steel, running a peak ridge cap down every track where they joined,” says Rubingh. To insulate the shop, Rubingh sprayed the walls and ceiling with insulated foam. He had already covered the existing floor with Styrofoam for a heat barrier. On top of that, he laid 4 in. of concrete with water lines for in-floor heat. “We connected it to the boiler, but we haven’t needed heat yet,” says Rubingh. “We’ve only done a few jobs in there this spring, but it will be a nice place to work this winter.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Marv Rubingh, 8022 Rubingh Rd., Ellsworth, Mich. 49729 (ph 231 588-6084; mrubingh@ torchlake.com).
He cut the trusses to the right angle and then cut a 3-ft. long, 9-in. dia. steel pipe to serve as a center collar (above). A telescoping forklift was used to set each truss in place.
Powerful Vac Mounts On Shop Wall
“It’s ridiculously powerful,” says David George Muth keeps a clean engine, thanks Stern, at Metropolitan Vacuum Cleaner in part to his Blow-by Reservoir. Without Company, Inc., about the Vac ‘N’ Blo PRO it, blow-by oil collects under engines, drips system. “Nobody has this much power in onto roadways and collects at intersections. such a lightweight vacuum. And it’s made “I used to see the oil under my engine and in the U.S.” look for a leak,” says Muth, a professional The 4-hp unit is similar in power to carwash trucker. “I would change out gaskets and vacuums, but the PRO unit at $250 is portable seals, and the mess would come right back.” and handy for everyone from car detailers Realizing that it was the blow-by oil from and collectors to operators who want to keep the breather tube, Muth worked on a solution. trucks, tractors and equipment clean. One What he came up with was two aluminum accessory kit (AGB-3) includes attachments canisters with a hose from the breather tube to groom horses and other animals. outlet at the valve cover to the first and largest The rugged, all-steel canister vacuum uses canister. bags and can be mounted on a shop wall, “We can retrofit them to any large engine from farm tractors and construction George Muth keeps engines clean by using rolled in place on wheels or carried with a equipment to semi-tractors or anything else,” two aluminum canisters and a hose that shoulder strap. With a 12-ft. cord and 24 ft. of says Muth. “People that have them really like runs from the breather tube outlet at the hose and extension wands, it has a long reach. valve cover. Several attachments make it versatile enough them.” The pressurized oil and air enters the first Muth, who runs a 400 Cummins diesel over to reach in all kinds of nooks and crannies on canister and passes through a series of baffles the road. “Normally you’ll collect less than a variety of surfaces. Use the inflator adapter on the blower end to blow up inner tubes, with alternating size holes. As it cools, the oil 16 oz. of oil per oil change.” condenses, and 85 to 90 percent of the oil falls Muth designed the 6-in. diameter canisters blow debris out of a shed or blow-dry parts. Metropolitan is a family business that’s to the bottom. The air still containing minute for easy maintenance. A manual drain is traces of oil passes into the second chamber installed at the bottom of the 32-oz. capacity, been selling vacuums since 1939, Stern and through a washable filter that traps most 16-in. long reservoir canister. The second of the remaining oil. canister containing the washable filter is 9 “They are easy to install,” he says. “By the time the air exits the second in. long. A smaller system with 4-in. dia. “Everything is included in the kit except a chamber, the system has captured between canisters is available for pickups. That hose from the valve cover to the inlet on the 98 and 99 percent of the blow-by oil,” says reservoir is 9 in. long, and the filter canister canister and wire from the float to the warning Muth. is 6 in. long. light on the dash.” Oil captured in the second and smaller Muth says the systems are very durable. He Muth custom fabricates systems to order. chamber drains back to the first. A dash- has one that has been on an older truck since The price for the larger units runs from $400 mounted warning light notifies the driver 1998. He has only replaced the float in it once, to $500, depending on the cost of aluminum. when the larger canister needs to be emptied. and that was due to the wire on it corroding A pressure gauge for crankcase pressure is “I empty mine at every oil change,” says from exposure to road salt and weather. available as an option. 38 • FARM SHOW • vol. 37, no. 4 • www.farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • editor@farmshow.com • 1-800-834-9665
“No one else offers this much power in such a lightweight vacuum,” says David Stern about his company’s Vac ‘N’ Blo PRO system. says. The family takes pride in its tagline: Deliberately Made Better In The USA®. Check out the website for information on the Vac ‘N’ Blo PRO and other products and to locate a dealer in your area. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Metropolitan Vacuum Cleaner Company, Inc., 5 Raritan Rd., Oakland, N.J. 07436 (ph 201 405-2225 or 800 822-1602; www. metrovacworld.com; www.carvacexcellence. com). The Blow-by Reservoir can also save money and time, acting as an early warning system. He cites several test trucks where the reservoir filled too quickly and problems from a blown piston to a cracked block were found. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, George Muth, 36550 Bailey Rd., Pomeroy, Ohio 45769 (ph 740 591-4229; gmuth@eurekanet. com).
Money-Saving Repairs & Maintenance Shortcuts
Company’s Rebuilt Augers Work “Better Than New” Minnesota farmer Dennis Skaro says, “When metal augers have excessive wear, they need to be repaired or replaced or they’ll damage grain and cost you a bunch of money.” That’s why Skaro likes Princeton Flighting, an Illinois company that repairs augers with conventional helicoid flighting or its patented Super Edge™ flighting that’s up to 50 percent thicker at the exact location where the greatest wear occurs. The added strength is achieved through a patented cold rolling process that doesn’t add extra weight. Super Edge flighting is a major advance over standard helicoid flighting and can be incorporated without modifying existing auger specifications. The raised edge formed by Super Edge flighting is formed integrally during the manufacturing operation and isn’t just a strip attached with a secondary weld. This edge process improves auger performance because of greater wear resistance and gentler grain handling. The process combines dimensional precision with a high quality surface finish rolled to CEMA standards and OEM specifications. Flighting is 30 to 50 percent thicker at the main point of wear and the precise thickness gain depends on the flighting dimensions. Super-Edge flighting can be applied on left or right hand, standard pitch, short pitch, long pitch, cupped or ribbon augers from 3 to 40 in. in dia. The maximum flight diameter for
Strictly Diesel kit is designed to solve fuel line problems with older Ford Powerstroke engines.
