Good Morning!!!! 59F @ 10:30AM. Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. High around 60F. Winds light and variable.
Looks like some of your Pineapple Express is headed my way overnight, staying on for the next few days. Thanks, David!
Drove a 4066 at the local Deere dealer and mostly liked it, but separate forward and reverse pedals seemed like they'd be a hazard on the steep property here. Shortly after that I discovered the
M62 tractors when the old
L3240 was at the Kubota dealer for repair, and not long after that I had the M. It's been a good tractor, aside from a broken hose.
Good advise on the XT, Kyle. This one is an '05, so still a sprightly teenager. I drain the gas from the tank and carb when I park it because it gets so little use. As long as the battery is good, it usually starts on the first or second push of the button, with little or no choke. It would be nice if it had a few more horsepower, but that would make it heavier and the weight is one of its best features because I fall down a lot when going trail riding. Which I hardly ever do anymore. Just don't bounce like I used to.
Maybe just like the smaller screws and nuts in the junk drawers, Drew, the fines sorted themselves down to the bottom of the driveway layers?
Glad to see that oak come down so nicely, Billy. It's a good feeling when they do. And you're right about the oak: they make a ton of firewood, literally.
Got the tires rotated on the van with not as much fuss as I thought it would be, and since Amazon delivered the oil, changed that, too. Used a vacuum sucker thing down the dip stick tube to drain the oil, nice and neat and no crawling around underneath and no hot oil running down my arm. The oil filter is a canister type right on top of the engine, so that's an easy replacement, too. Noticed I've only one spare filter left, and that the price has jumped by a third.
Speaking of prices, I noticed that my favorite Battery Saver model, the 2365, has jumped by 50%!
Since I already had the jack out, I took the wheels off the 7x14 trailer and changed out the other three valve stems. One of them split down in Orcutt last trip, and an American Tire shop replaced it. When I asked how much I owed, the man said no charge, and handed me four more new valve stems, and wished me a Merry Christmas. Might be the best gift of the year. The tire machine was already down in Orcutt, so I used the hydraulic press to break the bead and hold it down while I changed the stems. Had to use the ratchet strap trick to get the beads to seat again, but I was able to finish by the time the sun was setting.
Another campfire/trash burning session finished off the evening.
Today I'll try to get as much stuff as I can loaded into the van and trailer for the next trip south. Then maybe burn some weeds if there's any daylight left.
Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend!