I love 'chinery

Don P · November 21, 2020, 05:20:33 PM

A friend of mine built this little bridge around 30 years ago. By hand, locust poles and 3" white oak decking with landscape spikes pounded in.

It was time for a rebuild, I couldn't talk them into a culvert so here we go again. But being grown - men, we got 'chinery this time ;D

Plucked it out in about 5 minutes

we had sawn a flat top on the new stringers and swung them into place

We used headlock screws, cordless drills and impacts to screw down the new 3" white oak decking after tarring the tops of the stringers. I needed to go get some more screws but a few minutes of that and some apron gravel and it'll be good for another while.

And heading back home. This was our first trip moving the Lull with truck and trailer. We still need to work on the trailer and ramps, that thing takes up the entire trailer width and with a quick measure we were height legal by 2", that was close!

thecfarm · November 21, 2020, 05:28:50 PM

Now I know whatcha mean.

mike_belben · November 21, 2020, 07:15:48 PM

Whatcha pullin it with?

Don P · November 21, 2020, 09:38:08 PM

That's the Ford LTL9000, we put the new clutch in (twice!) and a new turbo. Some new exhaust parts but needs more and we need a new steering box real soon. This was about 8 miles each way so in the neighborhood, luckily. The first trip out with the schoolbus behind us on the narrow dirt road in, the gate was locked so we jammed her up for a few minutes then back home till we could get that sorted out. The man with the key is a neighborhood friend with hunting rights on it but he was 2 counties away when we found out who had the key so it took another day to get in, life in the country :D. The clutch didn't go too bad, there are two different types (at least) depending on the flywheel recess and we got the wrong one the first time and didn't realize it till it wouldn't pull up :

. We had the tranny cribbed up on a roller table so it wasn't too bad to roll it back and forth. The trailer is just barely long enough. If we need to go any distance it will work better to pull the forks off the Lull. I had them pulled in tight to center and we did some tight cuts backing out but they are closer to the truck than is good. Runnin junk but local and we got it right, bought at the wore out price. We need to rebuild the long boom extension cylinder on the Lull over the winter and redo the back of the trailer are the next big projects.

GRANITEstateMP · November 22, 2020, 06:56:36 PM

Quote from: mike_belben on November 21, 2020, 07:15:48 PM
Whatcha pullin it with?

I was hoping Don P was gonna say the Ranger ;D

mike_belben · November 22, 2020, 07:36:25 PM

Its always something when youre trying to make an honest living aint it?

damper hub springs scattered in the 379 i was driving out in the gorge on i40 around the carolina border. I made the drop and got back to the shop in one piece then fixed it the following week indoors on concrete with a new trans jack. What a treat. Getting the 2" dual disc clutch up on the pilot in that horrible crouched kneel was allllll i had in me.. Great way to pinch a finger tip off.

Rigg · November 22, 2020, 08:15:41 PM

Hey, that looks like around here.

Don P · November 22, 2020, 08:20:13 PM

Rigg, I think you are right down the road from me somewhere close, this was off Spring Valley.

That Ranger has pulled things it shouldn't have oughtta :D

With a couple of old farts that clutch is no picnic, my lifting gear doesn't work well in bad positions anymore :D.
We finished up screwing down and dressing up the approaches this morning. I had bought Lowes out of the nice smooth black headlok screws but they had simpson brand ones for the same price so I picked up a couple more boxes of those (buck a screw either way and we blew thru 250). The fastenmaster ones will suck down a plank, the simpsons have some fins on the shank and are rougher finished, they will not suck a timber down. We ended up having to drive up on the planks and screw one down, yell "back up, stop" screw down the next, and repeat... always sumthin. I think they would work well in softwood but not the ticket in white oak and locust.

We got back about noon, decided to go look at 3 trouble trees right down the road from DB's. Looked easy so we unloaded the Lull, grabbed the one man basket and chains and spent the rest of the day dissecting and lowering those piece by piece. We'll go back and clean that up after the rain passes.

Had a leisurely start this morning, I made blueberry cornmeal pancakes with the cornmeal we ground up. I'd never had a cornmeal pancake before but found the recipe last night. Half cornmeal, half flour and Michelle whipped out some blueberries she had frozen when she saw what I was up to. We'll be doing that again digin1

Southside · November 22, 2020, 09:40:29 PM

Don - If anyone around grows any Buckwheat try some of that ground up into pancakes. Known as Ployes back in the glaciated tundra I grew up in, but boy are they some good eating with fidleheads, cretons and smelts.

btulloh · November 22, 2020, 10:46:41 PM

For some reason this thread is makin' me hungry for buckwheat pancakes. The old fashioned kind, sort of like sour dough. Have to let sit over night and smell up the kitchen. Have to cook 'em thin, cause that's what works best. Maple syrup and butter. Mmmmmm.

Most of the local mills up in Don P's neck o' the woods grind buckwheat flour, so I'm sure he has easy access. I've got a couple pounds in the freezer, and now that it's getting cooler it's time for buckwheat pancakes. Thanks for reminding me!

Southside · November 22, 2020, 11:33:37 PM

Grew some here this year for forage and it did well. Actually had a double crop in one area that dropped seed and a few of those plants are still hanging on even after the hard frost the other night.

Thin like you said - with lots of holes - were always the best.

Rigg · November 23, 2020, 01:59:42 AM

Don P

The last time I was on Spring Valley in the summer we found out my one son doesn't like curvy roads. I think he threw up in his car seat 3 or 4 times by the time we got all the way through. That road never seemed so long. Hadn't had a reason to be over that way since.

Don P · November 23, 2020, 07:30:05 AM

I live off a side road about halfway. When my MIL lived with us she counted the corners in each direction, she was not a fan either :D.

btulloh · November 23, 2020, 07:32:15 AM

Quote from: Southside on November 22, 2020, 11:33:37 PMwith lots of holes - were always the best

Yeah, holes for sure. Clearly we're using the same recipe. There's another version that basically just substitutes some buckwheat flour for regular flower. Not even close to the same thing. Tastes like cardboard. All this talk of buckwheat pancakes is inspiring me. Think I'll order some maple syrup from one of the FF syrup producers up in the glaciated north. (I'm not sure how we got from bridge building/Lull hauling to food, but . . .)