After-Market Fuel System Solves Powerstroke Problems Princeton Flighting Corp. repairs augers with conventional helicoid flighting. Its Super Edge flighting is up to 50 percent thicker where the greatest wear occurs. conventional helicoid flighting application is 42 in. and the maximum strip thickness is 0.5 in. in coil form and 0.75 in. in bar form. The maximum flight diameter for a stainless steel auger is 30 in. and the maximum strip thickness is 0.25 in. The cost for flighting repair depends on the length and diameter of the auger. A price quote is provided by the company after specifications are given over the phone or on the company’s website. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Princeton Flighting Corp., P.O. Box 599, Princeton, Ill. 61356 (ph 815 872-1431; www.princetonflighting.com).
Babbitting Expert Says His Services Still In Demand Rod Gaffrey keeps busy doing every kind of Babbitt replacement, from tiny bearings for rods weighing a few ounces to rods that are 3 ft. long and weigh 75 lbs. He has done work on rare one-of-a-kind antique car engines, airplane engines and old V-8’s. “I have to be ultra careful with lots of the work I get,” says Gaffrey. “You can’t just go to a hardware or auto store for a replacement. They’re all pretty challenging.” Gaffrey started out in an automotive These 30 60 Mogul main bearings were rebaband diesel machine shop in 1970 bitted and finished to size. "If you don't heat a ladle before putting it and taught himself Babbitting as a sideline niche. He describes it as “learning by trial into molten Babbitt, the moisture in the pores and error.” He does rebabbitting of insert will make the Babbitt come out of the pot bearings, connecting rods, blocks and like lava from Mt. Vesuvius," says Gaffrey. cylinder sleeving as well as antique engine "It can blow the Babbitt right out of the pot. You have to get the ladle hot first to bake out repair. “There are absolutely no shortcuts. If you any moisture." That is one reason Gaffrey urges anyone try to rush it, you’ll have to do it over,” he says. “If you want to get rich, find another who tries working with Babbitt to wear occupation. If you want to get tested, then protective clothing and face shields. "When I see people on YouTube with no face shield Babbitting may be your thing.” Babbitt metal is a matrix of hard and soft or gloves, I wonder how stupid can they be." Gaffrey says he has done work for people materials. Used in bearings, as the shaft turns, the friction melts the soft material in 45 states, a number of Canadian provinces (usually tin, but can include lead), lubricating and a number of countries overseas. Because the shaft as it’s supported on the still-hard each job is unique, he says it’s hard to give materials. Gaffrey notes that Babbitt metal prices for what he does. "If you need Babbitt work done, give me a is still used commercially in large generators at hydroelectric dams and other heavy call with all the measurements and whatever information you have on the part," says equipment. He uses several grades of the alloy of tin, Gaffrey. "I have engine bearing books going copper, antimony and trace elements, but back to 1913, so between us, we can sort never uses lead. He buys and melts Babbitt through what is needed. " Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, for each job, heating it to 750° to 1,000°F depending on the alloy. Before doing it, he Gaffrey Babbitting, 12023 Bearingsmith cleans and dries the parts to be filled. That St., Deadwood, S. Dak. 57732 (ph 605 578includes heating any tool that will be used 1057; bearingsmith@yahoo.com; www. gaffreybabbitting.com). in the hot Babbitt.
Strictly Diesel has the answer to fuel line problems with older Ford Powerstroke engines. The company makes and markets the “Driven Diesel Regulated Return” fuel system kit that helps the engine run better and components last longer. “Our kit improves fuel flow and pressure, reduces noise and improves throttle response and economy,” says Dennis Schroeder, co-owner, Strictly Diesel. “We discovered over time that the more consistent flow and pressure also enhanced longevity of the injectors.” Schroeder says problems with the Powerstroke started when Ford switched to a dead-head fuel system in 1999. The only change Ford has made since to improve the fuel system is a change to a long lead injector. “I was part of an internet community in 2000 and 2001 that tested solutions and exchanged ideas on solving the problem better than Ford had done,” says Schroeder. “As a result, some of us started producing a quality kit for Powerstrokes. As the engines evolved to higher horsepower, we changed to match the bigger injectors and turbos.” The kit eliminates the dead-head stock fuel rails and provides adjustable fuel pressure. It ties the ends of the fuel rails through a bypass fuel pressure regulator. Larger, high-flow units that eliminate restrictive check valves replace stock fuel lines and banjo bolts.
Today the kit works as well on fromthe-factory engines as on 600 hp modified engines. The standard kits include CNC bent stainless steel tubing and braided Teflon hoses, custom stainless steel banjo bolts, a billet-aluminum adapter and a Fuelab pressure regulator. They range in price from $569.95 to $674.95. “Use of the kit eliminates the stock fuel pressure regulator assembly completely,” says Schroeder. “It’s an especially good investment for older engines as the components have aged. Installing a kit now will give an even better return than it would have when the engine was new.” Schroeder says shade tree mechanics should have no problem installing the kit themselves. Driven Diesel provides detailed directions with pictures. “It’s a detailed installation, and most plan to take a full day doing it,” says Schroeder. “The more experienced you are, the faster it will go.” Strictly Diesel also offers kits and components to convert 1994 to 1997 Ford Powerstroke truck engines over to electric fuel pumps. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Strictly Diesel, Inc., 621 W. Lone Cactus Dr., Phoenix, Arizona 85027 (ph 623 582-4404; www.strictlydiesel.com).
Adrian Flath made hangers for his vehicle hoist so he can pick up his riding mower by the wheels.
“Lift Hangars” Make Mower Maintenance Easier
“I wanted to lift my mower to clean the deck and do other maintenance,” says Adrian Flath of Evans Mills, N.Y. “So I made hangars to fit my lift and pick the mower up by its wheels.” He welded up two different sizes out of 2-in. angle iron to fit under the front and back tires. The other end of the hangar slips over the pads on his 12,000-lb. vehicle lift. “When I’m done, I pull the hangars off the lift so it doesn’t tie the lift up at all. They’re light and easy to store,” Flath says. “I could make hangars to use it for other equipment, too.” Flath has used the lift for two years to keep his zero-turn Ferris mower (with a 35 hp, 3-cylinder CAT engine) in tiptop shape. Besides cleaning the deck, it makes it easy to change the blades and make adjustments.
One end of hangar slips over pads on lift. “I’m taking good care of my mower so it will last a long time,” he says. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Adrian Flath, P.O. Box 125, Evans Mills, N.Y. 13637 (ph 315 629-4355).
1-800-834-9665 • editor@farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • www.farmshow.com• vol. 37, no. 4 FARM SHOW • 39
They Turn Ag Plastic Into Sidewalks By Dee Goerge, Contributing Editor The main thing is to keep all the same color plastic in each sack. The all-white plastic wrap is used for TERREWALKS sidewalks and must be separated in one bag, Smith says. The other important thing is to pack the bags so they have at least 400 lbs. in them to make it economically feasible to transport them by semi-trailer to Indiana or Missouri for processing. The process to manufacture TERREWALKS doesn’t require the plastic to be perfectly clean, but it needs to be fairly clean and dry, Findley says. Instead of leaving the plastic whole, farmers who store silage in plastic tubes cut off sections as they remove silage, let it dry, shake off excess dirt, and throw it in a supersack. “We’ve had very good participation,” Findley says. Carroll County farmers filled 70 bags for a load this spring and have been given more bags to fill. “We now have another of the original five counties, Tuscarawas, ready to ship the second semi trailer load, over 100 super sacks. Having a couple of committed businesses in each of the counties that have loading docks and can store the bags has been crucial to the success of the project in Ohio,” Findley says. Other states such as Wisconsin and Indiana have set up systems that fit their regions, Smith adds. “There are so many farmers and groups who want to be involved in this,” she says. “Our goal is to make it easy for them and solve a problem for them.” To make transportation less expensive
Plastic bale wrap, silage bags, bunker covers, row plastic, high tunnels, row hoop covers, plastic twine, netting, mesh, and seed bags. More and more plastic is being used on farms and it’s starting to pile up. That prompted a California company to come up with a new method to make plastic sidewalks out of all types of ag plastic. Lindsay Smith is CEO and Founder of TERRECON, Inc., based in Fountain Valley, Calif. With 30,000 lbs. of ag film, her company can make 24,000 sq. ft. of TERREWALKS®. The company has spent over two years working with plastic recyclers to overcome the challenges of processing plastic film. Plastic is collected at no charge and shipped to plants in either Indiana or Missouri. It’s a win/win option for farmers, says Bill Findley, who, along with friend Ken Grigsby, spearheaded a system that collects plastic from farmers in nine counties in Ohio: Carroll, Columbiana, Harrison, Jefferson, Tuscarawas, Ashland, Holmes, Stark and Wayne. With a grant to make brochures and get the word out to five counties, they set up a system, which continually evolved to make it more efficient — and they expanded into four more counties. Big 50 cu. ft. sacks that were previously used to transport grain or seed are distributed to farms, one for each different type of plastic. Farmers pick them up at designated businesses. On the farm they build frames to hold them open so they can be easily filled.
Big tote bags are provided to store and ship waste plastic. Each kind of plastic goes into its own bag. TERREWALK sidewalks (right) are made from all-white plastic. They last longer than concrete and will never break or crack, says company CEO Lindsay Smith. and more efficient she recommends setting up a collection point in conjunction with a facility that has a horizontal baler, whenever possible. Instead of baling individual pieces of plastic, the sacks are compressed and baled, which is much faster and cleaner. They are also easier to take apart when it’s time for processing. Smith suggests contacting Soil and Water Conservation Districts, state Agriculture Departments and universities, farm organizations and other groups for grants and assistance to start a local program. TERREWALK walkways last longer than concrete and never break or crack. Beginning in July, the black and white plastic will also
be processed into pelletized resin for use in other LDPE plastic products. For details on how to collect ag plastic in your area, contact Smith. As this issue went to press, TERRECON announced a new partnership with DCO Environmental & Recycling LLC to collect waste plastics from dairy farms across the country for processing at DCO facilities nationwide. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Lindsay Smith, TERRECON, Inc., 10061 Talbert Ave. 200, Fountain Valley, Calif. 92708 (ph 714 964-1400; www.terrecon.com; lindsay@ terrecon.com).
Got A Job For These Totes And Pails? Looking for low cost storage of feed, grain and other materials? Sky Group closeout wholesalers has it with 33-cu. ft. tubs and 3 1/2-gal. airtight pails. The tubs are recycled from use with food-grade powders, making them suitable for nearly any use. They’re available in minimum orders of four if shipped or one at the company. The pails are brand new and available in minimum orders of 50. “The tubs are heavy-duty, 1/2-in. thick plastic with covers,” says Tim Keehn, Sky Group, Inc. “The plastic is pvc, very rigid with very little flex. Farmers tell us they are more durable than wooden crates.”
Tubs measure 45 in. high and 45 by 36 in. and with lids, weigh 100 lbs. Keehn says tubs can be stacked three to four high when filled. Two spaces for lift forks run front to back at the base of each tub. The tubs sell for $500 when new. Sky Group is selling the 5 to 7-year old tubs for $100 each. The 26-ga. steel pails have locking lids at below wholesale price. They were designed to store dry powder, are 10 in. high and 12 in. in dia. and weigh 3 lbs. each. A lever lock fits over the lid for airtight storage. “The pails are high quality carbon steel with tin plating,” says Keehn. “They retail
Sky Group closeout wholesalers offers 3 1/2-gal., airtight steel pails (left) and heavyduty, 33 cu. ft. plastic tubs. for $29.99, but we are selling these for $5 each plus shipping.” Keehn says Sky Group has 2,500 pails available.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Sky Group, Inc., 2645 26th Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn. 55406 (ph 612 722-1200; www. skygroupcloseouts.com).
