steve a
New member
Yeah, I was definitely out of place in the city, LA area; but not so much down here in the country side. Now I have only two neighbors on my road, no traffic jams, smog, or people telling you what you can't do. I got 25 acres, but I can't farm it as water cost is the killer; 4 times higher than my old house. No matter, I finally got the shop space of my dreams, a 5,000 sq ft insulated steel building, for my machine, fabrication and welding shop.
Jenkins, that's some beautiful work; that green drag is the business; I was thinking of building something like that. I don't really need grades that nice though; couldn't do that here any way, since there is not 10 sq feet outside of my shop slab, that is close to level. I live on the side of a hill, all 25 acres and about half of that is granite boulders as big as a house and too steep to even walk on. It tapers out on parts of the bottom end, but still plenty of slopes over 25 degrees, where a tractor can't go. The place was neglected for about 8 years, after the San Diego fires came through, and the roads are just passable with 4wd due to run-off erosion and mud bogs when it rains. If I can get those filled in and possibly re-crowned, I should be done with it for the rest of my days. I Shot or trapped out most of the ground squirrels already, (about a hundred), and talked my neighbors into doing the same, so I can flatten/fill the hundreds of burrows, before I step in one and break my neck; Without the squirrels and bunnies, maybe the rattlers will leave now too, and I will be able to grow a small garden. The gophers are the newest problem in that regards. I've tried smoke bombs, and traps with zero luck; everything but explosives molded in the shape of cute female gophers, like "Caddy Shack".
Still planning on borrowing my neighbors 6 foot box to see how I can work it.
Yes, I am getting better with the front loader. I have figured out how to tip-out some of those bigger 300 pound rocks, and drag the bucket to flatten. doing it in float though leaves a roller coaster effect, so I tip the bucket down about 45 degrees and adjust the height as I go. It doesn't look like Jenkin's field, but it fills in the ditches so you can easily drive a city car on it.
Jenkins, that's some beautiful work; that green drag is the business; I was thinking of building something like that. I don't really need grades that nice though; couldn't do that here any way, since there is not 10 sq feet outside of my shop slab, that is close to level. I live on the side of a hill, all 25 acres and about half of that is granite boulders as big as a house and too steep to even walk on. It tapers out on parts of the bottom end, but still plenty of slopes over 25 degrees, where a tractor can't go. The place was neglected for about 8 years, after the San Diego fires came through, and the roads are just passable with 4wd due to run-off erosion and mud bogs when it rains. If I can get those filled in and possibly re-crowned, I should be done with it for the rest of my days. I Shot or trapped out most of the ground squirrels already, (about a hundred), and talked my neighbors into doing the same, so I can flatten/fill the hundreds of burrows, before I step in one and break my neck; Without the squirrels and bunnies, maybe the rattlers will leave now too, and I will be able to grow a small garden. The gophers are the newest problem in that regards. I've tried smoke bombs, and traps with zero luck; everything but explosives molded in the shape of cute female gophers, like "Caddy Shack".
Still planning on borrowing my neighbors 6 foot box to see how I can work it.
Yes, I am getting better with the front loader. I have figured out how to tip-out some of those bigger 300 pound rocks, and drag the bucket to flatten. doing it in float though leaves a roller coaster effect, so I tip the bucket down about 45 degrees and adjust the height as I go. It doesn't look like Jenkin's field, but it fills in the ditches so you can easily drive a city car on it.
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