29 January 2011

who needs some slightly used nails??

3 cans of rusty nails later....(Bigfoot here again)
a few have splits on end....but with some wood glue they should be fine for a tin roofed shed or lean-to.

here's the pile after plucking nails etc out of them....mostly 2x10 whitewood


with the revolution going on in Egypt and elsewhere...oil may explode in price next week...I set my 55 gal diesel transport tank into the bed of the Ol F250 and squirted a hundred bucks of overpriced diesel in it at $3.40 a gallon (remember when diesel was half the price of gas year after year?)



The guy I got the lumber from gave me a couple old Farmall "H" tractor fenders. I may try to pawn them off on ebay...or dream up some inventive use for them at the TR Ranchito place. (would make a good post mounted horse/sheep/hawg feeder...too big for a Pug feeder)

Nice sunny weather around here yesterday (80F) and today....but supposed to be down in the low 20's early next week for lows....BRRRR..!! gives me the chills just thinking about it.

25 January 2011

One Man's TRASH...Is MY TREASURE..!!






Found a craigslist ad where a feller was wanting to get rid of some old lumber he had scavenged out of an old garage/shop being torn down somewhere. He was selling his place and moving to FLA (he's a Yankee, so he'll be in good company down there).
Lotta decent, even if weathered gray and a few nails to be pulled, but good solid 2x6 - 2x10's...up to 18' long pcs....AND 5 each 4x4 redwood posts that are a tad over 9' long...that have been stored inside....still red in color.
The old Diesel pickup pulled this load fine...only about a 40 mile round trip tho. Luckily I was able to round up Joe, my nephew...I let him do the driving and we loaded the trailer. First time I've used the 18' trailer in a long time, but it did fine with some air in the tires.
NOW...I'll need to set up a little work area to unload & sort the boards...pull nails and cut off any rotted/split ends to make it 100% usable again.
If I can get it down to the TR desert land....it will make a good shed/carport/outdoor kitchen area/rain tank cover....and most importantly a rain catcher roof.
Still tinkering with the idea of making the next trip down in the old F250....does great around town here. Taking it to a front end shop nearby tomorrow for a checkup...not acting up...just checking for old age & sitting up for 5 years issues. Need to repack the front bearings I'm sure.
Checked the MPG's today....getting about 11-12mpg....and that's pretty sad with diesel at $3.40 around here....(It'll be damn near $4 in Alpine and that much in Study Butte) But I have a 55 gallon (legal) transport tank I can haul down in the bed ($250 fill-up.??)...with a 12V pump on it. Damn near enough for a round trip with BOTH factory tanks. Problem is the rear 18 gallon truck tank has a bent shut intake nozzle neck thanks to a back tire the throwing a tread about 10 years ago and whipped the rear tank neck 1/2 pinched down. (never did replace/fix it)
With the 3.56 rear end on this truck....and around 60mph is probably best MPG speed (tad less than 2000 rpm is optimum..but no tac here)....it would be a LOOONG SLOOW painful 500 mile oneway trip....cruise control - no workie nowadays. Damn...and no satellite radio either..!!
okay.....enough...blah blah about the truck/trip..(boring to those that don't care I'm certain)
hope all is well with y'all..!!!
Bigfoot

21 January 2011

"thinking without brains"







Pic 1...My 17 yr old Nephew Joe...and Legion buddy "Dale"....(Dale kicked butt here)
Pic 2...a pantry with a view....temp cabinet...via a window behind it.
Pic 3...wind gen POLE is up and guy wires set.....now gotta git the 50 lbs windgen attached and up...(next trip?)
Pic 4...."thinking without brain"...
Seems the chrome Dome....did not work....I wore it for a good while...and found out I was still a total & complete DUMBASS.!! (big surprise huh?)

Around here...I replaced the old twisted off speedometer cable on the old F250....with a generic chevy version (Ford no longer makes or stocks the orig)...and it WORKS!

Been driving the old '85 Ford diesel around locally...and so far so good...but I need to replace a few of the front end bushings and steering rubber. The newly rebuilt steering gearbox is great......My "fresh liver" lil brother is a very good Ford Mechanic...but I have to catch him in a "helpful" mood to get this done in his metal bldg shop in FTW. (disfunctional family stuff here..??)

My dad's doing fine afer his 2 months of hospital and home rehab....back to his old crotchety self....even drives himself around in his pickup (tho he probably should not) a few times a week.
Looking to be back to TR mid Feb....for another trip to Disney land west of the Pecos.
Adios all..
Bigfoot