Heavy Duty Dump Trailers Cheaper Than Trucks “Dump trailers are a lot cheaper to own and capacity). The trailer has a 50-degree dump use than dump trucks,” says Bill Berkelmans, angle and 5,000-lb. per spindle load rating president of Berkelmans Welding and Manu- on a tandem axle walking beam suspension. facturing in Ontario, Canada. Bill’s company Pockets inside the box allow for side extenhas been making specialized trailers for 27 sions. The hydraulic tailgate lifts 3 ft. above years. “We build many different sizes and the box. types of trailers for farm and industrial apBerkelmans says their larger trailers can plications and sell them direct to customers also be used for grain. For that setup, an end throughout Canada and the U.S.” gate with a built-in grain chute is installed. Berkelmans farm trailers range in size from Tail lights are also added for extra safety on 2 to 20 tons for dirt, rock, shavings, silage, rural roads. The company also makes tilt and manure, etc. The trailers have all-metal load trailers, roll off systems, truck bodies frames and are built on tandem-axle walking and does custom manufacturing. Its unique beams that match the payload requirement. side dump float trailers are a combination All seams and posts are 100 percent welded. flatbed trailer on the back and a 6-ft. wide All metal is sandblasted, primed and painted by 8-ft. long by 20-in. deep side dump trailer in Deere green, International red or Kubota in the front. orange. Berkelmans dump trailers are marketed Dump mechanisms vary by trailer type and direct to customers rather than through size. The boxes are lifted by either under- dealers or distributors. They can be shipped body or telescopic cylinders. Hydraulic throughout Canada and the U.S. includcylinders vary in size and are matched to the ing Alaska. Videos of various models and trailer. Hydraulic hookups fit standard 2,500 complete specifications are shown on the psi tractor couplings. One-piece endgates company’s website. open and close with hydraulic cylinders. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, The popular 8-ton farm trailer measures Berkelmans Welding and Mfg., RR 7, 10 ft. long, 90 in. wide and 61 in. from the Aylmer, Ontario, Canada N5H 2R6 (ph 519 ground to the top of the box (170 cubic feet 765-4230; www.berkelmanswelding.on.ca). 40 • FARM SHOW • vol. 37, no. 4 • www.farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • editor@farmshow.com • 1-800-834-9665
Berkelmans trailers are custom-built with heavyduty hydraulic hoists and powered tailgates. “Dump trailers are a lot cheaper to own and use than dump trucks,” says Bill Berkelmans.
Don’t spend hundreds of dollars on a security system for your car or pickup when you can keep it theft-proof for less than $5 and a few minutes work. Every car today has an inertia switch on the fuel pump. It ensures the pump stops if there has been a crash. Sometimes it goes off if you hit too big a pothole. To turn it back on, you have to hit a switch. Sometimes the reset is inside under the dash. On my 1997 F-150, it’s under the passenger side of the dash. Once you find the wire that goes to the reset switch, splice in wire to a second switch. Mount that switch elsewhere under the dash or out of sight, but easily reached by the driver. If you have to leave your vehicle in a high theft area, hit the second switch. If someone tries to steal your car, they won’t be able to start it. (Ronald Krentz, 9108 S. Timberline Terrace, Inverness, Fla. 34452 ph 352 3410612)
This is a simple idea but it sure beats walking and stooping. I just carry a trigger-type “grabber” stick with me on my riding mower so I can pick up sticks and stones around the yard and toss them in the trailer. You can buy one of these grabber sticks for just a couple bucks at Walmart. (Jack Roberts, Zearing, Iowa)
When beavers cut sticks to make a dam, they choose straight, strong branches. We had a dam on a nearby creek so I used some of the sticks to tie our berry bushes to. They worked perfect. (Tom Gogerty, Madrid, Iowa) The handiest idea I’ve had lately, for the money, is making use of those mini solar-powered lights that you can buy to stick in the ground alongside sidewalks or landscaping. Instead of putting them in the ground, where they just get in the way of mowing, I attach them with metal screws to the rain gutter over the doorway or steps. I also attached one over our house number, which is attached to a tree. You can put them anywhere you need a little extra light. They have one or two rechargeable batteries in them that keep them lit overnight. (Eldon Reese, Jonesburg, Mo.) You had a story in the last issue about a fellow who uses a “stand up” pvc pipe to water newly planted trees. I’ve been using the same idea for several years, burying a pipe so the bottom end is next to the roots to water new plants. On top of the pipe I usually insert an upside
down plastic soda bottle with the bottom cut off to make a built-in. funnel. I tape it in place. Makes it easier to see how much water goes into the pipe. (Ben Parks, quincy443@yahoo.com)
the way it eliminates worm problems by killing them in the gut. Our vet was amazed to see that we have no fly problems despite our manure pile being just a few feet from our barn. It also enriches the garden or wherever you spread the manure. Diatameous earth can also be used as a dust in your garden to control soft-shelled insects. (Alton Eliason, Northford, Conn., altoneliason@comcast.net; ph 203 484-0277) I built this small ferris wheel from a pair of large dump rake wheels. I started with two rider seats and later added two more. A Teddy Bear rides in each seat.
Thank you for featuring the WonderFunnel in FARM SHOW (Vol. 37, No. 3). I’ve gotten more orders, feedback and interest on the article than I ever expected. You must have a very large circulation with very avid readers. Thanks again. You have been a great help to my start-up business. (Dale Hester, WonderFunnel, ph 405 613-7000; www.wonderfunnel. com) As a farmer and professional civil engineer, I was disturbed by your recent article about using old railroad flatbed cars as bridges. Until a structural analysis can be done on the structure of each car used, it’s dangerous and, in many instances, illegal to use these for this purpose. No respectable transportation engineer would allow this on any public roadway. As a farmer I understand the attraction of this idea but don’t do it! You are better off in the long run to purchase culverts and bridge material from a reputable supplier. (Todd Larson, todd. larson@hancockconcrete.com) Wide-mouth plastic jars – the kind found in grocery stores as containers of crackers and cookies – make ideal
wagon, with leaf springs welded onto the bottom. The armrests are made from stained wood, and the back was made by cutting down a steel gate. There’s a cup holder on one side. (George Feltz, 6280 5 th St., Stevens Point, Wis. 54482, ph 715 341-0162)
We wanted the Teddy Bears to be large and showy and went to flea markets and garage sales to find just the right ones. All the bears are about the same weight for balance. Power is provided by a McCormick gas engine, with a clothesline belt running from the ferris wheel to the engine. Every year I take the ferris wheel to a local steam and gas engine show where it’s quite a conversation piece. Little kids like to watch it go around while their parents snap photos. At parades I haul it on a trailer in my 1937 Ford truck, and it’s a real crowd pleaser. (Wally Clavadatscher, S9895 County Rd. E, Sauk City, Wis. 53583)
Mixing 3 lbs. of diatomaceous earth to every 100 lbs. of grain you feed your horses is a simple way to keep flies away from your barn and manure pile. Food grade diatamacous earth can be purchased online or from companies like Perma Guard (ph 505 243-1460) for $28 for 50 lbs. The reason it works is that the diatameous earth kills any maggots from the eggs flies lay in the manure, just
I carved this bear and cub out of a big 4-ft. dia. cedar tree stump. It stands in my back yard and is all one piece.
