Heading in a new direction..more like a circle.

thecfarm · February 26, 2021, 09:13:09 PM

Now whatcha buying? ;D ;)

dustintheblood · February 27, 2021, 12:09:49 AM

Quote from: Stephen Alford on January 11, 2020, 12:22:13 PM
Keeping cost in mind pilfered a couple stakes off the log truck and got a good used 7000lb torflex axle with electric brakes.

The 15 gal hydraulic came on sale at 50% off had an 11hp honda in the shed and a 8gal/min pump. Put it on a frame ...fork lift friendly so it can be put on or off with ease. this way it can be in the shop over night or when the tractor is powering the trailer.

Added emergency stop break to trailer along with lights.

Cut off the woods feet and added more ashphalt /soft ground friendly feet.

fenders etc....ta daaa

There's some pretty fine work indeed. Well done!!!!

Stephen Alford · February 27, 2021, 02:39:08 PM

Well Mr. Mike timing looks right. Glad for my customer base. They now get the same product at the same price produced by the same gear delivered on the same truck. Should be a smooth transition. Just the guy driving is 40 years younger and arguably better looking. :-\ Naaaa... :D
Just trying to buy some time Mr. Cfarm..... but like everything else these days it ain't cheap. ;D

Stephen1 · March 02, 2021, 09:58:26 PM

Have to keep busy to buy time....helps keep you mobile.

Stephen Alford · March 03, 2021, 08:08:19 AM

Spot on Mr Stephen 1...time is quantitative and should be used wisely. Firewood will pay a lot of bills but does require a lot of time for production and delivery of that product and service.
The new owner is a great young farmer and the firewood will be a nice fit. The customer base will receive their product.
The new focus for me will be woodlot/land renovation. Housing and materials are up 30/35%. Room rentals are 800 a month, single apts are 1400 a month + - . Recently I have been involved in a band saw rebuild and log home construction and enjoyed that. With the use of the tractor and implements looking forward to the next project. At the very least a new log home in the woods. We shall see...

Stephen Alford · November 10, 2021, 07:52:54 AM

Hey folks...been awhile since I contributed anything so thought it was time for a couple pics.
Been doing some clean up of the wood yard.

Finally got the on site yurt finished.

The modified log trailer is completed.

Big flocks of geese this fall.

Took a walk through the woodlot that got this threat started. Go easy

mike_belben · November 10, 2021, 08:58:51 AM

Hey buddy good to see you! Looks like a beautiful fall youre having. Nice work. Whats next?

Stephen Alford · November 10, 2021, 02:13:14 PM

...Hey mon chum...just navigating this pandemic haze which has brought some weird times. No grandeos plans ,been kind of an odd house arrest sitch. However been blessed to live were I do.

First off just wanted to thank you for your hydraulic insight. Going smaller with the loader pump worked great ... 5gal/mi with 11hp honda . Added a place to carry the clam shells and some steps and rail to the perch. Want to avoid that header of the perch from last winter. Not much give to our topsoil in Feb.

Been working on some landscaping ie shrubs and flowers...a couple of flower pics... with tomorrow being November 11 wanted to post the last pic...

mike_belben · November 10, 2021, 02:28:06 PM

Wow those flower beds are rocking! Nice job im jealous.

Glad the pump worked out. I think of it like choosing gears on a road truck. A big cat might lug a load right up the mountain with 3.55s in 3 minutes but a little detroit wants to be screaming like an angry mosquito through 4.88s and will take 5 minutes. Well the 4.88 takes more revolutions for one tire spin. Same with pump gearing.. Thats whats inside right.. Gears.

The smaller displacement pump takes more turns of the engine for 1 gallon of fluid moved @ full load pressure. Shrinking the pump is just like going numerically higher in a rear axle. It takes longer but the little more can do it if you gear low, spin fast and dont mind a slow climb.

Stephen Alford · November 10, 2021, 02:54:20 PM

" Not arrayed like one of these " always comes to mind.

Yes indeed Mr Mike...that sweet spot between ...slow/steady ....quick/jerky :P

Had a chuckle yesterday , got asked what our maritime winters look like ? First winter here for them. Response...you will know it when you see it ... :D

HemlockKing · November 10, 2021, 04:07:21 PM

Quote from: Stephen Alford on November 10, 2021, 02:54:20 PM
" Not arrayed like one of these " always comes to mind.

Yes indeed Mr Mike...that sweet spot between ...slow/steady ....quick/jerky :P

Had a chuckle yesterday , got asked what our maritime winters look like ? First winter here for them. Response...you will know it when you see it ... :D

Did you guys get hit by all that snow March/April 2015 I think it was? We had over 100cm within 3 days, plow truck never made the road for a week, was over my head in snow in some areas

Stephen Alford · November 11, 2021, 07:15:10 AM

Yes indeedy that was quite the storm , will be the benchmark for some time. Had a few black asphalt shingles sticking out on the roof of the shed. this lad used to lay there to warm up and keep an eye on the bird feeders.

You were discussing sharpening your saw in another thread. For what its worth a swivel vise mounted at the right height for you is a big help. If its mounted using receiver stock you can move it to use elsewhere.

Dom · November 11, 2021, 07:51:24 AM

Nice pictures, PEI is a beautiful place

. The home owners take pride in their property unlike any other place I've been.

I like the setup on the tractor, the fords are a classy machine.

Yes winter of 2014-2015 was a year for the books. We had over 5 meters of snowfall, but I remember talking to a customer in O'Leary PEI and they got more than we did. We had enough. ;)
Best thing about winter, Hockey! I'll be quiet about my team, things aren't looking good. :D

mike_belben · November 11, 2021, 07:54:21 AM

Id love a vice but ive found a welded on beam clamp is small and sufficient. Its wonderful to sharpen upright with the cutter close to eye level.

Stephen Alford · November 15, 2021, 08:27:48 AM

Well Mr Dom watching your team make a run for the cup last season was great ,a lot of potential. Sure do applaud CP for his seeking backup. Wish him all the luck in the world ,if only more would follow his example. Habs vs Leafs classic.
Mr Mike your tenacity and ingenuity never cease to amaze me. From the look of your welds you must be a proper heller with a caulking gun... :-\

The move away from thinning woodlots has been awkward but under the currant pandemic sitch not surprising. The reason for messing with flowers and shrubs was the hope there might be some viable work in property enhancement. To date not so much....we shall see.
Took a stroll down to the shore winter is not far off.

mike_belben · November 15, 2021, 11:32:17 AM

thanks bud. im a good enough welder. if it stays together its good enough for me. i have not lost my original ability to make a booger weld if necessary. but my boogers have gotten stronger than the ones i was spackling on as a 12 year old.

look into market gardening and CSAs. there are a lot of people making a full time living producing year round food, even in your climate. "the market gardener" on youtube is near montreal. richard perkins is another very successful one.

covid has activated a lot of underlying sickness in the entire world at once, and people are realizing pills arent curing disease at all. the reward for producing nutritious local foods is going to grow long after all our graves have daisies well established.

Stephen Alford · October 26, 2022, 08:56:58 AM

Thought this thread had kinda ended but... not so said mother nature. We had a storm called Feona
roll through about a month ago now but to me just seems like a couple of days. Winds around 180 km/hr , rain to no end for a couple days. Most of the province lost power. No power at my house for 9 days. Quite an experience, generally we are geared up for maybe 3 day outages. After 9 days of cutting trees off houses and no hot water wifie said I was getting what she called...a bit of a funk :D . Just wanted to post a couple pics of the stands that were thinned in this thread.

This was a nice stand of spruce

This is a pine plantation planted about 40 years ago.

A lot of big urban trees over as well.

nativewolf · October 26, 2022, 09:09:28 AM

Always enjoy your posts and so sorry to see that mom was so aggressive in the thinning.

g_man · October 26, 2022, 09:52:25 AM

Such unmerciful wide spread damage !

gg

thecfarm · October 26, 2022, 07:57:09 PM

Just seeing the horizon in that spruce stand made me sick. :(

Stephen Alford · October 27, 2022, 07:41:00 AM

Hey, just wanted to mention I do not think it is my place to post pics of damage to folks private property. There are lots who have if you google Fiona damage pics PEI.
Thought I should also mention for those who have never delt with storm damage rootball trees that in most cases you end up standing them back up. In a lot of the cases you are trying to minimize damage to stuff the tree has fallen on. the large creator formed when the tree goes over is a danger to kids and pets.

In this case it was on top of a camper trailer.

As you clear the tree from the top down they stand back up and you want to be prepared for that.

The multiple stem seems to stand up a bit slower than the single stem but each one is different.

The root ball can go both ways so if you should find yourself dealing with these rootball trees be extremely carefull . Stay safe Folks

bushmechanic · November 02, 2022, 08:16:14 PM

Wow Stephen, lots of damage there, we had a lot on our southwest coast also. That should keep you busy until the snow flies!

Stephen Alford · November 04, 2022, 02:41:13 PM

There is a lot of work to be sure . We have moved from the panic phase of the cleanup to the...who's paying phase. At first it's just kind of hard to get your head around the scope of the damage . The oldest I have come across was a 226 year old sugar maple . Just finished checking on another woodlot I had worked on years ago. Acre after acre like this

chep · November 04, 2022, 05:59:10 PM

Stephen I have loved following your work over the years. You obviously had the long term vision in mind with your thinnings. It must be heartbreaking to visit these stands you put so much sweat and care into.
I guess the only upside is that a major disturbance like that will lead to some interesting regeneration.
Be safe in the storm cleanups. In my experiences the twisting forces of the wind leads to very loaded up situations
All the best

Stephen Alford · November 04, 2022, 08:17:19 PM

Thank you Mr Chep for the kind words . When I go to do a walk and talk with a landowner I like to grab a couple coffees . They have a contest we're you roll up the rim and you can win free coffee and muffins etc. thought it was ironic when I was walking out of the woodlot and rolled up the rim ...