Using a long-handled dandelion digger, it’s possible to harvest asparagus without having to bend over. I use a spring-loaded “grabber” to hold the asparagus while I cut it off with the knife. (C.F. Marley, 26288 Oconee Ave., Nokomis, Ill. 62075, ph 217 563-2588)
waterproof signs. The jars fit easily over the top of a 2 by 4 or 4 by 4 so you can drive in a post, tape a sign on ordinary paper to the inside of the jar, and put the jar over the top of the post. You can screw or nail the jar in place on the post through the threaded end. (C.F. Marley, Nokomis, Ill.) In your last issue you had an article about a “made it myself” mini earth mover pulled by a small tractor. It’s an impressive-looking earthmover. However, in the article it says the owner built it because he couldn’t find a small unit that his tractor could pull. I bought a small earthmover from Hoelscher Commercial Products (ph 620 562-3575; www.hoelscherinc.com). It’s very wellbuilt and they offer 3 sizes, from 1.2 yard to 1.8 yard capacity. (Rick Baker, rsbaker@localnet.com)
I needed to clean out a narrow trench so I came up with this handy tool. I took a broom stick and a curved piece of 2-in. dia. plastic pipe, drilled a hole in the side and shoved the broomstick in, securing it with a screw from the other side. The end of the conduit is cut down to form a scoop. (Anonymous)
I recently discovered this lady at a flea market in Bristol, Tenn., selling buttered popcorn and using an oil can to add the butter. She says she adds a little canola oil to thin the butter so it’ll flow better. (Ron Balkom, 3060 Upper Copper Creek Road, Lebanon, Va. 24266, ph 828 289-3883) Someone gave me this cast iron seat. He wanted to give it a good home so I told him I’d convert it into a rocking chair. The 15-in. high steel wheels are off a small
The tree had a fork in it so I carved the cub out of the fork, hanging on mama bear’s back. I used my 4 1/2-in. air die grinder to do most of the work and bought a special bit equipped with chainsaw teeth to carve the fine stuff such as the mouth, eyes and teeth. Cedar is a real light wood so I painted the bears to make them stand out better. Everyone who sees the bears wants to have their photo taken standing next to them. It took me about two weeks to do the work. (Tom Allison, P.O. Box 86, Orofino, Idaho 83544, ph 208 8160775)
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1-800-834-9665 • editor@farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • www.farmshow.com• vol. 37, no. 4 FARM SHOW • 41
Air-Ride Forklifts Give Fruit A Bump-Free Ride Dale Seaquist is a 4th generation cherry grower from Sister Bay, Wis., who’s spent nearly 60 years looking for better ways to run his family’s business. “Over the years we’ve built and changed things that have really helped us out,” Seaquist says. “Our custombuilt forklifts were made by modifying older model pickups with special lift forks and an air-bag suspension. They can carry 1-ton pallets of fruit through an orchard 3 or 4 times faster than the tractors and loaders that we used before.” Seaquist, his son Zach, and another employee came up with the idea to build their own lift trucks after they’d seen a similar rig in Michigan. They removed the truck box and cab from each truck, but kept the motor, drive train, steering mechanism, brakes, and some of the instruments. The rear frame was strengthened to support the lift forks and a 1-ton payload. The springs and shocks were modified to accept 8-in. dia. air bags that are commonly used on semi tractors and trailers. Seaquist says “the air bags compress to support the weight of the truck and its 2,000-lb. payload of cherries, providing a cushioned ride through our orchards and over the road.” Diamond plate steel was used to build a new open station seating area, floor and heavy-duty dashboard. Plate steel was also used to build a new low-profile hood and fenders. The lift trucks are easy to drive, Seaquist
says. “We keep the original dashboard with radio, the automatic transmission, the foot pedals and a comfortable seat. We swing the steering to the middle of the truck so the operator can sit at an angle and still see behind the vehicle during orchard and road operation.” Hydraulic controls to raise and lower the lift forks are mounted on the platform next to the seat. They also install a 600-lb. bumper on the front to counterbalance the weight of the fruit on the back. Seaquist says that buying commercially built rigs equipped like his would’ve cost 4 to 5 times what they have into their home-built rigs. He says they put a limiter on the engine so it can’t exceed 2,000 rpm’s and overspeed the electric clutch on the hydraulic shift. “We can haul the full pallets through uneven ground conditions in the orchards, then haul them down the roads at speeds of 50 to 60 miles per hour if we need to.” He and his crews can pick more than 900 acres of cherries and 30 acres of apples much faster and more efficiently than they did with tractors and front-end loaders. Seaquist Orchards is one of the largest producers of cherries and related cherry products in the country, offering more than 500 items online and in their farm market store. Their fruit is grown on about 1,200 acres in scenic Door County, Wis. In a high producing year, they’ll handle more than 10 million lbs. of fruit.
Dale Seaquist custom-builds forklifts for orchard use by modifying 3/4-ton, 4-WD pickups with special lift forks and an air bag suspension system.
Seaquist’s forklifts carry 2,000lb. payloads of cherries. Airbags (below) provide a cushioned ride through orchards and over the road.
Seaquist’s great grandfather planted fruit trees in the area 150 years ago, and cherry trees started about 115 years ago. Dale is the 4th generation, his sons are the 5th and grandkids now make up the 6th generation to carry the Seaquist name. “All of our families enjoy the work and the fact we’ve been able to carry this through so many generations makes it very gratifying,” Seaquist says. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dale Seaquist, Seaquist Orchards, 2023 Highview Road, Sister Bay, Wis. 54234 (ph 920-8544199; www.seaquistorchards.com).
New Way To Propagate Fruit Trees By Brad Miller An Alabama inventor has come up with a new twist on the old technique of air layering. Hong Park says his Air Propagator makes propagating fruit trees, shrubs and vines a faster and easier job. Air layering is a method of reproducing plants by inducing roots to form on the plant stem without cutting off the stem from the parent plant. It’s an excellent way to replicate an existing plant with less disturbance of the parent plant. Air layering can produce larger plants which readily mature much faster than growing them from seeds or cuttings. The process works like this: remove a ring of bark from the stem and enclose the exposed stem with a moist potting soil or peat moss, then keep the stem moist until enough roots for transplant are formed. Air layering with the Air Propagator clones trees, vines, and shrubs within 45 to 90 days while conventional methods can take as long as 2 to 3 years to bring them to maturity. Some examples of suitable plants for air-layering include fruit trees, grape vines, blackberries, climbing roses, etc. Other suitable plants include azaleas, maple trees, and nut trees. The Air Propagator is a plastic ball that comes in two halves, which are filled with the rooting medium and placed around the branch and secured with zip ties. As an option you can buy a unit with one half made of clear plastic, which allows you to see the root growth process without disassembling the unit. The unit comes in a small, medium, and large size and can be purchased individually or in a kit. The kit contains the Air Propagator shells, rooting medium, rooting hormone, zip ties and instructions. As the owner of Brad’s Backyard Nursery in Ridgeville Corners, Ohio, I’ve successfully used the system. It’s super simple and easy to use, and it takes a lot of labor and time out of the propagating process. I’ve successfully
Air-layering involves removing a ring of bark from the plant stem, and then enclosing the exposed area with moist potting soil until roots form for transplant. The Air Propagator is a plastic ball with 2 halves which are filled with the rooting medium, placed around the stem, and secured with zip ties.
Forbes Stewart says his handheld nipple feeder makes weaning baby lambs a much easier job. Each lamb gets its own numbered bottle.
Handheld Nipple Feeder For Lambs
Sheep producer Forbes Stewart, Warren, Man., designed this nifty handheld nipple feeder to make weaning his lambs an easier job. “I use it on lambs from 3 days to 5 weeks old. I like it because it’s portable and lets me feed up to 6 lambs at a time,” says Stewart, who raises 50 to 60 lambs each spring. “I use it mostly on premature and orphaned lambs. Each lamb gets its own numbered bottle, which makes it easy to control the quantity and type of milk replacer it gets. Several Air Propagators are shown here on Also, I can easily pre-warm all the bottles a large Fig tree. The process bringS trees, vines and shrubs to maturity much faster so the lambs always get warm milk which virtually eliminates scours.” than conventional methods. The nipple feeder consists of 2 boards used the idea on peach and pear trees as well as Goji vines. This summer I’m using the Air spaced about 6 in. apart – a 1 by 6 board on Propagator on 20 different varieties of fruit front with a plywood section on back – and is open at the ends, bottom and top. The bottles and nut trees in my mini orchard. How-to videos are available on the fit into six 2 1/4-in. dia. holes cut into the front company’s website. A set of two Air board. There’s a handle on top. Each hole is Propagators sells for $6 (growing media and numbered to match up with a numbered milk bottle containing a lamb’s particular milk root stimulator extra). Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Hong replacer formula. The holes are lined with duct tape so the Park, Parkway Greenhouse, 13605 Memorial Parkway S.W., Huntsville, Ala. 35803 (ph bottles won’t get scratched and to hold them 256 650-4644; cell 256 694-2169; www. tight. The outside holes are beveled to hold the bottles outward, providing the lambs with airpropagator.com). more room and also making the one-handed 42 • FARM SHOW • vol. 37, no. 4 • www.farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • editor@farmshow.com • 1-800-834-9665
feeder easier to control. Elastic rings attached to staples are used to help keep the lambs from pulling the bottles out. “It works great. The lambs come right up to me, and I’m not trying to run back and forth for a single bottle all the time. I always have one hand free to make sure the lambs line up with the right bottle. I think the same idea would work with baby goats and other small animals.” According to Stewart, the handheld portable feeder works better than commercial bottle systems that mount on the side of a pen. “I can control how much milk each lamb gets and the type of milk it gets, which is important because sometimes we feed different ratios of milk replacer to water as we get closer to weaning. Also, younger lambs often need to be fed more frequently which I can easily do with this system. Different lambs drink at different speeds, but with my feeder even the slowest drinker will get his full share. Another advantage is that I can adjust how high I hold the unit, depending on the size of the lambs I’m feeding.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Forbes Stewart, P.O. Box 361, Warren, Man., Canada R0C 3E0 (ph 204 322-5364).
Log Splitter Fitted With Press, Extra Hydraulic Outlets Ross St. John and his son Kevin, recently built a wood splitter that doubles as a hydraulic press. It’s fitted with a double spool valve that provides a pair of extra hydraulic outlets. “The press and the hydraulic outlets let me do work and make repairs anywhere, without having to make a trip back home,” says St. John. The 2-wheeled machine is powered by an 8 hp Honda engine. It shaft-drives a high volume hydraulic pump that powers a 24-in. long splitting cylinder. A single control valve is used to extend or retract the wedge, which slides back and forth on a 7-in. steel beam. He made the V-shaped wedge out of two 3/8-in. thick steel plates, grinding the edges sharp and then welding them together. The stop is made from 1-in. thick metal. “I’ve used the splitter to handle blocks up to 24 in. long. In fact, I haven’t found a block yet that it couldn’t split,” says St. John. The splitter’s wheels and hubs are the donut spare tires off old cars. St. John welded spindles to the hubs and then welded the spindles to both sides of a big hydraulic reservoir, which serves as the axle. The splitter is equipped with a 2-in.
receiver ball hitch on front, which is welded to a length of 2-in. sq. tubing that’s welded to the bottom side of the I-beam. By removing a pair of cotter pins, a free-standing metal leg can be swung down and used to keep the splitter upright whenever it isn’t hooked up. St. John fitted the machine with a double spool valve and Pioneer couplings to provide the extra hydraulics. “The hydraulic outlets are surprisingly handy,” says St. John. “I use them any time I need to operate hydraulic motors and pumps for various jobs. For example, let’s say I want to move an implement between fields but don’t have a tractor. I can pull the splitter behind my pickup to the field and use it there to raise the implement so I can hook it up to the pickup. I also use the extra outlets to operate a hydraulic-operated attachment that screws grain bin anchors down into the ground.” The press measures 18 in. high by 8 in. wide and is welded to the back end of the splitter. It’s operated by a 3-in. dia. cylinder with a 6-in. stroke. The operator sets the object to be bent underneath the press on a metal bar. “I use the press when I’m in the field mending fences and want to weld a horizontal
#1 #2
Ross St. John’s home-built wood splitter is fitted with a hydraulic press (1) and a double spool valve (2) that provides a pair of extra hydraulic outlets. pipe onto a vertical post. I can flatten the end of a length of oilfield pipe into an oval shape so it fits tightly onto the post for welding,” says St. John. He says he saved money and is happy with the way the splitter turned out. “I had most of the material that I used to build it. My only expense was the $500 I paid for the hydraulic
pump. Comparable commercial splitters sell for $1,500 to $1,900 and don’t have extra hydraulic outlets or a hydraulic press,” he notes. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ross St. John, P.O. Box 36, Ebenezer, Sask., Canada S0A 0T0 (ph 306 783-5639 or 306 641-4255; stjohnross@yahoo.ca).
Riding Mower Converted To Heavy-Duty Splitter “My friend Julius Larson and I built a heavyduty log splitter out of an old Cub Cadet garden tractor and scrap materials. It’s built heavy enough to handle logs up to 60 in. in dia.,” says Jim Allen, Muskegon, Mich. The splitter is powered by a late 1980’s Cub Cadet 1610 garden tractor equipped with a twin cylinder, 16 hp engine. The engine shaftdrives a 28 gal./min. hydraulic pump that operates a 5-in. dia., 30-in. splitting cylinder. The log is split by a 24-in. high, 1-in. thick hard faced knife. They cut the tractor in half behind the steering wheel and kept the engine, steering wheel, hood, headlights, muffler, and one of the front fenders, to which they mounted a toolbox. The tractor is fitted with welded-on brackets that bolt onto an 8-in. H-beam that’s boxed in with 1/2-in. thick steel plate. The axle and springs from a mobile home trailer allow them to pull the splitter down the road without jarring everything apart. With all the torque provided by the tractor, they had trouble with big logs snapping grade 8 bolts on the push plate. To solve the problem they used 1/2-in. plate to weld together a solid steel box that completely encloses the H-beam and keeps it from bending under pressure. The push plate slides along the top of the box and is partially boxed in on each side by a brass plate so that
it can’t get twisted. The bottom side of the push plate extends down each side of the H-beam and goes underneath it, with a shaft running across from side to side so it can’t lift up. An automatic oiler keeps the brass plate lubricated at all times. “With most push plates you’re running steel on steel, which causes friction and wear,” says Jim. “The brass plate reduces friction and increases the power to the splitter. There’s nothing to wear and now even the biggest logs just go right on through. If the brass plate ever wears out, we can simply unbolt the push plate and replace the brass plate with a new one. “We’ve split about 100 cords since we redesigned the system, with very few problems. There’s so much torque that when we split a really big heavy dry log we can actually see the H-beam bow in the middle and it will snap back when the log finally starts going on through. People in our area know this splitter can handle really big wood so local tree guys often dump off truck loads of big wood.” The Cub Cadet’s battery and alternator were too small, so they replaced them with a 100-amp car battery and alternator. “Return oil from the hydraulic pump goes to a hydraulic motor that’s used to belt-drive the alternator. As a result, any time return oil is
Cub Cadet’s engine shaft-drives a hydraulic pump that operates the splitting cylinder. The Cub’s battery and alternator were replaced with a 100-amp car battery and alternator. Return oil from the hydraulic pump goes to a hydraulic motor that belt-drives the alternator. going back to the reservoir it’s charging the battery. The battery has enough power that we can operate a winch or radio or even lights so we can work at night,” says Jim. The splitter is fitted with long hydraulic hoses and there’s a reason for that. “If the Cub Cadet ever breaks down, we can disconnect the hoses to the hydraulic pump and hook them up to a pto-driven external hydraulic pump on a farm tractor,” says Jim. “Julius and I operate a total of 4 outdoor wood burning furnaces so we need a lot of wood. The garden tractor sits up high enough to keep fumes and noise from the engine out of the operator’s face.
“We machined all the parts ourselves and used a lot of stuff we already had to save money. The only new parts we bought were the hydraulic cylinder and pump and a new can of purple paint. “It has a lot of power. The knife-style wedge slices through the wood instead of spreading it apart and cuts right through knots. If the log is odd shaped we cut it into smaller chunks, but if it’s round 2 men can usually roll it up onto the splitter table.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jim Allen, 2224 Allenwood Ct., Muskegon, Mich. 49442 (ph 231 777-4817; jallen264@aol. com).
Self-Propelled Wood Splitter “I got the idea from Richard Hammond, a close friend of mine who built one for himself. So, I asked him if he’d help me make one because I got tired of having to take my tractor out to move the splitter. It’s handy to drive and has a lot of power,” says Wayne Langlois about his self-propelled log splitter. The machine is powered by a Honda clone gas engine. The engine shaft-drives a hydraulic pump, which operates a 5-in. dia. hydraulic cylinder on the splitting wedge. A hydraulic motor is used to belt-drive the rear end and wheels off an old Datsun pickup. The dual wheels on back are off a wheelbarrow, and the seat is off an old Allis Chalmers tractor. A horizontal tiller on back provides directional steering and an upright
lever is used to go forward or reverse. A crane fitted with tongs lifts heavy chunks onto a metal pan and then up onto the splitter table. Either a hand winch or a hydraulic jack can be used to raise and lower the pan. The splitting table mounts on a 7-in. wide by 8-ft. long I-beam that’s welded onto the pickup axle. The splitter wedge is made from 3 pieces of welded-together, 1/4-in. thick steel plate. The push plate is made from a 3/8-in. steel plate. “I like how it turned out. It really saves on my back,” says Langlois. “I’ve used it on big logs up to 2 ft. in diameter. “We used scrap parts to build it. I already had the crane, which was designed to lift things into a pickup bed. I got the pan from
Wayne Langlois’s wood splitter is fitted with a crane with tongs. It lifts heavy chunks onto a metal pan and then up onto the splitter table. a gravel screening plant and cut it down to size. My only expense was the $100 I paid for the Honda clone engine.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Wayne Langlois, 13661 State Route 30, Malone, N.Y. 12953 (ph 518 483-1948).
1-800-834-9665 • editor@farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • www.farmshow.com• vol. 37, no. 4 FARM SHOW • 43
Old Glory On Old Barn Wood
It doesn’t get much more American than a U.S. flag painted on old barn wood. Artist Marie Roth’s flags sell fast at Sawbridge Studios, says Paul Zurowski, one of the owners of the business. “Marie is a member of Save A Barn (www. saveabarn.com), and she is also an incredible historian when it comes to the American flag. She gives lectures to various organizations,” Zurowski says. Roth salvages old wood from barns torn down in the Midwest. Flags range in size from an 18-in. board to a 6 by 8-ft. barn door. The rectangular dimensions are determined by the wood and are usually not to scale. But her fields of stars accurately depict various flags that are part of U.S. history. Each wooden flag comes with a write-up about what barn the wood came from and what was happening in history when the flag with that
design flew. Roth has done several patterns, Zurowski says, including a Betsy Ross version. The stars and stripes are painted with milk paint and coated with a sealer to hold up inside or under protection outside. Roth’s flags start at $130, plus shipping. Sawbridge keeps some flags in stock, and Roth takes custom orders. Roth is one of about 50 U.S. artists who work in their own studios to provide home accessory items through Sawbridge. The Winnetka, Ill., company also sells handmade furniture made by dozens of craftsmen. Everything is made in the U.S. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Sawbridge Studios, 897 Green Bay Rd., 1015 Tower Court, Winnetka, Ill. 60093 (ph 847 441-2441; www.sawbridge.com).
Artist Marie Roth paints American flags on old barn wood. They accurately represent various flags throughout U.S. history.
Photo courtesy by Dawn Holler-Wisher
Milk Can Urn Holds Dairy Farmer’s Ashes
Jack Pumphrey creates quality drawings or paintings of your “favorite things” to frame and display.
He Turns Your Favorite Things Into Art
Leland Paulson loved his farm, his dairy cattle, and his family. After he was diagnosed with renal cancer, Leland made an unusual request to a friend involved in metalworking. “He asked his friend to make an urn for his ashes out of stainless steel from the dairy tank on our farm,” says Leland’s wife Myrna. The friend initially had some reservations about it, but eventually agreed. After Leland saw how well the urn turned out, he asked for a matching vessel for his wife. “I think Leland and I probably have the only two matching urns in the world that look like miniature milk cans,” says Myrna. “It was his idea, because milking and the cows were so important to him, and I’m fine with that,” Myrna says. “Milking for him was always relaxing.” The urns are polished stainless with a cross and their names laser-engraved on the side. Having been a part of the farm for so many years, Myrna is proud of the symbolism that the urns carry. “Leland lived on this farm 86 years,” she says. “He took his first breath and his last one right here. He lived a long and productive life. We were married for 60 years, raised two kids, and he always enjoyed his work and the cattle.” The Paulson farm was homesteaded by Leland’s maternal grandfather in 1900 and passed down to Leland’s parents. Leland graduated high school in 1944 and returned to the farm after spending two years in the Army. He and his brother Raymond farmed together for more than 40 years. “I don’t think the brothers ever had a cross word between them,” says Myrna. “They milked 70 cows during their prime and the
Leland Paulson had this urn made for his ashes using stainless steel from a dairy tank on his farm. farm grew to 365 acres.” The Paulson’s retired in 1988 and rented the land to neighbors. Leland worked full time in town and enjoyed interacting with a wide circle of people. Myrna says the friend who made the urns told Leland he hoped he wouldn’t use it for a while, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Leland died at the farm last March, surrounded by the land and people he loved. “It was a beautiful service and people were very complimentary of the beautiful urn,” says Myrna. Now it sits on a coffee table in the farmhouse as the family decides on the best place to have it rest permanently. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Mrs. Leland Paulson, 598 60th Ave., Clear Lake, Wis. 54005 (ph 715 263-2099).
Collectors love their restored tractors, trucks and cars. But once they’re safely stored away, they may not get to see them that often. Jack Pumphrey has a solution. He creates quality drawings or paintings of your “favorite things” to frame and display where you can look at them every day. The New Mexico artist offers 11 by 14-in. pen and ink drawings for $49.95 ($99.95 for color 13 by 17-in.). He offers options of sizes and backgrounds. In addition to the standard 80-lb. vellum, he offers prints on canvas, metal and acrylic or He has done farm-related art that includes as greeting or business cards. “Collectors and groups like to have barns, tractors and pickups. their car portraits or logos miniaturized on business cards,” says Pumphrey. He calls I want to be first to learn about latest new them Cruz’n Cards. products. Please sign me up for FARM SHOW and send While yachts and muscle cars are among his hottest subjects, he has also done farmme a FREE copy of your just-published new 168-page related art that includes barns, tractors and book “More Great Shop Ideas”. pickups. “I would love to do a painting of an old Check here to renew. McCormick threshing machine. That excites United States Canada me,” Pumphrey says. (New & Renewal) $21.95 for 1 yr. $27.95 (Can.) for 1 yr. But he also does cats, dogs, Moms and $41.95 for 2 yrs. $53.95 (Can.) for 2 yrs. Dads – whatever is near and dear to clients. $59.95 for 3 yrs. $77.95 (Can.) for 3 yrs. Call about pricing on custom orders, he says, and send him a photo by mail or through his My check ($_________) is enclosed. More Great Shop Ideas website’s order page. Name Museum quality prints and note cards of his work can be ordered through Fine Address Arts America’s website: jack-pumphrey. City State /Prov. Zip artistwebsites.com. Make check payable to FARM SHOW. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jack Take out a new subscription (or Clip and mail this coupon to: renew your existing subscription) and Pumphrey, 2005 San Acacio St., Las Cruces, FARM SHOW, P.O. Box 1029, Lakeville, Minn. 55044 get a FREE copy of our new N.M. 88001 (ph 575 525-8298; inkyarts@ Phone toll-free 800 834-9665 or go to www.farmshow.com 168-page “More Great Shop Ideas” book. VISA, Mastercard, Discover, Paypal & Amazon accepted. comcast.net; www.jackpumphreyarts.com). 44 • FARM SHOW • vol. 37, no. 4 • www.farmshow.com • www.bestfarmbuys.com • editor@farmshow.com • 1-800-834-9665
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